Author Archive: sharpejody76@gmail.com

Tuesdays With The Angels-Real Angels

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As I practice my Youtube videos, Jody Sharpe The Angel’s On My Shoulder, I ponder what to say. Yes I can talk all day about the angel characters and others in my books. Themes that run through my mind all come back to love and kindness, the very essence of angels.  Maybe I meet angels sometimes on the street as strangers. Like the time a man came walking down the street and asked if he could help me as I struggled with my suitcase up the steep  stairs of my daughter’s  apartment steps in New York City. I asked him his name and he said, ” Val”. I wrote him as a character in my book, To Catch an Angel. Maybe they come to me in dreams like Hannah’s special tears in The Angel’s Daughter. Truly, the lovely idea came in a dream.

All I know is I believe angels are real and are there to touch us with love and goodwill. This is what I focus on when negativity comes calling. Writing and thinking about angels helps me find ways to  cope with the complexities of life.

I don’t ever leave a conversation with a loved one or friend without a kind word. This is my calling, to write about angels and to live as if angels are on my shoulder. For I know it’s true.

 

Tuesdays With The Angels- Love vs Bullying

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 Bullying happens at some point to all of us either in person or on social media. When very personal unkind questions were posed to me the other day,  I didn’t hesitate. For long ago I realized the gift of love, forgiveness and carrying on.

As I write in my novels and blogs the bully is the ultimate sad character. He or she never wins while only trying to feel superior  by hurting others.

Recently, one of my children told me of a friend who said racist remarks about another. “How sad,” I said. “I’m so happy you have grown up to be a kind loving person.”

The other day I turned a bullying comment away myself by ignoring the intrusive negative comment and moving on to a positive yet vague comment of my own with no personal information given.

Today in our world, I believe there’s a spiritual awakening and only love can mend us all. Loving yourself and others is the only armor anyone needs to counteract any cruelty. The angels have been with me on Tuesdays and everyday all my wonderful grateful life.

 

Tuesdays With The Angels-Messages about Bullying

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 During my twilight sleep at night when I can’t discern between falling or dreaming,  I often get messages for my writings. Lately, messages for my books are about bullying. The last book  I wrote, Special Needs Children The Angels On My Shoulder, had a theme about bullying. Are these messages from the angels? I believe so.

The other night one line ran through my head. It wasn’t  a voice, just a sentence….

Find the meaning in your own incredible life. 

Working with my special students gave me a purpose in life. Helping their self esteem through encouragement and kindness helped me. These kind and vulnerable students changed my world and my belief in my hope for humanity. They thrived on the kindness.   

As a child I witnessed bullying and was bullied. I saw my own students and children suffer because of bullying at school.  As I have written before in my mind the bully never wins.. ever. The words that came to me on that night have found a solid place in my heart. Despite cruelty from others we all can find the meaning in the life God has given us.  I know for sure the angels have been on my shoulders for years encouraging kindness. Angels are on the shoulders of all my former students, my family, my friends and all of us who do the best they can each day.

I wonder if the sad bully who enjoys hurting others ever lets the angels’ voiceless words in at night as they drift to slumber…

  Find the meaning in your own incredible life? 

Tuesdays With The Angels-The Light of Rescuing

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I remember a true story I read long ago of geese flying over a frozen pond. A duck was frozen struggling in the pond. As the writer told  the flock of geese flew down and pecked the ice around the duck freeing it from certain tragedy.

And so as I write this I ponder how rescuing is kindness in motion. I’ve made so many mistakes in my life as we all do but rescuing animals, helping those children and adults less fortunate brings me humbleness and joy.

To me, the angel writer, bitterness, harmful words, and cruelty  casts shadows on us all. If we all sought to help others less fortunate and especially those with no voice like children and animals wouldn’t life bring  more joy?

I wasn’t at the pond that day long ago witnessing the geese rescue the duck but thankfully I will always save it as a treasured memory of the written word. I can picture angels nearby surely watching with joyous celebration.

Tuesdays With The Angels-Children Are Listening

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There is a song from a musical called Children Will Listen. A wise counsellor told me long ago as I wandered through grief in sorrow, “Your children are watching how you handle this.” I remember her words as if it was yesterday though it was over twenty years ago.

Today as I write this blog the world including our planet, the animals, our children and we who are the adults are experiences pain, suffering and fear. I pray for the children and the animals, and the healing of the earth. My children have watched me and now as adults they are following my path, thinking of others, the children, the animals and the earth’s needs not only themselves. My counsellor was so right. My children were listening and watching so I have hope in a younger generation and prayers without ceasing that all will work with God’s help toward good. 

Tuesdays With The Angels-Bless The Children

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It came to me one night before my eyes closed in slumber, to donate my children’s book When The Angel Sent Butterflies to children in group homes and shelters. I’ve begun the process sending books to  Lovehousekidsprogram.org. This is a program near and dear to my heart. Also, I hope to donate my memoir Special Needs Children The Angel’s On My Shoulder, to organizations benefiting those special students who changed my life for the better. Many wonderful organizations locally and around the country include Downs Syndrome Network of Arizona and Best Buddies. Other organizations include ones endorsed by Maria Shriver. There are so many incredible people sharing their time and efforts to help those with special needs.

Mohamed Ali said in his later years that he was, “Getting ready to meet God.”  What an inspiring message. Helping others in need to me is what life is all about. The angels are always near to help us reach our loving goals.  

Tuesdays With The Angel’s-Chicken Soup For The Soul

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It’s another one of those synchronicities in my journey with the angels. I’ve always loved the books Chicken Soup for the Soul. Over the years their stories from a list of  wonderful writers on inspiring topics have helped so many who read them by soothing hearts and minds.

A writer I know suggested I write a story and submit it to Chicken Soup for the Soul for their forthcoming publication on dreams called Listen to Your Dreams. I have told the story to friends and family of a dream I had after my daughter passed away over twenty years ago.  In the dream a voice, I would like to believe was an angel’s voice, told me to read a classic children’s book for there would be a message in it for me. The next day I bought the book and sat down all afternoon to read. Miraculously, I  found the message of a lifetime. This classic children’s book changed the course of my life.  I decided to write the story down and submitted it. Lo and behold the wonderful people at Chicken Soup for the Soul chose to publish my story. I am pleased to announce my story called, “Voice of an Angel’ in Chicken Soup for the Soul Listen to Your Dreams available August, 2020.  Writing brings me joy and to be published in this revered publication is an honor.  Sending love, health, gratitude and many angels to all my readers, friends, family and to the people at Chicken Soup For the Soul.  

Tuesdays With The Angels: Angel Story by Dawn B.

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Yes there are angels! If you allow yourself to become still, in a quiet space of love and trust, you may just see one too. I saw my angel during a crystal bowl meditation. His name came first which confused me, so I questioned why I was seeing the name “Gerald” and the name appeared a second time, even more clearly. Then I saw the most beautiful, tall, huge angel and I realized it was his name. Although I could not see details of his face. He was the most magnificant angel with light blue/grey colored wings as long as his body. I remember this vividly! What is also interesting is that I picked up a journal I had kept in 1993, and just before Christmas that year I had journaled seeing “the most powerful and beautiful angel with huge arching wings” in my twilight state just before falling asleep. I personally believe they are joyful when we see them and acknowledge their existence, and that we begin to feel them always with us. I gives me great peace and comfort. Believe. Love. Trust.

Tuesdays With The Angels-The Angels Sent Courage

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My daughter, Elizabeth read the draft of my memoir, ‘Children With Special Needs The Angels On My Shoulder’. She called and told me she never knew the story of how I became a teacher or how the students impacted my life helping me cope with the loss of her sister, Kate.

We all grieved and grieve still after twenty-five years but then Elizabeth said something that touched my heart. “You must be the strongest person I know, Mom!”  I told her I don’t think it’s just strength but more the blessing of love and courage from God. 

My memoir is a love story about my students with special needs. I was blessed to find a career teaching. My own children and the children I taught helped me find the courage to go on. As courage came little by little. I realized faith and courage are like gloves on my hands and the soothing pillows for me to lay my head down at night.

Tuesdays With The Angels-Special Needs Children The Angels On My Shoulder

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I’ve written a memoir of my career teaching children with special needs. A hint below of what’s to come from my heart and soul:

“You must be so patient teaching special ed!” I must have heard that comment one hundred times over the course of my twenty-five year teaching career. I usually would reply,” I love teaching the kids.” Of course I didn’t know until years later the magnitude of what my students brought to my world. My students over the twenty-five years taught me so much about kindness and living in the now. They showed me gifts from their pure and honest hearts. Oh, there were challenges of course, but we met them together.

As I wrote the memoir,  I can tell you I believe in angels, in heaven surely for I know I met one once.  But also, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some people who to me are angels on earth, They guide us all with their unique gentleness of persuasions. Such is the case I believe with children with special needs.

I believe people come into our lives for a reason and have many qualities I believe angels have.  This has been my writers message to all who read my novels, children’s book and blogs. The truth is I’ve always believed this. At age three, I had  imaginary friends, three of them. Yes, three! But I can’t remember what they looked like only that they happily played with me. I have a psychic friend who told me they were my guardian angels. I’d like to think they were.

So many of my life experiences have fallen into place, a synchronicity, a tapestry woven together with a fabric of kindness.  Besides my guardian angels,  I believe heaven sent two teachers who unknowingly influenced the path I took on the road to teaching. To me they were angels on earth guiding me, albeit unknowingly, towards my teaching children with special needs.

Decades later I can still see the kind and loving face of my second grade teacher, Mrs. St. John. I see her kind and loving face as if next to me and remember she was the first person who made me feel worthwhile.

Through grade school and up through high school and beyond life was difficult. My family life unfortunatley was disfunctional and  so I suffered as an underachiever. But this story isn’t about my childhood. It’s about the synchronicity of events that changed my life, the people I met, the students I taught and lastly at the saddest part of my life. This is also the time I know I met a real angel.

These were the defining moments in the steps to a rewarding career teaching children with special needs. This is a book about the serendipitous events unfolding the teaching career bringing me my life’s most valuable teachers, my students….