wehappy-money: 2008-07-20

วันเสาร์ที่ 26 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Building a Custom Subwoofer Enclosure - What to Know

Author : Mark Berger
Custom subwoofer enclosures are for when you want to put some subwoofers into your car but don't want to run stock boxes. By a stock box, I mean one that either comes with your subwoofer or simply one where you can only fit one 12" sub.If you buy two 12" subs, or perhaps two 10" subs for instance, you'll likely either have to build your own box or get someone to build you one. It's important to remember every subwoofer has an "optimal" subwoofer box size in order to maximize clarity and sound performance. You can check the manufacturer's website of your subwoofer to see what this optimal size is.You can also skip building the whole optimal performance box in exchange for simply something that will fit into your trunk, but it won't sound as good as if you built one to the specs on the manufacturer's website.
e holes for where the subwoofers go and drill a terminal plate int
Another thing to keep in mind when building your box is to keep all edges perfectly straight. Try to use vice grips to hold the pieces in place before and after gluing, and be sure to place scrues evenly across the construction.Use a router to machine tho the back to run the subwoofers out the back.Even if you haven't done the greatest job on your subwoofer box, the MDF wood required to build isn't that expensive. You can always try another one, or use the one you just created. The first few boxes we created here at EuroEnclosures weren't that great either, but you can always tune your deck for less bass output if your box rattles a bit on higher DB output levels.However, should you want to build the "optimal" box for your subwoofers, be sure to check the manufacturer website of your subwoofers before building.Please visit our website for more on subwoofer enclosures and construction at http://www.euroenclosures.com
Category : Automotive:Mobile-Audio-Video

วันศุกร์ที่ 25 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Online Car Insurance Try to Save Your Money

Author : David Hunter

One of the best places to look for affordable car insurance is the Internet. There are many places online to get a quote, but it takes quite a bit of time to find the cheapest one. Most of insurance companies claim to provide you with the best insurance plans available. But no one can offer the same rates for all types of cars. Thats why you should make a little research when selecting an auto insurance company.Many of car owners think they have the most affordable auto insurance plan, however this is not always the case. They pay high insurance premiums, just because insurance market is ever changing and they cant find competitive quotes. New companies enter the market every year, and there are discounts from time to time. It is a good idea to get multiple quotes from different insurers and compare them. This is a time consuming process, but worthwhile. Youll be amazed how much you can save on your car insurance.Most of insurance companies offer special discounts if you buy coverage through their website. You can also crawl several websites that offer insurance quotes and find some decent ones. But keep in mind, a good insurer should guide you thoroughly and help you to get the right type of insurance that will fit your needs at the best possible price. The best thing is to find a good insurance broker. Most of insurance brokers offer their services online. They will search tons of recourses for the best quotes and you wont have to do it yourself.However, if you have decided to search for quotes on your own, and found the one you like, you can choose whether to accept the quote right then or to receive it by mail. In both cases youll save your money. But make sure you provide correct information on the insurance application form. Even insignificant mistakes can influence on the money saving rate.When choosing a car insurance provider follow these simple rules:1. Search for an insurance company that provides excellent customer service and has a simple application procedure that provides different money saving quotes.2. Make sure their website is secured, unless you want your personal information to become available to a third party (no one does).3. Gather as much information as possible about the insurance industry before buying insurance. And the Internet will help you greatly in this task.4. And finally, dont forget to make sure they provide quotes for the place you reside in.Finding cheap car insurance online is not an easy task, and you need to spend some time to get the best possible one.For more information about car insurance and other insurance products visit Wawanesa Insurance. David Hunter is an author from California. He likes playing golf and driving sports cars.

Category : General Insurance

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 24 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

How To Choose Your TV Satellite Dish Service

Author : Christopher M. Luck

What is the best way to figure out which TV satellite dish to go with? We are constantly bombarded with the advertisements from every TV satellite dish company imaginable, which can make figuring out which one you want difficult. It is true that a dish can improve your home many ways. It will help you get better television reception and increase the number of televisions to which you have access. You and I both know, though, that it can certainly be expensive. The best way to figure out which is the best deal is to compare satellite companies and systems. The best place to make your comparisons is online.You probably use the internet to price compare a lot anyway. You probably check out prices on books, CD?s, appliances, and even cars via the internet. So why wouldn?t you do the same thing when trying to figure out who can give you the best deal on a TV satellite dish and programming? Take the time to sit down and make the comparisons to make sure that you are getting the best product for the money you are spending.When it comes to making the actual comparisons, there are a number of things you can and should look for. Look first at programming options. Make sure that the companies you are considering have a package that fits what you are looking for in your programming. If they don?t have what you want or need, it doesn?t matter how little they may charge for their TV satellite dish service. Also, check out on line reviews to find out if the companies are reliable and if they have good customer service available to their customers. Find out what the monthly charges are as well is how much you are going to pay for installation and start up.Also, just to make sure you are making the right decision, you may also want to compare cable prices to TV satellite dish service prices. Check out the pros and cons of TV satellite dish service and cable to make sure that you pick the one that will work best for your entertainment needs as well as where you live. The two services often offer many of the same options, but which one is best often depends on where you live or what specifically you need.Choosing a TV satellite dish service or cable service can be a big decision. The only way to make sure that you are getting what you want at the best price possible is to research and price compare. By using the internet, you can sit down and quickly educate yourself on available TV satellite dish and cable companies as well as consumer reviews and information on those companies. In the end, you will be able to get the best satellite service for your money by just doing some quick and easy research. If you would like the latest information on the dish satellite, or find more of my personal articles like the one you just read, visit my technology blog.

Category : General Computers and The Internet

Music And Movies Download Sites - Are They A Scam?

Author : Harry Rackers

Surfing the Internet, looking for music and movies to download, you will find a lot of so called Download Sites . These sites do not provide you with music, or movies to download, no, they provide you with file sharing soft ware you can use to search for, and download music, movies and games. Most of them also provide you with cd burning soft ware and they have a helpdesk for those members who run in to problems with their downloading.These sites are under attack.First of all there is the entertainment industry that wants to shut them down. They claim that these file sharing programs are used to download copy right protected materials.This is true of course, but lots of people download and trade files legally on file-sharing networks.You can, for example, legally download music from hundreds of bands and thousands live concerts, as well as multiple software titles and games. File sharing has enabled music fans from around the world to build the largest library of recorded music in history. File sharing is not illegal as long as you obey and comply with all relevant copyright laws. Sharing copyrighted material without permission could be illegal in your country.In America the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) are leading the fight against the sharing of copyrighted music. Others, like Hollywoods MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) are also starting to get involved and are taking legal action against the music and movie download sites.It will not be easy to shut down these download sites. Especially since the Internet has no borders, it will be an almost impossible task, to get all the countries in the world to agree on how to legislate Internet downloading.Another attack on music and movies download sites comes from, what I call, seasoned Internet users. They claim these download sites are a scam, because they charge for something you can get for free.Well, you could get it for free, that is true. These download sites provide you with soft ware to search for and download files from the Internet. They provide you with soft ware to burn these files on a cd should you wish to do so.All this software is available for free on the Internet, but for an Internet novice it could be a daunting task to look for this kind of soft ware, to decide which soft ware to use, how to use it.On top of that they have to make sure that they do not download spy ware, ad ware or what ever. Joining a download site and have all the info in one place is not a bad option for most of them. Another advantage is the fact that these download sites provide a help desk for their members.Is it a scam if you provide info that people could get for free elsewhere?Consider this.You are looking for a telephone number, so you look it up in the phone book.Say you do not have the right phone book, you can go out looking for it.You probably can find this free info in the library.You can also pick up the phone and ring an information service.They will provide you with this free info and they will charge you for it.So, is this information service a scam?I do not think so, and I also do not think that the music and movies download sites are a scam.Provided of course that they tell you what you can expect from them before you sign up with them, and that they deliver on this promiseIf you want to join a download site, chose one that gives a guaranty that you can have your money back if not satisfied.Once you have joined, test out everything, especially their helpdesk.If you have no questions, ask them a few things you know already, just to test their response.And last but not least, do not hesitate to charge back your money if you are not completely satisfied.Happy downloading! Harry Rackers is W.M of Download music, movies, and games .

Category : General Art & Entertainment: Web sites / Internet

Pay Per Click Advertising the Sandbox and SEO

Author : Joe Regan
Most new websites jumpstart their traffic with a pay per click advertising campaign, especially new sites that fall victim to the Google "sandbox". Before I go over the role of Pay Per Click and SEO or "Search Engine Optimization", we should cover the Google sandbox which is one of the big reasons why Pay Per Click is going to always be a very important of Search Engine Optimization.What is the Sandbox? The sandbox it quite simply a theoretical box that holds sites for months keeping them out of the real world results for a certain period of time, which allows Google to assign a trust rating to the website to help keep spammy sites from shooting to the top of the search engines using shady tactics to make a quick buck. Most of the time, a new site will stay in the sandbox for 6 months to over a year. Because there are such a wide variety of opinions of the "Google sandbox" I will stick to my experiences as the SEO for a local small business. I have found that while it is possible to rank for easy non competitive terms, it is impossible to rank for more competitive searches while you are a victim to the dreaded "Sandbox". My best advice is to keep working your site so that when you do come out, you will hit the ground running.Now that we have briefly covered the "Sandbox", how does pay per click fit into the big picture of SEO? There are several ways. The first is the ability to fill in the cracks for terms that you do not rank for. The second being if you are in the sandbox, sheltered from the outside world, you can buy your way into what ever you would like. This allows you to see what terms provide high quality traffic, which will help you to see what direction you need to take your site optimization. Pay per click allows you to be on the first page for any term no matter if your site is 2 weeks old, or 2 years old. A lot of sites continue to take part in pay per click for the life of thier site because the return on investment is seen to be good enough to keep the account active. Be sure to do your own testing when choosing pay per click sites so that you find your happy medium.In order to have an effective pay per click advertising campaign, there are several you will need to take. Google Adwords is my personal favorite so I wrote this article assuming that is what we are using.Your first step will be to write an effective title and description for each of your sites major topics. This link must convince the prospective searcher to click on your ad to view your site over your competitors. You need to place careful thought into catching your users' attention while helping them to see the relevancy of your site to their search.For the second step, you will need to buy keywords for each of your ad groups. This basically picks which search terms you want your listings, or ad groups, to be displayed on. As you can see, it can be a very time consuming to maintain a pay per click as you may end up with 10 targeted adgroups with a hundred or so keywords each. Sites like Yahoo's Overture as even more time consuming because you must bid on the terms in a way that encourages bidding wars. This causes you to micromanage your account to get the most you can out of the program.I hope you can now see a bigger picture so that you know what to expect. The Internet is still a very new medium, and is getting more competitive everyday, but as with any other business there is still a lot of money to be made for the ones with the time and dedication to work hard.If you are interested in outsourcing part or all of your
website, contact us at rasesolutions.com. We can help you outsource everything
from web development or
Graphic Designs to
Search Engine
Optimization so you get the best price for the best work in the industry.
Category : Business:PPC-Advertising

วันพุธที่ 23 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

9 Steps to Unique Articles

Author : Hans Hasselfors

1 Remove your limits Reduce your subject to a single core word and then brainstorm around it. For example, if you're trying to write about "Study Skills", expand your thinking to "School". Now jot down everything that comes to mind when you think about School, and when you run out of ideas start asking yourself open questions around the subject and noting your answers. Examples: What did I enjoy about school? What scared me? What did I wish I'd known from Day 1? This will help you get back into the mindset of someone struggling with school issues of all kinds and you'll start to get a feel for their concerns and worries. 2 Restore your focus Once you've started to understand the general feelings of your readers, allow your mind to focus back on your original topic of Study Skills. From your new perspective, what questions would you ask? What would you want to know? Is this really a "Studying" issue or is it more about Time Management or being able to work without distractions or being paralyzed by the fear of not doing well? 3 Be your audience Write each question on a separate sheet of paper; don't stop until you have at least ten and preferably more. Stay in the mindset of your readers until you feel you've asked every major question that concerns them. 4 Take a step back Put your pile of question aside for a few hours, overnight if possible. Don't consciously think about them; just go about your day as usual. Give your subconscious time to process them without any further prompting from you. If new questions come to mind jot them down somewhere safe and then forget about them. 5 Get out your pen and write When you're ready, sit down with your pages of questions and simply start to answer them. Writing your answers by hand can give you access to ideas that might be missed if you type them. Don't edit yourself at this stage. Using Speech to Text software or a digital recorder can also be helpful in bypassing the internal editor. Imagine someone sitting in front of you asking for advice and just talk to them. Keep your tone natural and conversational and stay with the question-and-answer format. 6 Edit lightly Trust your first instincts. Proof-read and correct any obvious errors, but don't do any major editing until your piece has had time to "sit" for a while. Again, leaving it overnight will give you a fresh perspective the next time you look at it, but even if your deadline doesn't allow for that it's important to give yourself a break from it. When you're pushed for time, writing several articles at one sitting can create enough change of focus to make you "forget" the one you've just written. 7 Polish it up Short articles are unlikely to need major editing if you've written them as described here. They will flow easily and naturally already and having each Q & A on a separate sheet makes it easier to select only the ones you want. Your job now is to put them in a reasonably logical sequence and make sure they're understandable and that the reader is led smoothly from one question and answer to the next. 8 Top and tail it Write a brief introductory paragraph as a "teaser" for the main article. Many article directories now put the first paragraph of each piece into RSS feeds which are picked up by other websites, so you'll want to make sure that your two or three major keywords appear at least once in that first paragraph. Write another short paragraph to summarize the major points of the article and provide some ideas for the reader to explore the subject further. Don't of course forget your own resource box: use the format SubmitYourNewArticle.com for your link, so when your article is converted to html your link will automatically be live. 9 Submit it! This Article Was Published By Hans Hasselfors, from SubmitYourNewArticle.com. Get the net working for you. Join a community of like-minded authors and publishers and make your living online. Become a member of our article directory: http://www.SubmitYourNewArticle.com

Category : General Marketing

Mabeka: Gorilla Teacher

Author :

s="view_date">December 31st, 1969Download asan class="view_auth_prompt">by by

วันจันทร์ที่ 21 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

How to Give Personalized Gifts to Women and Children

Author : Monique Hawkins
Are you one of those people who becomes ecstatic when you receive any gift no matter what it is? All of us are like this! Why do we get so happy? It's because we know that the buyer has gone through great lengths to search for a suitable present they know will please us.Gift certificates, pre-paid gift cards, and even cash are given more often as gifts these days. This is because our busy lifestyles, work and family schedules, and driving the kids all over town leave little time for in-store gift shopping. As a result, many of us to turn the Internet, but still feel that online shopping lacks that personal touch.In reality, you don't have to that way. It might take a little more work, but shopping online enables you to not only find the perfect gift, but also get it personalized for your friend or loved one.Here are ideas for personalized gifts for both children and women.Personalized Gifts for ChildrenKids love gifts! They have a way of bringing smiles and laughter from any child. Children will tear open any package, even if it is not for them. Although children rarely appreciate the gifts they receive, their parents do. Furthermore, gifts bearing the child's own name make treasured keepsakes.Many online bookstores sell children's books that can be personalized. Gift book categories include books for babies, toddlers, and older children. Holiday books and special books can also be found. Simply choose a story that matches the interest of the child. On the order form, fill in the personalization information.Most books can be personalized with the following information: age, boy or girl, date of occasion, first name, nickname, last name, home town, state, name of older child (brother, sister, friend, or sometimes a pet), names of other friends, a dedication, and whom the book is from.Once the book order is received, the book printer replaces all the names and places in your chosen story with those of the child! The recipient becomes the star of the story. The action takes place in the child's town, with his or her friends as the co-stars. The book is then hardbound and shipped.To find a store online, search for "personalized children's books."Personalized Gifts for WomenWomen love gifts as much as kids. This is especially true when lots of thought and consideration have been put into a gift. Men who are tired of buying the same chocolate, wine and flowers gifts should consider a personalized gift for their special woman. Imagine a completely personalized romance novel, with your sweetheart as the star! Much like the children's books described above, her personal information is inserted into a mainstream romance novel. However, the degree of personalization is much more detailed.In addition to the basic information such as name, town, kids, pets, etc., you can include your name as the main male character (if you are the giver), her favorite music, perfume, physical characteristics, her car, where she works, and much more. Several sites also offer the romance stories in "mild" or "wild" flavors, depending on your (and her) tastes. If you thought roses made her grateful, wait until you make her the star of her very own romance novel.To find a store online that offers this service, search for "personalized romance novels" or "personalized romance stories."Most of us are just happy to get some attention not only on a special occasion, but also at any time! You can bring a smile to a friend or loved one's face all through the year when you surprise them with a personalized gift they will never forget. This will bring special memories that will last forever.Copyright 2006 Monique HawkinsEstablished in May of 2005, http://www.My-Music-Box.com is a music box gift store specializing in music box products such as inlaid ballerina music boxes for ballerina rooms décor, whimsical carousel music boxes, and musical jewelry boxes. The company provides interesting information for music lovers of all ages. Owner Monique Hawkins is also the author of the blog "What You Never Knew About Music" http://whatyouneverknewaboutmusic.blogspot.com, and owner of the eBay store "Monique's Music Box" at: http://stores.ebay.com/Moniques-Music-Box Monique can be contacted at (540) 858-2885.
Category : Shopping-and-Product-Reviews

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 20 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Internationally Acclaimed Author and Lecturer, Marianne Williamson, Calls for Personal and Global Change on Internet Talk Radio Show January 19th

Author :

Internationally acclaimed author and lecturer, Marianne Williamson, will discuss the current spiritual climate, how weve all been challenged by recent global events and share ways in which we can see the gift in the face of change on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at Noon Pacific (3pm Eastern) on the VoiceAmerica Broadcast Network (<a href="http://www.voiceamerica.com/" target="_blank">http://www.voiceamerica.com/</a>) She will be the featured guest on Waking Up in America, hosted by Dr. Valerie Kirkgaard and Gail Elen.Marianne believes the secret of success is to realize that the crisis on our planet is much larger than just deciding what to do with your own life. The only work that will ultimately bring any good to any of us is the work of contributing to the healing of the world. Her new book, The Gift of Change: Spiritual Guidance for a Radically New Life, she declares that while we are not responsible for the bad things that happen to us, the universe is always primed to give us a new beginning, if only we can forgive, atone and trust that our loving attitudes and good works make a profound difference.An internationally acclaimed lecturer and the bestselling author of A Return to Love, The Healing of America, A Womans Worth, Enchanted Love, and Illuminata, among other works. Williamson has done extensive charitable organizing throughout the country in service to people with life-challenging illnesses; and is the founder of The Global Renaissance Alliance, a nonprofit grass-roots organization dedicated to introducing spiritual principles into our political discourse.We are very excited to be able to have Marianne Williamson on our show and share with our listeners her thoughts and experiences along her spiritual path as a teacher and as a student, said host Dr. Valerie Kirkgaard. What I am committed to is having powerful, important conversations and for people to rethink their priorities by sharing with them leading practices from some of the most notable individuals who are changing the world around them, one soul at a time, such as Marianne Williamson. You can hear Waking Up in America with Dr. Valerie Anne Kirkgaard on VoiceAmerica.com live every Wednesday at 12:00pm PST with re-broadcast 12 hours later. To access the show, listeners need to log on to <a href="http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/" target="_blank">http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/</a> Listeners with questions, comments or opinions are encouraged to call in live, toll-free at 1-888-335-5204. Archives of her past interviews are also available On Demand at <a href="http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/" target="_blank">http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/</a>Waking Up In America is Internet Talk Radio with a Social Conscious. Their editors are experts in their fields and work each day to make this world a little better for all of us. It is their belief that we do have the power to influence political and social agendas through our voice. By participating and supporting important conversations and the issues facing our society today, you get to say how life goes too. It is also important to have a place where both sides of the story can be heard. That is what we strive for at Waking Up In America.Each week Dr. Val and her editors will keep listeners up to date on national and international events, welcome intriguing, dynamic guests and challenge listeners to be the change they want to see in the world and to have powerful conversations. About Dr. Valerie Anne KirkgaardDr. Valerie Anne Kirkgaard, PhD, is a retired Marriage Family Counselor and the creator of the Kirkgaard Method of Directed Breath, a unique method of clearing emotional blocks. Each week on Waking Up In America Dr. Valerie brings you new and different techniques to handle the life's ups and downs with grace and ease. For more information on Valerie go to <a href="http://www.heavenincorporated.com/" target="_blank">http://www.heavenincorporated.com/</a> About SurfNet Media Group, Inc.SurfNet Media Group (<a href="http://www.surfnetmedia.com/" target="_blank">http://www.surfnetmedia.com/</a>) (SFNM:OTCBB) is an Internet digital entertainment media publisher producing and broadcasting live and on-demand talk radio content streamed globally 24/7. SurfNet produces and broadcasts over 100 talk programs weekly on its channels, VoiceAmerica (<a href="http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/" target="_blank">http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/</a>), To reach specific niche communities, we have launched two new branded channels to provide genre-based content -- VoiceAmerica Business (<a href="http://www.business.voiceamerica.com/" target="_blank">http://www.business.voiceamerica.com/</a>) and VoiceAmerica Health & Wellness (<a href="http://www.health.voiceamerica.com/" target="_blank">http://www.health.voiceamerica.com/</a>). In addition, by the completion of Q1 2005 we expect to launch two additional branded channels, VoiceAmerica Faith (<a href="http://www.faith.voiceamerica.com/" target="_blank">http://www.faith.voiceamerica.com/</a>) and VoiceAmerica Sports (<a href="http://www.sports.voiceamerica.com/" target="_blank">http://www.sports.voiceamerica.com/</a>).

Category : General Domain Names

THE GODDESS RETURNS - The SAGA OF AMBERLIN Continues.

Author : Brad Swift

THE GODDESS RETURNS - The SAGA OF AMBERLIN Continues. In this
next year it is my intention to complete my next 'visionary
novel,' the story of Amberlin, the first 'fully enlightened
being' who comes to Earth in a female's body.

I invite your participation by reading the saga of Amberlin as
it's being written and offering constructive questions and
comments. Here's the beginning of Chapter 2 of The Goddess
Returns:

Chapter 2

"Top bunk or bottom bunk tonight?" Jonathan asked as he entered
Amberlin's room, even though he knew the answer.

"Bottom, please. The top is too high," Amberlin replied. As he
lowered her into bed, she asked, "Will you tell me a story, Papa
Jon? One of your real ones?"

He sat on the bed next to her and chuckled. How she loved his
stories, especially the "real" ones about his life growing up
that had at least a thread of truth in them. He paused for a
moment, trying to think of one he hadn't told her recently.

"How about the time I met a real spiritual sage?"

"Sure," Amberlin replied, then, "What's a spirit sage?"

"Spiritual sage," Jonathan corrected her. "That's someone who
has devoted their life to seeking a closer relationship with
God, and who often shares their spiritual journey with others."

"What was the spiritual sage's name?" Amberlin asked as she
snuggled down in her bed, preparing for the story.

"His name was Mo Zoloff, and I met him not too far from here, in
a retreat center outside of Black Mountain."

"I know where that is kinda'," Amberlin said.

"Yes, well, it's only about an hour or so drive from here, but
when I first went there I was staying even closer at my family's
summer cabin, just outside of Black Mountain. It was the summer
after I graduated from high school. I wasn't really a freelance
writer yet, but I sure thought I was, or at least I knew that's
what I wanted to be."

"How did you meet Mo?" Amberlin asked.

"Well, like I said, I heard him speak at this retreat center. I
remember it like it was yesterday, even though it was, well
let's see, close to 30 years ago."

"That's a long time, Papa Jon."

"Not really, sweetheart. It's really just a blinking of God's
eye," Jonathan replied. Closing his own eyes, he could picture
the rustic, assembly hall filled with people, awaiting the start
of Master Mo's talk.

I sat about two-thirds of the way from the front. I could have
sat closer but I felt out of my element. This was my first time
to be in the presence of an actual guru from India, least that
what I thought Master Mo was at the time. You can imagine my
surprise when a white man in his mid- to late-30s wearing a
white t-shirt and black, baggie pants strolled on stage. There
was a sturdy table sitting in the middle of the stage. He
stepped out of his sandals and climbed onto the table, where he
sat cross-legged facing the audience. The room was already about
three-fourths full, but Mo continued to sit there with his eyes
closed, meditating, I guess.

As the room filled, he continued to sit quietly, apparently lost
in his own reflection. The minutes dragged by. I began to fidget
in my chair, as did a number of other people, then we would all
grow quiet again in anticipation of Master Mo's talk.

Finally, the figure in the center of the stage opened his eyes,
and gazed around for a moment, a smile growing on his face,
before he finally broke the silence. "I'm thrilled to see so
many people gather here for a 2-hour silent meditation." There
was a moment of surprised silence as everyone glanced at each
other before realizing it was a joke, then the whole audience
burst out laughing as Master Mo joined them. As the laughter
finally died down, he spoke again. "And so we begin."

And so we did, and for the next hour I sat mesmerized by the
quiet man with the deeply moving and inspiring message. He
challenged the audience to look within themselves for their own
spark of divinity. He accused our Western culture of looking too
much to the East - to places like India and Tibet Â¬ for our
spiritual sages. He suggested that is was time for us in the
Western hemisphere to create our own spiritual leaders, and he
even went so far as to suggest that there could be a spiritual
sage sitting right there in our own seat.

I was so moved by his message that by the end of the talk, I
ignored my customary shyness and approached him on the stage,
along with a number of other people enthusiastic about what
they'd heard. When it came my turn, I handed Mo my business
card. I'd had them printed the week before with my name and
phone number on them, and under my name the bold declaration,
"Writer."

"I'd like to help you share your message with more people," I
stammered. Mo smiled knowingly, nodding his head. "Come see me
tomorrow - noon time. Don't be late."

I nodded in return. I wasn't sure how I was going to get myself
back the next day but I knew I would, and I did. In fact, I was
back at the retreat center before 11 o'clock, which was a good
thing, because I had failed to ask Mo where we would meet. It
took me close to an hour to find out where he was staying. He
had one of the dorm rooms just like everyone else, although he
wasn't sharing it with anyone, like most of the retreat
participants were.

I knocked lightly on the door, wondering what in the world I was
doing there, but then I heard Mo's calm, soothing voice telling
me to enter, so taking a deep breath and squaring my shoulders
like my father had taught me, I turned the handle and walked in.

Mo was sitting at one of the desks scribbling in a notebook.
Hearing me enter, he looked up from his work and smiled warmly.
"Ahh, my young writer friend who is going to make me famous by
sharing my message with the rest of the world. Come in my
friend. Make yourself comfortable," he said, pointing to a
nearby chair.

As I sat down, I gazed around and realized that the only light
in the room, other than that filtering in from the window, came
from a dozen or so candles distributed throughout the room.

"I was just capturing some thoughts from my meditation," Mo
explained, noticing my puzzled look. "We can turn on some lights
if you prefer."

"No, this is fine," I replied, trying to hide my nervousness. "I
appreciate your taking time to see me."

"Oh, it is my pleasure. I am intrigued to meet such a young
writer, especially one with such an aura of destiny and
premonition surrounding him." As he said this, Mo stood up from
the desk and walked over to the nearby bed where he sat
cross-legged.

"First, let's address the reason you thought you were coming to
see me, your interest in writing about me. When I return to my
ashram, I will have someone send you background information
about my work and me. Upon reviewing it, if you need additional
information including an interview, I'll be only too happy to
oblige. Will that work for you?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied. "That would be great." Then mustering
up my courage, I continued, "What did you mean, the reason I
thought I was coming here? For what reason am I really here?"

Mo only smiled at first, nodding his head. "Why, so I could
confirm for myself that what I was picking up from you was
indeed true, and if true, so I could share it with you."

"And what did you see?"

"Your manifest destiny," Mo replied.

"My what?"

"Your manifest destiny," Mo repeated. "You can think of it as
fate - a future event or events that are inevitable. Of course,
that might be a bit overstated. We do continue to exercise free
choice, so nothing is completely inevitable, although yours
might be as close to inevitable as I've ever seen."

I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention
as Mo spoke. I wasn't too sure I wanted to know my manifest
destiny, but then again, how could I refuse. After all, at 17
years of age I could use as much help with my future as the next
recently graduated high school student. "Pull your chair over
next to the bed. Don't worry. I won't bite. I just need to make
a stronger connection."

I did as Mo instructed. Funny, looking back on it now, I
probably should have been more concerned about what this strange
little man might do to me, but for some reason I wasn't at all.
I was mostly concerned that he might tell me that my "manifest
destiny" was to be a bum, or to fail at everything I tried.

I sat there in my chair, just a foot or two from where Mo sat on
the bed. He instructed me to close my eyes and to take several
deep breaths. Around the third or fourth breath, I felt a light
pressure on either side of my forehead and realized it was Mo's
hands lightly touching me. They stayed there, just barely
perceptible. I started to open my eyes, then thought better of
it.

After what felt like a minute or two, I heard a voice. It didn't
sound like Mo but it must have been since there wasn't anyone
else in the room. The voice was about an octave lower than Mo's
and with a strong, foreign accent that I hadn't heard before or
since.

"What did he say, Papa Jon?" Amberlin's sleepy voice brought
Jonathan back to the present, but he continued in silence for a
moment before answering.

"Well, sweetie, he told me I was destined to be a protector and
preparer - someone who would prepare the way. That's what he
said."

"A protector and preparer for what?"

"He didn't exactly say, but he did tell me I would know at the
right time," Jonathan replied, grasping Amberlin's hand that had
snuck out from the cover and squeezing it gently.

"And did you?"

Jonathan pondered the question for a moment before replying. "I
guess I can best answer that question this way. I believe God
sometimes gives us a second chance to fulfill our destiny, and I
certainly feel like he's given me a second chance to fulfill
mine."

He paused again, unsure whether to continue, then added. "I feel
like you're my second chance. I'm here to protect you and to
prepare you so you can fulfill your own destiny."

He wasn't sure whether Amberlin had heard this last comment. Her
eyes were now closed and her breathing had become slow and
shallow, but as he turned to cut off the light next to her bed,
he heard her whisper, "Papa Jon's my protector and provider,"
and she sighed as she turned on her side and snuggled deeper
under the covers.

Jonathan leaned over and kissed her temple. "That's right,
sweetheart. As long as there's breath left in this body, I'll
always be here for you. I won't make the same mistake twice." He
straightened the covers, then turned and tiptoed from the room,
but as he returned to his bedroom, he remembered leaving Mo's
room over 30 years ago.

His hand had been on the door when the question suddenly
occurred to him. "Master Mo, could I ask you one last question?"

"What is it, son?"

"Well, it seems to me that, often times, spiritual matters come
in three's, you know, like the Holy Trinity. I was just
wondering if there's a third word to go along with protect and
prepare?"

Mo considered the question then smiled. "Yes, you could say
there is. It's purpose. The one you will protect and prepare
will bring purpose to the world. Go in peace, Jonathan."

As Jonathan reached Rose and his bedroom, he braced himself for
what he might face on the other side, but as he entered the room
he breathed a sigh of relief. Rose was already in bed and
apparently asleep. He quietly changed into his pajamas, then
walked over to RoseÂ¹s side of the bed to kiss her goodnight. As
he bent over her, he paused and gazed as her face, oh so
familiar, after close to 30 years of marriage. He realized now
that when he had taken the vow to prepare and protect Amberlin,
that it included protecting her from his own wife, and from the
whole community where they lived and that Rose was such an
integral part of. The task that lay before him loomed much
larger than he had, at first imagined -- much larger and much
more important too.

Â©2005 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc. This article
can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article
and this resource box are included.

Category : Networking

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