Thank you for the well wishes, for the prayers on my behalf, and for adding my grandfather to the prayers.

I think that part of what is driving my improvements is that I am taking time to pray for others as well; and that this is helping me to improve; and the gods I worship agree with you that this habit is very much worth cultivating.

Given the goddess I was talking about appeared to me in dreams where fire, cherry blossoms, and a mountain were prominent elements, it sounds to me like it might be Konohanasakuyahime-no-Mikoto who's chosen to appear to me. I assumed it was a wisdom goddess, because she was giving me wisdom; but that might just have been because that is what I need right now.

William