Ice-Cream Jane

After a lazy three hour drive Patricia and I arrived in Mount Dora, a small lakefront "destination" town about thirty miles northwest of Orlando. We'd been hearing about Mount Dora for a few years. Friends described it as "Victorian, quaint, artsy, antiques and charming." So, with our seminars and retreats completed for the season, we took an overnight trip to the area arriving in time for lunch at a scenic restaurant overlooking Lake Dora, the town's claim to fame.

This journal is not about the "Victorian, quaint, artsy, antique" sights of Mount Dora which we found trite. But in order to set the stage for Ice Cream Jane, the town should be portrayed. It's a tourist town filled with endless rows of gift shops displaying kitschy items. The only shop that enticed us to enter was the Used Book Store. The single Victorian building we found was the Masonic Lodge which unfortunately was closed. It might have been interesting to tour it.

After walking the few streets in the humid hot afternoon, we felt we'd made a big mistake coming to Mount Dora. What were we missing about this town? Especially as so many rated it very highly. So, we went looking for an ice cream store to ponder the question. There were only two seats next to an elderly woman who sized us up, decided we were OK, and patted to the two seats.

The Ice Cream Shop Mt Dora

It's hot out there we remarked sitting down, though the heat was not bothering her with an over-sized dish of ice cream in front of her and an umbrella imprinted with miniature hot-air-balloons hanging on her chair. She looked like a "local" so we asked her "What do you do here?" Momentarily perplexed by the question, she replied with a laugh, "I live here!" as though that explained everything. She was beautiful with an engaging but serene presence. Her snow-white hair pulled back in a bun framed her sparkling blue eyes. With nothing calling us outside the ice cream shop and by silent agreement, we let the conversation evolve. It soon became clear why we'd come to Mount Dora. It was to meet Ice Cream Jane.

Not knowing her age I addressed her as Miss Jane. She was a triplet, born in Pennsylvania, to parents with nine children. She was an identical twin with JoAnne while Judy was a fraternal sister. She told us the story of meeting her husband who was an only child. She found that amusing and odd that he was an only child yet married into such a large family. Everything she told us was punctuated with a follow up comment like "Don't you think so?" or "Have you ever heard anything like that?" enchanting and thus engaging her audience further.

She was a school teacher fifty years ago but had to quit teaching because of

Miss Jane

"those kids in the sixties." We told her we were "those kids" but she waved that comment aside with a merry laugh. Instead, she told us she'd gotten a degree in nursing and switched careers. She told us proudly about her successful children - lawyers and teachers. She came to Mount Dora five years ago after her husband of 59 years died. And in Mount Dora she knew every shop owner and restaurant owner along with the history of the town.

Before ending any part of her story, she inquired about our lives. Her questions always related in some way to her own story. I began to notice synchronicities between some of her life events and ours. She did too, commenting on it frequently. I asked her, "Miss Jane, do you believe in synchronicity?" Without missing a beat she said, "Sometimes, but not all things are synchronous." Pursuing the opening I asked her to explain. She said "Some things just happen; some things get put in your path; some things you have to figure out; some things are a sign." Warming to the topic the old sage said, "You'll know!"

Soon it was time for us to leave. But I wanted to ask her one more question. "What life lesson would you leave for your grand-children or great-grandchildren." She grew quiet for a moment and then said, "Be kind. Be kind."

We fully expected to say goodbye at the door of the ice-cream shop. But Miss Jane wanted to accompany us to our car which was several blocks away. She opened the umbrella up over her head and began to walk with us, telling us more stories about her life. When we reached the car she saw the Namaste bumper sticker and inquired about it. When I explained that it meant, "the Divine in me honors the Divine in you!" and how the people in India greet one another with a hand over the heart, a slight bow of the head, and the word "Namaste" she cooed in delight. "I love that," she said over and over.

Standing by our car, I bowed to Miss Jane, put my hand over my heart, and said, "Namaste." Tears welled up in both of our eyes. She took our hands in hers and said, "Today has been my favorite day of all time. I'm glad you came into my life today." It was hard to keep the tears back.

As we drove away, we saw Miss Jane, twirling her hot-air-balloon umbrella over her head as she walked towards the lake. We knew Miss Jane was why we'd come to Mount Dora and Miss Jane might be why you would consider a trip to Mount Dora. For a sage walks those streets under a hot-air-balloon umbrella.     

Jo Mooy - July 2014    

Trust The Messages

TRUST THE MESSAGES

The long seven year routine had been intense and of late, seemingly never-ending. Before it became habitual or lost its fervor, Patricia and I needed a break to replenish sorely drained batteries. So, we decided to take the summer off.  The decision immediately created a sense of relief, joy, and freedom. But, even as the outer intention was easily put forward, hours of disquiet soon followed.

When an eighty-four month routine is suddenly halted, questions arise as to what might happen next. How long should the break be? Will things be the same or different when the break is over? Should all routines be halted or just some of them? Might you lose your way doing this? What if the splendid feelings of alignment with spirit suddenly disappeared during the break? What if, in this quest to do something totally different, you lost what was most precious? That question was the most difficult. Especially because the last time I took a "time-out" it ended up being a twelve year detour from the spiritual path. Yet, what I learned from that detour was there was no detour! Living life was the spiritual path!

Experience and maturity create a useful walking stick on any trek. Armed with that, and the indelible memory of a "Being" who visibly appeared in 1979 during a meditation and announced, "Do you not know that I am always with you?" before disappearing, it was time to make plans for the sojourn. 

Sitting at an outdoor cafe, we talked about where to go and whether or not it would be affordable. Conversation turned to the nature of reality and that life seemed to be a dream construct. We asked abstract questions during lunch, like who was actually doing the dreaming and were we players in the dream? Or was everything an illusion and we were simply a dream? Just then, a young boy came towards us wearing a red T-shirt. The unmistakable answer to our discussion was printed on the front of his T-Shirt. It said:Living A Dream. It was the first of many spiritual messages that were about to unfold.

Our first stop? Disney World! Looking back, it was the most comical of choices. Disney is the punctuation mark of destinations after big events like the Super Bowl. One cannot get further away from an immersion in spiritual work than going to Disney World. And yet, the choice was not made by us but by "the Universe." An unexpected free four-day weekend came along just as the last of our classes were over. In perfect timing, we learned that messages were soon to be delivered.

  

It's always wise to remember that wherever we go, it's a spiritual journey, and Disney World was no exception. Surrounded by exotic birds in splendid plumage, Silver-back Gorillas on the Serengeti, Tigers and Komodo Dragons living in close proximity, and surprisingly few tourists, Animal Kingdom was a delightful detour into the world of nature. At Epcot we sailed into a world of hydroponic gardens and symbiotic animal/plant relationships clearly demonstrating that the world could be fed in even the most unlikely climates and terrains. We explored gardens ablaze withcolor, gentle butterflies flitting around us and the sounds of laughter, drums, dancing, and languages from every corner of the world. We witnessed people enjoying life and realized, that is what living in spirit is about - finding the joy, seeing the beauty, hearing the song that is life.

  

In order to get the free weekend at Disney we had to endure a two-hour Timeshare presentation.  But imagine our surprise when the discussion with the sales staff easily turned from selling a timeshare to matters of metaphysics, dreams, psychic phenomenon and ultimately to the nature of spirituality. After a lengthy discussion without purchasing anything, we left with big smiles in our hearts knowing that meeting those specific sales people had been no accident.

  

While in Epcot, another message occurred in a most vivid way. While in the park, I forgot to get a very necessary map of the venue. The maps were only available at the entrance but we were far inside the park. As the desire became a thought, "I wish we had a map" a map literally floated out of the sky in slow motion and landed at our feet. If there was any doubt that spirit was going to remain in contact the doubts were quickly fading.

  

But the best was yet to come. As we left the park, we continued discussing our time off, the plans we'd made, and whether this was the right thing we were doing. We knew there was a need that had to be fulfilled, not only for ourselves to come back recharged, but also for those we were leaving behind. As our discussion wentback and forth a skywriter appeared overhead. We watched the plane begin to make huge white letters against the blue sky. First a large T, then an R, then a U. In a few minutes, there above us in enormous letters, was the word TRUST written out in the sky.

  

This is what we know as this leg of the journey begins. Whatever happens, it's the right thing. We never know how the universe is lining up the patterns in our lives. All we can do is TRUST, show up for the call, and allow the alignment to take place. For some of us, years may go by before we realize that something that happened a long time ago influenced the activity we're currently involved in. But the most important is to follow the desire, TRUST the outcome, and know the Universe stands ready to serve all needs! Like "the Being" said, "Do you not know that I am always with you?"

Trust the messages!

   

Jo Mooy - July 2012