17. December 2007 by Micheal Frances.

It’s a funny spot to find myself in. 

Me, admittedly not the most stable guy in the universe, presenting myself to the world as a Life Coach, helping others confront growth and manifest themselves in more satisfying ways.

How can I do this when I am not perfect myself?  

Simple. 

By realizing all of life is a flowing river and we are all swimming along.  I teach what I am myself learning; I am both student and teacher; leader and follower of the truth.

As a matter of fact this “not being the expert” is proven clinically to be more effective than any other approach in creating long lasting change in human lives.  Any of the helping arts, in whatever form, when applied to the human condition, must first endorse the performance of said healing modality as an ART and not a SCIENCE.  The soul is manifold in its expression.  If we go down the road to codify and catalog every human experience, we are, I believe, moving in the wrong direction and systematically prohibiting miracles from occurring.  My life has shown me time and time again that we are here to experience miracles. 

If there is anything I know at all, it is that words have power; thoughts are things and we are creators of reality in ways that we are now becoming aware.  It’s an interesting time in human development and evolution.

Flashes of who we are come to us in dreams and moments in human interaction when we notice that there is something holy afoot; something resonates deep within us.  Those moments provide us with incredible hope.  Like a breath of fresh air as we realize our dreams are indeed not only attainable, but the first step toward our manifestation of higher self.

So much more awaits those who dare to manifest the dream they have in their hearts and souls.

So, here I am building a new business at a time when it would appear, from the outside anyway, to be a difficult time for me to launch a new business.

But I have a different idea; I know I need to launch now, even if at first there is difficulty and resistance, because NOW is the time I am ready to move. 

My current financial situation provides me with an opportunity to share openly that I have bills to be paid that are not going to be paid, and I’m looking for fill in work to make ends meet.

Anybody need a house painter?

My client list at LIFESCULPTORS.NET is building steadily and it is all right on time, but for now, I must also do some work that is just to pay some bills.  And it’s all okay, because everything is temporary, and my needs are met. 

Instead of my usual response of panic over low bank accounts, I am learning to step out on faith.  So far, it’s been working out.

And it’s not to say that it hasn’t been nerve wracking – and a heart rending strain on my marriage at times – when the cash flow dwindles to a dribble, but I am learning the true meaning of the elusive concept of “faith” in positive outcome.  My technique of noticing my thoughts and then doing something to move them up just one notch up on the vibration scale is working. 

Once upon a time, I wanted immediate change of a drastic nature, and what I’ve found is that drastic, immediate change works only under very specific conditions.

This “little train that could” kind of thinking is working for me in a more reliable manner. 

I’ve learned to take one little step at a time; and celebrate the move of that one step up. 

                                                  One Step Up.

                                            One step up

                                        One step up

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15. December 2007 by Micheal Frances.

“The right words, at the right time and spoken from the heart, have an echo the Universe cannot contain.” – Micheal Frances Smith

I grew up, literally, at the feet of a Master.  She is not well known, for her works are quiet and modest and yet infinitely powerful.  Her techniques are subtle, a touch or a hug, a warm bowl of spaghetti, or a phone call from her at just the right time – this is a woman in touch with her heart in a way that few are.  Her heart is like a bonfire and many come to her to warm their hearts and hands in its glow.

Among the gifts she has freely given during our long relationship the greatest gift she has given me is my eyes; for her eyes and my eyes could be twins (or would that be quadruplets?).  I have my mother’s eyes and so do each one of my five siblings.

My earliest memories of my childhood go like this:  Dad would get ready and leave to do cement construction work, and after she fed her children and sent the older ones off to school the doorbell would ring.  At the door would be a Sister from the church – we were raised Mormon – and she would be welcomed into the living room, where the two women would start talking, and before long crying together exploring solutions.

I grew up watching this woman – who had no more than a high school education – heal people with conversation and spaghetti; soup and sincerity - and always with a devotion to her Father in Heaven and her beloved brother Jesus Christ.

So, who am I?  I am my mother’s son.  My four sisters and my brother remain my best friends, even though our ideology differs the strength of our family bond is strong and vital; I am a member of a strong, loving family.
Being devout Mormons, my family and I had some issues when they found out their son and brother is gay but we never stopped being a family.  It is ironic to me that except for the same-sex status of my relationship with my partner, our relationship resembles that of the marriages of my sisters and brother.  Without ignoring the differences there is more in common than different.
How does one begin to explain the influence my partner, Michael Shanahan, has had on my life?  We met when we were both young, and we’ve been together now for 27 years. 

A picture of us the week we first met hangs proudly in my office right next to my diplomas, with a golden cord laced between the frames.

When he found that I believed I was not smart enough to earn a degree, he enrolled me in college.  Where I am weak, he has been strong.  Everything I have accomplished or will accomplish has his influence clearly imprinted on it.  A man who turned away from a comfortable nice paying corporate position in mid-life to attend Loyola Law School just because he always wanted to have a law degree, he continues to challenge me and to love me even after all these years and knowing all my flaws.

The creative expression and human struggle toward love and harmony are what excite me.  I know the power of the heart and when two hearts are open together miracles are given the chance to come into manifestation.

This is the work that excites me; giving others the opportunity and the right conditions for a miracle to manifest in their lives.

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11. December 2007 by Micheal Frances.

It all started with KPFK 90.7 FM Radio’s Sunday morning radio show, Gospel Classics, hosted by Edna Tatum. 

 Being a singer myself, I’ve always loved choral music and Gospel music particularly, but my interest was nothing more than a passing interest.  Sometimes a gospel song would get me.  Usually something by Mavis Staples. 

 So I started listening to Edna Tatum’s program each Sunday morning at 6am and my what an education it has been.  I’ve been introduced to some amazing singers and some even more amazing performances in the Gospel genre.  People like Shirley Ceasar, Rev. D. T. Baldwin, The Holmes Brothers and on and on.  The more Edna would spin the gospel, the more intrigued I became.

Before long, I was on my way to the record stores to find this or that recording.  I’d just activated by computerized music library, so I copied the CD’s into my computer and spit them out into my MP3 Player (think Ipod).

Then I made CD copies of the list of my favorites, and started to pop it into the CD player in the morning when I’m getting ready to go to work.  Straight up, it is more uplifting than a powerful anti depressent.

 There is joy in this music; everyone I give a copy to hears it too.  Something about all those voices, lifted in unison and sincerely praising the lord - well it’s very powerful stuff, to say the least.

 The beauty is you don’t have to be a formal Christian to love this music.  I’ve seen even the most agnostic of my friends tear up when listening to this music. 

 Bob Dylan said, “Music attracts angels in the universe” and this is true, certainly of this music.

I owe Edna Tatum a big favor; she got me to “get up, get up, get up” and go find a choir to join.  I am now a proud member of the Hollywood Presbyterian Mass Choir, led by Patrick Hare.  It’s a wonderful group - mixed ages and races - and we ROCK when we get the spirit!

 I’m having the best time being a part of this wonderful group. 

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