by Velma aka Shammah

Created on: June 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 05, 2009

My personal experiences have been of finding it easier to find spiritual peace when things are tough, then when things are going well.

But, if you think about it, it makes sense. When things are going well for us, we tend to forget to be thankful, to be grateful for the many blessings in our lives. We're too busy to take the time to sit quietly and contemplate, "things spiritual." Be honest; I'm not the only one who can attest to that truth!

When things get tough (and this economic challenge we face would qualify as being tough for many) it is natural to sit back and assess your life and what you've been doing with the money and stuff in your life. We certainly will find we have more time on our hands to do this. Surely I am not the only person who has sat back and done a survey of his life when the road got rocky?

I recall in the early 1990's being laid off from a job because of some changes that took place vis-a-vis changes in Canadian law. My position became "too expensive" to be maintained by my employer, who was forced to downsize, and I was one of the people who was let go.

I thought I was spiritual by nature. Certainly, I know the essence of who I am is Spirit and I liked to think that I operated from a "spiritual" rather than a "material" or "physical" perspective. When I got laid off and was out of work for 1.5 years I lost everything material, and saw how material I was; a material girl, like the Madonna song! I couldn't afford my rent and had to give notice to my landlord. My landlord reduced my rent by two-thirds because they didn't want me moving!

My landlord had watched my struggles to find work. They'd seen me help others and not take any pay. My profession was legal and advice was cheap; no cost. I couldn't stand to see people taken advantage of because they couldn't afford a lawyer, and so I helped when I could. It paid off in ways I could never have imagine.

I found I had more time to do things I liked, all the while looking for work; I wrote more and met more people and took the time to talk and get to know them. Some of them I am still in touch with. I made lifelong friends during those tough economic times.

I'd always worked for the money and wasn't particularly crazy about my job. I stuck with it because the money was good. Money ruled. Someone had to pull the rug out from under my feet to get me to move, to change direction.

In those tough economic times - times much like someone reading this may be going through now - I learned

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