Thanksgiving is a blessing in itself, an opportunity to count our blessings. A reminder to be thankful and appreciative of each little thing that transpires in life. 

The heart and head are readily able to give thanks for our comforts and blessings; it is gratitude in the midst of a painful  moment that raises my vibrational levels.  

I share a bit of personal history in the hopes that it can help you understand that perspective in the face of adverse experiences. 

I was loved unconditionally.  I lived an idyllic life; safe, adored, and appreciated; not a care in the world. That all  changed drastically at age 13 when the older brother I worshiped moved to Canada. And the family followed. Dad brought with him an advanced metal hardening machine. He had dreams of innovation and a successful  business. Instead, that machine he brought turned into an ordeal that caused heartache and tore my family apart.

First was a fiery falling out between father and son over how the business should be run. Then came a string of business partners, each trying to steal the precious machine away. By my teen years it was a nightmare. I became very protective of my father, a tough burden to bear. 

When I was 21 my dad passed away.  I literally saw his soul leave his body.  “Dad, I will see you on the other side”.

While this was happening my mom and brother were in another hospital. He needed a kidney transplant. My mother was the donor. 

On his final night my father asked me to take his machine and run my own business. All I could do was to put the machine in a box and never looked at it again.

With all the negative emotions, pain and disappointments it was no wonder my father fell ill. 

Before my father passed away I thought to myself: I know energy does not disappear, it only transforms, so the energy that is my dad can only change form, it cannot vanish. 

This thought started my long journey. My first stop was a trance channeller in a town near Toronto, Canada. Out of this thin lady’s mouth came this deep male’s voice, that spoke in Shakespearean English. She said that I will be doing the same thing the Channel was doing for me right there. She told me that I had many other lives with my boyfriend at that time, but that we will not end up together. She told me that the husband I will have is someone I know from my childhood, that I will move to another country and have a family there and many more fascinating facts, that took a span of twenty years to unfold. 

I picked myself up and moved to California a year and a half after my dad passed. I married a childhood neighbor (as the channel stated), and we had two kids. I worked with my brother in various startups. I enjoyed the excitement and newness of each company, but there was always a nagging sadness that made me feel incomplete. At the same time, I was taking courses in metaphysics and spirituality to help balance my world, to feed my soul.

I quit the business world, and never looked back. But then my brother got very sick and I was taking care of him until he passed away. It was a very painful and difficult time; taking care of two small children and my dying older brother. It broke my heart to watch my hero wither away. 

 I joined a channeling circle and went to weekly meetings. I realized that I was channeling as a kid; giving mom’s friends wise advice even though I had yet to have the experience to gain that wisdom. 

I started to see people and channel one on one,do healing sessions, medical intuition sessions and do meditation classes. I tried to handle too many people in a short period of time. Often I got overwhelmed and needed a break where I did not do any channeling or even talk to my own friends. I believe it’s our duty to be a clean vessel, always getting rid of personal issues.

I couldn’t understand why on the one hand I was helping so many people but on another, I felt limited in my expansion. My life on the outside looked perfect: a loving husband, a great relationship with my kids and mom. We lived in a beautiful home, got to travel, I could go on. And on. 

I was meditating every day, doing my internal work constantly. I paid attention to my thoughts, my actions, to what it was that I was creating… Why was I feeling stuck? I kept having this feeling that something I came here to do, was not being done.

Then, I finally got it. I had never accepted the personal trauma of going through my father’s pain with him. I knew it had hurt  but I had never understood how deep it had affected me. 

I had watched my dad, the powerful breadwinner, almost succeed a few times, not quite make it, then lose it all. I remember wondering, “How will we survive? Will we be homeless?” Each conversation at home sounded like a fight. My father and brother torn apart by business, my mother torn between her husband and her son and beset by anxiety. 

Here was the birthplace of my distrust. How can you do business when people always steal from you? When my own brother, my hero, can do this to his own father? More importantly, the impact on my subconscious was: greed changes people. I better not try to make something of myself because it doesn’t work and it leads to fights and arguments and disharmony all around…. Thus all the years I never wanted to shine, my subconscious fear that if “I make it”, I will attract bad people, strife, and pain. 

I had taken care of them all as they got sick, and now part of me feared giving too much of myself away. 

I had chosen to take care of my loved ones, but the problem was that I had forgotten my voice in the equation. What was important to me? Who am I really? 

I realized something. When my dad had asked me to take that machine and do something with it, I hadn’t understood what he was saying to me. “My daughter, take this machine and find your power – give yourself your voice back.” But, instead, I put it in a box and hid it away. I put away myself, my power, my essence. I buried myself in that box.

The channel advised me to go to my dad’s grave and tell him that I am taking the “machine” out of the box, I am taking my life back!

After I understood the consequences of that action I took my life back and my power back.I flew to Toronto to my dad’s grave after nearly 30 years of not visiting. The first time I went, I couldn’t find the grave. Such is our power to create: I went to the cemetery, even asked the cemetery management, but the grave was nowhere to be found. They told me I was in the wrong cemetery. 

I took a few months to work on myself. I made friends with my fears, thanking them for “protecting” me, and loving myself as I was. I did not allow myself to be self critical about how long it took me to realize why I was stuck. Then I flew back to Toronto, to the same cemetery I had visited six months prior, only this time I found it.

I went and sat by my father’s grave, I cried for losing him, I cried for the heartache he endured in his life, for the childhood I had lost.  I forgave myself, I forgave my father, I forgave all the people who had been in our lives that were there to teach us some hard lessons. I also thanked all the people that were in my life then and now. 

Today I am happy to report that I no longer have those fears and when I have new ones (as long as we are physical I believe we do have fears), I love them and take action in spite of, or together with my fears. I am thankful for them because ultimately they expand me.

In my humble opinion we come here to learn lessons that will ultimately connect us to ourselves in an empowered loving way. Changing the layout of your inner world is the basis for creating and manifesting your outer world.

The primary lesson is this: you are complete and whole; you are a part of the creator and a powerful manifestor. The extent of your manifestation is the depth of your self love. Life has no meaning other than what you give it. Money is a neutral energy that acts according to the meaning you give it. Stretch your beliefs and the sky is the limit. 

Every time I have the opportunity to be in Gratitude I take it. There is so much to be grateful for, starting with the opportunity to be here in the physical, to get to experience physical love, food, and life itself. Choose to look at what you are thankful for rather than what you are not happy about, and you will keep increasing your vibrations and your energy. Your life will unfold in a way that gives you more and more to be grateful for each day. 

Thank you for being part of this beautiful caring community, and for letting me share my story.

By Sharon Joseph

Sharon Joseph has professionally coached people in their personal growth for the last 15 years.

 Sharon is a mirror for others to explore and embrace who they are, supporting them as they step into the fullness of their being. Using her astute medical intuition- x-ray vision, clairvoyance, energy interpretation and healing as well as her gift as a medium, Sharon helps people uncover and focus on what they can accomplish in any area of life, including Personal growth, health, relationships, success and career. She also is a very fast and powerful healer.

 Sharon achieved a Bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in business as well as a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Science. She is an ordained minister. As a citizen of the world, Sharon respects all paths to the One. Her passions include animals, laughing, dancing, travel, meditation, and connecting with like-minded people.