Essay on Inspiration

Kaleen C. Polakoff
14 July 2009


ESSAY ON INSPIRATION


The power of inspiration can change our lives and most of us do not call upon it enough. There are a few that discount the source of their inspiration as being from God. They look at it as a random thought or something of their own invention. Even if the person is not religious, I believe that all inspiration that we receive is from God. I have found inspiration at various times in my life and the key was to be quiet long enough to hear.
I have read a lot of books on the power of meditation. I have seen this power work in my mother’s life. My mother sits and ponders her life every day. My mother hasn’t invented anything or made any great scientific discoveries, but I believe that she has directed the lives of her children better because of it. She has searched and found solutions to her greatest challenges.
Inspiration usually comes as a thought or impression. It can also be a feeling of something that needs to be done. One of the times when I have witnessed inspiration came when my youngest daughter was stung by a scorpion. Her foot began to swell immediately. My son, Calvin, who was only eight at the time of the incident, was inspired to put a raw onion on her foot. The swelling went down immediately. I have never been sure how he knew how to do that, except to say by inspiration.
Many times, I have been out in Nature and just pondering my life and what I should do. I have the pleasure to take a walk every morning around the neighborhood. I remember a particular time when I was pondering what to do about my financial situation and my future. A thought came to me very clear that I should go back to teaching. Even, the steps that I needed to take and how to go about it came into my mind and heart.
Another time that I spent time in Nature was when I needed to make a decision about employment. I had applied at one school and I knew that I was the second person that they were considering, but I got a call from a school district in Houston. They needed a decision within 24 hours. I went to a nearby temple and spent several hours walking around the temple grounds. I felt the beauty and it was comforting to be in such a special setting. I was inspired to take the job in Houston. I was packing to leave for Houston when the first job called and said that I didn’t get the job. They had gone with their first choice and that person had accepted the job. It turned out to be the right thing to do because I met my husband in Houston.
Now, I haven’t really done anything that the world would take note of, but then I haven’t been put in a situation where I needed to do any of those things. My greatest work has been raising my family. I have needed answers to medical questions and have received where to go and what doctor could best help my family. One time when reading scriptures, I was impressed to switch doctors for my son, Calvin. It proved to be the answer that he needed.
Sometimes it takes a long time to get an answer and other times it can be instantaneous. Sometimes you didn’t know you were looking for an answer when you received it. One day, I was talking to a friend whose little girl had Failure-to-Thrive Syndrome. My youngest daughter had also been diagnosed with it. We were talking about the trials that my friend’s little girl had gone through as they tried to figure out what was wrong. Suddenly, I knew that the illness that my little girl was suffering with wasn’t the stomach flu, but food allergies. After our conversation ended, I went home and called the pediatrician. It was determined that I was right and we changed her diet. She still has food allergies, but that one moment changed her life.
I have seen inspiration work many times from solving math problems to solving everyday problems. I have felt it when I have needed to recall important and crucial information. The biggest impact is when it affects the lives of my family. Most of the time, the formula is the same—find a quiet spot, usually in nature or someplace where I can commune with God, ponder, think, and, most of all, listen.