Journey to Empowerment by Maria D. Dowd Page A

reason than to prompt our internal Soul Purpose device and to nudge—or smack—us back onto our Divine-right path. The wrong people teach us one valuable lesson—discernment. And the truest test is on high seas. Who helps us sail through calm and stormy weather and uncharted courses? Who is there for the long haul, and who abandons us at the next port? Who feels like excess baggage? Who attempts to persuade us to debark before we’ve completed our journey? Who is so fear-filled they take f light or fight us to veer South, when our internal compass points North? Too often in our lives, we give rebels, pirates and other mutinous spirits permission to embark. And then we’re forced to pay handsome ransoms for our liberation, our peace of mind.
    Aside from that brief moment of insanity, my life continues to be blessed with many adoring, brilliant, innovative, authentic men and women who step onboard my vessel, bearing distinctive domestic and imported blends of soul-soothing and spirit-raising gifts. You know you’re on purpose and with your Divine-right Purpose Posse when your heart is calm and your mind rides the waves with ease and grace. You know it because you feel it. And, you feel it because you’ve sealed the leaks and have allowed Spirit to guide you. Even when our “humanness” surfaces and rears its “oogly” side, we’re there when our hearts remain open, loving, forgiving, insightful and faith-filled. Take a look around and take stock of the company you keep.
    Keepers of Compassion wrap a thousand arms and thousand hearts around yours and understand from where you come, even when you don’t understand yourself.
    Keepers of Manhood are our brothers, fathers, uncles and grandfathers who call for discipline, respect and commitment to upholding family. They teach our boys and remind our men.
    Keepers of Womanhood are our sisters, mothers, aunties and grandmothers who call for responsibility, nurturing and commitment to sustaining family. They teach our daughters and remind us.
    Keepers of Spirituality and Healing Arts lay hands and help us to realign mind with body with spirit.
    Keepers of the Compass are our logicians, our voices of reasoning and grounding. They check in to ensure that all things are on due course and according to schedule.
    Keepers of the Rig and Cargo help to keep our cupboards stocked, our bodies able and our environment safe and sound from encroaching winds and water.
    Keepers of Codes of Conduct remind us of our relationship with the universe, and with the laws of nature and humankind. And they hold court when duty calls.
    Keepers of Remembrance and Insight are our conjuring storytellers and translators who “just know” of things past and how they shape things present and future.
    Keepers of Commerce are the business minds who bring about the checks and balances in our lives.
    Keepers of the Cozy bring us warmth, softness and nurturing. They grab hold and hug for no apparent reason. Then again, they always come at just the right moment. Always.
    Keepers of the Chronicles are our lives’ missionaries and journalists who silently follow our progress and keep us in their prayers and meditations.
    Keepers of the Assist are the “extra” hands on deck. They are our enthusiastic comrades who help get the job, large or small, done. They are the “just doers.”
    Keepers of the Flame stand ready at the pilot light. They turn it up and bring it down…euphorically.
    All are Keepers of our Lighthouses. They are our beacons, our sentinels, our heavenly and earthly angels who wave the lantern and help to guide our way…on due course.
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    A family is much more than folks connected by blood. They are the people whom we can depend on to make us laugh, soothe our hurts and keep us focused. They also enter our lives at different phases of our journey. My extended family is…
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    Use the past to understand the