Part 1 Man Proposes, God Disposes

PLACE of MIRACLES

Small Balkan country is so beautiful , it’s easy to fall in love with it. I came there with a strange pain in my leg, which for a long time nobody could fix in America, and nobody could understand what the problem was. That pain prevented me from walking -my favorite activity.
 “You can make two blocks without pain? O!It’s enough for you from official point of view-explained my last hope, a Filipino physical therapist.- But if you want we can give you pain killer. "
And I flew to that special place with thermal water, which my gym instructor from Albania introduced. I arrived  there very late and getting up next morning I went for a walk and realized that pain was gone. “It was fast!”….I thought in surprise.Outside was quiet beauty and pain didn't prevent the  enjoyment.Since that morning I could walk around as much as I wanted without any pain.
 It was  a Miracle!
   However
It was not the first Miracle really. The first one happened when I arrived. As soon as I entered the building I wanted to make a payment. That was the first things you do in USA in places, where money is involved, before somebody even start talking to you. But the man in reception wave off my Credit Card
-Go rest now! Would you like to eat something!
Next morning I came to him again holding out my Credit Card and he again waved me off
-Go to the doctor now! Did you have a breakfast?
It was very unusual feeling. All the time I spent there he helped me out with all the issues and only in the very end he accepted Credit Card by my request. It was so unusual!
He organized a trip to city O.am amazing place...with a blue lake surrounded by green mountains, pure high blue sky with white curly clouds, churches all over, pleasant people around, real people without those fake American smiles. Seven hours walking around city passed as a minute without any pain
 
It was really a Miraculous place!!
    Besides,
On the way back a taxi driver, being a teacher by his education told me about bad economy in the country, people in hard financial situation and country has big needs in caring for kids with special needs as it's almost no System exists. And I lost a peace as almost 20  years in USA I dealt mostly with the System, very good organized System, where people go straight along designed paths, which Americans call “ boxes”. The System was pretty simple and built around American Dollar. Just ”follow the orders”, which are carefully explained during training's and written instructions are provided.

The only small problem in the field I worked in was a little bit of hypocritical -what was said on training's often didn’t match what should be in a real work. Those who couldn’t deal smoothly with that little issue created trouble for themselves and people around them. I honestly tried to adjust and “go with the flow”, but had some  issue-soviet mentality- for full adjustment and eventually stacked between “boxes”, constantly breaking instructions and didn’t follow orders the right way

BIRTH of the IDEA

The idea started to grow in my mind. Maybe Place of Miracles with no Strong System with its “boxes” could be the right one for My Little Dream-training residence for three autistic kids. Returning home, I found my client in the hospital, where he almost died. He was disciplined again for his natural curiosity by strong deadly medication.

It was a very special “special  child”.  Parents didn’t want him. He lived in residence. On the contrary to professional opinion when after 8 yo development of speech for kids consider hopeless, that boy started to talk at the age of 13 and his vocabulary started to increase from our work and he showed big desire for learning new things.
Being scared they would discipline him again with medication I couldn’t continue working with him anymore in order  to develop his progress. I couldn’t continue function in that System anymore and I couldn’t cope with expenses without working. I invested a lot in working on the harmless creative System for autistic kids-working on articles and books, but the System didn’t have a way to use it for children because of credits, licences and the rest
I started to pack things up  planning to help kids not under the System and business laws and rules, but using simple human ways working voluntarily. Beauty of the Place, history connected to language and education, God of  all those 365 Churches as well as all those lovely people I met there would support my small intentions-a place to live and volunteer work for kids

MONEY BAG

And of course I relied on the money I collected at work -a result of hard work, taking care of disable kids at night and day times-and that would allow me to have a place for living.
 However,
..... instead of supporting me, money worked against me. Obviously I did something wrong. And I believe it happened because I stacked in old values, which were in Soviet Union", where people also experienced  financial hardship. But it was a big difference. Money was not an issue as they just were not available. I didn’t think that being American has association in human mind as being a Moneybag. It ruined all my plans. I realized that too late. The experience was not a pleasant. Probably I just couldn’t use it for my advantage as Money for me was only a tool to create something new.Other people's money never bothered me.
With the Pink Glasses on my nose I thought people would be attracted to my desire to help them and their children and didn't think that money was my main value

THE LEGEND
 
When reality finally destroyed the “pink glasses” and I landed up from the beautiful clouds, where I kept my head, to the ground together with my unrealistic ideas a local friend told me the legend about that city.

"God decided to punish the Devil for his bad deeds, but Devil asked “Please forgive me. I’d create something so wonderful you would be pleased with me”. And the Devil created a beautiful city on the shore of a blue magnificent lake surrounded by mountains The city had many churches and a lot of trees. When God saw Devil's work, he was delighted and forgave the Devil for his actions. But the Devil stepped aside and whispered to himself: “He does not know what kind of people I put there”

And Indeed,
My life looks as that legend, a place where God and the Devil converged so obviously. People obviously are afraid of God. They cross themselves when pass Churches. They even cross themselves when on the bus pass Churches high on mountains. But they do not love God as they don't care about his rules. They make their own and ask God favors like that  "Please God made my neighbor's cow die"

 But still,
I think that God heard the Devil’s whisper and put there small amount especially great people for creating some balance. I was lucky to meet people from God as well as people from Devil and I’d like to tell some stories about them