Emerging Courageous Online Magazine - Stories
Love Based Courage by Margaret Feathers
It never occurred to me that I was
being courageous while I was living this story. It's still not a word that I
easily attribute to myself, but I can see how it may seem to be that way to
someone looking at the life I now have and at how I traveled here. You see, all
I was doing was finally learning how to listen to my heart and follow what it
was telling me to do.
I had lived many, many years listening to other voices - those that spoke of
what I "had" to do, or "should" do, or "must" do.
They were very strong and powerful and I gave them too much importance. I gave
them the respect that rightfully belonged to MY voice, the voice of the true
power of who I am.
After 27 years of marriage, one that was not happy for too many years to say, I
filed for divorce. The road leading to this decision was long and troubled tho'
it still was not an easy decision to make. My then husband had been diagnosed
with an illness that after ten years of treatment, was still not willing to
accept or take responsibility for. This added to an already complicated
relationship. I also had two young adult children to consider.
But, lying in bed one night crying, I knew I could not go on any longer with the
way things were. From the depths of my heart, I cried out to the Creator saying,
"You have to help me, I can't do this anymore." In that instant, my
life changed. In a remarkably beautiful way, I was touched by His presence and I
knew I was infused by His spirit.
From that moment on, I have been guided to a life far surpassing anything I
could have dreamed of.
In the five years since that occurred, I have divorced, moved, met a wonderful
man who lights my life with joy, quit my job as an Occupational Therapist,
became a Reiki Master, spiritual teacher and healer, formed my own publishing
company and have written and published the first of a series of three books on
Spiritual Enlightenment. Not one step of this journey has been without the
guidance of Spirit. Not one step has been without His love and help and not step
into the future will be without His presence.
You see, I know who I am now. I also know who we all are - we are all one and
nothing can separate us from our true selves if we are open to what the universe
can bring to us. Yes, there are challenges along the way, and they do take
belief, trust and courage to move forward, but it is so much easier to find
these traits inside ourselves when we know we are not alone. Easier, yes, but at
the same time, in arriving to this place of peace and joy in my life, I often
had to just close my eyes and jump into the unknown. It wasn't always easy to
surrender, to let go of conscious, ego-centered control and "my way"
and give over to something greater than myself. Sometimes, it was just plain
hard to do that. But once I felt the pure love of the divine enter into me that
night when I cried out, I couldn't go back. It was full steam ahead to wherever
I was headed. I committed to it and it hasn't let me down.
Does everyone in my life accept the "new" me? No. Does everyone accept
what I do and how I live? No. But I know that's part of their journey and in
finding my connection to something greater, through the heart and soul, I am
finally living MY life and not theirs.
If that's courageous, then I accept that term.
This article is not intended to be self-serving; I am writing it at the
encouragement of my cousin who first told me about this website. But again, I am
trusting the voice of my heart and the guidance I am receiving. In that
spirit, I invite you to visit my website to learn more about my story and the
work I do. The address is
www.jamarpublishing.com or I can be reached at books@jamarpublishing.com.
I trust your journey will be blessed with all the abundance of the universe -
including every degree of courage you may require to walk your path.
Namaste, Margaret Feathers
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