The Power of Your Dreams and Intuition: Following Your Intuition with Your Kids & Fur Babies

Letter #7 From The Intuitive Queen (aka Jennifer R. Young)

My Dear Intuitive Readers,

It’s the holiday season and I am two days late for releasing my blog. That’s okay; good things come to those who wait! 

Today I want to talk about dreams and intuition. If you follow both in addition to reason, it can help you make sound decisions about your kids or fur babies. 

In addition to having intuitive thoughts, I am a bit of a precognitive dreamer. It means, ever since childhood, most times my dreams are a preview of the next day or of sometime in the future.

I’ve vacillated between ignoring this about myself, hiding it, hoping it will go away, occasionally following the advice in my dreams—and now embracing it as a spiritual gift.

And do you want to know the good news? I am not alone. There are other dreamers like me; in fact more than 60 percent of people have reported having precognitive dreams at one point in their life.

So, rather than asking me why I have such odd dreams—making ask yourself why you don’t! Ha. But seriously, keep an open mind and learn to trust your intuition and keep a notepad or tablet by your bed to capture your dreams. Just like using meditation and prayer, intuitive thoughts can come to us through dreams also.

Early Voting and Emergency Surgery 

Benjamin, my youngest is 15 years old now. But before he even came into this world, I used my intuition to save my life—and his! 

As with many events in my life, it all started with a dream.

In 2008, when I was 5 months pregnant with Ben, I had a very upsetting dream. In my dream, my Grandma Kinsman, my mom, and my older sister were all helping me up the basement stairs in my childhood home in New York. My sister was carrying my son Christian, then 13 months old, up the stairs for me. 

“Look at poor Jenny! She is so sick,” my Grandma Kinsman said shaking her head. “She’s almost dying…and we have to carry her son Christian up the stairs for her because she can’t carry him herself!”

I woke up in a panic. 

It was a week before the big election of 2008—Obama vs. McCain. And while yes, I feared for my life and the life of my unborn son, I also feared I would be hospitalized before I could vote.

“What will I do?” I asked my then husband. “Grandma said I’m going to be so sick that me and our baby will almost die. I have a feeling I won’t even be able to vote! I’ll be too sick and maybe still be in the hospital….”

My husband, used to my prophetic dreams, suggested that I go vote ahead via absentee voting due to my pregnancy.

So, despite only being 5 months pregnant, I took Christian to the vote early in Manassas, Virginia. 

A few days later, I was shopping at secondhand thrift stores in the city of Manassas with my friend Kelly. Suddenly, I told her to pull over in a bank parking lot so I could throw up.  

Some people could have attributed it to being pregnant, food poisoning, or even the flu. But I knew better. My intuition was telling me to listen to my dream and to my grandma. I told Kelly to drive me directly to the ER.

When we arrived, I told the nurses of my previous high-risk pregnancy conditions. They checked my blood pressure, my liver, and my vitals but they couldn’t figure out why I was so sick. Finally, one doctor came in and pressed down on my appendix. I yelled and kicked him! 

“You are having an appendicitis,” he said.

"No, I am having a baby," I said.

He patiently explained that even pregnant people can have appendicitis.

They sent me to Fairfax Hospital via ambulance. I had emergency surgery. When I woke up 4 or so hours later—the nurse told me my appendix had been double in size and was tangled up in my intestine. They had to carefully untangle it before it burst. The doctor said I could have died and Ben too. I was so lucky; I got there just in time.

A few days later, my high-risk OBGYN Dr. Kacedan of Fairfax, visited me in the hospital.

He said, “Jennifer, you must stop almost dying! I am glad you are ok. But no more pregnancies, please.”

I agreed. He then told me the bad news.

“You had major abdominal surgery, and you are pregnant. I am sorry but I can’t approve of you going to vote. You will have to miss the biggest election ever.”

It was election day.

“That’s ok,” I said smiling. “I voted last week, absentee voting!”

“Wow!” he said, “What made you do that?”

“My grandmother told me I’d be sick and almost die. So, I figured I should vote ahead,” I explained.

“Well," my doctor said, amazed, “Tell your grandma she is a wise woman.”

“I can’t,” I said. “She died in 2002. She told me this in a dream.”

I’m glad that I followed my intuition about that dream. It got me to vote ahead, and to go straight to the ER as soon as I had symptoms of an illness. Ben and I got the help that we needed, just in time.

Saving Colin’s Voice by Listening to my Own Intuitive Voice

My oldest son Colin may not have grown to be 6 foot 1 or be able to talk if I had not listened to my intuitive voice. 

The year was 2000. He was 3 years old and the developmental team at Georgetown said he had regressive Autism. He had lost all language, was failure to thrive and had dark circles under his eyes.

The team gave me referrals to a Georgetown pediatric neurologist and a pediatric GI doctor because he had digestion and stomach issues.

I took Colin to the pediatric GI doctor at Georgetown. I told him about Colin’s stomach issues and his failure to thrive and asked him to do an endoscopy and colonoscopy to look for answers.

“Oh, all of the Autistic children have GI issues,” he said and refused to scope him.

I told him he was discriminating against my son. 

“It’s possible to have more than one condition. What if he has a GI disorder and Autism?” I asked. “I’ll prove to you that I’m right.”

Angry, I left and took Colin home.

That night, after dinner, I went home and called that free number that my company gave us for free counseling. I cried to the counselor on the phone and told her my son couldn’t make eye contact with me anymore, that he banged his head on the wall, and had stopped speaking any words at age 3. I asked her what to do. The lady had no advice. None. Frustrated, I hung up.

I got down on my knees and I begged God for answers. 

Then, I heard a voice. It could have been God. Or my intuition. Or it’s one and the same. You can decide for yourself. Either way it was a voice, and it was loud and clear. 

The voice said, “Put Colin first.” 

So, I stopped crying, and I called Colin’s dad, my ex-husband, Patrick. 

I said, “Patrick, I’m going to sell my stock options, spend all my savings, and stay home and figure out how to make Colin speak. And when I run out of money you are going to spend all yours too and move in with us if you must, but I can’t go back to work until he talks again.” 

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he said, “Okay, I know if anyone can do it—it’s you.” 

I got to work. They thought I was crazy. I sold the stock. I exchanged my Volvo for an old Mazda MVP van. I exhausted FLMA and then quit. I studied Colin 24x7.

I realized that the days his GI issues were worse were when he had too much bread and carbohydrates or when he had too much milk and dairy products. I read an article about the gluten free casein free diet and so I put him on that diet that July. 

Within a few days, he slept through the night! He stopped banging his head. He even said a word or too. 

His GI issues were better but persisted. 

Next, I did an elimination diet. I found out he had trouble with all complex carbs and sugars. I found the original Celiac diet (the Specific Carb diet). He started to grow to talk to do pretend play. He started to sleep through the night, to play normally with toys, and to talk! 

No more GI issues. Then, he grew 6 inches in less than a year! He smiled again and learned to write.

Next, I took him back to Georgetown to see the pediatric GI doctor who had dismissed us. Colin looked at him and started speaking. He was speechless.

Dr. Lattimer said, “He has grown 6 inches in less than a year speaks and looks me in the eyes. What did you do?”

“I did what you wouldn’t do. I studied him, diagnosed him with Celiac and healed his gut on the original Celiac diet. I removed all complex starches and sugars from his diet and I cooked him homemade yogurt to rebuild his immune system and heal his gut with probiotics. Now will you scope him?” I said.

He did and when he confirmed he indeed had Celiac he did the genetic test on Colin and his dad and me. I was surprised to discover that I have it too. 

Thank God, I had ignored the “specialists” and all the people who tried to tell me to give up on him. He is still Autistic, but he talks nonstop and has a job, and lives semi-independently in an apartment. I am so glad I listened to my intuition!

Christian’s Jazz Talent 

When my middle son Christian was in middle school, he started playing the drums. I had a vision about his future; I just saw him being a gifted drummer with a passion for jazz music. I asked him if he was going to sign up for jazz band. He told me no, just regular band. My intuition was screaming at me that this was a mistake!

I didn’t want to be controlling, but my vision was so clear. So, I decided to find a way to follow my intuition and take action without pushing him.

Every day when he came home from school, I asked Alexa to play different types of jazz music: American, Brazilian, Cuban jazz, and so on.

After a week, Christian came to me and said, “Mom, I’ve changed my mind. I want to join the jazz band!”

I smiled, “Wow, how wonderful!”

By the end of middle school, Christian played a jazz drum solo on PBS on TV when his band in Charles Town, WV, was invited to play at the capital for an arts performance. When we moved to Delaware, he used that recording to help him try out for the advanced high school jazz band. He was one of 2 freshmen to make the advanced jazz band. He's played in jazz festivals, at restaurants, in competitions, all state competitions, and even at the Delaware Governor’s School of Excellence. I am so grateful that he found his passion and that I didn’t give up on my intuitive thoughts.

From Frenemies to Feline Besties

If you don’t have kids, you may have fur babies. You can use your intuition to help care for your pets too. 

We adopted a 5-week-old tuxedo kitten during the pandemic. He was so lonely during the day even though I worked from home and the boys were doing remote school. We just couldn’t play with him all the time. So, when Shadow turned 3 months old, we adopted a second kitten, Ghost, who was also 3 months old. 

Everyone had an opinion about how to introduce the two cats. Some of my friends said to keep them apart for days or weeks and slowly let them reach out under doorways. They told me not to put them together right away. Others told me that their cats never liked each other and it may never work out.

But my intuition was telling me just put them together from day one and let the magic happen. So, I did. 

For two days our sweet Shadow terrorized Ghost. He followed him, growled at him, and swiped at him. Ghost remained calm and loving and although afraid, and tried to befriend Shadow. 

I thought, gosh, my intuition may have been wrong! Putting them together right away didn’t feel so magical.

On the third day, Shadow and Ghost went to the same cat bed at the same time, curled up and napped together. They have been inseparable ever since. 

My intuition was correct. They are the most loving cats both to one another and to us. I was glad that I followed my intuition.

Next week: Following your intuition with friendships

Songs I listened to while writing this blog:

1.        “Carol of the Bells,” by Mannheim Steamroller

2.        “In Your Eyes,” by Peter Gabriel

3.        “Enjoy the Silence,” By Depeche Mode

Until next week my intuitive friends!

Love,

The Intuitive Queen

(Aka Jennifer R. Young)