For the last several years I have had a fascination for essential
oils. I don't know why, but I have. And for the last several
months, I have become even more involved with them. I have been
working with over a dozen different pure therapeutic grade essential
oils produced by a company called Young
Living Essential Oils, founded by Dr. Gary Young, an unusual
and visionary man. But one oil in particular has touched me more
than the rest. It's called JOY. That's right, I like to call
it, JOY IN A BOTTLE! It has the most exquisitely beautiful aroma
and whenever I use it, I feel uplifted. The theory behind essential
oils is that they resonate at extremely high levels and thereby
can increase the energy field around us and help bring into our
lives those things that we desire, whether they be abundance,
peace, or a healing of some kind. Its not that the oils actually
create these experiences in our lives, I think its more like
they help us to be open to the incredible abundance that is already
there present at every moment if only we have eyes to see.
For a while now, it has been my intention to experience more
joy in my life, hence my strong attraction to this oil called
Joy, and I would have to say by what I have experienced just
in this last week that this little oil has indeed been helping
me to do just that.
Two experiences come to mind, both very different, yet profoundly
joyful.
Here is my story.
I woke up early one day this week, after it had been snowing
and freezing rain most of the night to an exquisite winter wonderland
outside my window. I felt an overwhelming urge to rush out and
experience it, much as a small child would want to run out and
play in the freshly fallen snow or a little puppy would want
to envelop himself in a white blanket and then shake himself
off and do it all over, again and again. I couldn't really contain
myself much longer so I did just that. I put on my coat and boots
and mittens, not my kid-leather gloves, but my mittens, which
seemed more appropriate to the moment and rushed outside.
I felt as though time had stopped just for me. I was alone
in this magical place. Not a sound was to be heard, only my breath
and my virgin footsteps in the pure white snow beneath my feet
and the golden light of the awakening sun dancing on the icicles,
glistening like diamonds. I felt intensely alive and overcome
with joy.
At that moment I was reminded of when I was in Montreal and
my mother died. It was in the late fall and I remember sitting
in the park after having just left the funeral home and watching
the leaves fall off the huge maple trees. It was such a beautiful
sight to see but a part of me couldn't help wondering if the
trees felt sad to see all their leaves falling away. Soon they
would be completely bare and it would be like a death for them
just as it had been for my mother. I thought how significant
it was at the time, that my mother died in the fall just as the
trees were letting go of life as well.
Yet today when I was out walking in the snow, in the stillness,
I looked with new eyes at these trees standing proudly before
me. Where once they had been completely bare, now they were each
covered in white ice and I saw them in a way I was not able to
before. Each tree was distinctive, unique, a masterpiece in itself,
breathtakingly beautiful. They didn't feel as though they were
dead any more, only different, and I thought that must be how
my mother is now, not dead really, only different.
I stayed in this wonderland for over an hour taking pictures
of each tree. And at one point I decided to stand under a tree
and take a picture of the icicles from underneath thinking that
might make an unique photograph. Just as I was about to snap
the shot, nature took over and decided to have some fun with
me. The tree branch shook and what seemed like a mountain of
snow descended upon me and my camera. It was at that moment that
I became aware that perhaps people were looking at me and wondering
what this crazy lady with the red hair was doing standing under
a tree filled with snow and icicles with a camera. But the fear
of what people might think of me was completely overcome by the
uncontrollable laughter that burst forth from my being at that
moment and I gave into it. I stood there laughing. Laughing at
myself, laughing at the tree, laughing at the universe's incredible
sense of humour. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a
very long time and my body thanked me for it. What Joy!
My next experience is very different, but equally blissful.
Here it is.
It was a Thursday afternoon, about three o'clock and my partner
James and I decided to go out for a late lunch to our special
Italian restaurant. Both of us had been working long hours for
days and needed a diversion. We were seated at our favorite table
in front of the fireplace. The sound of Italian melodies filled
the room as our waiter greeted us. We decided to take our time
today, order appetizers and just sit and talk. And then something
happened, something wonderful.
A fellow entered the restaurant and was seated near us, directly
in front of me. There was something about him, something very
different but I could not put my finger on just what that was.
He ordered a cup of tea and a glass of cognac. At the time I
thought this was indeed an unusual combination. And when his
libation was delivered to him, I watched him very closely. He
held the glass of golden liquid between both hands as if it were
a lover and caressed it. He lifted the glass to his nose and
inhaled the delicate bouquet. A look of ecstasy covered his face
and he smiled sweetly to himself. And then and only then did
he sip the cognac. It seemed to be an eternity before he swallowed
it. I felt as though I was witnessing a private moment and shouldn't
be watching, but I just couldn't take my eyes off of this man.
He drank only the one glass, nothing more. One was all he needed.
I watched him dine that day and that is exactly what he was
doing, dining, not eating. When the waiter brought him his meal,
it was a while before he actually took the first bite. His eyes
devoured the beauty of the food and the exquisite presentation.
He ate slowly and gently and savored every moment and in between
each bite he sang Italian songs, along with the music. He had
a beautiful lilting kind of voice that melted into the room and
touched your heart. It was an extraordinary sight, to see someone
so completely involved in the process of dining, so alive in
that present moment to the experience of enjoying food. And as
the waiters brought him each course, I noticed they walked away
smiling more than I had seen them do before, and their step was
lighter, much lighter.
I once read somewhere that if a truly enlightened master
enters a room, everyone in that entire space would feel instantly
uplifted and not even realize why. That is what happened at that
little Italian restaurant on this glorious afternoon. Everyone
was uplifted because of that one man and his incredible aliveness
to being in the moment.
The man in that restaurant was indeed a master, not the kind
wearing long robes and a beard, but a master none the less. He
uplifted me and everyone else in that room and filled us with
a profound sense of joy and love for life.
And it was an enlightening moment for me as well. Until then
I knew on some level that if you wanted to experience something
in your life you had to be that something, you actually had to
become it. You could read all about it and dream about it and
think about it but in order to experience it in your reality,
you had to truly BECOME it.
That man had become JOY! He was walking JOY! And he reminded
me in some way of Mother Teresa. She didn't talk about love,
she didn't start a love foundation, she didn't lecture people
about how to love. She just was love. She lived and breathed
love every moment of her extraordinary life and she left a legacy
of love for all of us to follow.
I couldn't believe that I had learned so much just by going
out to lunch.
And when we were getting ready to leave the restaurant that
afternoon, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I didn't want
the experience to be over. And then I remembered it would never
be over. The universe is a wise and compassionate place and there
would be more experiences for me to savor waiting just around
the corner. As long as I was open and willing to let them in,
I knew they would be there.
Miracles are everywhere if we only have eyes to see. JOY
is our birthright! And then I remembered, not to worry, after
all, I've always got my JOY IN A BOTTLE with me!
Have a JOY-filled day! Love and Blessings,
from Veronica
© Copyright 2003 by
Veronica M. Hay - All Rights Reserved. Please do not reprint
any portion of this article without contacting veronicahay@telus.net
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