Life has ups and downs

I'm sitting in Bethesda Hospital listening to Dad breathe, watching his every move and distracting myself with anything I can get done on the Internet/laptop. I've added Bach Flower Rescue Remedy to my water and used Euphoria Relaxing Spray on and around my body. I'm breathing deeply and reminding myself it's all part of life.

While I was in NYC, Dad had a mini stroke. When I returned he had an episode that has him staying in the Hospice of Palm Beach County unit in Bethesda. All my Facebook friends as well as many others having been sending love and light and prayers and blessings. This is very welcome and appreciated.

Did you know that Hospice isn't just about getting their care to die? It's meant to assist to maintain a better quality of life when someone has a serious illness or challenging episode. Well, that's my way of putting it. It doesn't seem that Dad is leaving the planet quite yet. He's healthy yet the age onset dementia is challenging him and those around him. He's peacefully sleeping now, but night time is another story which I won't tell here. Se la vie . . .

An amazing wonderful thing is when Dad is talking or comes out of his sleeping stupor he says things like, "Always do good." or "I'll love you forever. . . . forever and ever!" or "Thank you. You are the best." or " It's not just good, it's very very good." It's statements like these that confirm the title of the "Daddy Lama" for me. He is a wise and gentle man and I am honored that he is my father.

And even with all the positives, it still makes me so sad and tearful to observe the changes. It's not bad - just so so sad. I already miss him and he's still here.

I love the wonderful people here on this floor. Dad has already received a Reiki Aromatherapy treatment from an Integrative Therapist named Jennifer. I've brought in my Guardian Angel Spray, Smudge in Spray, Auntie M's Anti Disinfecting Spray and Euphoria Relaxing Spray to give to the nurses, aids and caregivers for their use here on this floor. They've stashed it in the medication room. I was having a good cry and through my blubbering I asked Cathy, who is also a good customer of The Crystal Garden and the charge nurse here, if I could borrow some of my spray back. She immediately brought me the Euphoria and we sprayed me down!

The Doctor seems very enlightened as well as a good medical practitioner. I was happy to hear her tell me how healthy and beneficial it is for me to cry and emote. I have always believed that because I'm one to cry anywhere for any reason - or for no reason. I now have the added permission to cry from a medical doctor! Ha! So there!

It's all good. I'm so blessed with so many positive things in my life. I am so grateful for all my blessings.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the use of pure essential oils that are derived from plants, flowers, barks, roots and resins. The use of essential oils goes back thousands of years. It is the chemical constituents within the oils that can have an affect on us physically, mentally or emotionally. Oils can be inhaled by placing some on a hanky or within a diffuser. We can also put them on your body combined with carrier oil like sweet almond oil, jojoba oil or grapeseed oil. Putting the oil on the bottom of the feet is an effective way of getting the oil into our system.
Here are some oils you can use regularly:

Lavender
For the Body: Use lavender oil for headaches. It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-biotic. It can also help relax you when you just can’t sleep. It keeps away nightmares.
For the Mind and Emotions: Use lavender to calm your petunias! It is a stress reducer and will relax you when you are at your wit’s end.
For the Spirit: The purple energy of lavender can align you with pleasant dreams, dreams to connect you with your angels and dreams to bring insight and understanding. It’s a great oil to use for meditation.

Rosemary
For the Body: Rosemary oil has the ability to clear the sinuses and help you to breathe easier.
For the Mind and Emotions: This is a good oil for students or people who do a lot of detail mental work. Rosemary helps with the memory. Smell it while in class and when you are studying. Then smell in again when you are trying to remember it during the test! It’s an aromatic cheat sheet.
For the Spirit: Rosemary lifts one’s outlook on life and helps connect you with all that is good and positive. It’s a clean and bright scent.

Sweet Marjoram
For the Body: Sweet Marjoram is an oil that helps to rid one of headaches. It clears respiratory challenges and can be used to reduce muscular aches. Sweet Marjoram helps with insomnia as well.
For the Mind and Emotions: Have you ever felt hysterical? Are you ever anxious? Do you ever feel you just can’t handle being around one more negative person? Use Sweet Marjoram to calm hysterics, crying and anxiousness. If you feel you need extra protection because you are around a lot of negative people, place some on the temples and the back of your neck.
For the Spirit: Sweet Marjoram will bring in your Guardian Angel. Everyone believes in angels and invisible helpers don’t they? Our Guardian Angel protects and guides us. Believe! It’s a good thing.

Peppermint
For the Body: Peppermint can ease stomach upsets. This is also a great scent to clear the sinuses and sweeten one’s breath. I’ve used it to stop the itch from mosquito bites.
For the Mind and Emotions: Sniffing peppermint wakes up my mind and helps to bring alertness and mental clarity. It’s a good one to keep in the car for long road trips.
For the Spirit: Peppermint helps if you have a tendency to fall asleep when you meditate. It also clears the mind, so try it when the incessant chatter just doesn’t quit!

Lemon
For the Body: Using lemon oil as an anti-viral agent is beneficial as well as an agent for boosting the immune system. For the Mind and Emotions: Lemon is a happy scent and helps raise one out of depression. It also brings mental clarity. If you work with a lot of numbers and want to be very clear, try a bit of lemon to help your focus.
For the Spirit: Use lemon oil to raise your self-esteem and self-confidence.

Recreating Yourself

Sometimes it takes a cosmic 2 x 4 to recreate yourself. In that re-creation you just may find your authentic self pursuing your Divine Purpose. I believe that is true for me. It took many years (20) to really create a well established business but the journey was worth every moment of challenge and lessons. There were definitely moments when I stood in the middle of my store and exclaim to God/Goddess/Great Spirit - "Hey! if you want me to do this work, you need to send me customers so I can pay the real estate taxes, the staff and my vendors! I also would like to get paid some day!"

It was interesting that every time I did my exclamation someone would come in and make a very large purchase on that same day. Usually within a few days, I would also receive a letter giving gratitude for all that The Crystal Garden provides. So I would say, "OK, I guess I'll keep doing this, but please help the store not to struggle to make ends meet." Now I am more proactive. I am blessed with a phenomenal staff. We are all good at holding a vision for meeting our daily sales goals. I am attracting more wholesale clients. And, I am also attracting larger events, like Dr. Eric Pearl with 150 people and the Crystal Skull event in Jan 2009 with 300 people, which definitely help us with our sales and making the rent and all that is due to everyone.

Yes, I did just mention wholesale. I've created a wholesale division over the last couple of years. It started as a publishing division and is expanding. I published my own guided meditation CDs in 2005 and I've added Smudge in Spray to the line. I recently realized that it's time to add my whole line of medical grade essential oils including my proprietary blends called Euphoria, Lift Me Up!, and Auntie M's Anti. I am in the process of creating a really amazing Oracle Deck which will be self-published. The graphic art and the photography is being done by Victoria Rose Martin. I love working with her. I also have a new CD coming out to use to instill positive thoughts into your consciousness. That should be out by Winter 2009.

The thing to remember here is all of this was birthed out of 20 years of being in this business. I started The Crystal Garden with Carol Lonsdale in 1988. She left in December 1996 and continued on to grow my business. But we had humble beginnings. We started with just one small room of merchandise, much of which was consignment. I had gemstones from Arkansas and one Brazilian dealer. We had a few books, some incense and a lot of enthusiasm. I still have extreme enthusiasm for my work. I am so grateful for my career and the many facets of it. I like running many companies (I handle my father's real estate companies as well.) It's all very rewarding. And I am never bored!

It's been a while since I've written

Many bloggers blog daily. Now that is a nice discipline. I just can't seem to fit it into my day.

This last period of 3 weeks has been pretty intense for me. I have a tendency to try to do too much. I have so many ideas and ways to assist myself and other have a happier life, that I try to do it all - at the same time! Jeez Louise! Not happening. I have many plates spinning and I don't want any of them to drop.


My Dad was brought by ambulance to the hospital 2 weeks ago. He was home after 3 full days on the Infectious Disease floor at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach. The nursing staff at Bethesda is very good. I am also so grateful for Dad's primary caregiver, Hyacinth. She does an phenomenal job taking care of him. During the hospital visit, Hyacinth stayed with Dad at night. In the past, that was something I always had done. 24/7 care. What a relief to have the help and support this time in caring for Dad.


He's home. He's recovering. He had bronchitis. They thought it was pneumonia but thank goodness it wasn't. Man - they sure did pump him with antibiotics though. At 94.9 years old (he turns 95 on 11/13) it's really wiped him out. Then our other fantastic daytime caregiver, Vern, got the bronchitis, so he was flat out for 7 days. Poor Baby!


I managed to do day care and Hyacinth did the night care. The staff at The Crystal Garden as always handled everything. They really are the BEST STAFF IN THE WORLD! Thank goodness! I am just now beginning to catch up. I'm not as stressed either. My body was trying to get something - like a sinus infection - but I think I was able to get rid of it without antibiotics this time.

I finally heard back from my acquisitions editor at Llewellyn Worldwide - my publisher. I now have direction on how to edit the book. (this info came around the same time Dad went into the hospital.) Yesterday, I finally sat down and started the editing process. I believe the book will have the title of Crystal Consciousness: Heal Yourself using Color, Aromatherapy and Gemstones. At least that seems to be the new working title for now. That could change.


At the same time that I'm trying to edit, I am also excited about the Angel Messenger Practitioners (TM) who will start their training with me and Archangel Mikael tonight! I believe that we'll have a phenomenal experience. I actually pumped out a Power Point presentation for the program and for the Gemstone Oracle training. It will really improve the ability for those learning to integrate the information. I know we'll be laughing a lot this weekend. I'm a bit comedic when I do this training. (OK - that's an understatement! Ha!) I'll probably offer another training in the first quarter of 2009. So let me know if you are interested.

And next Saturday, Sept 20th, we are celebrating 20 Years of Sharing Love and Light at The Crystal Garden. How cool is that? Very Cool! Here is an excerpt from the most recent email I've sent out:

"Our gift to you is 20% off EVERYTHING IN THE STORE ON SEPTEMBER 20TH! Come by and take advantage of our thank you to you for your many years of support.

Also, The Crystal Garden continues to get greener as we now premier our Green Bags with our beautiful angel meditating logo. Our bags are only $4.99 and quite large and sturdy. Between now and September 20th we will be giving you a free bag with purchase of $50 or more. One per customer please. Of course, you can buy more but the free one is a one time gift! So, if you can't make it on Sept 20th, stop by before Sept 20 and get your gift with purchase of $50.

You may have noticed the 36 stones that are stored in the front of the Angel Room. Those are the Medicine Wheel rocks. Join us for the ceremonial building of the Medicine Wheel. We'll be building it between 1 and 3 pm on Saturday, Sept 20. It's a prayerful story-telling experience. Come at any time between those hours. We've loosened up the ceremonial rules a bit so more people can come and go to experience some of this wonderful event. It's free."

Then - on Thursday, September 25, Dr. Eric Pearl will be presenting a lecture on The Healing Connection - an event created by The Crystal Garden to be held off-site at the Boynton Woman's Club. Read more about that . . . .


And then . . . Mama Mia. . . . really - is there more? Yes! The Crystal Healer Certification Level 2 will be on Sept 26 and 27th. So if you've taken Level 1 - sign up now!



I'm looking forward to all of these good things. I also am very involved in the Coalition of Visionary Resources. COVR is a national trade organization and I am now the president. With the fabulous help of our administrator, Sandi at Soul Journey, I am able to actually fulfill these duties. If you are thinking of creating a store, or go out on the speaking circuit - or even manufacture something that is within the visionary business trade - then this organization can really help you be successful. Check out their website at http://www.covr.net/.

So - that's what been happening in my world. I still find time to sleep, eat, laugh, enjoy my love, Vincent, and breath!

Many Blessings,
Margaret Ann

Cleaning Spree, Chicken Soup and Aromatherapy

It must be the energy of removing old energy because I am on a cleaning spree. I just had the carpets and rug cleaned at The Crystal Garden. It sure does make for a nice ritual to clean out the old before the New Year. I love the feeling of things being fresh and clean. I've got to get around to making that happen at my house too!

My sweetheart is starting to recover from a cold/flu. It gave me the opportunity to nurture which I love to do and he is a willing recipient. I made chicken soup which always makes the house smell so good. And speaking of things smelling good, I used quite a bit of aromatherapy on him too. First, Auntie M's Anti. It's my personal blend that I created a few years ago because a friend of mine couldn't kick her flu. It was the creation of this and a few other aromatherapy blends that helped in coining the nickname, "Magic Margaret." Auntie M's Anti has oils that are anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-septic, anti-fungus and anti-anything-that's-not-good-for you! I always use it on the airplane by putting it under my nose on a hankie or tissue. It's calming and anti-everything!

I continued to use quite a bit of aromatherapy. My naturopath friend taught me that putting the essential oil on the souls of your feet is effective in getting it through your system. Other oils to use for colds are ravensara, eucalyptus, thyme, and there are many more. I will be teaching an Aromatherapy Course at The Crystal Garden in February.

Well, I think it's time to watch a movie and rest for a change. Rest and relaxation . . . hmmmmm . . . a novel idea!
Angel Blessings!