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Wanting Something Better

2/29/2016

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​There is nothing wrong with wanting a better life, but defining what that means for each individual is important. Many people define a “better life” has having more money and more luxury. If that is one’s goal, then determining the cost involved to reach that goal is important. Perhaps desiring a better life might be more in line with time for ourselves and time to be involved with other people. Perhaps a better life means deepening our ability to love, to connect with The Divine, or to find meaning and purpose in the lives we have without reaching for more of this or of that.
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Listen

2/28/2016

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​Listening is a skill that improves the quality of our lives and also the quality of other people’s lives. By listening to someone, we honor their life and their words. We let them know we appreciate them, love them, and cherish their thoughts. When we listen, we learn. By listening to others we can learn more about them. By listening to our Higher Power, we learn more about ourselves and about the other realm of existence. 
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Blind Love

2/27/2016

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​For love to be unconditional it often has to be blind, or as the expression goes, “to turn a blind eye.” Unconditional love sees our less-than-perfect behavior but loves us anyway. I want to love and accept everyone regardless of their perceived worth. I want to understand that the simple act of being human makes us worthy of love. And, I also want to remember that unconditional love apples to me, too.
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Endure

2/26/2016

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​Endurance is a quality that enables us to overcome the obstacles in life. Learning a new skill often takes years of study, practice, and discipline, but with time and endurance the skill will be learned and mastered. In our spiritual journey, it helps to garner information, advice, and lessons along the way. If we only learn from one tradition, we might be missing ways to more easily learn our lessons so that we can move forward. Remaining stuck can lead to discouragement, giving up, and giving in, but opening to new ideas and methods can break the barriers that would keep us in old habits of thoughts and behaviors.
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A Spark of The Divine

2/25/2016

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​If there is no divine being, then how did we receive our souls or spirits? Surely the essence of who we are comes from somewhere, and since science teaches that matter cannot be destroyed, then I believe our souls or spirits more than likely return to the place where they came from. I could be wrong, but what harm does it do to believe in existence before and after our meager time on earth. To me, that makes more sense than believing that our short time on this planet is all there is. 
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Live with Uncertainty

2/24/2016

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​If we determine something to be true and eliminate any chance that we could be wrong, we set ourselves on a path that might not lead us to the destination we desired. Allowing for uncertainty in all things allows us to find the mistakes in our thinking and make the corrections we need to keep us on course.
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Let it Go

2/23/2016

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​If we have been offended, insulted, or disappointed, the first thing we do is feel the pain. If we gloss over the words or actions and try to ignore them we won’t be able to fully release them. By feeling the pain, we can examine what happened and why. Perhaps we said or did something to contribute to what happened, but possibly not. We don’t want to accept blame if it isn’t ours, but we also don’t want to ignore responsibility when it is ours. Once we have examined the root of the pain, we can then look for any lessons that it might have brought. After that, it will be much easier to simply let it go. Release can and will come, but we often have to do some work first. Without the work, we might hold on to needless pain for years.
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Weekly Newsletter: Compassion

2/23/2016

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​      Once we have experienced heartache and distress in our lives, compassion becomes an emotion that we are able to extend naturally. I recall a time when I had car trouble and someone stopped to offer assistance. My battery was dead and I needed a jump, but I had left my cables in my wife’s car. Having someone come to my rescue awakened gratefulness and a desire to offer help to someone else that was stranded. It wasn’t long before I came upon a fellow motorist parked alongside the road with their emergency lights flashing. Compassion rose inside my heart and I pulled over to help.
      This example is simple, but the real value of compassion is learned when we have gone through much more difficult times other than a dead battery. When we are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness; when our marriage ends; when one of our children struggles with their sexuality—or when we do—compassion then becomes a valuable and loving emotion. When we have been through a trial by fire, we are less likely to judge another, especially if we will take the time to listen to our hearts.
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Believe in People

2/22/2016

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How can we believe in the goodness of people when it seems that there is little or no good reported in the news? Remember, the good doesn’t always make for sensational news, but the bad seems to be the focus of the media’s attention. If Anne Frank can state that in spite of everything she experienced she still believes that people are really good at heart, then we can take our cue from her. The question is; which perspective brings us more inner peace, and I believe that if we choose to see the good in people, they will try to prove us right.
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Show Me the Bright Side

2/21/2016

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​Lately I have been asking The Divine to help me to turn negatives into positives. There is an underlying need here in that I see negatives first before understanding that a true optimist might not see any negative situations to begin with. Maybe that’s true, and maybe that’s living in an unreal world, but whatever the case may be, I still want to be a more positive person and find the good in all situations. 
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Learn from Others

2/20/2016

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​I like the idea of surrounding ourselves with those who are on the same, or a similar, journey that we are on. It gives a sense of comfort, community, and safety. But, there is also much to be gained by being with other people who seem to be on a different journey. We can learn from them, and they from us, both good and bad. Lessons are often learned from our mistakes, but sometimes, by being around others, we can learn from their mistakes without having to learn the hard way, and they can learn from our mistakes, too.
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Kind Words

2/19/2016

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​“I like you. You’re smart. You’re fun to be with.” These are kind words, and they don’t have to be flowery or lengthy to brighten someone’s day. If we can remember to salt our conversations with kind words, people will smile brighter, laugh fuller, and love more deeply. Kind words can sustain us for hours, days, and even months. A kind word, spoken at just the right moment, can change a life.
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The Price of Kindness

2/18/2016

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​Everyone is dealing with something and often those struggles are intense. We know this because we struggle, too. In our struggles we are often helped or encouraged when people are nice to us. Therefore we realize that when we are kind to people, no matter how poorly they behave, it makes a difference. Kindness costs nothing but pays huge rewards.
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Labels

2/17/2016

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​Shortly after we are born we are given a name—a label of sorts—that becomes our identity. Most people are also assigned a nationality, a race, and a religion. Many people don’t question these assignments and many spend a large part of their lives accepting the labels that they had no control over. Some even defend their labels and believe they are the best and the only viable labels a person should have. Why? What makes one person’s labels better than another, one nation or race better than another, or one religion better than another? 
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Seek Peace

2/16/2016

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​There are some truths that seem to be universal to a majority of religions, and one of them is the call for peace. Peace is an absence of war, killing, and strife. We will have disagreements among nations and within nations, but that is no reason to kill or be killed. In order for us to establish peace among the nations we must first establish it within our hearts. Peace is an inner experience that will translate to a global experience when enough people make it a priority.
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Weekly Newsletter: Silent Forgiveness

2/16/2016

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      Forgiveness doesn’t always need to be spoken. In fact, forgiveness must begin in the silence of our hearts. Before approaching someone to offer a verbal apology and to ask for their forgiveness, we must decide if that action will yield positive or negative results. If we approach an individual and there remains within us a trace of blame or judgment, the result might lead to an argument and accusations all over again.
      Sometimes we think we are ready to forgive—and be forgiven—when we are not. At these times it is best to practice unspoken forgiveness until we are certain we are ready. If it still doesn’t work, and the breach of trust or friendship remains, we go back to unspoken forgiveness. If we still feel a need to take a specific action, then secret acts of kindness can help bridge the distance.
      If someone is angry at us for something we did, and they refuse to accept our apology, then by secretly showing them acts of kindness we can make their world better in small ways. Don’t disregard the power of these seemingly simple acts of loving forgiveness. Even one has the power to change a life, and as they accumulate over time, they have strength beyond what we can imagine.
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One More Time

2/15/2016

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​Holding onto the past can prevent us from fully experiencing the present. But, there are times when we might wish we could revisit the past long enough to experience something one more time. Some moments in life are so blissfully wonderful that we wish we could hit the play button and experience them again. Other moments were so painful we wish we could simply delete them and forget they ever happened. But, those painful experiences often have as much, or more, to teach us than the blissful episodes of the past. Some days when I am tempted to repeat a mistake I made years ago, I wish I could go back and feel the agony once more—just to remind myself why I chose to change.
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Grateful for Love

2/14/2016

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​We have friends and acquaintances but not everyone seems to have found their soulmate. And, even those who believed they had found their soulmate, they might not believe that to be true after knowing that person for a while. Perhaps it makes more sense to stop looking for someone who completes us and find that completion within ourselves. Or, perhaps we are only completed by the multitude of friends and acquaintances we have—including our pets. Love comes from a variety of sources. Let’s be grateful for all love that enters our lives for without love—both giving and receiving—we fail to experience the fullness of our humanity.
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Floating in the Spirit

2/13/2016

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​Most people can float in water by simply relaxing and letting their natural buoyancy bring their body to the surface. When we learn to relax our emotions, thoughts, and struggles, our natural spiritual beings will surface and we will be able to float around in the spiritual realm. 
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Smile and Laugh

2/12/2016

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​At the beginning of each year many people make resolutions to change something in their life, and by this time a large majority have given up on their resolutions and gone back to old ways of doing things. But, we don’t have to wait until January 1st to make a resolution to make a needed change. Any day can be a new beginning. Let’s resolve to laugh more and to smile more. Neither of these items cost us any money, but the benefits can be priceless. Make someone’s day—maybe even your day—by smiling and sharing a laugh together.
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A Peace

2/11/2016

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​Sometimes we do things to appease other people. Notice how similar the word “appease” is to the phrase “a peace.” There is nothing wrong with wanting to appease others especially when it means we are helping to keep “a peace” among us. But at the same time, we do not have to prove anything to anyone. Our religious and spiritual beliefs might differ from someone else. We don’t have to prove our position, and we might choose to keep quiet in order to keep the peace. If and when it comes time to speak up, it will not be because we have something to prove, but because someone is ready to hear what we have to say. Our hearts will tell us when the time is right.
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Here and Now

2/10/2016

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​A friend once told me that if she got a certain job her life would be complete. She did get the job, but it wasn’t long before she wished she hadn’t. Happiness and contentment are so elusive, and when we wish so hard for the things we don’t have, we often overlook and belittle the things we do have. Happiness and contentment aren’t in the future. They are only found in the present.
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Eternal Optimist

2/9/2016

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​There is no harm in always being the optimist, but there could be great harm in always being the pessimist. Not only does the harm affect the pessimist, but it pollutes those who are friends and even acquaintances of the pessimist. If we believe our world is doomed, then our path will lead us in that direction. But, if we believe that life is grand, and that we are safe, loved, and strong, then we will draw those characteristics into our lives.
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Weekly Newsletter: Destructive Forgiveness

2/9/2016

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​      We must remember that forgiveness is about us as much as it is about another person. In many situations it is mostly about us. That’s why we guard against destructive forgiveness. True forgiveness is never destructive, but there is a form that appears to be loving and forgiving when in reality it is not.
      When we forgive someone for some injustice we perceive that they’ve done to us, we should consider first the role of the forgiver versus the one to be forgiven. If those who are doing the forgiving are not careful, he or she may come across as condescending. “Oh, I know you didn’t know any better,” or “You really were a jerk, but I’m going to forgive you anyway,” is not a positive experience of forgiveness.
      Be careful not to set yourself up as above the one you choose to forgive. That attitude will come through in your words and your actions. True forgiveness levels the playing field. No one is above or below the other, no matter the details of the transgression. Forgiveness often entails humility on the part of the one seeking forgiveness, but also on the part of the one extending forgiveness who understands that concept of “There, but by the grace of The Divine, go I.” In other words, it could happen to anyone, and someday we might be the one in need of forgiveness and grace.
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Only Human

2/8/2016

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​Let us always remember that we are fallible and prone to lapses of common sense. There are still times in our lives when other people frustrate us to the point we’d like to “smack them upside the head” to knock some sense into them. Even so, there are people around us who feel the same way about us. Life would be chaotic if everyone followed through on their hidden frustrations.
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