Signs, Signals & Symbolism - a STORY

hello, everyone
***
i just had to share this, at the risk of sounding a wee
bit "off" in the head...
***
we all know that every situation has a positive and a
negative side, there are always two sides to every coin,
the sword cuts both ways, et ceteraaaaaaaa
***
when i post here about my personal situation(s), i really
try to stay on the positive side, especially when other souls
are concerned
***
this is one exception to my "rule"
***
i am in a very small town... when sis and i arrived, we perceived
everything as positive... and it was, relatively speaking... as you
know, we had been camping our way from CA to AZ, and when
we arrived here, it was quite by accident (?) and we met a lady
who owned a campground and she was open to barter for our
cabin fee... so sis and i designed a webpage for her and then we
began to clean her laundromat and restrooms and then i began to
cover her in the little store... for a couple of months everything was
GREAT, she even introduced us to the folks at the american legion,
who we felt were "real" people and not like the snoots we had left
behind in the beautiful napa valley
***
as events unfolded, we were giving a few more hours at the campground
every week than were necessary to offset the cost, but that was o.k.,
since we were happy and felt we were needed and had plenty of time
to volunteer at the legion, in service to the vets
***
then, things deteriorated, the owner became a bit demanding, did not
seem appreciative of our efforts and when sis declared she was not
willing to clean poop off bathroom walls in the men's room any longer,
this lady became somewhat rude - there were other things, like when she
misplaced some envelopes of money, i got the distinct impression that
she thought i was responsible for taking them - then when she found
them weeks later, it was too late, her attitude had changed so much, there
was no going back
***
so we went to bill's place... we had a barter deal with him, to cook
healthy meals so he could lose weight and fight off diabetes, plus we were
going to help him improve his property - as it turned out, even when we
cooked for him, we found that he was still pigging out on processed
sweets - he also had no energy for any kind of labor - to be fair, he has
a bad hip which probably hurt a lot - but his property was full of old
broken down rusty equipment like trucks, trailers, tractors, sheds, water
tanks / and while he professed to want to clear it out, nothing changed
and he would sit in his house all day watching t.v.
***
then he started getting phone calls, some anonymous, where the callers
would want to tell him something because they cared about him....
and they passed along rumors and gossip, like sis was in town "doing
drugs" (she was not, she was playing chess) at the house of the
campground lady's ex boyfriend (hmmmmmmm) and that she was
drinking behind the bar when bartending at the legion (it was iced tea,
which the bar manager was well aware of) and not collecting for drinks
served (if she was giving anything away, it would have been to ME, but
she wasn't) - then, people had heard that we were ripping bill off, and so
some were calling to confirm as the rumor spread like wildfire - he has
told them that no, we were not, that the deal was between us and that
we had fulfilled our end of the bargain, but that didn't stop the rumor
amongst others who did not take the time to ask him directly - and get this:
their evidence was.... that we had blown into town, joined the legion, and
we were REAL friendly - boy, what an indictment! but they took it to mean
that we were setting people up for a big con -
***
sigh
***
it took awhile to figure out who had started the rumor(s), the campground
lady and some of her "best" friends... the vibes we picked up on at the
legion, during meetings and social times, were undeniably negative and
i began to respond with negative energy myself, up until this past monday
when i had a speech all ready to give at the monthly meeting - i wasn't
going to mention any names, but i had planned on making it very clear
that we knew what was going on and that if the libel and slander did not
stop, that i was gonna have my san francisco lawyer take care of it...
(i do not have a lawyer, but i do have an old family friend of my dad's who
has a recognizable name and is an attorney who may have written a letter
for me, if asked - it's what sicilians do!)
***
so i was sitting here in the new place, looking out of the big windows
toward the mountains, and the thunder clouds were forming, and i was
rehearsing this planned speech in my head, when all of a sudden....
***
i saw a PERFECT heart shape of blue sky surrounded by the clouds....
somehow, the darks and lights of the clouds had formed in such a way
that right in the middle was an empty space forming a heart of blue...
it was not abstract, it was perfectly formed - i was blown away!
***
and i was reminded that the best action was to approach from a place
of love - within minutes, the clouds changed and filled in and the heart
was gone - but not before i had my thoughts/feelings altered
***
and so i went to the meeting that evening, and i participated in the way
i always had, and i ignored any and all negativity and i kept sending out
loving energy and sympathy for the poor souls with small minds who have
nothing better to do than spread gossip about other people - and i pledged
to myself that i would never participate in such actions, and i gave thanks
that there are some who we have come to know and love, who defended
us and told others that we are genuine and no way did they believe
the stories - i did not give my little speech
***
while we were eating, after the meeting, one of the main conspirators
came up to us and asked if we would like to take some leftovers home
and we said, "oh, yes, we would LOVE to" so she brought us some goodies
with a smile, and i remembered the heart in the sky, and it was good
***
yesterday, i saw the campground lady, and asked how she was feeling
and told her to take care of herself, and i meant it - this was big cuz we
had been ignoring each other for months - afterwards, i felt a joy
and a feeling of personal progress being made, and i once again thanked
the sky and the clouds for reminding me and bringing me to a place where
i once again am grateful to be here

Oh that was a great story. I got so excited when you mentioned the clouds because I knew your whole attitute would change.

I have always "charged" into your way of thinking and I'm finding it has never helped before so just stop already. Of course, I have had a lot of hurt and pain in my life from going with my first thoughts on how to handle things. So I'm working very hard on this lately and I like the way things are going myself.

I think its really great how it turned out for you and there surely is a lesson in your story

thanks for sharing it

WH ....i love the way you write...I really enjoyed reading your story and no problems following what was happening and could feel along with you the scope of your situation. When you wrote about the clouds and the heart forming - I thought of how much your outcome would be affected by this and loved the way it all came out.

Looking forward to your next post WH...

Beautiful story Hippie,

That is one big sign from the skies that you embraced and instantly saw the meaning of by coming from the special place of the heart. My partner and I practice this when walking in the street with a big smile on our faces and people will pick up on the energy we are radiating and return a smile.

Thanks for the being who you are WH as you constantly demonstrate how to touch another ones heart.

Small towns are a challenge to live in if you're not born into them. Very nice confirmation of love infecting people reacting out of fear.

You and your sister were meant to be in that town it appears. I'm curious, why did you originally choose this town over another destination? I love stories that confirm my belief that we are where we're meant to be.

Great story WH.

The key to this is that you recognized the symbol. You were not looking for it ... the universe showed it to you and it was up to you to receive it.

Remember you get in this world what you put out. Balance. We are here to learn and remember and you are doing a wonderful job at it.

Lightning222 wrote:

Small towns are a challenge to live in if you're not born into them.

I live in a small town, and I would agree with this lightning.

People have their little groups and it is hard for new comers to be accepted at times. Newbes are judged unfairly at times because they may look at the world a little different than the local way of thnking. Small town folk hate change or things that don't fit into their norm.


We have a lot of retired folk moving into our area from Toronto and there is definately a division at times between the locals and the "citiots" (as they are referred to at times)> Most of these people are actually really good folk once you get to know them. They just have to not make too many waves at the beginning until the locals accept them.

Exactly Micjer they retire and move out of the city to escape the rat race and then next thing you know they run for local office or petition the council to instill the very same rules and regulations they were running away from in the city.

I see you all live in my town... Sadly, gossip of others is the only free entertainment!

Northern Boy, it's the same here where the wall street tycoons and celebrities retire and then try and change that quality that drew them here in the first place. Ironic isn't it?

thanks for all your responses, thoughts, validation and support...
@ lightning, sis and i were camping from CA to Sedona for
gathering of elders held in mid-April...we wound up here as a spot
to camp along the way simply because we didn't get a good feeling
in another town further west... we arrived just as campground lady
was locking the office at dark - and we haven't left, never got a sign
and sorta settled in

That's so cool! But didn't you get a sign??...that gut feeling that the other place wasn't right for you? Sometimes we expect thunderclaps when all we get is a gentle nudge.

i meant we have not rec'd a sign to move on from here - yes, we had several signs to keep moving until we got here

Don't mind me it's been a bad week, I still haven't recovered.

aw, cmere lightning

Thanks...I needed that WH!

What a wonderful story of how the elements of nature spoke to you dear sister and that you were able to listen, and work with nature to a good outcome.

You are a wonderful example of the spirit led life. Awesome sis.

aw, i can count on you to be supportive, gabe...
i am trying to hit that magic 51%+ tipping point.....

I think you may not have to worry about the tipping point sis...LOL anyone that listens to the elements when they speak and reacts accordingly will by grace and through your intention make it just fine as far as I understand these things.

When the sky spoke to you and you responded in deed, you showed the ability to not only hear the sky, but to understand it.

These are the ways of the American indians and their levels of communication with the Great Spirit/God.

Faith and intention of heart will gain you many percentage points toward your tipping point.

Your story is one of liberty and freedom that shows how we can all live with the elements and by paying attention, we will survive.