Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Sacred Stories

  • Empath

    She was catching up with Facebook while listening to the story of Heidi Craig who explains how she had a near-death experience while giving birth to her third child. Heidi said the messages she received helped her practice faith and forgiveness.

    At the exact moment Heidi was speaking about having suffered so much and gotten relief when she found a group for people called ’empaths’ a post from the Empath Sanctuary popped up. Here is the information in that post. Perhaps you or someone you know will benefit. Synchronicity is God’s way of remaining anonymous….

    (The image on the post shows the empath burnout cycle.)

    FEELING GOOD
    Start to recuperate
    Energy feels better
    Ready to get back into the world

    TAKE ON ALL THE THINGS.
    Not recognizing limits
    Over-commit
    Do too much

    BURN OUT
    You’re exhausted
    Can’t do anything
    Wonder what happened

    WITHDRAW & HIDE
    Have no energy for anyone or anything
    Don’t want to ‘people’
    But also feel lonely
    Feel stuck with no motivation

  • 25th Wedding Anniversary

    She had been thinking about her husband and missing him. He passed last year at this time.

    While out for her walk she looked down and saw a quarter.

    She picked it up.

    This year marked their 25th wedding anniversary.

    The quarter is now on her altar.

    Note* Looking through some stock photos for this post I found one. When I noticed the year I grabbed a pen and paper to check what year they were married… 1998. The year of this stock image!

  • Hello, Hawk…. Hello, Dad….

    She wrote an email message to some family members and a few very close friends:

    He’s been on my mind so much this past week, of course, it’s been a year since we were sitting with him while he made his transition. But this morning, very early, I wasn’t asleep, I guess it was more of a deep resting state. Eyes closed, relaxed, but aware. It was a kaleidoscope of shadows and light and I was trying to figure out what the shapes were, but it kept spinning and shifting. Suddenly this calm feeling washed over me at the same time I realized what I was seeing – A HAWK! The hawk was the light spinning around in the shadows.

    In the past year when I’ve been out in nature – hiking, kayaking, swimming – I get a visit, usually an adolescent Cooper’s Hawk. I know it’s a message and it always makes me smile.

    I am so grateful for all of you and knowing I can share this with you and you don’t think I’m a crazy person.

    Sending love out to all of you today!

    XOXO

    One reply:

    What a wonderful experience. I do remember the hawk right outside the room in that small tree.

    Another reply:

    Oh, thank you SO much for sharing!! After my husband died I saw Visions of swirling Lights, Doves, and Owls and I thought I was crazy – and so did many of my family and friends. I was so grateful for those that knew it was my husband and knew I wasn’t crazy. And I’m so grateful that I came to understand this too. Grateful you are open and connected so your Dad can get his messages through.

    Your dad is among us for sure and his deep love lives on in each of us. ❤️

    She wrote back:

    It’s amazing that we had similar experiences with the swirling and the birds! Thanks for sharing your experience. Sending hugs!

    From another friend:

    Your sharing your experience brings such joy!

    My deepest honor is loving and being loved by one another and truly knowing that people do leave their bodies, but they do not leave their loved ones.

    Thanking each one of you💟💟💟

    She sent this response:

    Thank you for being a big part of this process! It started with the hawk in your yard.

    And this from her sister:

    I’m glad you shared this!! I knew you’d been seeing hawks and I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t seen any but on Wednesday on my way home from work I saw a large hawk sitting on the sign in the townhouse I used to live in. It was so still that I thought it was fake but I watched in my rear view mirror and as soon as I was passed it, it flew off ♥️.

    And a couple of days later from his dear friend:

    I, too, have had him in my heart these past few weeks. Not that he isn’t always close.

    On Friday, July 24th, I was leaving for my last optometrist appointment after having cataract surgery.

    Just after pulling out of our driveway, I saw a large bird sitting on a post next to the road. Since there was no one behind me and out of curiosity, I backed up about half of a block to check it out. I stopped right next to it and noticed that it was a hawk just staring at me. I actually rolled my window down and said hello to the hawk. I set there for around 15-20 seconds and it seemed unfazed by my being that close. Now I realize why there was no traffic to make me hurry on my way. It was meant to be. The hawk was a message from him. How I miss him, but receiving messages like this, I know that he will always be close.

    Unfortunately, I had to get to my appointment and had to leave.

  • For Good

    A woman from New York and another from Oregon share a connection that can only come from beyond.

    When he passed, the heart of one mother’s son went to the son of another mother.

    Saving Life Organ Donor Flat Vector Icon or Round Badge with Hand Holding and Giving Human Heart Isolated on White Background Illustration. Organ Donation and Medicine Transplantation Surgery Symbol

    Several years later when the two mom’s meet, they discover that the last song sung to the “donor” by his mother was also sung to the “recipient” by his mother.

    The song? “For Good” from Wicked.

    (Note* These two moms sang a duet on America’s Got Talent to spread the word about organ donation.)

    Because I knew you,
    I have been changed
    For good.

  • God IS

    She had been working on an upcoming sermon titled “God Doesn’t Exist: God IS” inspired by Rupert Spira, a teacher of non-dual awareness, “Collapsing the Distance Between God and Ourself.”

    All she needed to complete the preparation was a Contemplative Music choice. As soon as she settled on “Here as in Heaven”sung by Elevation Worship, she turned her attention back to the memoir of her friend’s late husband. She found it incomprehensible that her friend had not previously shared it because they had been close friends for well over twenty years, but things happen in their own time.

    The memoir ended with his Statement of Faith:

    And finally, I have discovered that there is a big difference between believing in God and God’s Word verses experiencing God and God’s Word. Yes, we must all take that “Leap of Faith” and believe, but we also must live that belief. My near-death experiences too me to the core of who I am as a person. It shook me beyond what I believed could be shaken. And now because of that experience, an experience that can never truly be shared with another, I know what I know. God is. And I am a part of that “is”. No matter what is, that “is” and me, is God. We walk together. Thank you, God.

    He had been the pastor of the church where her sermon would be shared….

    God doesn’t exist:

    God IS.

  • 4th of July Fireworks

    His 4th of July weekend had not unfolded the way he expected. As an over-the-road truck driver, when he got into it with his boss, he ended up without a job or a home.

    Fortunately, his family had come through for him again. Navigating challenges but pulling together, he had a great weekend and today he was starting a new job.

    The Daily Word says it all: In times of trouble or great joy, I behold the wonder of God in a world filled to overflowing with divine splendor. Whenever I fail to notice, I look to the people who love me and to the people I love, and know I am blessed…. As I affirm this great goodness, I remain aware that pain and disappointment may come to anyone. During challenging moments, I have faith that good will triumph in the fullness of time. All is well, despite appearances to the contrary….

  • Coaching

    She had over thirty years in her previous career, but her life had drastically altered. She was feeling called to make a change in her livelihood.

    That morning she had been on a Zoom call with a friend of a friend discussing pros and cons of becoming a professional coach. Sitting in the chair getting her hair done she overheard the women next to her talking about coaching!

    Sharing this with her friend, she wrote: “The universe keeps putting things in front of me….”

  • Four-leaf Clovers

    She was attending an 8-day silent meditation retreat. The retreat was being held virtually, on Zoom, but she had gone to a lovely retreat space in the lower level of the home of friends who had owned and operated a retreat center for decades. She had been there many, many times over the 20 plus years. This was her first time in their new space.

    Walking the grounds she noticed a lot of clover growing and thought to herself, “I have never in my life found a four-leaf clover.”

    Later, going out on the patio to enjoy her meal in the sunshine and listen to the birds singing she found a delicate little ceramic vase. Floating in water was a four-leaf clover. It had been left there by her host.

    How could he have known her earlier thought? Her heart was so touched by this precious gift and the deep knowing of the workings beyond the mundane.

    Starting off for her next walking period, very near the patio, her moving glance saw it. She, too, found a four-leaf clover!

    Spiritual meaning of four-leaf clover: Four-leaf clovers, aside from being considered good luck, are said to be symbols of faith, love, hope and good fortune.

    Just exactly the themes of the retreat…. Amen.

  • A Novel Mother’s Day

    Mother’s Day was this next Sunday.

    While working on her Mother’s Day service for the sweet little church where she was to be guest speaker, including the “Observing Your Feminine Teacher” information from An Experiential Guidebook based on The Celestine Prophecy had her in deep process.

      You got some positive qualities from your mother:  Like my mother, I am…

      “Outgoing and hard working,” she wrote down.

      You also got some negative qualities you got from your mother: Like my mother, I am…

      “Judgmental and critical,” she noted with some pangs of guilt as memories flooded her mind..

      From your mother, you learned that in order to succeed, you should: ___________( fill in the blank). These are beliefs and values that influenced many of your decisions either positively or negatively.

      That was an easy one, ” Work hard.”

      From observing your mother’s life, what do you want to be more of? For what are you grateful to your mother? For what would you be willing to forgive your mother? From your list of what was missing from your mother’s life, what, if anything, have you chosen to develop?

      “What was missing from my mother’s life was a spiritual ease, a genuine sense that her life had been well-lived. I am willing to forgive her for teaching me to be judgmental and critical, especially of my own life,” tears filled her eyes as she wrote these words.

    She was reading What Alice Forgot, a novel by Liane Moriarty’s – a novel for god’s sake. The protagonist suffered a head injury and lost ten years of memory. The earlier version of herself loved her husband, but she woke from the injury in the middle of an ugly divorce. Asking him what went wrong, he replied:

    “I’d be at work, where people respected my opinions. And then I’d come home and it was like I was the village idiot. I’d pack the dishwasher the wrong way. I’d pick the wrong clothes for the children. I stopped offering to help. It wasn’t worth the criticism.” (p. 424 What Alice Forgot, a novel by Liane Moriarty)

    The previous day she had written in her journal, “I am willing to know if it is highest good. That will be my new seven- syllable personal mission statement: IF IT IS THE HIGHEST GOOD.”

    A novel for God’s sake. Definitely a novel Mother’s Day, and such a beautiful gift from her mother in heaven.

    “A Mother is one
    who can take the place of all others
    but whose place no one else can take.”
    ~ Wise Old Irish Words

  • Nine!

    During their phone conversation, he shared with his aunt that he was finally off parole — it had taken him nine years!

    They reminisced about the wonderful parole officer who genuinely cared about him, and what a difference it makes to have accountability come with love.

    After a bit more sharing, his aunt said, “Nine years. Wow. Nine is the number of completion. I will look up the spiritual meaning of nine and send it to you.”

    The number nine shows you’ve lived and learned;

    you’re engaged with living your life in a meaningful, conscious manner

    and you’re setting rewarding goals.

    Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ~ Romans 5: 3-5

    Amen.