Noticing The Miracle

As it has been said, 'when the student is ready, a teacher appears.' This daily insight is a story about looking for truth, and happening upon miracles. When we begin to look at life through the eyes of soul, what we see will expand, open, and come alive with wonder. There is a teaching that 'Everything is Spirit, and Spirit is Everything.' (Master of the Good Name). When we focus on the greatness that exists even within what is seemingly small, we tap into that greatness and wonder.

Transcript

Welcome to the Daily Insight.

My name is Azrielle Ljinkovic.

Today,

A story from Beyond All Things,

Insights to awaken joy,

Purpose,

And spiritual connection.

Chapter one,

Connecting with radiance,

Jerusalem,

2003.

The crisp,

Chilly early morning winds whip through white stone corridors and alleys as I walked with determination toward an old building,

Home to a collection of spiritual books.

I was 23,

Newly married.

My husband and I had ventured across the globe to delve into the world of ancient spirituality and seek our truth.

My quest for answers had so far only yielded more questions,

And I continued to search.

Arriving in Jerusalem,

I knew that the answers were not far off,

Yet it felt as though they were hiding in the crevices between the ancient stones,

And that in order to access them,

I'd need to do some strategic digging.

During the first weeks while visiting learning institutions,

I was left feeling fractured by the details of how to practice,

Which way,

According to whom.

Spirituality seemed so complicated.

Where is my place in this world,

I asked,

As I knew deep within that spirituality could help me to connect more deeply with all of life,

If only I could figure out how to practice it in sincerity.

On this particular morning,

My journey had led me into a Jerusalem institute of spiritual learning and a library of ancient books.

Perusing a collection stretched floor to ceiling,

I brushed up against a shelf,

And one book broke loose and cascaded down onto my head.

With light blue skies and wispy clouds,

The cover drew me in.

Awestruck,

I opened it and began to read.

Within moments,

A young woman rushed through the door of the library.

Hair blown by the wind,

She looked as if she'd just run a marathon.

There's an older woman who needs our help,

She announced.

She's alone in her home until her children arrive from abroad.

I'll go,

I answered,

And I gently closed the book.

What's her name,

Where does she live?

Wuhan Mashin,

Two streets south.

As she answered,

I glanced down at the book in my hands and realized that the author of my book was the very same woman in need of help,

And I rushed out the door.

There are certain moments in life that feel completely outside of the laws of nature.

In moments such as these,

When people meet and lives collide,

One begins to wonder about the chances of such occurrences taking place.

The chances seem so slim that they border the impossible.

What were the chances of that one book falling from its shelf?

That moment,

16 years ago,

Was a distinct coincidence of time and space.

A moment that led me to a warm,

Caring teacher who had amassed a lifetime of experience and was delighted to share her wisdom with me.

She was able to shine a light on the answers to some of my deepest questions,

Like why are we here?

How can we create a joyful,

Vibrant,

And meaningful life?

It was a moment which,

In fact,

Led me to many more coincidences of its kind.

As it has been said,

When the student is ready,

The teacher appears.

The story continues in chapter two,

Awareness and Gratitude.

Miracles are all around us,

Rocham Hashim.

Jerusalem,

2003,

Continued.

I raced out of the library and walked briskly to my destination.

Minutes later,

I arrived.

After ascending quickly up several flights of stairs,

I was nearly breathless,

Face to face,

With a tan metal door standing between me and a powerful,

Yet peaceful energy beckoning my entrance.

Come right in,

A small voice called from inside.

Captivated and ready to help,

I walked into a modest apartment.

Books spanned the living room like wallpaper,

Their golden spines glimmering in the morning sunlight,

Pouring through a large balcony window.

In front of the window,

Surrounded by the warm light,

A small,

Gentle-looking older woman sat,

Still,

On a fabric armchair.

She greeted me softly,

Inviting me to sit down.

Thank you for coming so quickly.

It won't be long until my children arrive.

If you could just help me to stand up?

I reached out my hands to class purrs,

And she held on,

Lifting herself from the chair.

Let's come into the kitchen and warm up a kettle for tea.

Slowly,

We moved together to a small table just a few steps away.

She gestured with her eyes toward a tea kettle sitting atop the stove.

She gazed at me with soft eyes and a sweet smile.

What brings you all the way here?

I,

I'm,

I began,

Realizing that I hadn't entirely explained my reasons for this trip to anyone until now.

Something about being in this woman's presence brought words into my mouth.

Here was an elderly woman who,

Despite her physical pain,

Took the time to listen to me.

Someone she had never met a fraction of her age from across the world,

Both physically and spiritually.

And yet,

She listened.

And in her listening,

I felt wholeheartedly that she truly cared about me.

I'm looking for something.

I'm not sure what,

But I know that there is more to life than what I can see or that I could touch.

She nodded,

Probing for more.

I told her of my high school side job in a psychic bookstore,

My love affair with the sand and sea,

And how magical it was to spend countless days at the shore during my childhood.

I even told her about my friend in college,

The atheist,

Who inspired me to question everything I thought I knew about the world of spirit.

I told her how I felt like I was searching for purpose,

Meaning,

A way to make sense of life,

And to make the most of it all.

She listened intently as her smile broadened and her eyebrows lifted in interest.

Miracles,

She explained,

Are all around us.

I can't believe you're telling me about miracles.

You'll never believe what happened to me this morning.

She smiled knowingly,

And the kettle began to whistle on the stove top.

I prepared two hot teas and returned to the table.

I'll tell you what,

She continued,

We may appear to be speaking on a telephone by way of technology that connects us to people all over the world.

She began pointing to a light tan plastic telephone on the table.

Yet we can also recognize that this very technology is miraculous.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

Truth can be so profound and yet so simple,

All in the same breath.

When we wake up in the morning and we can see,

Hear,

Think,

And live,

She continued,

This too is a great miracle.

As you open your eyes to recognize and acknowledge all of the miracles in your life,

The more that they will appear,

You will have unlocked the gate to living with purpose.

One moment can create indelible impressions upon our souls.

Those moments are pearls of wisdom to treasure for their power to transform our lives.

I hope you enjoy this excerpt from Beyond All Things,

Insights to Awaken Joy,

Purpose,

And Spiritual Connection.

You know,

It has been said that when we focus on small things,

We live in smallness.

When we focus on great things,

We live in greatness.

Yet I would like to suggest to you that in any moment,

We can notice the greatness even in small things.

We can pause to acknowledge the beauty and intricacy in a single leaf or a flower petal or the unique pattern on our fingerprint,

One out of billions and billions and billions.

Today,

Take a pause and notice the miracle of life,

The miracles around you,

And the miracle that you are.

Thank you so much for joining me on this daily insight.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this. Thank you for reminding me of the miracles. The way that you told this story along with your soothing voice i was able to step into it and be there to witness. Now maybe I can start to witness the miracles in my life. Thank you 💜💜💜

My husband and I listened to this together. We both enjoyed hearing your sweet, young voice, and the miracle chance encounter with the author. It has made us feel young again! Thank you for this message. 💙

I love this story. I was right there in the library and then having tea with the author. I have searched for the book, Beyond All things: Insights to Awaken Joy, Purpose, and spiritual connection, and cannot find it. Please tell me the author. Grateful I am.

Beautiful and encouraging story of opening up to the miracles around us. Thank you! ✨

Inspiring! Thank you...

Miracles surround us. Thank you for this lovely confirmation and reminder to keep focus on this.