“Instant Truth” Blog #92
Isn’t it hard out there trying to go it all alone?
Do I ride that roller coaster of doubt, throughout the day?
How can I tap in to real truth and find the right path to follow?
When I was watching the amazing true telecast about people around the world who live
to be in their hundreds, one fact stood out above all the unbelievable attributes to these
people who live in “the Blue Zone”. They take anger and revenge and contempt, and
forgive instantly. I do believe it is in the “carrying around that heavy carpet of anger” that
weights us down! WE FORGET TO FORGIVE. These people living in the Blue Zone live healthy
lives and enjoy one another, on a daily basis!
Recently I came across a definition that one of my children had written in class for the
word:
“INTEGRITY - “Everyone has a different definition of integrity. It has been said that Integrity
is what I say, what I think and what I do - all being the same thing. In a nut shell, Integrity
means being honest and upright and avoid deceiving others. To just live my life with
values I hold true. So therefore, Integrity demands that I act according to the values and
beliefs that make up my character! It is really essential I am absolutely honest, sincere,
and do not have deceiving behavior. This is because Integrity is the basis for trust and
confidence and goodness that must exist in my life. If I compromise my personal integrity,
I break the bonds of trust between me and my family and my friends. Yet most
importantly my own relationship with my God who gave me my inner truth to rely on. For I
must remember that inner truth is always there. HIS instant truth.
What if someone said to me today; “DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 10 POSITIVE TRAITS. What would
they be? Would those words be: Forgiving, kind, humble. Selfless, grateful, nurturing,
patient, faithful, tolerant and balanced? That’s a positive group of words. Let’s take a
moment to see what ARE the words that describe me the best? This is a simple, but
wonderful way to do a “self analysis and look at myself from the inside out”. So, I can take
a piece of plain paper. Write the numbers one to ten. Then give words.
A fascinating description of poor character is as follows. Way back when, someone wrote
about the “Four Horsemen of Behaviors”, these four horsemen, if not saddled and trained
will escalate conflict in my life and cause harmful behaviors that become a normal part
of my life!
The Four Horsemen are: CRITICISM. DEFENSIVENESS. CONTEMPT. and SHUTTING DOWN.
Why is it so important that I address these “four horsemen” to balance my life
and bring in “Instant truth”?
CRITICISM is almost always blaming someone else with disapproval and judgement.
Allowing myself to focus on their flaws. This will always be met with anger and disdain.
The easiest way to deal with Crilticism is to turn it around to an ‘I statement”. Much better
for me to express MY FEELINGS “why” I want to criticize and do it in a warm, kind tone.
DEFENSIVENESS almost always makes excuses for behavior and shifts the blame to the
other person. (“It isn’t my fault!”.) Yet, when I take responsibility for my anger, by showing
remorse and apologize - “I shouldn’t have raised my voice!” I AM OWNING UP TO MY OWN
BEHAVIOR AS WELL.
CONTEMPT - How often have I used put-downs, or insults and acted superior? Even in my
tone of voice, I can push people away. Yet, by simply showing a little affection, giving a
compliment or showing appreciation for something, this changes the contempt to
kindness and fosters a healthier relationship with instant truth.
Lastly, “SHUTTING DOWN” can be tough. It is so easy for me to not want to listen to the
truth, let alone find inner strength. When I choose to shut down, withdraw, or just go silent,
I learn nothing! I know it is in my best interest to relax and listen. I can use deep breathing
here, calm down and stay present in the moment with the other person who (believe it or
not) is also my teacher in a very positive way. For we are ALL teachers to one another.
This is where we learn our greatest lessons on a daily basis.
I remember years and years ago, I met and became friends with my neighbor. He had
lost his wife and was living alone. I never saw another car at his home and I never saw him
receive any visitors. I loved to bring him “goodies” every now and then. Whether it be hot
chicken soup, homemade banana bread or chocolate chip cookies, he was grateful. One
lovely warm summer day, we started talking and I asked him if he had any family. He told
me he did have one brother. “I really have not spoken to him in more then twelve years”,
he sheepishly revealed. I was astonished in hearing this. How can that be?” I asked him
in a surprised tone. “Well, he said, it started out that we both were very angry with each
other about something I don’t recall, it had to be important, but now frankly, I just can’t
remember!” I asked him if his brother was still living and he sadly looked down and
confessed in a very quiet tone that he did not even know.
Anger, resentment and judging are three thieves that can rob me of my INTEGRITY. My
inner guidance and my inner light becomes clouded over. There was a study done by
Staew et al. (:1994) “This study showed that people who had positive emotions attracted
better relationships and had greater success in life and nurtured a healthy body as well”.
Again - I must remember the basic fact of my human life comes with choice.
I can choose to be “In the world or of the world”. I can choose to believe or not believe. I
know innately I am given “FREE WILL”. With this Free Will I get to choose what I want in
my life.
Isn’t that interesting. No matter what, God lets me choose. I can believe in him or not.
However, there is a reason “WHY” I have a conscience. The fact I have inner spiritual
knowledge and inner guidance is up to me to see all this comes from HIM.
I can feel HIM quietly asking me to believe in my Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet, All I have to do is ask and I then receive HIS “INSTANT TRUTH”.
So today, “Am I willing to ask for Inner Instant Truth?”
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“What Won’t Work?” Blog #91
People are pushing me in every direction, IF I let them.
My life is filled with “stuff” I need to fix.
Every day lies waiting, but Why is my life NOT working right?
The greatest gift I can give to myself is TIME, TIME to learn about me. I want to
understand and accept and believe that all my hurt has come into my life to teach me
the valuable lessons that I need to learn about ME. Yet, WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? A
little story fits here nicely now, so I jump right in.
Fast back track to my teenage years and living at home off and on when I wasn’t at my
grandpas house. I would go home on the weekends because I felt so guilty in “running
away to a safe place”. Yet, as I look back I see the puzzling problem of even trying to get
through a day with clarity. My parents were living in complete and utter darkness. They
did not even realize what a “good life to live” is. Because my father was a raging, abusive,
mean alcoholic, us children ran away, stayed away, “felt away from any confusing
parenting they tried to randomly throw at us”. By my teen years, I had seen so much daily
drinking and fighting and abusive anger that all three of us children lived inside a home all
together, separately. Family that did not care. I was sixteen years old, trying to shuffle
back and forth between my parents and grandparents. I could see my one brother
becoming wilder and experimenting with dark drugs. I had a couple of friends but still
kept my family secrets to myself. One night stands out in sadness. I had gone through
too many fights. The horrid screaming and my mother crying at home. Another weekend
of this raging fighting. Empty beer bottles all over our dismal, dirty little kitchen. What were
they even fighting about anyway? I had my own problems and they didn’t care. On
impulse, I grabbed an empty beer bottle, smashed it and cut at my wrists. In the back of
my mind, I was somehow thinking this act would knock some sense into my drunken
father sitting on the chair in the other room. I remember walking in to show him.
Hysterically crying, I flung myself at him but then pulled back. I had hopes that for the first
time my dad would pay attention to his daughter. How his drunken, droopy eyes even
looked up at me I don’t know. But he stared at my bleeding wrists. Then in a slow, slurring,
angry tone he spoke. Snickering, he said; You can’t even do that F…….. right! Now get outta
my sight.
Ironically something inside of me snapped. In the strangest way, yes, I felt completely
alone but that was good. I suddenly got an insight that it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter
because I would prove him wrong in my strength. I was stupid to show him my weakness.
Never again would I allow myself to let someone or something take away my inner power.
I suddenly saw my father as a weak, beaten, lost lamb. I pitied him. I hated him. It took
years to turn me around and see how he chose drugs and alcohol over his family and
faith. He lived in such darkness that God was never allowed in. The dark hole consumed
and swallowed him at fifty two.
So am I defined because of where I came from? NO, It will not label who I am. What
matters most is where I AM going! I could cop out and feel sorry for myself forever. Well,
what will that ever prove? That would get me no where. All I had to do was look around.
Every single someone has something, somehow hurting them as well. At that moment I
realized Its not about my family, it’s not about any other person, ITS ALL ME. What do I want
to do about me? I had to be safe. I saw that immediately.
There is a Bridge we all cross in our years coming out of childhood into our teens -Teens
become adults quickly. Adults with addictions hard to stop. We look at life with a narrow
family awareness, but we do get to choose and see, ITS ALL UP TO ME. WHATEVER IS NOT
WORKING, I HAVE TO FIX IT. MY BRAIN IS TELLING ME DRUGS, PILLS, SMOKING …. ARE ALL NOT
WORKING. PRAYING, I DO IT IN A HEALTHY WAY NOW.
My l.ife unfortunately, did not get easier with an amazing awareness, but its way better.
Because human beings are creatures of habit, we do adjust. No matter what. Ironically,
most of us decide that we “will never be like the darkness we see” AND THEN WE CREEP
RIGHT TOWARD IT THROUGH HABITS, IDEAS, AND PEOPLE. There is only one way that works. A
belief in HIM. Jesus is MY only answer. It might make you want to withdraw right now, yet I
say in this saturated world of darkness, NO other force is strong enough to take on EVIL. It
creeps its dark ugly head and gets in.
As a teen, you try to fit in no matter what. We want to fit it. We need to fit in and find out;
What works and what doesn’t. Having friends makes us feel safe. But we need to check
them out, what are they made of? What is working in a good way for them and for me?
So I need to be careful. “Birds of a feather flock together”.
IF a person is sad, depressed, angry, resentful, bitter, judgemental, THESE are the same
qualities MY person will attract in FRIENDS around ME. WE WANT TO FEEL NEEDED. I WANT TO
FEEL SAFE. I WANT AND DESERVE TO FEEL LOVED. It Is hard and risky and challenging to go
out and find friends who appear “Healthy & Happy”. How TO DO THIS?
I STOP INDULGING MY LOWER SELF DESIRES. I BECOME KINDER TO OTHERS. I AM HONEST.
Yet, behind closed doors of every home in the country, a family life is living NOW. How are
we treating each other and above all I need o be honest with my feelings. if a family
member or a friend has let me down, hurt me, abandoned me, I need to let them know
through words or a letter and discern if it is time to let go of what is not working. I must
remember that in order for my life to work for me I accept the lessons I have been given.
We are all teachers for one another in this classroom of life, we are all students of HIS
word. IF we but accept this challenge. Free Will willl always be a double edged sword.
Just because we can do it, does not mean we should. I pray to Jesus daily for discipline,
detachment and discernment. Inside each of us is a fragile higher self child that needs
nurturing. In my aloneness I have so many tools to help myself today.
“AM I READY TO FIX THINGS INSIDE ME THAT DON’T WORK?”
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“Painful Push” Blog #90
Some days it’s enough to get up and just go get the mail. Other days, in depression I ask,
where does life take me now? Those days all I’ve done is beg for sleep to come, my only
refuge. Lonely, isolated and afraid, what is coming up next?
The Story of the Eagle
by Vishwabramana
The Eagle has the longest life-span of its species and lives up to 70 years old. But to get to
that age, the eagle must make a very difficult decision! In its 40th year, the eagle’s long
and flexible talons can no longer grab a prey which serves as food. Its long and sharp
beak becomes bent. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, stick to its
chest and make it difficult to fly. Then, the eagle is left with ONLY TWO OPTIONS: DIE or go
through a painful process of CHANGE! This process last for 150 days or five months. The
process requires the eagle to fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle
knocks its beak against a rock until it plocks it out. Then the eagle will wait for the new
beak to grow back after which it will pluck out its talons. When its talons grow back, the
eagle starts plucking out its old-aged feathers. And after this, the Eagle takes its famous
flight of rebirth and LIVES for thirty more years!!
Why is change needed? To survive and thrive. We all need to go through pain. It can be
a painful push into powerful change. The old memories, negative habits and fixed
mindset must go. Freed from past burdens, we can take advantage of the powerful
present. IF an Eagle makes this life changing decision, so must we. The EAGLE avoids the
rain, by flying above the rain clouds. So we can see why my favorite bird, with rare insight
and a most amazing background, is the EAGLE.
Did you know that Eagles balance aggression with being graceful? If only us humans
could manage to do this. Eagles are one of the fastest birds on the planet, they can fly as
fast as a speeding car and they are full grown at twelve weeks old. Eagles do not push
their young out of the nest? In fact, they want their young to learn the hard way. So they
wait to feed their babies until the babies feel intense hunger. When the mother eagle is
building her huge nest, she starts by layering it. She layers the nest with thorns, rocks,
branches and other sharp materials not really meant for a gentle resting place! But after
the base part is done, she lines the nest with a thick padding of feathers, fur, wool, pine
straw and soft materials. This is where she lays her eggs. Here is where her newborn
babies get all their food and nutrition to grow. Then when the babies are ready to fly - the
Mother eagle does something bizarre! She starts to mess up the nest. She stirs it up. With
her long talons, she digs up the sharp rocks, the thorns, and the hard materials, moving
away all the feathers and the soft comforts at the top. The mother eagle knows it is time
to deliberately change the home environment for her young. It is time for her to make
them ready to mature and move on out of the nest. IT IS TIME for them to learn to soar
above the storms on their own. AND THEY DO. You and I can too.
Did you know about a man named Nick Vujicic? He is the founder of an organization “Life
without Limbs”. Nick has no arms and no legs. Yet he plays musical instruments and uses
a computer and gives motivational talks and he has written several books. Here is
another man, Andrea Bocelli. He is one of the most famous singers alive, and yet he is
blind. Still, he has gone on to sell seventy five million records and continues to sing!
Bethany Hamilton survived a shark attack at the young age of seventeen. She sadly lost
her entire left arm. After only four weeks, she was back surfing and was back competing
and eventually won six First Place trophies! Then we have another amazing man, Stevie
Wonder. Here was a man born blind and despite being blind from birth, he has recorded
thirty of the U.S. top hits. I only mention these people because they are like you and I, just
people. Yet, people that were born with severe adversities and have managed to not just
cope but overcome their adversitiy and contributed to society with great inspiration on
how to live life to its fullest.
Today I can face my pain. I can and will feel that internal “Painful push” and get out of my
“lower self” way. I no longer want to just survive but I want to thrive! As Dr. Seuss has said
in so many ways, “Oh, the things I can do, if I just allow myself to!
The Lord has showed us this magnificent Eagle who teaches her young to leave home
and manage on their own. Life is painful, yes, but it is in the painful push towards
awareness, that we G R O W strong internally. In my distress, loneliness and grief, I have
been made aware of the beautiful internal light that is inside to guide me. This light takes
all the darkness away. There is no possible way we can achieve internal growth without
the pain of dealing with life’s issues day to day to day. Yes, we can laugh and be happy
and enjoy one another. We are meant to do this. Here in lies the balance. However, it is in
the painful push of sadness, fear and darkness that we must search for GOD’s truth.
Every one of us has an internal warrior of super human strength! So many times we hear
of this person or that person using this super-human strength in miraculous ways. We too,
can do this. There is no question about it, in the face of all obstacles and no matter what
the cicumstances are, I AM designed to soar like the eagle. It’s in the remembering, that I
find my Higher Self who is internally waiting and then gets the painful push to come
forward IF we but let it into our hearts.
HE is in me today. Jesus waits in my heart. I can talk to him now.
“Can I accept the “painful push” and turn my trouble into triumph?”
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“Body Blame” Blog #89
Most of all - It is good to be alone with oneself; find balance through deep breathing..
I can spend all day and night with noise. I can keep myself busy with mindless activity.
OR, I can find the deepest part of me that is waiting internal in truth, love and goodness.
This is the body of LIGHT that burns to come forward and overcome any and all blame I
carry inside myself. Believe it or not, every person has some internal passion for
something…..what is it? This is my job while I am on earth, to find my calling, regardless of
my age. So many years go by and give me silly habits that I rely on. I bundle fears fast
and furious and place those at the head of the line of my interior leadership. My body is
running on whatever fuel I decide to provide it with. today. Now, I may rationalize I need
the energy, caffeine and “sugar” in drinking a Red Bull drink. I have told myself that it is
less than sugar that is in a cup of strawberries. However, that does not even need to be
rationalized, justified or proved wrong. IT JUST IS.
Chemicals and SUGAR are the least of my body needs. I can drink plain water and
IF I want to add something important, I add a package of Vitamin C crystals (1000mg.)
Its ironic how my body has always been taken for granted when I was younger. I
expected it to act and do whatever I wanted it to. Yet, as I go on through the years, I find
energy harder to come by. This is because I have blamed all the wrong reasons for my
body not being “in good, healthy shape”. IF I stand in the mirror today and weigh myself,
there is an ideal weight for every person. Heres the first tip: When I stand up, I am able to
comfortably touch my toes and see them! My stomach should not stand out in a bulge
(unless there is a severe health issue I am dealing with).
My body should take in food in the morning that gives me energy - (NOT just an energy
drink). I can eat Raisin Bran/cheerios/all bran/fruit/nuts/yogert/muffin/eggs that are “free
range of chemicals” I can start my deep breathing to the count of one thousand one,
breathing deep in through my nose and out through my mouth. 10 x.
Regardless of my age - I do not blame my body for what it can not do because I do NOT
WANT TO DO IT. That being said, I can walk. I make myself walk, (preferably outdoors) and
as I walk I say powerful, positive affirmations internally to myself.
Why have I started my blog this way today? It is because I have let myself go. I feel it, I
know it and I can see it, when I look into the mirror! There is no reasonable alibi for not
taking good care of myself. I have blamed my body in the past for exercise that I fail to
do. This is wrong. As long as I have a breath inside of me, there is some kind of exercise
that I can do. There is Yoga, Pilates, Isometirics, fast walking, biking, swimming, and more
of just plain walking…..and more walking.
The Queen of England lived to be almost one hundred. She stated that more of her life
was spend outside then inside. Regardless of the weather, she managed to be outside.
When I blame my body for not eating right and feeling ashamed, I am violating a sacred
part of me that is alive. Because My Body is the Temple of God, it is my responsibility to
take care of, feed healthy and nurture my entire body. It is hard to accept that fact that
once I start blaming my body and myself for so many things, everything around me starts
to fall apart. I am prone to anxiety, panic attacks, and more and more mental abuse of
myself.
HERE AND NOW BODY BLAMING, SHAMING AND WRONG THINKING MUST S T O P.
My body and my mind and my spirit are on a journey together while I am alive on this
earth. Instead of this internal battle that I constantly fight, it’s time for me to “let go” of all
that blame wherever it is casting its sinister shadow inside of me. IT is time for me to find
healing and higher self health and peace of mind. All the therapy in the world cannot free
me from blaming myself for anything until I am ready to simply say; “I am ready to let go.
I am ready to take off this oversized, unbelievably burdon-sized , weighted coat and
breathe in a sigh of relief.”
I am done with the lie. I have let go of the “false, fake, feeble feelings” of darkness.
Drinking can’t free me. Pills can’t free me. Weed and Vaping can’t free me. ONLY the
belief that HE is here for me now and I accept that My Body is the Temple of GOD.
Therefore, IF I choose self-help or therapy or insights I have gleamed from counseling, I
must preface this all with my own understanding of God working through me now. With
this awareness, I choose not to fall back into harmful patterns. It’s important for me to
remember that Knowledge once learned is power! Taking all these insights into
consideration I can see that my behavior can and should and does change now. Now I
can see that serving my body by giving it healthy food and drink, builds my energy level in
important ways. Caring for my body instantly removes false fears, false friends, and
stagnation. SO I GO OUTSIDE. I find ways to exercise. I give my body permission to
process all I am doing in a safe way. Its time to see that my body, mind and spirit are one
with me.
IF I see myself, I am this triangle;
Spirit - The Holy Spirit is inside of me - I tap into it with prayer.
Mind - I think healthy thoughts/ in meditation daily.
Body - My body is the Temple of God - I exercise and feed it healthy food
I have found peace in prayer and forgiveness and “Letting GO of all past problems”.
“Am I ready to stop the blame and heal my body, mind and spirit today?”
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW
“Poison or Power?” Blog #88
Where is the biggest thing I am afraid of right now?
What is keeping me from finding my “highest potential?
How can I go forward when I am so filled with fearful thought?
Above all today, I must know there are Angels everywhere around me, always.
I remember a while back when I heard a powerful speech about “Duty”. The biggest
problem with Duty, I was told, is duty appears to be restrictive, old fashioned and silly.
However, ONLY “Duty” can make a person strong, reliable and thriving. When I make
myself P U S H through all the “I don’t want to because….”, and eliminate all the objections,
and try to do something different today, I am now willing to lift the veil of fear. It is only
then that I begin to see the light on the horizon. What can possibly be more important
than “daily doing the right thing?” ABSOLUTELY NOTHING more important.
I know I need to, I have to, I must find MY place IN a house of God. Angels are there.
IT IS ONLY THERE I CAN BEGIN TO FIND BALANCE, IN TOTAL SILENCE WITHIN ME. IF I look at my
Sunday and I give every reason in the world NOT to attend a church. I should sit myself
down, then write all my justifiable reasons while talking to HIM. Tell HIM out loud, “Why I do
not feel any need to attend the house of HIS domain. Explain in detail my other, more
important, choices for Sunday activity?” Angels are watching.
We do not begin to understand the importance of finding a deeper self in the house of
GOD”. IF I choose not to talk with HIM and recognize the angels are with us indubitably,
then I push and shove and throw away truth. Now, why is that?
FOR I promise you IF you choose to open your eyes to the possibility of knowing angels
and MY Guardian Angel are with ME every moment of every day, then and only then,
poison cannot permeate my inner being. Powerful light moves throughout me. Your life,
just like my life, will change in ways that are absolutely amazing!
Quite a while ago I learned how to find out who my own guardian angel is, and at the end
of my blog today, I will remind you how to find yours. I heard a beautiful story awhile back
in a book I purchased titled “Entertaining Angels”, by Anne Neilson. She shared a
powerful story about going to work at a Food Shelf for homeless people and volunteering.
People came from all parts of the city to donate coats and warm clothing for families and
children who had nothing. People wanted to make sure that when the homeless arrived,
there would be warm clothes, especially an overcoat and a toy for each child. They
called Jimmy Johns and had sandwiches sliced into thirds so everyone could get
something to eat. When the volunteer woman arrived and began working, she noticed a
particularly young woman with four little children waiting in line. This young woman
waited and waited, telling her little children to be patient. At the end, when the volunteer
went to leave, there was an icy rain outside and there she saw the young woman from
inside. Now she also noticed the sad young woman was also pregnant. There she stood
waiting, trying to find a ride. Her four small children were crying because the line had
been too long and they ran out of clothes and toys. So the voluteer walked up to the
young woman and offered to give her a ride home. While they were driving, the young
woman was very emotional. She shared her story of living in fear of someone who she did
not know how to leave. As the volunteer continued driving and listening, she internally
decided to make an important stop. “We are going to Walmart”, she told the young
mother, “you can pick out a warm winter coat and one toy for each child.” The young
mother was also given new underwear and pajamas. In the car, she had continued to
share her tragic story with the volunteer. The horrific chaos, feeling trapped and not
knowing how to get out. As they walked into the store, the volunteer shared, “God and his
angels are always watching. Events are placed in our lives to help us “see clearly”. If I
can surrender to God, trust in his plan for me, HE will show me the way out!
The young mom suddenly got a call from someone who said: “your boyfriend, who you
have been living with, has just been found fatally shot”. Ironically, there was an Off-Duty
policeman who happened to be at Walmart. The volunteer asked if that policeman could
find out more details. They did and told the young, pregnant, woman NOT to go anywhere
near the apt. It was now suddenly swarming with police. It was time now for her to move
on. This was finally the young mothers chance to get away, start over and be safe. A
temporary hotel for a week to start, was found immediately. Now the moment to sort out
what to do next was here. This young mother was encouraged to contact her own family
who she had been estranged from for a long time. She had been living with her children
in uncertain danger. Finally faced with forgiveness, future optimism, and safety, this lovely
young pregnant mother saw hope. Angels came out of nowhere to be there for her.
Angels are all around us.
Truth lies in believing in divine intervention, I know that I do. Many years back, when I was
lost, living in fear and darkness, I had given up. Still, I put my hands together and said,
“Dear Lord,…..I can’t do it any more, please help me”. I promise you this, Angels
swooped down. My heart felt lighter. My room was lit up in sunlight.
AND…… I believed. Not for a single moment will I ever abandon my faith in Jesus Christ.
Even though my own cherished mother, was brutally beaten and killed. My disturbed
broken brother put in an institution never to be free again and die there. Then recently
my beloved, beautiful eldest daughter found dead of alcohol and drug addiction, in a
hotel room. All these horrific deaths blistering, beyond understanding. Events that could
normally cripple the strongest convert. Still I choose HIS light, not darkness.
I choose never to feel alone. I never feel abandoned, and I do not give up.
For I see the poison trying to take my power, by worldly promises of falsehoods.
Understanding it is the knowing HE is there for me, every minute of each day. Just
knowing this, makes all the difference. I now challenge YOU to find YOUR strength amidst
YOUR darkness. Remove the poison of a false life of lies. Knowing nothing can harm you if
you do not allow it. Replace all empty, dark energy, with powerful Jesus Christ energy.
With this in mind, how can we not see God in every single moment?
IF you choose to want to find the name of your own Guardian Angel tonight: Simply lay
down at the end of the evening in quiet, peaceful repose. Now ask internally, thankfully
and knowingly,
“What is the name of my own Guardian Angel?”
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW
“Feeling Trapped” Blog #87
Do I feel stuck in a corner, with no way out right now?
Have I found more time is spent on the negative and not positive?
Has everything in my life become just too overwhelming?
Every one of us have had ups and downs and difficult situations to get out of. There are
hundreds of platitudes to suffice. So here are some of my favorites.
“A bad attitude is like a flat tire; if you don’t change it, you won’t go anywhere”. (Joyce Meyer)
Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can do what others can’t”. (Jerry Rice)
And one of the best:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose”. (Dr. Seuss)
I think about life around me and how many examples of necessary care are out there. IF I
don’t fill my car with gas, what will happen? I cannot drive it! IF I don’t plug my phone in
at night - the battery willl be dead and it will not work? IF I don’t eat food and drink liquids
I will get weak and die. These are basic rules of life.
If I don’t have a map for my life, I most likely will find myself “Lost in darkness”. So what
about all that stuff in the middle of my life? What STUFF fills up my day? Gossip? Junk
food? TV? Computer trash? Facetime and different apps? WORRY….. And people around
me!!
Don’t I sometimes wish I could become more weightless? How often do I take on things in
life, or other peoples stuff that bog me down and make me feel trapped. Life does not
need to be like this. We are meant to live life with a lighter touch. Have you ever watched
a balloon that has helium put into it? It gets bigger and bigger and pretty soon when it is
all blown up, it can float high up into the air….weightless. When I gave the examples of the
phone needing to be charged and filling up my car with gas, I thought, what about me?
Am I so cavalier to think that life just happens to me regardless of how I eat, how I think, or
how I act?”
NO. MY attitude at the start of every day is what steers me completely. So today I am
more aware, I am better fed, I have my tools and “I BUCKLE UP”. As this time I AM prepared.
I do not now, nor ever will I, feel trapped in doing things. I understand and I believe that
NOTHING CAN HARM ME IF I DO NOT ALLOW IT.
So what exactly does this mean? This means I am aware that LIFE is out there YET, I need
protection. First and foremost I must protect myself with prayer at the start of every day.
Now after prayer it is “in the knowing” that as I choose to make decisions about what
unfolds in front of me I have instilled “discernment”. This means I NOW internally know to
make the correct decision for my life.at that time. Sad, depressing dark thoughts are
being PUSHED away - REPLACED with my words of revive ….rehabilitate….rejuvinate…….renew…
reenergize and recondition.
I MUST understand and believe that my body is truly the Temple of God. There is an
internal obligation to MYSELF and my GOD to daily remember this. While I am on this
journey of life, it’s so important for me to travel lighter. Don’t take myself so seriously and
GO OUTSIDE TODAY AND reenergized, I WALK. Everything in my life takes on a different slant
when I am outside walking and listening and looking at nature, I breathe in new life. . My
troubles? Yes, they may be there, yet I remember to refocus on a higher self inside of me.
THIS TO SHALL PASS. No matter what, I have healthy thoughts. No matter what, I have
internal help. NO matter what, I have today and I have choice. I can choose good things
for myself because I am blessed with a healthy mind to do this. Nothing can ever harm
me IF I do not allow it to.
FROM THIS MOMENT ON…..I DO NOT ALLOW IT. I can play a beautiful song….I can read an
uplifting book, I can watch a funny movie, I can laugh with a valued friend. I can just be by
myself and take deep breaths. NO MORE DWELLING IN DARKNESS, LIFE IS TO BE LIVED.
When I think of the words restore, refresh and replenish, I am thinking how these words are
working hard in my life to bring out the best in me now. I need to wake up every morning
refreshed. This means I must get a good night’s sleep and a minimum of seven to eight
hours of important rest. When I think of the word replenish, I walk into my kitchen and I
am determined to replenish my body with good healthy food. I eat breakfast no matter
what. I can choose free-range eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit and nuts. I can make a
smoothie with lots of fresh fruits. My mind needs to be restored every day. I must read
healing, inspiring, uplifting words. (Even if I pull them up on my phone.)
All around me are choices. I can listen to good, calming music. I can start with deep
breathing and above all, a simplistic prayer, “Thank you Lord that your will, not my
will, be done in my life today”. So, with that prayer, I am determined to make healthy
choices. I let go and let God, take over at the helm of my ship. He’s a much better
captain then I ever will be.
Can I take off this heavy coat of entrapment now and trust in my Lord?
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW
“Highest Health” Blog #86
Am I bogged down with all kinds of peoples’ personal problems around me?
Stressing about every detail of my life, am I caught up in dangerous daily drama?
Why is my inner health so important anyway?
Life happenings make me stronger, IF I let them. There is purpose in everything I do. There
is a lesson in everything that happens to me. However, It’s my character, attitude and
honesty that directs my sail into calm, serene peaceful waters, or do I choose a storm of
stinging, sinking sadness? Have I got healthy friends?
We all know who we are, so many of us, addicted to a “yo yo” lifestyle. Up, down, up down,
we believe and feel this or that can “work” for us, until it does not. When we don’t want to
look at our own life, we jump into fixing somebody else’s life. There is a fascinating book I
have read a while back. The title is; “The Blue Zone”, by Dan Buettner.
A person does not have a long, healthy life just by accident.
The whole point of this book is to focus on a few select areas of the world includes U.S.A
that show people living into their 100’s and just dying peacefully!! Why is that?
One of the most fascinating facts in the book is that all over the world these people
live thousands of miles from each other, yet they have one huge thing in common. They
eat, think and live in a higher health self-mode.
We can all benefit from a good quality of life. It is not enough to live life and just survive, a
higher health attitude is to want to thrive. Dan Buettner went personally and visited each
of these places and met and visited with the people who live there. They look and feel
and act remarkably young into their eighties and nineties. I urge you to read his book. It
was ironic how earlier in my life when I lived with my grandfather, I felt safe around him.
He lived to be almost one-hundred and the day he died was sunny and warm. He went
upstairs after a big healthy breakfast, laid down on top of his bed, and went to sleep
quietly and peacefully. What a beautiful way to leave this earth. I was fortunate to be in
his life for his last years. There was never a question of nursing homes. My grandfather
was revered, treated like a king, then waited on until his last day on earth. This seldom
happens any more, especially in the United States. Older people are shoved away. Left
alone, they lose their desire to live, let alone thrive.
Yes, many elderly people DO need medical help, yet there are so many that do not. It just
is not “convenient” to have them around. So goes the norm now and the majority of
senior citizens are “sent away” never to live with any of their family ever again. How sad.
In the book the “Blue Zone”, Dan Buettner talks about the impact and the necessity of the
elders teaching the young in families they live with. In Sardinia, Okinawa, Loma Linda, Calf.
and Costa Rica, there are healthy thriving loving families all together. Then when a person
reaches the “golden years”, they are treated by family and friends in “golden ways” Most
of the elderly live with their children and grandchildren. Three generations under one roof
and thriving! The great secret to their long lives is found in what they eat, how they think
and what they do. In Okinawa, Japan, people put family first, they enjoy being with their
family. Most of these people belong to a faith based society. They slow down and they
laugh a lot, they wake up each morning with a plan for their life. They eat healthy foods;
Brown rice, beans, fruit nuts. Little to no meat. They cook corn beans and squash
together. Eating almonds wards off cancer.
There is little to no disease where all these people have found a higher health way of life. I
can go on and on and IF they are living into their hundreds they MUST know something
good! In Loma Linda, California, the Seventh Day Advetists’s have long lives.
They exercise daily, eating fruit, vegetables, nuts and beans and the result is a healthy
productive, happy life. In the United States, loneliness has become an epidemic! We are
set on livestyles that force us into isolation day after day. We are attracted to different,
dangerous sites on the internet that does not produce healthy habits.
In Japan the longest living people believe forgiveness is key; “Forgive quickly”
It’s interesting to read how people in these countries live healthy each day. They do not try
to figure out the ending before they do something. So many of us STOP going forward just
because of FEAR - (False Events Appearing Real). Healthy rituals of repetition are
essential.
Make my Monday a day to start fresh, fresh fruits and vegetable only to eat. Tuesday
is a day I explore more, lovely places to walk, different stores to shop at for food. By
Wednesday its midweek. I plan something productive for myself, a new hobby a new
friend I can meet at the book store or the food store. I am reading constantly because
this is good for me. IF reading is not working, I can always listen to audio books, in
my car or before I go to bed.
Did you know the majority of food eaten in the Blue Zone areas is EARLY IN THE DAY.
Far better to process and metabolize our food before we go to bed. Our Urine should
be the palest color lemon and bile should be lightest brown with no odor. What we
put into our bodies decides our health. This is not only food, but our thinking and our
feelings as well. Four glasses of water daily is essential, and cleansing for me.
People who weigh themself daily are usually 15 pounds lighter than those who don’t.
Keeping a big pot of fresh vegetables and home made soup are healthy staples.
I know how I feel when I have eaten the wrong way, I feel bloated, depressed and
irritable at end of day. There is no need for this any longer. I replace sugar as much
as I can with honey. I do not drink any dairy and my choice of liquid for my cereal
of oatmeal or raisin bran with flax is Oatmilk or Almond Milk. All of these things I share
to show how easy it is to make the courageous change for higher health.
IF I start my morning in thankful prayer and end with “Not my will, but THY WILL BE DONE”,
there is a great possibility that I will make good choices in everything I do.
so I buckle up, it may be a bumpy ride today, yet I have my spiritual seat belt on.
Even IF I have had a rough day and there was little or no chance of laughter, I can
come home and deliberately find a “funny movie” to watch that will make me smile.
Life is like that, I get to choose. I can change the channels constantly. I am in charge.
I want a higher healthier life style in everything I do. People will come into my life
at whatever level I am at. Today I choose to “Lift the bar”, I WANT HEALTHY FRIENDS.
I want to live my life at its fullest, filled with love not fear. Today is my brand new day.
“Can I choose a Higher Healthy life for myself now?”
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW
If you like this, please pass it on!
“No Way Back” Blog #85
Have I been thinking, how far can I keep going at this pace?
Is my life speeding by too fast, or too slow, and who knows where?
How much longer can I keep worrying about something I can’t fix?
RESPONSIBILITY
“The fulfillment of my dreams lies within me and me alone. When I understand
and accept this, then nothing, or no one, can ever deny me greatness. The power
to succeed or fail at anything is mine, and no one can ever take that away.”
I remember the day when I was the ripe old age of thirteen. I had made up my mind to
make a life changing decision. I felt in my heart I could no longer live with my mother and
father’s abusive life style. My fathers drinking and daily fights with my mother had taken a
terrible toll on my feelings about myself. I was afraid a lot, I could not study in school and
more often then not, I was distracted by a darker side of life.
We had left the turmoil and sadness and confusion of living at my Aunt Irene’s house.
Now after months of no school, we had all been living in one room at a boarding house,
My other aunt felt sorry for us and helped my mom with a deposit for rent. My mother
found a tiny house for us to start over again. Yet, the fights were just as long and scary.
Her children? We were all a couple years older now. I was losing my will to want to get
good grades by eighth grade. Nights were frightening, it was chaotic and not safe. My
mother had found a cheap house but in a bad neighborhood of the city. There were only
two bedrooms, one which my parents had and the other shared by both brothers and
myself. We seldom had much to eat and my parents were gone daily, selling picture
coupons to try and make a living. At home, my mother tried to give me a bit of privacy
with a make-shift screen but it just would not do. Besides, it was facing the street, making
it easy to sneak out. As I look back, I remember never having an adult I could talk to, much
less depend on. Yet, l did look up to my mothers two sisters. Even though they had thrown
us out of their alcoholic sisters house, I knew they were tough. They seem to be made of
steel. Nothing could break them. Ironically, there was a safe feeling when I was around
them. They were so powerful. Living with my grandpa in their big old colonial, was always
in the back of my mind. It was just two miles south of our rented house but in a much
safer part of town, and above all, a good school district.
But who does that at my age? Why was I needing to act like the parent here? I was
wanting to up and leave and seriously believe it will all work out. No looking back, no time
to justify and no way back. It was my eldest Aunt Laura, the one who had always taken
me under her wing. She had planted that seed. She had told me so many times when I
visited her, “You have to write the letter, you must write that letter and leave. All will be
well.“
Yet, in the back of my mind, of course I knew it would be a break, and a loss if I wrote it,
there would most certainly be “No way back”.
Inside my mind I knew all the justifiable good reasons to leave. I understood where my
aunt was coming from when she told me what a bad father I had and how bad my
mother had become, allowing all that abuse on us children to take place. She told me
the letter had to end with an ultimatum. I must tell my mother I would not be coming
back to her, ever, unless she left my father for good.
There had been so many promises. At thirteen years old now, I understood life in a very
strange, hypocritical, dark way, and as my aunt Irene had said, “Who’s kidding who? ”So
many horrific events, I had learned to block them all out now. I wish I could say my aunts
taught me about my faith, but they used God in a strange, hypocritical way. Everything
they did was the opposite of how I understand Jesus to be. Yet, they did give me an
outline of how to make it through things. They were unbelievably strong. They just did not
give up at anytime and they seemed to be afraid of nothing. I guess that rubbed off on
me.
Still, I never believed I would leave. One afternoon, I was at the height of my fear, and after
a bad night of my parents drinking and abuse when my aunt called and asked me to
come spend the weekend, I agreed. It was at her house, where she dictated the letter for
me to write. She told me I was doing this to “save” our family. I never had a different plan,
so I used hers.
Be careful in life, because when you don’t have a plan, someone gives you theirs.
I realized there was no way back because her plan suddenly became mine. My aunt
convinced me to write the letter. “Tell your mother you will only come home to get your
things. You will stay here now. “If she loves you, she will leave your dad now.”
I remember asking my aunt, “but what about my brothers, where can they go?”
My aunt smiled at me, touched my shoulder gently but firmly saying, “You can’t think of
saving them right now, you have to think about how brave you are in doing this. The letter
will bring your mother to her senses. She will leave him. When she gets your letter, wait
and see”. This was my aunt at her best, control. She was a master at control,
manipulation and doing things one way, her way.
I remember that moment, I turned off my feelings. I had lived in fear for so long. What she
was saying, I wanted to be true. But inside I knew my mother would never, ever leave him
and in the end everyone I left behind would hate me.
There could have been healthy choices. But all the people around me were to say the
least, dysfunctional in a very severe way. My aunt should not have pitted me against my
family, used me as a pawn. However here’s an interesting fact, I allowed it. I definitely did
allow it, and there was no way back.
Its taken me a long time to see unless I pray and have a healthy plan for my life,
I may follow someone else down Into the darkness. There is no turning around
once we choose and go down that road. There is no way back.
Life decisions are like that. IF only I had known how easy it is to follow HIM. One little
prayer asking for guidance works! THE REASON IS THIS; IT IS UP TO ME, ALL UP TO ME.
I COME INTO THIS WORLD WITH FREE WILL - JESUS WILL NEVER PUSH HIMSELF ON TO ME.
This is true and an amazing awareness. Once I understand this, I make good choices.
This is one of my favorite sayings by Calvin Coolidge.
PERSISTENCE
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;
Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full educated derelicts.
Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So just imagine how powerful I can feel with prayer, persistence and determination!
“Do I have a spiritual plan for my own life today?”
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW
“One Chance” Blog #84
How many chances have I ignored to bring healing into my life?
What do I see, feel and hear now, when I look around me?
Is my every day the same old sameness?
The dictionary defines “once in a lifetime chance” as a chance of opportunity afforded
to one that is, or seems unlikely to ever come about about again”.
I look back and I remember years ago…..
Living with a remarkable, unhappy older aunt who had become a sad, sick, self-abused
alcoholic. My aunt has lost everything she had dedicated her life to. She wound up living
at her fathers house with two other sisters in a big old colonial. Day after day she would
sit at the kitchen table picking at her face and circling the want ads in the newspaper with
a big black pen. She was trying to find a new chance at a job and she did this daily.
However, hours gone by, now late afternoon finds her sneaking down the hallway to the
half bath off the kitchen. There, safely hidden in the water tank behind the toilet she
gleams artificial courage. Taking sip after sip from the bottle of booze, this becomes her
daily ritual. With courage safe in hand, and many drinks later, she slips into her coat and
quickly walks down, around the corner, to the neighborhood bar for reinforcement. This
has became her life and her daily motto, “Whose kidding who”.
Now weeks and months and years have gingerly gone by. This self-styled, petite and p
owerful woman had been the President of the American Business Association in her city.
She owned a lovely two story home by a lake. My confident, classy, “tweeds and Channel”
Aunt was smartly dressed. She had met a man who was also confident, handsome and
classy. They had fallen in love. A gigantic wedding ensued and after they were married,
they seemed to have it all. Yet, my aunt and her husband were both heavy drinkers and
unbeknownst to my aunt, she had married a cheater. So in the two years they were
married, she was lied to, deceived and cheated on. My aunt had absolutely no clue until
her husband told her he had gotten a young girl pregnant. There was no remorse. At this
point, he decided to up and leave their lovely home, their Scottish Terrior dog and he
never looked back or saw his wife again.
What then happened to his devoted wife, my aunt? She still had a chance. There was a
good, healthy choice she could have made to change her life to good. Yet, I watched this
woman fall apart in front of my eyes. She in turn, day after day, systematically destroyed
every part of her life that was good. Her job, her reputation, her self worth went out the
window. How do I know this?
“Because birds of a feather flock together”
My aunt knew that my mother (her sister) had married and had three children. Her
sister was married to an abusive alcoholic (my father) and my aunt called my mother:
“We can all live in my house together, it will be good for all of us, come now!” This was the
beginning of seven years of nightmarish drinking, fighting and fear. After seven years my
aunt lost her home. My mother and father and us children were thrown out. My aunt was
put in a treatment center. (One of many.) The cold, Fall, day we all moved I was in the
middle of sixth grade. I can still see her being escorted to a cab in her nightgown with a
thick fur coat slung over her shoulders.
No idea where she was, the night before had been beyond passing out, now black outs
were the recurring theme. Later on, riddled with alcoholism, cancer and sadness, her life
was over. She had lost any chance of changing. For my aunt had placed all her faith, all
her belief, all her confidence in another human being! With her faith, and trust and belief
in her husband gone, she allowed this person and this situation to destroy her
forevermore. She had put her faith in another man and my Aunt had no faith in God Now
depression, sadness and drinking had become her closest friends.
No good comes from drinking, drugs and vapes. Only dark decisions left to chance.
Today you can take a chance and do it differently! However, I tell you this story because
whether you are 17 or 87 we all have something in common, we can choose today
differently. This new day gives me a new choice.
I understand now I can live from my higher self choosing inner guidance that is good.
If I feel anxious, I can go outside and walk 15 minutes one way and 15 minutes back.
I can pray and walk and say affirmations. I get one chance today to live healthyl
I leave you with this powerful message from a small book someone recently sent me:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I just had to stop and take a chance you would listen. Sometimes I quietly smile
and let that feeling silently sink in. How fortunate I am to be in this world with you.
Thank you for keeping my heart happy and my soul smiling. You see, not all angels
have wings. But they’re angels all the same. You can tell who they are by the way
they make everyone around them feel more hopeful and happy and more at peace…
And the way they make everything in life just a little more complete.
So this is for you, for the times you forget how amazing you really are”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How comforting it is to know someone feels this way about me -
IF you had one chance today to send this to someone, who would it be?
For this is where my heart should reside. A beautiful thought in life is we are all in this
together.
Believe with me, “I now have a chance to change in a healthy way.”
Know this: My lord is my rock. Nothing replaces HIM at the helm, for with
Jesus Christ in my heart, all things are possible.
“ISN’T IT TIME TO TAKE ONE CHANCE ON HIM?
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW
“Price of Pain” Blog #83
It is possible to capture the dilemma of a painful moment, and learn a powerful lesson!
In pain, do I allow myself to search deep inside me?
Can I understand what purpose there is in pain?
Do I seek to learn more from pleasure or my pain?
Time after time we hear someone say; “its just too painful to relive that again”, or the
comment, “the painstaking truth is this…”
Where and when we derive pleasure, can be so fleeting. It can come from another
person, a funny movie, a drink - more drinks. How in all my pleasure and my pain, do I
discern and purposely choose to develop a “sense of true self?”
Every day as life goes by, the stakes get higher and the years go faster and choices
become harder. In all these situations, not many of us are using a “spiritual roadmap”
to direct our way. It is critical to construct an inner sense of self. This is how we find out
who we are inside! Otherwise there are no inner resources to fall back on.
in Painful times we remain empty!
So in painful moments, many of us choose to use pills to dull the pain, dull the senses.
So many people we speak to over the years complain, “I don’t know why this ever
happened to me?” “Why DID this painful event get dropped on me?” “Why do I have to go
through all this pain and misery anyway?”
MAYBE I AM SUPPOSE TO BE LEARNING A POWERFUL LESSON ABOUT MYSELF!
So often we become pressured into believing the ideas and viewpoints of other negative
attitudes over our own inner guidance!’’ One minute we are happy with one person and
the next minute, sad with someone else. More painful interactions with family members
and the list goes on like a roller coaster. Year after year after year. I consider this to be a
“false sense of self”. For inside my core I am suppose to be -
“So strong that nothing can disrupt my peace of mind”.
So what’s happening out there? Can we accept this, “My body IS the temple of God.
It is only then that the painful process of maturing can be less painful.”
My living, is all about ME learning all about Me, learning my lessons and helping others.
Just because a person ages does not mean that they mature. ONLY IF we are gaining
spiritual understanding each day that we live, can we become wiser and handle reality
around us in a healthy way. Therefore, I choose NOT to lie, I want to rid my life of
resentment and anger and my painful past memories. So here is a great idea, I start a
Daily Journal all about my feelings and I keep track of my anger, resentment and fear.
Then at the end of the year, I see how I have matured and burn the journal! My attitude
will determine my outcome.
NEW RULES for MYSELF:
No matter the pain - I address it and do the right thing.
I will live in Truth only.
I accept the painful process of MY LIFE and let go of darkness!
Did you know: ‘IN LIFE YOU WILL BE AS HAPPY AS YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE”?
YET, life comes at us unrelentlessly. Life comes Down to just so many hours in the day.
Think about this, there are 4400 weeks in a lifetime of 85 years. I am now determined to
make each day count.
I serve My Lord Jesus Christ. For He resides in me, HE rescued me and I am safe.
Can I accept the price of pain HE paid for me and open my heart to HIM today?
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW
“Desperation” Blog #82
If you really want to make God laugh - tell him your plans!
When a person gets desperate, the mind starts racing, overthinking takes place, wrong
decisions are likely made! Every single thing I expect to go “my way” today, will it?
No matter what I do still there are those days to climb back out of darkness.
This is Desperation. So what is the recipe for healing? These are questions every single
person has asked of themself. Every one of us have gone through some form of darkness
in our daily living.
This is LIFE. The raw, down to earth feelings of living with disappointment.
However, “TRUTH” finds the person who is brave enough to pray for HIS help.
For HE is here right now.
It is a strong person who knows and believes it is possible to climb out of darkness.
Don’t be afraid, for all of us have been there. Nothing to fear. Believe in Jesus Christ.
It is the courageous person who gets back up and refuses to see darkness anymore.
So how to pick yourself back up? Just say 4 small words, “Please help me Lord”.
This is the only way HE comes because we all have “FREE WILL” to do things our way!
It is time now, when you know you feel helpless, time to show “self” the way out.
Deep inside us all, there is a knowing that there is light at the end of each dark tunnel.
N0 one can make us do a single thing we do not want to do. I’ve said it time and time
again in many of my blogs. The main difference between one person and the next, is
“CHOICE”.
The knowing we have “free will” can turn out to be frightening. Free will can prove to be
overwhelming. Free will can be extremely disruptive. I have learned to understand this
now. So every morning I wake up asking for HIS help. I know I can’t possibly do it alone
anymore. It’s just too damn hard to be all alone internally. I feel HIM with me now.
Because of this angelic awareness, I have seen my life change in many remarkable ways.
My mind, not racing any more. I do not try to plan out every outcome. I give up my will
and let HIS will be done working within me all day and every day, and trust in every
situation. Many of us are fearful of our future. Literally, not just fearful but stuck in a dark
place of “not wanting to let go” of someone who may have hurt us deeply. Can’t forgive.
Denying truth. Going over and over, alienating loved ones.
THIS CAN ALL STOP NOW.
Whatever happens, I will not give in to the darkness!
I listened to Glen Beck the other morning - He shared that the Number One song in
America today is: “Rich Man North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony.
The crux of the song is about alienation from everything! Above all, the deep decline of
America today. He infers why bother with anything other than drugs and alcohol, when life
just isn’t worth living anymore? Wow. What a defeating message.
Glen Beck went on to share how many people are buying into this belief! A belief that
couples itself with no faith in anything. A belief is nothing. Who even wants to GO to
church anymore? Anything and everything is justified for personal gain. Why get married
anymore? Everything is so easy. Just live together right? A belief that Life has no intrinsic
purpose but to live day in and day out, one day to the next, with no spiritual deep belief.
Now, more than ever, there is such a powerful need for inner spiritual truth. I remember
after Mother Theresa got the Nobel Peace Prize and a newscaster asked her what can we
possibly do to help stop all the evil in the world? She said, “One person at a time”. We all
know who we are. So where do I start?
I could not begin to share with you how overwhelming my life became, right after I
thought I had obtained everything in my life, to perfection. Yet, I was not in control
of the unexpected. That one hot summer July morning when I least expected it, the
bottom fell out. There was a murder in my family. At that moment, my life changed
forevermore. I was totally unprepared for the “unexpected.” This dark event caused me to
plummet to the blackest realm of living.
Finally, when I could take it no more, I searched and began to dig so deep, that I refused to
stop until “Life would make some spiritual sense to me”. That is when I experienced a
miracle myself! That is when I came face to face with the Holy Spirit.
In my heart, I know I daily I fight the darkness that tries to take over myself with desperate
feelings, but now I have HIS help and HIS guidance and HIS light. Desperation can take
over any one of us, when we least expect it.
So I believe daily, it’s all up to me. I feel secure when I take HIM into my heart.
What do I want? Where am I going? Who AM I? These are the questions that keep me
focused. I must now decide to discipline my day and learn to discern. To be able to
choose wIth inner judgement of being in the world and not of the world. To learn to be so
spiritually strong, I will turn off the “television of life”, not buy into drama! Be above it.
I am here to learn my own lessons, stay prayerful and not judge anyone!
Can I dig my way out of desperation today?
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“Is It About Me?” Blog #81
Who is in my world today that is my “teacher”?
What am I suppose to be learning that is so important?
Where are these “lessons” that I am hearing about anyway?
When we are small children there is security in knowing the most important decisions that
are made for us is by an adult. When we become adults, life gets hard. There is no part
of life that does not hold a lesson to learn from. Some of us will question this immediately
saying, “why can’t I just live my life the way I want?” Well, we can, this is called “free will”.
I believe every person alive has free will to do as they please. Yet, it is in the “CHOICE” that
makes all the difference.
The Ladder of Life is a fascinating journey. Whether a person wants to or not, they are
caught up in the journey, one day at a time. For time waits for no one. It is in this journey
that we learn lessons that are so imperative to our spiritual growth here on
earth. People will meet total strangers sometimes in the strangest circumstance, and this
will change their life forever. One never knows how the “twisted hand of fate’ can change
a situation and a life in a permanent fashion.
I remember a long time ago when I was getting some counseling for anxiety and my
therapist said to me: “Your feelings toward other people are actually mirrors of yourself”.
The very first person I thought about was my father. “How could that be?”, I thought. He
was an alcoholic his whole life. My father was mean spirited toward our family. My father
never spent a sober day enjoying his children. How in the world could he be a mirror of
myself? What was I suppose to learn?
I struggled with drinking. Also I needed to learn about forgiveness toward him. Yet, it took
years for me to understand that there are many facets of the human personality. Just
because I did not like some parts of who he became, perhaps I needed to look much
deeper. Eventually, I found that my fathers drinking DID affect me tremendously.
Subconsciencely, I learned to drink a lot too. Later in life when I became a full fledged
adult, my nights were filled with lots of drinking. How could I judge this man, when I too
was doing the exact same thing? Not to mention the fact that in the Bible there is an
incident where a woman is brought to the town square to be stoned to death for adultery.
Jesus is there. Just before the scribes and people were to pick up stones and throw them
at this woman - Jesus said: “You who is without sin should cast the first stone”.
Every single one of the people in the crowd put down their stones and quietly walked
away. I feel my life is all about me when it comes to judgement, blame and forgiveness.
I have family members throughout my life that I have been very angry with. I have carried
judgements. I have felt anger. I have blamed. At the end of the day, there are powerful
lessons to be learned here for ME.
I must learn about forgiveness! I must learn about judgement, “Judge not, lest ye be
judged”. “Judgement is mine, saith the Lord”, and of course my favorite:, “There but for the
grace of God…..go I”
Every day, every where, every minute we have something to learn from life. Whether it is
from a family member, or a friend, or a situation that caused us to stop, turn around and
take in that moment. Whether we are single or married, or living alone or with other
people we must see the choice we have each day. Say in prayer; “Thank you Lord, for
helping me to be in this world, but not of this world”.
I treasure the moments when I am challenged. I thank God for the times when I am
struggling. I am always grateful for the lessons I learn in every day life because this is
where I experience soul growth! We stretch internally and find such great love and feel an
abundance of God’s light. I look now for the people that are in my life to show me a bright
light, a deeper awareness and a chance to grow spiritually with HIS truth. Think hard
today about a person or situation or event that is bothering you?. I Find a moment to go
deep inside the heart and pray.
Why do I FEEL this is happening to me? What can I learn from it? Where am I casting
blame? Can I try to remember the “Inner light of love” guiding me along? This will help
me grow internally quickly! So many years of insisting of doing things my way and never
knowing to pray, “Not my will today but THY will be done”.
So now, taking a deep breath, I sit back, fold my hands and pray. I know my life will work
out exactly as it is suppose to. I have let go of all judgement. I have let go of all blame. I
have let go of all anger, for this is the way it is suppose to be. Every person is on their own
journey. I can only work on me. It is all about me.
Can I find a moment today to learn all about me?
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“Do I Believe?” Blog #80
To understand the miracle of life, I search inside myself for truth. Non-believers may think
we evolve from monkeys. Yet, people choose to be doctors, scientists and inventors…..for
what? Why have we evolved this far to invent cures for disease, why bother? Then again,
why fly rockets to the moon, for what? Especially if there is “nothing out there”, nothing left
to the afterlife. It all sounds so worthless. A means to an end. For those who believe we
came from monkeys feel at the end of life - THATS IT.
When I play this idea out, I think it to be a perilous, empty, dark journey. Especially, when
parents are raising children without any faith. They blow up this big, bright, beautiful
balloon to show them life, only to “pop” it for them as the child asks? What is death?”
Then diving into the nothingness of their belief system. They had best throw away Santa
Clara, The Easter Bunny and all the fairy worlds. Death: Nothing at the end. Ironically, little
children were asked on “Kids say the darnest things'" CNN: “Who is God?” A small child
answered, “Don’tcha know? God is in everything!”
Comforting words to a hurting or dying child do not come from an unbeliever. Children
will grow up fearful, sceptical and full of questions. Our purpose as parents is to raise
well-rounded children. I include this to mean faith based. Faith moves mountains.
We cannot give a teen a valid reason for not ending their life if there is nothing out
there to give them hope! Hope is the reason to go on living.
When 9/11 hit the Twin Towers in NYC and thousands of people died in the towers and on
planes, people were on their phones to their families praying! The spineless agnostics, the
arrogant atheists and the anti-Christ movements find it convenient to argue against the
true Christian ideal, yet no real research behind it! Jesus’ kind, spiritual, truth shows God’s
love and what it stands for. Non-believers have nothing factual to use their belief on. The
extent to which people refuse to learn about Christ shows up on so many sad faces.
People excape loneliness and the ways in which they maneuver their life styles is hard to
fathom. Any excuse to run away from self. Remember “In God we Trust” is on every piece
of money we handle.
G. K Chesterton was the greatest writer and most profound thinker of the 20th Century.
He wrote 4,000 essays and defines the average man with only truth! Every atheist should
read Chesterton’s “Everlasting Man”. C. S. Lewis was an atheist yet, he was such an
important writer, he did research for years and became a Christian. He inspired Ghandi
to lead a revolution ending all British rule in India! These two men were deep researchers
and prolific writers about truth! Interestingly enough, they were not great Christians
before their research started. Only through inner searching and deep research can the
awareness and belief in Jesus Christ come to light.
On the internet I have recently learned there are five hundred million non-believers
and two and a half billion** Christian believers. (** it takes a thousand million for a billion
So we know we are in good company!
It is comforting to put a child to bed at night sharing that our guardian angel; is here
watching over us. It is reassuring to feel there is another spiritual world waiting for us.
Belief in knowing that someday we will all be united with our loved ones is reassuring.
At the end of the day, IF we must be literal; The non-believer has no actual proof of the
non-existence of Jesus. Yet, the believer does have proof of miracles all over the world for
years and years on end. So I choose believing in Jesus Christ. I know that when I leave
this earth, the caterpillar of my empty shell in this world will be transformed into a
Monarch Butterfly up with the angels in the brilliance of the sunlight. I refuse to accept the
non believers decision at the end of our life is a big, black hole of nothingness. I for one,
attest to miracles. I believe Jesus Christ is alive and well, working within me and all those
who accept HIM. The non-believer and I have a 50/50 chance of being right. And I chose
to go with the light. For my belief gives me comfort. I feel HIS love and my faith brings me
security.
Can you find time to research a belief in HIM?
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“Echo of Guilt” Blog #79
Can’t I just go back and fix a few things?
Why do thoughts from my past still haunt me?
How can I erase guilt hanging heavy in my heart?
The most beautiful part of living is the gift of a new day.
Knowing this, we can start over.
I was once told that wherever I have been in my past, at that time, I only had the tools to
deal with each situation then. No more, no less. Think about this. If I only had the tools I
needed then! Yet, that was then and this is now. I cannot go back, ever. I cannot fix,
replace, redo anything out of my past. This is the guilt that echoes on into the years.
I had times where I lay in bed at night and go over and over and over, things from my
past. The reason is simple, I seem to believe and think it actually helps. The only way my
life can be benefited by any thought I dig up from my past is with one purpose only,
FORGIVENESS. I can forgive myself. I can forgive others. THEN, I must move on. No matter
where I am, where I have been or where I am going, I am right where I am suppose to be
now. When I am fully aware of real truth, I find my authentic self.
There is not a person alive who has not felt the pangs of guilt. The cruel mental rub. The
echos of guilt from yesterday can destroy a person’s well being. Each and every one of
us have our own separate idea of how we want to live truth. Who is there for us that
shows us love and wants to depend on us? Who is there for us regardless of what we
have done to hurt them? Who is there for us when all things in our life seem to be caving
in?
Finally, after all the guilt I have carried about not saying the right thing, not doing the
right thing at the right moment and above all, not always being honest with my own
feelings. The key to removing my own past guilt is simply put.
I am learning to understand forgiveness.
There is only one force in all the universe that can give us what we need. HIS love. Each
day goes by in spite of what we decide we want or don’t want. When we finally discover
that no matter what we do, life is just not working for us, then HE gets our attention big
time. Why? because there is nothing left. Where are we suppose to go when our life is
not working, it’s a scary thought. Do we wake up and go to bed at night feeling at peace
anyway? Not a chance. If we are not at peace, Why Not? Somewhere in there, in the
way back of our mind, echoes the sound of guilt. Nothing can change our thoughts
except HIS peace, HIS love and HIS forgiveness. When we attach ourself to this truth.
Relief leaps in. Suddenly, life is actually much simpler than I have ever allowed myself to
believe.
I have started to worry and fear less. I have begun to slow my thinking down. I look at life
in much less fearful fashion. NOW my days are more accepting I have found over the
years that my selfish misunderstanding of life has taken me down one long path of
disappointment after another. This is when I put all my faith in the secular world. Why?
Because when I was younger I believed this is where my happiness lay. Faith is funny that
way, it’s so darn hard to believe in the intangible. Its so hard to believe in what we cannot
see. Yet its because of that, that which we cannot see, that causes us to search internally.
This then brings us hope. Then hope gives us courage and courage gives us strength.
We need the inner search for strength to develop our faith in the unseen.
The unseen hand of God.
Only by our trials and errors do we change. There can never be light without darkness.
In our past, IF we experienced guilt in any form, this then teaches me about myself.
As I learn about myself, I learn about my true self. I can go inside me and feel the light
of Christ show me the way forward.
Bad habits are made to be broken. Mental habits of “going backwards in guilt” must stop
for me today. I can concentrate on the goodness of all that is around me and stay
focused on today. I now know and understand and accept that anything and everything
that has come into my life is there to “teach me internally about myself”.
Today is my chance to let go of the guilt and feel HIS holiness forever.
How can I turn off the echoes of guiit?
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“Why Open Up? Blog #78
What’s so important about “Opening Up” to myself?
Will it matter if I looK DEEP inside, and “open up”?
Why should I even bother, when I was hurt so badly?
Some of us walk down the sidewalk straight down the middle. We do not veer to the left
or the right. God forbid, we look back……..
Our day is filled with routine. Day in and day out decisions are often made “just like we
did yesterday”….. Same ol’ way we choose to live. Really now, it’s safe, right? So why rock
the boat? It’s not that I feel it necessary to dwell on or in the past. However, it is
necessary to look at my life with complete clarity. If there is anything I feel has kept me
stuck, this is where I need to focus. There are certain things in life that make people
come alive. Feel good about self. Do I feel vibrant and alive? Or do I privately feel
abandoned? Many of us live life judging each other, anyone who comes in and out of
our lives. We continue to recall events that happened as “sad family meetings for us”.
Isolated situations have kept us angry. Stuffed feelings are intentionally hidden away.
So important to stay focused on all the wrongs that have happened ….. who did what,
when and why. Yet, the moment a family member dies, what shifts? Now what to do
with all those concrete thoughts and feelings?
Maybe now, even more difficult to open up and look at, so “just file safely away”. Does
anyone consider how important it is to “Open up and clean out the attics of our minds?
Clean out and refurbish with forgiveness. Then implanting the idea of reaching out with
love. Complete unconditional love and accept the fact everything has happened to
each of us for a “personal growth reason”.
Is there a healthy reason to keep on with our own private anguish? Most often the
reason is PRIDE and JUDGEMENT and BLAME. One person decides to stay away. Another
person decides to drink. Another person decides to pour themself into work. Yet,
another person finds release in food. Another person pours their heart out in gossip.
So many ways to just “run away”. Do anything to avoid the obvious. There are healthy
ways to mend a family relationship.
Simply put, Forgive the person in our heart and then move on.
How hard is it to open up? Talk quietly, peacefully and lovingly with a distant family
member who has hurt us, filled us with anger and distance and judgment. Sometimes
the written word is best. All the time prayer is a starting point, more often than not, we
feel if we “open up”, we give up ourselves. We do not want to go “too deep”. We think
we don’t care anymore, but we do.
Our own life lesson, is our cross.
A change of mind.
A change of attitude.
A change of heart.
Have you ever seen a little child so resolute, with their heels dug in and mind set so
nothing can change their perspective on life? Not often. There are so many of us that
have people in our lives conditionally. What kind of quality of living life is this? God put
certain family members into our lives so we may learn about ourself. We learn about
our strengths and our weakness. This is important to look at “Why Open Up”; to open up
to truth inside us.
All we think, all we feel and all we do is inspired by “life situations” that have occurred
along the way. We all know that we will never change another soul, however, when we
learn and pray and forgive, we change for the better. WE MUST GROW INTERNALLY. It is
up to each of us to understand that each of us are on our “own separate path”. There is
growth, understanding and awareness at each level we are at. In the pain and suffering
we experience - IF we can let go of anger, judgement and denial, then we grow spiritually.
We grow quickly.
When we open up, we find understanding. We bring in an understanding heart.
Every day when I pray, I ask for “Not my will, but thy will be done.”
“Lord, please give me an understanding heart.”
It’s okay, it’s all okay to look at the things we are afraid of. As soon as we bring our mind
to focus on truth, we feel calm, accepting and aware.
“Don’t Give Up, Open Up?”
POEM
Anonymous
Totally set in my mind…. I shuffle through this day
No ones going to tell me differently,
I’m the one who gets to say!
Unaware of the beauty internally, I sense the need to know
My authentic higher self waits…….waiting at last to show .
Trailing sadly behind are yesterdays anger and fears
I slow down, let go and pray as I dry all my tears
Listening to my heart, finally now I grow.
its hard facing life sometimes, wherever I may go
but today there’s a brand new start.
NOW opening up to truth, I find my understanding heart.
What do we prove to ourself, by being so private? Open up and just breathe.
Just for today I can start out with a positive, non-judgmental approach to life.
“Do I understand the need to Open up my heart?”
NOW LISTEN TO SONG FOR TODAY - CLICK PLAY BUTTON IN VIDEO BELOW
“Life Help” Blog #77
Why do I feel stuck sometimes after I did something today?
When will I be able to trust in myself to make the right decisions?
How can I know that today I will not repeat mistakes from yesterday?
Every day sometimes seems like the last. Too often we feel lost, empty and alone. There
appears to be repetition in so many of the ways that we continue to think. I have found
that everything we need to know is right there inside of me. There are three ways to go
forward:
This is an important LIFETIMER RECIPE
Have IT - Everything you need to know is right there inside of YOU
Grow IT - You can grow strong internally with Prayer, discipline & change
Achieve IT - I do believe I AM my Higher Self personified. Therefore, I am Powerful.
When I read something positive, powerful and good. These are not just words. These
are truth healing Life Helps. This is how to Heal my life with LIFE HELP. It is so important to
integrate theses words into my being. This is how I grow internally. This is how I change
for the better. This is how I become my best self. I must believe in Jesus Christ. I must
believe in myself. I must believe in miracles.
When I was a little girl, I remember my grandma saying to me, “if you want to stop
thinking about yourself, go out and help someone else.” Miracles are not just words in
stores to read about. They truly do happen to people. Going through the dark times
brings in the light. Going through troubled times brings powerful healing. Going through
negative situations and knowing how I can choose truth, brings in confidence and clarity
and extinguishes ALL confusion!
When I make the decision to change, I then only go forward. As I choose the best Life
Help I now find clarity. I choose to live in my Higher-self. WHY do I make this choice?
Because everything else is less, lower, dark thinking. It’s difficult to let go of being “of the
world”. the world pushes secular thoughts. The world is all about “things”. Attitudes,
judgements, blame, ridicule and sadness.
THE BEST DECISION IS TO BE IN THE WORLD, NOT OF THE WORLD
A higher self decision is calm. Clarity brings in light of Jesus Christ =Truth pours in. I can
tell you personally and specifically and in all honesty - Miracles do Happen. I myself
have witnessed miracles happen in my ow life. I know many of you have heard about
people doing miracles, miracles abound. Miracles live in people. There was a woman
who lived among much constant disease and never got sick! Mother Theresa lived from
1910 - 1997. She was the founder of The Missionairies of Charity. Mother Theresa was an
Albanian Catholic nun who brought 4500 nuns together across 133 countries. She was a
tiny, brave, strong woman who walked right into danger. She ran soup kitchens. She
managed homes for people who were dying of AIDS and T.B. She ran orphanages and
lived by a vow; “To give wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor”. In 1979 she
was given the Nobel Peace Prize. She was controversial because she also believed that
“suffering was a gift from God”. She felt people grow in their suffering. She lived and
walked and stayed with those who had Leprosy, yet never got it herself! Why didn’t this
woman ever get sick from Leprosy day in and day out? She believed in the power of
prayer and she believed in miracles!
She believed that we need to go out there and help “the Hungry, all the homeless, the
crippled, the blind, the lepers and all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared
for throughout society. People who have become a burden and are shunned by
everyone.
One day Mother Theresa was confronted in NYC by a journalist and he asked her point
blank; “with so much suffering in the world and so many to deal with, how can one
person make a difference? This little tiny woman with her beautiful blue eyes, smiled up
at him and said, “One person at a time”. Sometimes its just a change in how we act
and behave and do for those around us. So many of us live in isolation, pushing those
that care for us away. Can we find discipline, discernment and direction to do the
“right thing” now? I can go out and help rescue someone in need, this will bring light into
my life indeed.
“Who can I give “Life Help” to today?”
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”Prepared?” Blog #76
What happens when you can’t prepare for something? Where do I suddenly get the
tools to take on what I’m not ready for? How can I be ready for something that I don’t
even see coming?
I could not possibly prepare myself for the unexpected that day. It’s another hot summer
morning and so many of the things I am thinking about doing are interrupted by change.
There are unexpected phone calls. There are unexpected mood changes in people
around me.
There is unexpected tragedy. I remember a long time ago when I woke up fresh on a hot
summer morning. I was ready to go out and list another house. The biggest change in
my life that I can ever remember happened this exact July 12th morning, years and years
ago. Little did I realize, I was so unprepared. I was thinking only about listing a house for
sale and my crazy real estate business.
As I sat down at my desk, I distinctly remember reading the words for the day,
“Oh normal day, let me be aware of what a treasure you are!”
I went to look at a new house coming on the market. When I got back to my office, my
husband was standing there with tears in his eyes. He told me my mother had just been
killed by a drug addict. Then I did the strangest thing. I just wanted to write my ads for
my Sunday Open house, I guess to pretend I never heard a word he had just said. The
rest of that day found me falling into a black hole. Somehow it seemed, I had just
walked into a scene from a horror movie. No words can explain how I managed to cope.
No drinks, no pills, no drugs. Nothing takes away dealing with a life experience so severe.
My faith had always been superficial at best. However, then sadly, what happened to my
mother, made me turn away completely from religion and God. How could a kind, loving,
good God ever allow this to happen?
When this tragedy hit my life so many years ago today, I had to experience the
unthinkable. I did not have spiritual tools to work with. IF I would have known more about
the man, Jesus, I would have been better prepared with spiritual tools I so greatly
needed. I may have been willing to accept at some point what happened to me and
been better prepared for emotional healing. At some point, I started to learn about my
own faith and the man, Jesus Christ. It was comforting and peace-filled and made me
feel safe. I am now aware that Jesus prayed and went back and forth into the Garden of
Gethsemane, three separate times. Knowing what was ahead of him, Jesus asked
earnestly;
“take this cup from me, yet not what I will but your will God”
So this means IF Jesus was to suffer in his humanity and even God his Father let this
happen, Jesus was showing us what even HE wanted to learn about fear, anger and
forgiveness in his human form. Now, I have seen powerful lessons in store for me to
learn. What kind of lessons am I talking about?
Anger - Judgement - Forgiveness
These are huge issues to deal with on a daily basis. How can I begin to try to understand
the “man” Jesus? By starting with myself. Learning about myself. Forgiving myself.
Imagine being alive and in all your own humaness, you are given “super powers”. You
are able to heal and help and divinely perform miracles on other people. However, you
cannot use any of these “Devine super powers” on yourself! This takes super human
discipline. Jesus had to be perfectly disciplined to the end. Over thirty-nine lashes of
torture and bloody whipping. Soldiers, spitting, ridiculing and shoving on his head a
crown of thorns. Then a death squad hammering sharp nails into the the wrists of Jesus
as he is horrifically nailed to a crossbar. It took three long tortuous hours for Jesus the
man of all miracles to die a gruesome, slow deliberate death. All the while hanging
there, he used no miraculous powers on himself! HIS disciples let HIM down and
deceived HIM. HE was totally alone. Still in the end it is recorded Jesus last words:
“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
Who alive has that kind of forgiveness? As my own life went back and forth in dark
circles of anger, sadness and fear, my private suffering was weighing me down. I was
absolutely not able to forgive. However, I was now learning more about the “man” Jesus
and my heart was now ready. Then one cold winter morning when the weight of all my
anger was crippling me, I put my hands together. “Please, please help me Jesus”, I
prayed. Suddenly the strangest thought came into my mind. I found I had the desire to
drive over to the place of incarceration and face the man who had killed my mother. I
wanted to speak with him. When the guards let me into the room and I saw him sitting
meekly on a chair, I looked deep into his eyes. My voice was starting to quiver but I spoke
quietly. “I forgive you”, I said. Then it was done. I watched the guard take him out of the
room and tears flowed down my cheeks. It was over. There was no more reason to
carry this heavy burden any longer. All those years of searching for something.
Forgiveness, right in front of my face.
I had to let go of all my anger. I had to trust. That’s when Jesus Christ comes in like a
butterfly. Still, quietly and comforting. I asked for help in earnest, and HE came.
HIS light prepares me for any and all darkness. My body, mind and spirit are protected..
Am I ready or am I unprepared?”
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‘‘Do I Change?” Blog #75
Why DO I need to look at change inside of me?
Does any part of my life need changing?
Should I even try to see myself differently?
There is reason to believe a human being uses a fraction of their brain capacity to think
and live and work each and every day! Our brain tells us how we choose to live life. So
how DO I choose change? Did you know eating a balanced diet improves our brain
health? IF I get up and eat the right things in the morning, I don’t want to snack on the
WRONG things all afternoon. I know when I exercise at least 30 minutes a day,
endorphins are released into my brain that help me not be depressed! An article I read
recently said, “a study over ten years showed people who use brain training exercises
reduce their chance of getting dementia by 29%.“ I also have read and believe,
alcoholism causes brain damage. We won’t even go into the brain damage done by
drug addiction and smoking!
Looking back on education we have acquired, it seems to stop when we stop going to
school. Very few of us continue to read. Even fewer of us feel the need to continue to
learn about the things that are important to our good physical health, our mental health
and so importantly, our spiritual health. I have been reading an excellent book, “The Last
Days of Jesus” - O”Reilly. In this book he talks about the real man Jesus and what HE
encountered living his last days on this earth. Does anyone care to find out? This MAN
Jesus was human even though he had full power from above, he only used his powers to
help others and when it came to himself, HE did not change into “Lower self thinking'“. HE
stayed focused on each one of us. When Jesus was asked; “ What is the greatest
commandment?” Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind”. The second is, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
This book shares the healings Jesus did, the amazing truths Jesus shared and all the
good Jesus did. Yet, his disciple; Judas only wanted money to betray him! Then after
Judas got 30 pieces of silver, he was so ashamed, he killed himself!
So why the flip? What must we think went on inside Judas’s brain? Why don’t more of us
want to learn about the man Jesus? By having feeble opinions for NOT going to church,
one sees no need to learn about this unbelievable man who gives me reason to want to
change.
Still, we take on bold observations on WHY we have no need for this man Jesus in our life
daily while judging others harshly. When DO I decide to change? Does it have to take a
radical decision after a major illness? Does change happen after we experience “a close
encounter with death?” Do extremes have to occur in order for us to understand the
need for HIS TRUTH?
Ironically, every part of life involves change. The universe show us change by giving four
seasons to every year. Each season brings about definate change. A green vibrant leaf
turns brown, shrivels up and dies, then buds again and a new season is upon us. Cold
winter weather gives way to spring and the process of blooming and growing and green
starts all over again. A simple caterpillar crawling on the ground spins a cocoon and
changes into a breathtaking butterfly. Spring graduations bring change from childhood
to young adults going out into the world. School reunions are great change reminders.
Ten, twenty, thirty years, not seeing a person from long ago, is there change? Change
from being single to married. Married and children. Children and then grandchildren.
So much change occurs. I start to ask myself, why don’t people like change? Why don’t
people like change?
In the changing of my years ahead, when do I address my fears?
Do I choose change in a healthy, healing, learned way? Above all -
Do I choose to be a champion for change - let go of old baggage I carry with me?
How Do I Choose to Change today?
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“Inside Me” Blog #74
What kind of life am I living?
Do I somehow slide from one day into the next?
How am I learning about me……deep inside of me?
I must understand that I have a “lower self” and a “higher self”. My “lower self” nature
fights my “higher self” nature every minute of every day. Do I feel I must resort to
smoking, drinking, drugs and other addictions to calm myself down? - if so, there will
never be enough, it will never end. It becomes an endless circle of madness. If I am able
to leave the darkness behind. I jump to my “higher self”. Yet, ONLY with HIS HELP and the
light of Jesus Christ can this be done one day at a time. This and only this, allows me to
find my higher purpose for living.
I have so many untapped talents that are waiting to be discovered. I know that
Grandma Moses (a very famous painter) was discovered when she was well into her
nineties! There is nothing to stop me from learning except ME. A very important truth is
that all the tools I need to heal me, are deep inside of me.
THIS IS A PROVEN RECIPE AND IT WORKS !
“I FEEL THE PAIN TO CHANGE AND DO IT ANYWAY. I AM TIRED OF BEING TIRED.
I AM TIRED OF BEING HURT. I KNOW THAT HURT PEOPLE, HURT PEOPLE!!
I HAVE A GOOD MIND AND I CAN STOP ALl THE OLD DESTRUCTIVE LIFE HABITS NOW.
I CAN CREATE GOOD THOUGHTS ABOUT MYSELF EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY - HOW?
I START WITH POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS AND I LEARN NEW ONES COSTANTLY.
THIS IS CALLED THE ‘ALPHABET AFFIRMATION GAME’
I AM AWESOME, I AM ASTOUNDING, I AM ACCEPTING MY HIGHER SELF NOW….
I AM BLESSED, I AM BRIGHT, I AM BRAVE….. I AM CONFIDENT, I AM CLEAR THINKING……
There are so many more adjectives to think of for each letter. I try to stay on one letter
until I have thought of at least TEN AFFIRMATIONS for that letter. By the time I get through
most of the alphabet - I am so positive about myself! NEGATIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS ARE
TAKING A BACK BURNER AND GOING AWAY……. My daily decisions are critical to my good
health and my mental well being. I get outside because I have to have fresh air, I have
to drink four bottles of water daily and I have to walk minimum for thirty minutes. This is
so important for my MENTAL GOOD HEALTH. I CANNOT COMPROMISE ON THESE BASICS
FOR LIFE. Why do I bother talking about my “Inner self”? Because Insider of me, deep
within is where the truth lies. The real me. The authentic person that will not
compromise with anything or anyone or any situation that doesn’t bring out “My best
Inside self”. Negative situations are here to help heal me..
So where does that leave most of us? Pretty much floating around on a cloud of
disenchantment. We look for happiness in other people. We look for satisfaction in
buying things. We believe that this pill or that drink or that “temporary fix” will do the trick.
I have found that the only answer to any of my pain is ME. I have to look, I have to search,
I have to accept who I am. All the people in my life have been put there for ME to learn
about myself. I believe they have. brought me happiness, they have brought me
sadness, they have brought me awareness and they have brought me anger. Yet, at the
end of the day, I am still left with ME. I have seen people come and go. Regardless of
how I choose to judge them - they still come and GO. So, INSIDE ME now I choose to
connect with my “higher self” I then look at life truthfully. I see my purpose for being here
is to help others too. This alone, removes me from so much pain and brings in my
spiritual power. I feel HIS light protecting me. I begin to feel my purpose and I feel
powerful. I can close my eyes now and feel the vibrating, miraculous, bright light of
Jesus Christ surrounding me in his love and nothing can take this away.
This powerful light, I share with you now, feel the light move throughout every part of
me, the light now goes deep, deep inside of ME, cleansing me always.
This light heals any darkness of my past. I know that everything, past and present, has
come into my life, bringing me a “teachable moment” “What am I learning?” Now that I
have connected with my authentic self - deep inside me. I can say; I am peaceful, I am
perfect and I am protected, every second of every minute of every day - I am never
alone. Now I choose to look at the virtue of others rather than their vices. By my doing
this I am stopped from gossiping because “There but for the grace of God, go I”. The
debt we owe ourselves is simply this: All the people who we have ever known, all the
people who have come and gone into our lives have come to teach us something about
ourself…..what is it? Is it forgiveness? Is it hope? Is it faith? Is it patience? is it gratitude
for how we changed because of them? Only each and every one of us can search deep
“inside me” and begin to ask and answer powerful questions. So often we are tempted
by others deliberate decisions to defy us, to hurt us, to purposely find ways to hurt us to
the very core. However, this is a defining moment when we must step forward with
courage and a brave heart and the knowing that these are the tests we must pass each
and every day for our own inner growth. We must learn forgiveness first, then we must
learn temperance and be at peace. In order to handle my daily situations, I try to say
this prayer for awareness:
Serenity Prayer
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things that I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”
This is when I begin to feel the authentic me, the true me, the beautiful parts to the real
me that Jesus Christ wants me to see. However, I must remember, we always have
choice, we always have good and bad to choose from and we always are given our own
free will to do with as we want to. This is where the “Lower self nature” and the “Higher
self nature” come into play.
Now, IF we love the one who counts most - Everything else takes second place. Priorities
in order now, nothing can hurt or harm or hinder us, if we don’t allow it to. We end this
day saying sincerely, “I have given it my all, I have walked my farthest mile and I have
tried my best”.
What do I choose to see deep inside of me today?
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“Family Face” Blog #73
What is hidden far back in my family I want to forget?
Why is it somethings are just too painful to forgive?
Who is a person I cannot bring myself to love unconditionally?
So often in our past there has been unexplained hurt and sadness and pain that never
gets resolved. We go through life leaving it alone. We try to forget to remember, but
then at the oddest moments something brings us back, way back.
I remember a time in my life when I had moved out of the family home and I was on my
own living in another state. I came home for Christmas because I also knew my father
was ill. But then again, part of me didn’t want to care. Part of me remembered all the
pain from my childhood and I just wanted to hurry up and get the holidays behind me
and then leave. I lived for the moment. I looked at life for what I could get out of it. I
refused to forget or forgive. I had little faith.
That one Christmas was the last time I ever saw my father alive. Later into the next year,
I had a best friend that called me and told me my father was dying. “why don’t you
come home and see him?” she had said. “He’s not going to be here long.” I pretended it
wasn’t that bad. I made myself believe she was wrong. I refused to even think about it.
Yet, there was a part of me that knew, a part of me that always knew the real truth. My
father had been a raging drunk his whole life. He had made my mother and all their
children cry and be afraid and live in fear day in and day out. A part of me thought, “why
SHOULD I go home at the end?” I don’t want to see him anyway. But then months later,
he DID die. Then it was all over. Then there was no more deciding, wondering,
deliberately pushing it all away.
I could only go home to his funeral now. The after thoughts, the wishing it could be
different and all the unspoken words are exactly that. They remain hanging in the air. It’s
like the itch on your back you can’t reach to scratch. So irritating. Life is like that. Life is
never really is as it seems. We are born into a family, to learn powerful lessons. My
lesson was to learn to forgive…..regardless. My lesson is still to forgive, regardless. My
lesson with my family has been ongoing. So much of my life was all about “stuff”, getting
stuff, acquiring stuff, wanting more stuff. This is where I got caught up in being “In being
OF the world and not IN the world”.
If I am all about more and more materialistic stuff and not about the people I am with,
then life becomes meaningless. Life becomes worthless. Life becomes empty. I do not
believe I was born into my family who I lived with to only remember pain and more pain
day after day after day. I am saying that as I look back, I must be able to forgive
regardless. WHY? Because it is the right thing to do.
My past pain, gives me understanding deep within myself, of my family and myself.
My past pain? Letting it go It frees me from my anger, hatred and regret. IF I cannot
learn to do this, I believe I will be given more lessons in this area of growth until I can
learn to forgive unconditionally.
So many of us have said; “Why me, God? Why do I have to go through all this?
IF we can come to trust that God does NOT give us any more than HE knows we can
handle, then and only then can we see that each of us are given our share of “Life’s
lessons to learn what ONLY HE knows each of us need to learn. All of us have different
lessons to learn and it is because of this that we cannot possibly judge another human
soul, regardless of how much anger we have. Today I have been constantly reminded of
this over and over in one situation or another. However, this is WHEN we experience truth,
and love and forgiveness.
Real growth does not just happen.
Real inner growth takes time and more time.
Eventually we become wiser.
Therefore I remember its important that I must pray daily for:
“discipline, discernment and detachment.”
I have to detach myself from a situation that I know I cannot fix.
I have to have discernment (Understanding) to know when to step back.
I have to discipline my day in every single hour and stay focused on my faith.
Therefore I share the following poem now:
“I asked God……”
I asked God for strength,
and God gave me a difficult life to make me strong.
I asked God for wisdom,
and God gave me more problems to solve.
I asked God to be successful and
God gave me a brain to work with.
So then I asked God for courage
and God gave me more dangers to overcome.
Then I asked God for patience;
and God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.
Sadly, I asked God for love,
and God gave me more troubled people to help.
When I asked God for more favors,
God gave me more opportunities,
I received nothing I had asked for,
Yet, I received everything I needed.
All my prayers had been answered,
I have been richly blessed.
Written by Unknown.
I know that life is hard. Life can be lonely and life can be very difficult. However, life is
worth living because beauty, true beauty, does exist. Good things are truly ahead of us.
HE is the reason for all my good life. To have faith in something as small as a mustard
seed” is Faith. HE is always here for us. When I let go and remember that Jesus gave us
the most important message of all. He brought beauty and miracles and healing to
anyone and everyone that saw him. Yet, it was not enough, he was killed anyway
because of the darkness. As he hung on that cross, his last words are meant for each of
us to remember how important forgiveness is. After HE died everyone truly saw TRUTH!
The earth quaked, the heavens opened, Angels came forth and proved HIS light!
Forgiveness exists for each and every one of our family members, if we are open. This is
where I know I must start. I must face my own family forgiveness. It must start there.
There is a reason WHY we were born into the family we have. Each of us have a powerful
lesson of our own to learn. For all the pain, all the hate, all the evil that was done. Still HE
hung there and with HIS last dying breath, the man Jesus did not call all his legions of
angels to him and have them take HIM off of that cross. Instead he kept HIS humanity in
tact and with his last dying breath said,
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
“CAN I BRING MYSELF TO FORGIVE A FAMILY MEMBER TODAY?”
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