Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: inspiration

  • Tarpon Technology Solutions

    Having been displaced in her snowbird home by Hurricane Ian, she spent almost a month with family on her way to a home-away-from her normal away-from home. She had some laptop computer challenges earlier while staying with their daughter in Tennessee, but when she got to Florida her laptop would not boot up.

    She logged onto Zoom with her iPhone to be with her Florida meditation group and overheard some conversation. “Have you heard anything from Adam since the hurricane?”

    “No, I have not,” the teacher replied.

    So many she knows have been affected, her compassion was right at the surface. Then the conversation took an interesting turn as the student continued, “Adam is the only person I would trust my computer to….”

    Excitedly excusing herself for intruding, she said she needed to have Adam’s contact information because she had been unable to log on to her computer since she had left Tennessee!


    It will come to pass that before they call,
    I will answer;
    and while they are still speaking,
    I will hear.
    ~ Isaiah 65:24

  • Drawn to the Desert

    Sacred Stories

    She was feeling such disappointment, hurt, and anger. Her husband had essentially told her he could not support her plans to go to Morocco. Her daughter felt the same way, “You are too old. That ship has sailed….”

    Pouring out her heart about all of this the following day, her sister listened and expressed compassion, then asked her to speak of what the idea of the trip meant to her. “Almost like a vision quest. Out of my comfort zone. Wanting to prove to myself I am capable. Learning a lot about fear. I have a heart connection with the friend I have met online and I would like to meet her. I want to go to the desert.”

    Her sister looked up ‘desert spiritual meaning’ and read out loud to her essentially all her heart had just spoken!

    The desert symbolizes survival, creativity, clarity, revelations, loneliness, and overcoming life’s greatest obstacles.

    Metaphorically, the desert is a place of testing and transformation, of being divested of empire and ego. In the desert experience, the dreams, goals, and visions of the false self can be seen clearly, sometimes for the first time. The desert symbolizes the terrain in which we unlearn empire spirituality.

    Wow….

    “You have a clear sense of what it is for you,” her sister said, fully understanding the feelings of disappointment and anger. “It might be helpful to be clear on that intention and be open to multiple ways to integrate all of this in your life. It seems that thinking there is only one way something can happen is the ego and the empire spirituality the symbolism is describing.”

    Even with the feelings still present, she could see truth in that.

    The following morning her sister’s supposedly-randomly-selected screen saver was a desert scene, and this message from the book The Language of Letting Go: Daily Meditations on Codependency shared by a friend spoke so succinctly of the situation:

    Too often, we try to gain a clear perspective before it is time. That will make us crazy. We do not always know why things are happening the way they are….

    Today, I will let things happen without trying to figure everything out. If clarity is not available to me today, I will trust it to come later, in retrospect. I will put simple trust in the truth that all is well, events are unfolding as they should, and all will work out for good in my life—better than I can imagine.

  • Rest in Me

    Sacred Stories

    Her toddler great-grandson had been going through serious health issues for the past few weeks. Her Yellow Brick Road (blog) post that morning had been about meeting the chaos in the world by resting, not wrestling. Here is a brief excerpt:

    Thinking outside of the box, moving through experiences with presence, having an open heart, listening without judgment — these are the transformative results of RESTING.

    Resting. Not wrestling.

    Go to http://scs-matters.com/YellowBrickRoad/all-of-the-rest/ to read the full post.

    Shortly after her post went live, the following words appeared on her Facebook feed:

    God is saying to you today…
    REST IN ME.
    I will turn around every bad situation
    in your life.
    I will bless you and your family,
    and I will heal what needs to be healed.
    Amen!

  • Takes Teamwork

    Sacred Stories

    She was a bit rushed as she finished blow-drying her hair and reached to remove her curling iron from the bottom drawer. The plug to the cord was stuck on something. She wrestled with it and tried without success to get it freed before hearing the internal message to stop struggling so much and get down to a better position.

    “Now, slow down a bit. Be easier. Quit trying so hard….” a stream of encouragement poured into her consciousness through her mind’s ear.

    Rolling up the small rug, she knelt on the floor in front of the drawers. Reaching into the underneath of the drawer above, she could feel the end of the plug. Tracing the cord, however, she could not feel any port of release. The thought came that perhaps the plug was sideways and needed just to be turned in the other direction. It took a lot of doing – she had essentially only two fingers to work with. The conclusion was clear: the plug did not come free in either direction.

    “They need to move forward together….” she heard clearly.

    Easing her left hand under the upper drawer, she was able to use her right hand to hold the cord while wedging her right elbow into the corner of the lower drawer. With gently push and slow and steady pressure, both drawers were able to slide forward in the same movement.

    The plug was set free!

    Henry Ford said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”

    Yep, takes teamwork….

  • Lord Only Knows

    Sacred Stories

    After much unknown — whether or not they would be going to Florida for the winter following the devastation of the community where they had been going for over a decade — an alternate location was secured and dates for departure set. They would be leaving in a mere 10 days and there was sooooo much to do.

    She sent a text message to their niece,”We would love to see you and your mom (their sister-in-love), and Lisa (their other niece) and her mom (their other sister-in-love) before we head south. I know it is short notice, but wondering if tomorrow might be an option. Checking with you and your mom before reaching out to Lisa and her mom. Up there or somewhere down here…. I guess Lisa would be working so maybe some time for either a collaborative meal, or a meal out, or just a welcome visit.”

    “Either day is open for me. I have an appointment from 11-noon, but I am open after that,” came Krista’s response. “I will check with mom.”

    “Mom has a hair appointment but that should be done by 9:30, so tomorrow works for her, too.”

    Lisa’s quick reply was such a beautiful blessing: “That works for me, I have the day off work tomorrow. Let’s meet in the middle!”

    And then an affirmative, “That sounds good to me,” from Lisa’s mom.

    If they had tried to plan a day to fit into everyone’s schedule, Lord only knows when that would have been.

    Yes, Lord only knows….

    Do not be anxious about anything,
    but in every situation,
    by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
    present your requests to God.
    ~ Philippians 4:6

  • West Coast Casa

    Sacred Stories

    So, when she first made it to their “West Coast Casa” after their weekend community took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian, the sign that had a prominent place right next to the door, had been a casualty. That sign had so much sentimental value.

    Sifting through the devastation, she was able to find three pieces out of the five pieces. She honestly thought that it was just a total loss because of the enormous damage from the wind and the storm surge. A neighbor’s boat was found a few streets away, while his boat trailer had stayed in the yard!

    Who knew where the other pieces would/could be?

    Two weeks went by, and while they were helping their next door neighbor by picking up the debris in her back yard, she found one piece! She was so happy, she still had some hope that she would find the other piece that was missing. She looked and looked in both yards, and between the two….

    Some time went by. Debris was being piled in the streets and picked up and hauled away. She had made peace that she was not going to find the missing piece. She reached out to the artist who make this one for them, inquiring whether she could just replace the missing piece for them. Or, she would just buy another.

    Many of their neighbors don’t live in Florida year round and have not been able to get to their properties yet. She has been taking photos and videos, and for the neighbors kitty corner from them, she’s even been going into the house a few times to check on things for them. This week, those neighbors asked if she and her husband would go check on the lanai and open up some windows.

    As she and her husband were walking toward the lanai, he started screaming. When she turned around, he was grinning from ear-to-ear and holding up the missing piece to their sign!

    That last piece….

    Found!

    DEE & ANT’S
    WEST COAST CASA
    Est. 2015

    “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” ~ Galatians 6:9

  • Card from a Stranger

    Sacred Stories

    Her 22-month-old grandson was in Pediatric ICU. She had stepped out of his room to call her parents. As she tearfully shared all of what was unfolding, a stranger handed her a card.

    The words written on the envelope spoke right to her heart:

      My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

    The inside of the card was also filled with encouraging scriptures:

      Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
      My soul melts from heaviness, strengthen me according to your word.
      The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.

      Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God (I will praise his word). In God I have put my trust. I will not fear.


    She said to her mother,”I have prayed to Jesus to put me in a place in life where my actions are a testimony of my faith in Him. I wish it had only affected me.”

    A total affirmation of her faith, this card from a stranger….

  • Pandora

    Sacred Stories

    She was on a trip to Costa Rica with her students. When she tried to use the Pandora App on her phone she got the message “not available in my country.” Due to licensing restrictions, Pandora is only available for use inside the United States.

    Near the end of the trip, everyone was taking photos on the beach. When she gathered with her family for their photo, she was overcome with self-consciousness. One leg is much smaller than the other. She wears a brace. She was wearing shorts, something she seldom allows anyone to see her do.

    A lifetime of painful feelings of shame flooded through her as she imagined herself in that photo.

    Mysteriously Pandora started playing the song “In Dreams” by Jai-Jagdeesh.

    Know you are loved, rest in peace; dream your sweet dreams ’til your soul is released…Beloved child you are the light of the world, go out, spread light to the world; be strong, be kind, be brave; know your mind, know that you’re divine, know that it’s alright to be afraid. Know you are loved. Rest in peace. Dream your sweet dreams ’til your soul is released.

    She heard the lyrics at a deep level and knew this was a gift from God….

  • More May 20

    Sacred Stories

    She and her husband were wandering around the vintage car show when they spotted a friend from high school. This friend’s wife had passed and he had remarried. Chatting with his current wife, the news of the passing of her son this past May was shared.

    “I am so sorry for your loss. What day in May?” she inquired.

    “May 20,” was the reply.

    She shared that her own mother had passed on May 20, and the former owner of the home they live in now had also passed on May 20. (See: May 20)

    Most years have 365 days…. what are the odds???

  • Glass Globe

    Sacred Stories

    He worked for a funeral home, not as an undertaker, but as a helper to the owner. One of his duties was to drive the owner to visit his wife. She was in a care facility about 90 minutes drive away. They would always stop and have dinner on the way back. He and the owner became friends. Being around death every day, they talked a lot about things.
    One day he said to the owner, “When you die, send me a sign to let me know you are OKAY.”

    Not long after the owner’s passing, he was working at one facility and he accidentally broke a light globe. He tried everywhere to buy a replacement, without any success.

    Some time later, while he was working at another location, he noticed an identical globe sitting on a shelf – right out in the open. There was NOTHING in this facility that globe went to. Plus, he had been in that storeroom in that facility many times and he had never seen that globe.

    He picked the glass globe up. As he held it in his hands he had a profound knowing: This was the message….