Photo provided by Huna.com

Years ago I had, what I call, a close encounter with God. I believe God gave me the gift of His Grace and it was so wonderful and fulfilling. Some people may call this enlightenment or being connected with your higher self, for me it was simply God’s Grace. When I was in this state of Grace everything flowed easily, I was at peace with myself and with my world. Things naturally seemed to work out for me and I knew that all was right in my world. This lasted for about 4 months and then gradually I lost my ability to see things in the same way.

I have always wanted to get that feeling, that “being”, back. It was so magical and pure, and life was really easy when I was in that place. For me, achieving that Pono (the feeling that only occurs when your actions are in alignment with conscious, unconscious, and higher self (page 6 of Find Your Purpose Master Your Path)) came when I was willing to turn my power over to God and just be.

Matthew James, author of Find Your Purpose Master Your Path, has made a life out of helping people learn to reach the same state that I call Grace. In his first book in his series, James focuses on explaining how to begin to “live authentic lives, feeling fully aligned with who we are and connected to our purpose.” (pg 10) He explains the Five Basic Assumptions and how to examine them in your own life. These Five Basic Assumptions really spoke to me, as the mother of a child with a special need, because so much of how I perceive the world is wrapped in the blanket of autism.

I was fascinated by his explanations of the the Conscious Mind, Persona and Ego. I am looking forward to reading his next two books which will discuss what Jung called The Shadow and how to Connect with the Higher Self. Find Your Purpose Master Your Path has a lot of useful information and many exploratory exercises, but sometimes I wish I had an email for Dr. James so I could explore certain points more fully with him. I hope to find even more direction and action in the next two books to help me put these ideas together into a working and living plan.

Dr. James has expertise in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and I would be very interested to hear his opinions on the struggles autism parents face. Recently the idea of PTSD being something that parents of autistic children struggle with makes me curious as to how Dr. James may help us to pursue peace within ourselves. Find Your Purpose Master Your Path has helped me to open up to seeing myself differently and hopefully to finding Grace again.

Photo provided by Red Envelope

My husband needs a hobby. He works too hard and he really doesn’t get a lot of time for himself so I thought I would find something for him. I knew it had to be interesting and it had to be something that required some attention, but not TOO much attention. Then I found  the Mr Beer Home Brewing Kit at Red Envelope. I thought this sounded like the perfect gift. Pretty much everything he needs to brew his own Pale Ale is found right inside the box including a 2 gallon fermenter, brewing ingredients, 8 bottles, caps and labels, and the Brewer’s Guide.

I know I made a good choice because as soon as the box arrived he had to open it up and start looking through it. He even went online to look at what other beer brewing refills they offered. I found the Mr. Beer Home Brewing Kit on Red Envelope with their Christmas Gifts. With Christmas fast approaching I like to look at Red Envelope to find unique gifts for my family. I know I would love the personalized wine cellar sign.

It was easy to order from Red Envelope and the Beer Kit arrived right on time. I also liked the fact that once I set up a login with Red Envelope I was also able to use the same user name and password on their sister sights ProFlowers, ProPlants, Personal Creations, Cherry Moon Farms and Shari’s Berries. My husband has used ProFlowers a lot over the years so this is convenient for us.

I can’t wait to see how our home brew turns out. I think this may be a hobby that he could love. And drink!

I was given the chance to review a complimentary product from Redenvelope.com.