Why is this blog read worldwide, in 203 countries, territories, and protectorates?
I decided to share my story to offer hope for students and adults who did not take the conventional paths to college after high school, or got married at 16 years old while in high school. Success comes in many ways. I will share what helped me to shape the amazing life I now live.
The first thing I did after I got married in 1971, in my sophomore year of high school, and left my childhood home, was to make a decision that I have called to mind every single day since then. I decided that I was at a new beginning, that I could make my life anything I wanted. I decided to make my life beautiful.
This was a constant thought that streamed through my consciousness. Did I face obstacles?
The first obstacle came from the school itself. I was active in school life, and had been elected to the Student Advisory Council which met with the School Committee. I represented the student body with concerns they had. I had been a head and drum majorette. I baked goodies for bake sales, attended school social events and school days during my junior year, all while working a part time job at Grant’s Credit Department to help financially with my fledgling marriage. My grades were perfect, which would have placed me on the National Honor Society.
The school’s guidance counselor came to me in the hallway and told me that since I was married, the school was unable to allow me to be put on the National Honor Society. My friends came to me to voice their support for me, but a boycott would only hurt them, so they all were inducted to the National Honor Society while I stayed home. That was the beginning of the migraine headaches.
I felt betrayed in more ways than one. I had spent the entire Junior year of high school doing everything I could to be a good student, with the result that the school did not care one iota about me, my life, or my school life. I retaliated by staying out of school 108 days in my senior year, taking F’s in classes I did not need, but up until that point received A’s and B’s in the new data processing class, for example. I had always taken more classes than I needed ever since junior high school, which landed me in a gym class with juniors and seniors so extra classes would fit in my schedule. I passed the few classes I needed in order to graduate with C’s. I figured if the school did not care about me, I wouldn’t care about school either.
I decided that having a garden of five children would be a wonderful way to make a beautiful life. I even became a foster parent for six additional children when their families were in crisis, before returning them back to their families when their crises ended. I wanted to show my children by example how we can always help those less fortunate than ourselves.
I wrote for The Milford Daily News covering my home town while the children were young. I was born Linda Nolet, but my adoptive Father gave me the last name Jennings. My byline at The Milford Daily News was under my then married name, Linda Kearsley. Writing and becoming a mother were the goals I listed in my yearbook. Here I was, in my 20’s, and I had already achieved my life’s goals. The family was moving on with their lives, but my goals for the rest of my life were not being addressed. I was getting lost.
A divorce followed, as the teachers had predicted, although their support would have earned them an F. Here was a new beginning, a time to make new goals. A new marriage followed two years later along with relocating to New Hampshire and another last name, Hourihan. My husband asked me what I wanted to do with my life.
I decided to attend DoveStar Institute in Hooksett, NH, a holistic, metaphysical, intuitive, massage therapy school a few days a week, while at the same time, in the evening I wrote feature stories for a brand new paper, the Laconia Daily Sun, and sold ads for the paper which needed at least 60 percent ads. The citizens of Laconia did not like the only other newspaper there, making selling ads easy. The new paper rolled out making money on the very first day.
Since 1998, I have devoted my life to the power of positive thinking, holistic healing, metaphysical understanding of current realities, traveling the United States studying humanity in diverse aspects of spirituality, religions, and free will.
June 14, 2004 I became an ordained, interfaith minister of the Universal Life Church. At the same time I was working as a Reiki Master Teacher and owned my own massage therapy business, The Massage Clinic, which had four offices in the towns of Stratford, Milford, Orange, and West Haven, Connecticut. The first thing I did when I arrived in Connecticut was to look in the look telephone book to see how many massage businesses were in my area. There were 15 thriving businesses all within my area.
I knew DoveStar had intuitive techniques, different from many other cookie-cutter massage schools, and that even if another massage company set up a business right next door, I would be fine. After eight years, my massage clinic held over 8,000 appointments. I personally held over 5,000 of those appointments. I built my business first on doctor and chiropractor referrals until word of mouth took over.
Because I was required to constantly take Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in order to keep my license and insurance, I also attended the American Institute of Holistic Health and Wellness in New York with the late Director Dolores Seymour, who authored the book, Who Cares Why. It was here that I earned my holistic health counselor, practitioner lifetime certification.
My spiritual path resembles a long and windy road with many scenic detours along the way. I find faith to be what I have called “The Diamond of God” since 1998, long before another company trademarked this term. Many faiths shine a light on one aspect or another, while some religions deny truths found recently (since 1945) in the sacred scriptures at Nag Hammadi.
For me, what comes the closest to understanding matters of faith is the Universal Life Church, ULC. Although I was a ULC minister for ten years, from 2004 to 2014, in 2014 I took one of those scenic detours, dropped out of the ULC ministry. But my search did not answer the many questions I had. I came back to the ULC and joined the seminary again August 3, 2016.
September of 2005 I took another course on energy work, now called New Paradigm Multidimensional Transformation (NPMDT). I have found all these courses in energy work, the Universal Life Church Seminary courses, and all the Reiki classes I took all tap into the Divine Love and Light. Various religions will use different names to highlight their beliefs. I am now a certified teacher in the International School of Esoteric Sciences. When I teach courses now, I advise students not to get caught up in semantics, since it all reflects back to the same holistic, healing, transformative energy. The other thing I have experienced personally in energy work is that NPMDT is the most expansive, clearest channel to bring in this Love and Light to individuals who take these classes and workshops, as well as benefitting the entire world. As the planet advances in technologies, science, and medicine, the vibrational frequencies of past forms and methods of energy work appear to be decreasing, with the arrival of human intervention and in some cases, manipulation. This certification is also an international certification.
While I was taught crystal energy work at DoveStar and taught it through the years, I took an advanced five-day Crystal Course taught by John Armitage, the co-founder of NPMDT along with Germain (Saint Germain), on September 10, 2008 to advance my skills. Depending on whether I had been studying with fear-based religions, I would go in or out of using crystals. One thing I noticed is the incredible lack of energy when you take them out of the room. The fear monger religions misinterpreted everything that did not fit their own paradigm as demonic, satanic, which is what they gave power to in their limited belief systems. Even this I tried out first hand. It seems I learn best by experiencing things for myself, while others can simply read a book to discover reality. For me, I have to experience things. This can be a hard way to learn, often going left when you should go right, but that is they way I learn. I hold no judgment against myself for the way God made me.
As with my high school, in the ULC Seminary, I also worked on more than one course at a time. My retirement allowed me the time to earn a Master of Chaplaincy Studies. For my required 45 service hours, I visited sick, dying, and recovering patients at Harrington Hospital. I learned a lot and wished I could do more. As a Chaplain, the role is to listen, to care, and to be a support in life.
September 2016, I completed my first Doctorate, a Doctor of Spiritual Awareness Degree in the ULC Seminary, which covered 105 Universal Laws. Since they are Universal Laws, they apply to everyone everywhere regardless of belief. This led me to further study.
June 25, 2021 I earned my second Doctorate, a Doctor of Universal Order Degree. This course was written by the founder of the Universal Life Church, Kirby Hensley. Universal Life and Universal Order affect all of life and all circumstances.
What is the reason I take time out to share my life’s experience?
I was a student married in my sophomore year of high school. I came back from my honeymoon to take my finals and didn’t know which name to put on my final since my name had changed. I did not go to college, or junior college right after high school.
In making my life beautiful, I told everyone of my dream to write for the newspaper. I did not listen to anyone say anything negative about my dream also when I started my business. I believed I could do anything I put my mind to. That happened in my life.
I encourage everyone not to ever give up. Believe in your dreams. If you complete your goals, make new ones. The world needs your beautiful life with your beautiful dreams and goals.
God Bless Everyone Everywhere