Sacred Money, Part II

At this point, I have seen Amy once since she put the folded bills into my back pocket.  It was then that I heard the story of how she came to have enough money to be able to tithe a few hundred dollars.

As I mentioned before, Amy doesn't have a lot of income. And she has a lot of expenses. She has taken in numerous stray animals of all types over the years.  She is an animal whisperer.

Recently, one of Amy's animals had become deathly ill - so sick that he had to be hospitalized.  The hospital bill alone was around $4,500.  The medication that was prescribed was another $500.  Mary put these expenses on her credit card.

I don't know how long after this that a woman gave Amy a check for $5,000.  This woman hasn't had much money in her life, either, but the generosity of a relative had recently brought her some unexpected income.  And because Amy has spent many hours with this woman's granddaughter, building her confidence and teaching her about caring for animals, this woman wanted to thank Mary with a big, fat check! 


I have not been one to trust the universe to supply all that I need, to trust Life - or whatever anyone would want to call it - enough to give away money that could pay my bills.  I listen to Amy's story, I watch her display an impeccable trust, and I have to say that something in me starts to wonder if everything doesn't all work out if we just let go of the need to control and then get out of the way of Life.

I was given this money as a tithe because Amy thought I was a source of spiritual food for her.  But who is getting fed here?  Amy is knocking down some old beliefs in me.  Beliefs about having enough.  I should be tithing to Amy!

Or maybe we are all big platters of spiritual food for each other.  Everything is already here; take what you need.  There is enough for all of us.


Next time, I will tell you about the first donation that I made out of this Sacred Money.

Sacred Money

This is an unfolding.  I do not know how this story will end.  If you would like to follow this journey, come back often to read the next installment.

As you read this and the other posts that will follow, I ask one thing of you:  I ask that you read these installments with no judgment, putting your opinions and expectations aside.  Just read it as a story that is unfolding in ways we don't know. Life is a mystery.  Let's let it be that.

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The story began in late September, 2014.  A friend of mine told me that the next time she saw me, she would be giving me some money.  She subscribes to the belief that it is important to tithe - as a way of being a part of the flow of abundance.  For her, tithing means giving 10% to someone who she feels gives her spiritual food.  And for some reason I don't completely understand, she feels that I offer her spiritual food.  Very humbling...

When I next saw my friend (I'll call her Amy here), she started to give me some money.  Feeling somewhat uncomfortable with this whole thing, I turned my back to her and told her to please put the money in the back pocket of my jeans.  Amy doesn't make much money at all, living off of a little Social Security and a small amount of side income.  I figured she might be giving me $60 or $80 dollars.  I didn't take the money out of my pocket until long after Amy went home.

When I took out the wad of cash, I saw that it was a lot more than $60 or $80.  Nowhere close to a thousand, but much more than what I had ever expected.  Amy had recently had medical bills for one of her animals, and I knew that this money could have paid a chunk of that.  The beautiful trust that was displayed by the giving of this money from someone who needed it brought tears to my eyes.

For me, this money was holy money.  Sacred.  I didn't want to pay my bills with it.  I wanted to help others with it, in ways that were meaningful to me, and hopefully meaningful for the recipients.  I thought long and hard on this.

Come back in a few days to read about how my friend Amy came to have enough to tithe a nice amount to me.  It's amazing!