Divine Ears Are Always Listening & The Power of a Name
February 23, 2023

 By Rev. Angelika Schafer

My sister in Germany is in need of meaningful work since our mother passed away last August. Taking care of mom was her full-time job for the past 5 years and also her income. She feels at a loss as to what to do, since her small pension is not enough to live on and her hands are in much pain from rheumatoid arthritis, so that cleaning houses or hands-on caregiving for the elderly is no longer possible. Just sending her money would not feel good to her, because of a perceived lack of self-worth.

As I drove home from the WOH retreat I prayed very intensely: “Show me how to best support my sister in a way that will not dis-empower her, but help her to develop a greater sense of self-esteem. And help her to know that she is worthy to find work that is inspiring and in her highest good with a comfortable income.”

Due to the 9-hour time difference, it was nighttime in Germany when I prayed. The next morning, I had a text from her, she woke up in the middle of the night with a great inspiration: That she already has something valuable in her life that could help others and perhaps provide a livelihood for her: Her extra-ordinary Golden Retriever Dog Companion Buddy. Buddy is so sensitive, calm, and loving, that whenever anyone gets sad or upset in his presence he comes right over and puts his head in their lap and looks deeply into their eyes with such intense love, it would melt even the hardest heart. A perfect therapy dog! 
The flyer I designed for Gabriele and Buddy

Now my sister is researching ways of getting some training and an official certification for the dog. I offered to pay for the course and immediately made flyers for this wonderful team of earth angel helpers, entitled: HELFENDE HERZEN, HÄNDE & PFOTEN (Helping Hearts, Hands & Paws). After all her name is Gabriele, a powerful, high-frequency name, which she was never able to claim until now. All her life she was called Gabi, a short form of Gabriele. And mom used to call her by another nickname that was not positive, and that one was laid to rest in mom’s grave, never to be spoken again in relation to my sister.

But here is a story within a story: When I asked Gabriele to write something on mom’s Urn, she wrote: “Your —- (that diminishing nickname)”, in a gesture of utter love and surrender: “Ok mom, I can be even that for you, I accept whatever you wanted to call me, because my love is more powerful than any past hurts.” 

Our homemade Urn for mom and how that name (the first one) got written one last time and then laid to rest for good with her ashes. 
When I was praying I had no idea what to do, but the answer came quickly. Divine ears are always listening. Divine heart takes care of us in the most wonderful ways if we allow it.

Sad Buddy right after I left Germany. I slept on this couch and worked on this living room table during my 3-week stay. Could we only love like this, so unconditionally!

Gabriele and I are doing our part (being open for something new, designing, printing, and distributing flyers, getting training, reclaiming her true name) and we trust that God is arranging what is in her highest good. 

 blessings and love Rev. Angelika Schafer