Every year as one year ends and the next one begins, I get an impression of how the New Year will go and what to expect. They’ve always been spot on and throughout the year as things happen, I’m reminded of the intuition I received in the beginning.

This gift has brought me a lot of peace over the years. When my kids were at home I would get one for them too. While I rarely shared this thought, as their year unfolded and they hit challenges or smooth waters I would know, everything was exactly as it was meant to be.

In November of last year, I looked at my husband and told him, “Be careful what you say. This coming year, the universe is listening.” He smiled and just said, ”Okay. That’s nice.” It’s not that he doesn’t believe in my intuition, on the contrary, he has learned to listen. When I get a “hit” regarding a challenging issue he knows following it will lead to a better outcome than if we choose to walk a different way.

I was a little surprised when the information came in early November. I found it a little odd to have it so early and took it as a warning and insight to truly pay attention. I also found it an exciting and eye-opening statement.

In September Jay thought we may want to look at hiring an assistant. With our lives and businesses we knew we would need someone to help us keep things going without burning ourselves out. One person immediately came to mind and we shelved the idea knowing the time wasn’t quite right and it would come up again. In November Jay came back to me and said he felt it was time, so I proposed Kathleen. Long story short we hired her in January and we have been ever grateful to have someone helping us row the boat.

The other side of the story? In mid-October, Kathleen told the universe she wanted to work for me. She didn’t care how it happened, this is just what she wanted and believed would happen.

There have been countless occurrences since then which I chalk up to the Universe listening. It has gotten to the point people ask me, “How do you do that?! You just say it’s going to happen and it does!” Or “How did you find that thing? It’s so perfect and it took no time at all!” And then they answer their own questions with the follow-up of “It’s that thing with you and the universe.”

Here’s the deal;

Yes, I have a “thing” with the universe.

I DO believe in it.

I believe in the law of attraction.

I believe in a mindset of abundance.

I believe we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. And in believing it will happen? IT WILL HAPPEN.

The universe listens.

The question is, do you?

In the church, I was taught to pray to a Heavenly Father who would listen to my joys, heartaches, and pleas. I was told he would always be “there”. And I distinctly remember a lesson in my teen years about stopping to listen to his response. What does he have to say back? Are you doing all the talking? Would you truly like an answer? Then stop and listen.

The lesson gave me pause. My teacher suggested going into a pitch-black room, praying and asking a question then waiting in the dark for a response.

The darkest room in our house was the bathroom. It was the only room without a window and I was able to gain complete darkness by putting a towel across the bottom of the door. I knelt down and said my prayer asking for guidance. True guidance. And then I waited. My knees started to hurt so I sat on the closed toilet and waited a little more. And then when I was bored I left the bathroom and went about my teenage life. On the one hand, I felt I hadn’t had an “answer” to speak of and yet somehow I did feel a little different about the situation.

As I continued through life this lesson would come to mind and I would pause after asking for guidance. Just like going to the gym and building muscles, I began to build my listening muscle. I could “hear” the answers to the questions I asked. Sometimes it would be a visual picture in my mind. Sometimes it was an emotional feeling like peace or calm, a soothing balm letting me know I wasn’t alone.

My “ears” hear so much more than just the birds singing, the wind in the trees, the water trickling down a stream. They hear the notes of the world around me which means I also “see” where the universe responds to my requests, dreams, and hopes.

Just the other day Kathleen and I were prepping ground and planting in the garden. We were laying black fabric to mitigate the weeds and mid-laying I had a thought and feeling. I told Kathleen we needed to stop cutting and secure everything as the wind was coming which would undo everything we had worked on. It was a hint/thought we followed through on it and as we finished the next to last row a wind came up and made cutting and securing the last couple of rows a bit of a challenge. If we had not listened we would have been chasing black fabric all over the garden and cussing nature for making things so difficult. OR me experiencing a disappointment in myself for not “listening” to the advice I had been given.

My challenge to you is to enter this “gym” and start to stretch this muscle.

The next time you talk to your higher power stop to listen.

Take a breath and wait.

Answers come in so many ways. It may be a voice, a notion, a thought, a feeling, a smell.

Take your time and you will soon notice little things. Changes.

Answers to your requests for help, love, and guidance.

May your answers be present and your “ears” hear clearly.