A Life of Miracles

The world is changing. Many would say that it’s not for the better.

I’m not sure I agree.

Two years ago I had my #1 client sue me out of existence. They were afraid of me leaving and working for their competition. I lost my business, my amazing partners, my home…heck–even my lawyer was sued out of his practice for good measure.

Two days before having to move under a freeway (literally), my family was saved by some kind friends who allowed us to take our 1o children and an aged father-in-law and move into a small 2 bedroom basement apartment–then cut their laundry room in half, to make room for a private space for my wife and I to have our bed.

I felt life was over and depression hit me as day after day, week after week and month after month I couldn’t find work. Skills that were worth nearly $40K a month one day were suddenly useless the next. We lived for a year off mercy and the grace of others. I don’t know how else to put it. It hurt in many ways–but we learned true gratitude, how to work together, how to smile despite the fear, the conditions and how to praise God regardless of the circumstances.

Then one day I poured my heart out to God and begged for work. ANY work, to let me care for my family…just give me a job to use my skills. I knew He had a purpose for me, and that I couldn’t get out of this situation unless he let me out. The prayer was interrupted by a phone call from a previous client, Roger Anthony, who said, “Brother Jaime, the good Lord told me to call you at this precise moment and ask you if you’d like a job.” (exact quote)

…and it turned into the best job of my life. Creating new technology, writing, promoting people of integrity, passion and meeting dynamic, amazing and talented people from all over the world–while our basement was completely flooded. The result? Moving from that basement into the largest home I have ever lived in with my wife and children. The owners of the company agreed to take portions of their own salaries and pool it, to give me the money each month to get a home that fit the needs of my family.

All this time I had dreams of WANTED:HERO as a novel series and a voice whispered ‘Write Jaime,…write!’ But I didn’t. I wanted to make more money. I wanted to get ahead. To finally give my family what I always wanted them to have. All the things I thought were important…that they never asked for.

That job went away, overnight…and I was left with the largest monthly overhead of my adult life and again, no job, and skills worth $10K a month one day, were completely useless the next.

That’s where I am now–but let me tell you what happened…

That voice never stopped, but it took some time for me to listen. Not to the voice itself, but to all the people that voice then turned to–to wake me up. My wife, my friends, my spiritual leaders, my previous boss, my children…and the list grew. Each telling me they had strong impressions, even burning testimonies that I was supposed to work on my story once again and not look back. It was crazy. I didn’t know how to make money writing books! The one thing I always wanted to do, but never believed it would happen.

Now the Universe is telling me it’s time…and that all the help I would need would come.

So I let go of my preconceived notions and started walking. I was afraid, but willing. Day by day and sometimes i could only manage moment by moment, straining to hear that small voice..then I tried my best to heed what I thought I understood. Working on the story with all my energy of soul, sometimes in great fear that I would lose this home and end up on the streets with my wife and sweet children. But Kathi and the children stood there firmly, smiles on their faces, telling me this was what they KNEW, not merely believed, was the thing we were supposed to do as a family.

(Now you know why I brag about them so much…)

Miracles started happening. Weekly, sometimes daily. Always with perfect timing.

At one point I had all of our utilities on shut off. Electricity, water, gas, internet…each bill month over due, to the total of $2000 exactly. My heart ached, but there was nothing in the bank–savings gone, van in the driveway dry as a bone. It was a bleak morning at best and I asked my little girl to grab the mail for me. I figured it couldn’t hurt me to see the bills, since I knew they would be shut off today anyway.

It was all food ads…with the exception of a small envelope.

I looked at it. It had my name on it and I recognized the return name. A man I had met last year. A very kind person, but I didn’t know why he would be sending me a letter, we’d only met once…so I opened it. There was a check inside for $2000 exactly! The memo note said “Friendship Dues”.

Kathi and I broke down and cried. It was a miracle…and it saved us.

Amazing? Yes, but it gets better.

As of this post, I owe my landlord $6225 in back rent. That’s huge. I only have $25 in my account for gas in the van, no where near $6225 to catch the rent up. That voice kept whispering peace to my heart as I left the house to start on the audio book for Prelude. About 3 hours later, I get a text from my daughter that there’s an emergency at home–call mom NOW! Worried, I called.

A woman whom my wife had never met had called the house. I had met her once, last year at a seminar we both attended. She said she had been going through their family books and found a sum of money above and beyond their needs and she thought of us. She felt prompted to call. They talked for a while and this divine woman told my wife she now had a warm confirmation that this was indeed the right thing to do, and said she was going to send us a check for $6200.

Yes, the world is changing. It will continue to do so, but I think we’re all being given an opportunity with these challenges. So let me ask you:

Are you doing what you were meant to do? Because if you are, I believe with my whole heart that God will bless you through miracles to assist you in doing what He needs you to do.

The story has another happy ending. You see, we still owe the current months rent. Do you know what happened? My uncle, a saint in his own right, came to our home and told Kathi he’d been thinking about us and felt prompted to come over and offer assistance. A settlement he’d been fighting for had finally arrived and he wanted to help us get our rent current with whatever he had left.

So, it’s all coming back to you Shawn. =)

Believe my friends. Believe and walk the path you were meant to walk, not just for yourself–but to be an example and light to encourage others to do the same. I starting to believe we’re meant to live day by day, by the grace of God.

To live a Life of Miracles.

God Bless.

Jaime Buckley