Shifts Happen. I admit I didn't make the new title of my column up, but when I first heard it I thought "Wow, that sums up my life".

I've always imagined that I would eventually write my life story or at least put some portion of my life in writing... When I was in college in Boston I liked to go to the beach as often as I could. Boston isn't the nice white sand of Florida, it's brown, gritty sand on rocky beaches. Cold, coooooold water. There was a particularly good walk up restaurant on one beach north of the city called "Kelly's Roast Beef" that would be good enough to fly to Boston for right now. I'd go get my fabulous food then go sit on the beach and eat.

Then the next day I'd have sand in my shoes. Being in college, I had one pair of shoes I felt most comfortable in and I pretty much lived in them. If you've ever had sand in your shoes, you know it's hard to get it all out. So I'd walk around for days with grit inside my shoes and think, "When I write my autobiography I'm going to call it 'Sand in My Shoes' because it's the theme of my life. Then I'd head back to the beach as soon as I could.

I still love the beach. Nothing is like staring at the New England ocean from the backyard of Nathaniel Hawthorne's house (which is a great tourist stop). But, I'm now more partial to the warm, soft beaches in Florida. Whenever I'm down there, I go to the beach if it's over 70 degrees outside. I always leave with sand in some pair of shoes, and sometimes days later I'll find a grain or three. Then I feel like I was at the beach just yesterday.

When I was in college and I constantly had sand in my shoes, I thought it was a problem. Now it represents happiness to me. It also represents abundance, my love of the earth, and contentment. Shifts Happen. And that is now the theme of my life.

Yeah, I'm now 42 and still occasionally have sand in my shoes. My father keeps asking me when I'm going to grow up. Until his mother died a few years ago, she constantly asked him when he was going to grow up. The truth is, as long as I've got sand in my shoes it won't be anytime soon.

Until next time ~ Grace to you, and Peace ~ Mary Ellen

Anyway, I went to my guidance counselor and adamantly announced I was dropping Algebra. He said "You can't do that". I asked why. He said "You just can't, everyone takes algebra". I asked him to show me in writing where that rule was. Sure enough, the algebra class I was in was not required to graduate but a basic algebra class was. This basic algebra class was kind of like… well… not what the average student takes for high school math class. (Remember this was 25 years ago and things are different now, I'm sure.) I explained to him I had no use for algebra and I simply wasn't going to take the class. He looked at me like I had two heads. Obviously no one had ever questioned the system before.

I gave him more examples of algebra they made us do that was, in my mind, redundant. I remember him stamping his foot in exasperation saying "But you HAVE to know how to do this!" and I calmly said "Yes, I do, and when I do I will use a calculator. I don't need to do this the hard way. You are making this harder than it needs to be."

Well… I dropped algebra. The next year I took business math because I was anxious to start taking what I thought were "practical classes". I learned stuff in that class from 10th grade that I still use today. I spent 11th grade in basic Algebra with ninth graders, some of whom needed special assistance. I spent the better part of the year explaining to my fellow classmates they all had been duped into doing all kinds of "busy work" in 9th grade and this was my way of bucking the system.

Did I make the right decision? I still think I did. I know enough math to run my own store, and I still count on my fingers if I want to because I'm a grown up and I can do what I want. Did I take the easy way out? In this case, I really don't think so, I just wanted practical work that would enhance my life in the future. But… I also didn't think I needed physical science or any of the advanced science classes. I thought I needed to know the basics of science and nothing more. I spent my high school classes taking English, literature courses, and becoming well read. I took more business classes than anything else, and graduated with a Regents (advanced) diploma in New York State.

Well now that I'm old I wish I took those science classes. I wish I had a better understanding of physics so I could explain quantum science better. I remember taking an aptitude test for career placement and the #1 job recommended for me was a marine biologist. Since I was living 400 miles from the nearest ocean I thought that was nuts and the results had to be wrong. Had I paid attention I might have been a research biologist at Sea World and not a secretary. Hmmm, how about that thought?

I'm glad I made the choices I did, at least I wouldn't be here right now if I made other choices and I'm happy where I'm at. My point, and yes I do have one, is that sometimes we need to learn things we don't think we'll ever have a use for because The Universe is steering us somewhere other than where WE think we need to be. It'll save us trouble in the long run. As I always say, "Fate will lead you, or it will drag you. It's your choice."

I see people being given lessons by the Universe, usually in a less than pleasant manner, and they are spending so much time focusing on the angst that they don't see this is leading them somewhere. Or they don't' even CONSIDER this might be a learning experience. Sometimes things– subjects, "interesting" people, a particular situation- keep coming up around folks in their daily lives or while they're at The Sanctuary and they wave it off and say "this doesn't interest me". Yeah… well… you asked The Universe to provide for you, give you knowledge, or lead you someplace. One must consider that the path to getting what one asked for may not be how THEY think the route should be. I suggest we pay attention to everything that's put in front of us, and don't wave it off so quickly. We never know when that knowledge will prove useful. We can't learn too much, it's just not possible.

Until next time ~ Grace to you, and Peace ~ Mary Ellen

Remember people have been killing themselves and each other for thousands of years in atrocious acts. People have been corrupt for thousands of years. There have been world wars, slavery, and a multitude of misdeeds over the ages.

But there have also been acts of goodness, shining beacons of light, and positive things that rise despite adversity. There has also been waves of higher thought prevailing amongst the mundane-ness of our world for thousands of years. Things aren't really new these days, it's just more of the same. We just think it's new, or better, or worse, because we haven't seen a particular thing in a while.

What IS new is our increasing desire to rise above the old ways. Time is definitely going by faster. I believe we are getting closer to a New Age, but you know what—everything that will come with a New Age we've had eons ago so even that's not new. It's just coming back.

Remember what goes around comes around. Maybe not tomorrow, or the next day, but it WILL come back around. We don't need to judge anybody—Certain individuals will have their karma brought around to them on an 18-wheeler. Don't judge them, just be out of their way so you don't get run over by that Mack truck. If we wish them ill, we tie ourselves energetically to them and may accidentally get hit with debris by their providence.

Let's get on with our lives, don't worry about the external stuff, and hey– maybe it's time to quit watching the Nightly News. It'll get better. I can't promise it won't get worse first though. Let's just stick together with our open minds and optimism about how great things CAN be. We have MUCH to look forward to! I promise!

Until next time ~ Grace to you, and Peace ~ Mary Ellen

Many people come into The Sanctuary expressing a feeling of agitation or general discontent that they can't put their finger on. This leads them to look for something that they can't identify, which furthers their feelings of frustration and general discontent. Compounding this is their inability to properly articulate the feeling. I have this conversation more than you'll know.

Generally after people fill me in on what's led to them coming to The Sanctuary to tell me these things, I'll tell them two things: I know exactly what they're describing, and, I think it's a good thing.

I tell them that feeling of discontent is a sign that something is about to change in their lives. That "restless longing for better circumstances" is going to steer them towards what it is that will lead to their better circumstances. It may be more knowledge, better relationships, finding peace, or any number of things (and combinations thereof). Now… um… I have to say it may not be easy or fun and it may get worse before it gets better. But I tell them to remain SURE that they are being led into something great, or else they wouldn't be having these feelings of discontent. It's like a flag that goes up as a marker to say "OK, hang on, lanes may change ahead without warning!".

We get what we ask for. ALWAYS. It may not be how we imagined it would come, but we do get it. We can't make room for growth without occasionally shedding some old things in our life. Sometimes it also requires– as they say in the Wizard of Oz- "the brain… the heart… the nerve…". Growth requires additionally use of those facilities. God didn't give them to us so we could keep them in storage and not use them. Oh no, The Universe fully intends for us to put them to good use. And if they don't get enough exercise, we may occasionally feel… what's the word? discontent… as we ease them into service.

When folks are experiencing discontent it feels heavy, and difficult to manage. Seriously, it's not a bad thing. When the feeling is finally gone what you'll have instead will be way better than before you began to feel the discontent. Easy for me to say, right? Believe me when I say I speak from experience. I have learned in glaring technicolor that fate will lead you, or it will drag you– your choice. I should embroider that on a pillow for my sofa.

Until next time ~ Grace to you, and Peace ~ Mary Ellen