Blog Archives

Not My Monkeys

7/31/2015

I like the expression, “not my circus, not my monkeys.” It reminds me that I am not responsible for the woes of the world, or of my neighborhood, or even of my own home. I am responsible for my own journey, and I must learn to love others and myself. If I don’t love myself I can’t love others. If I don’t love others, I can’t love myself. It sounds contradictory, but taking care of my journey enables me to love and light the way—not by the power of my will, but by the brightness of the Light that shines through me.

Our Choices

7/30/2015

We can’t change other people. Only they can choose to change. We might have a positive or negative influence on many people, but we are not responsible for their decisions or their lives. There is great peace that comes with this recognition. There is also great responsibility because we can’t blame anyone for who or what we are. We may have allowed other people to influence us, but ultimately we are the ones responsible for what we say and do.

Heal Yourself

7/29/2015

We seek forgiveness as much for ourselves as we do for others. In fact the whole concept of forgiveness is a personal one. What we hope to accomplish is a change within our hearts, and if another person is benefited, which they often are, it is simply a nice side effect. Forgive yourself to heal yourself, but also forgive others to bring more healing to yourself.

Decide and Ask

7/28/2015

Sometimes all we need to do in order to change our lives is to call upon our Higher Power and ask for the change to take place within our hearts. Our vision may be limited, but we can ask that it be expanded. We may feel weak, but we can ask for more strength. We might feel frightened, but we ask for more courage. Everything we need is ours for the asking.

Weekly Newsletter: Below the Surface

7/28/2015

Things that we hear or read about don’t always resonate with us. The reason might be because we aren’t ready to receive the message. Or it could be that the message is not right for us at that time—and perhaps may never be. It could also by that the message is wrong. A message that separates us from The Divine is wrong or inappropriate. But, another reason that something we hear or read doesn’t resonate with us could be because we have taken the message at face value and not looked below the surface to the deeper meaning.
A Course in Miracles states that “I am responsible for what I see. I choose the feelings I experience, and I decide upon the goal I would achieve.” Considering just the first sentence, I wonder how it is that I am responsible for the things I see. If a snake crawls into my field of vision, am I responsible for the snake’s actions? From a certain vantage point, this sentence doesn’t resonate with me. The second expression, “I choose the feelings I experience,…” resonated with me immediately and helped explain the first sentence even though I’m not fully convinced of the validity of the first one, and it still doesn’t resonate with me on all levels.
The point I’m making is not to demonstrate my ignorance or insightfulness, but to say to all of us that it is okay if we don’t resonate with everything a religious or spiritual teacher says. He or she might be wrong. Or, they might be right but we’re not ready to accept the truth. Or, we may need to dig a little deeper to get at the meat of what’s being said.

Great Potential

7/27/2015

We underestimate our worth. Our problem is not that we think too highly of ourselves, but that we think too little of ourselves. We are wonderful, intricate, beings capable of great accomplishments in all areas of our lives. If we can live up to even as much as a small percentage of that potential greatness we can change the world.

Forgive Unconditionally

7/26/2015

When we are not able to forgive, we cut ourselves off from being able to fully love. Love is not love unless it is unconditional, and love is not unconditional if we fail to forgive.

Thoughts and Attitudes

7/25/2015

If we want a different future, it can be created by changing our thoughts or by changing our attitudes. They work together so by changing our thoughts we can create a different attitude, and by changing our attitudes our thoughts will follow. Every moment of each day we have choices to make. Will we react to a situation in the same ways we reacted in the past, or will we choose a different reaction? The choice is always ours to make.

Heal

7/24/2015

Most people want to know why we are here (on this planet) and what our purpose should be while we abide here. Perhaps it's nothing more complicated than healing ourselves and then healing our world. If we accomplish the first, the second will follow naturally.

Negative Labels

7/23/2015

Sometimes we label people as being negative. They seem to complain and offer little help in seeing a bright future or even any future at all. They see the world as negative, and often they believe that things are not getting better but are much worse than ever before. It is their choice to view life from this perspective, but we don’t have to share it with them. Labeling them as negative doesn’t help matters. Perhaps it would be better if we stopped labeling people and simply loved them.

Undercover Boss

7/22/2015

We are often quick to judge. The popular television show "Undercover Boss" points out the need for us to be careful how we treat people, because we never know when we might be training someone who is the president of the company. These company leaders disguise themselves and pretend to be someone they are not, but aren’t we all guilty of that in one way or another? Those who judge people based on their appearance often find themselves in trouble, but those who treat all people with respect are rewarded for their kindness.

Love Your Enemy

7/21/2015

Perhaps the most difficult person to love is ourselves. Perhaps the most difficult person to forgive is also ourselves. Forgiving others can be simple compared to letting go of our mistakes and finding grace sufficient to set ourselves free. But, if we knew the deep secrets that others keep, we might not be so hard on ourselves. Forgiveness isn’t complete until we learn to let go of the pain that keeps us from being the best that we can be. Forgive and love yourself, and you will open new ways of seeing, being, and loving.

Weekly Newsletter: Our Thoughts

7/21/2015

Just as our words follow our thoughts, our lives also follow our thoughts. Those who think and meditate on kindness, love, forgiveness, grace, sharing, and the nature of The Divine lead lives that show those positive characteristics. In addition, they attract more of the same positive qualities into their lives, and they find themselves surrounded by individuals who share the same qualities.
Individuals who might not be positive by nature but who come into contact with positive people can find their lives transformed. The power of a presence that looks for the good, believes in other people, trusts, cares, and loves is an overcoming force and at times a life-changing vortex that touches all who come into contact with him or her—some in small ways and others in big ways.
Mother Teresa, the prophet Muhammad, Martin Luther King, Jr., Siddharta Gautama (the first Buddha), Mahatma Ghandi, and Jesus of Nazareth are some clear examples. But, anyone can make a difference in their own life as well as in the lives of multitudes by simply choosing to think upon the positive and treating all brothers and sisters as if they are worthy of our utmost love and appreciation.

Where the Heart Is

7/20/2015

The expression, “home is where the heart is,” might carry more weight than we might think. But, if home makes you think of shame, judgment, or anger, then that’s probably not the image of home we want to foster. In spiritual terms, “home” should be where peace, love, forgiveness, unity, and harmony exist. It’s not a place of mere blood relations, but one of heart relations. Home should be where the love is.

Forgiveness: Path to Peace

7/19/2015

The path to peace is in line with forgiveness. Without forgiveness we will not know peace. The goal with forgiveness is to reach the point where your forgiveness is immediate, complete, unconditional, and withheld from no one, including yourself.

Listen to the Heart

7/18/2015

When we listen to reason and avoid risks, we often miss out on things that could have enriched our lives. Of course, listening to reason is often wise, but if there is a quiet little voice deep within us that says, “Why not give it a go? What have you got to lose?” it might be wise to listen. Following the heart seldom leads to disaster. Ignoring the heart, however, can cause us many regrets.

Free from the Past

7/17/2015

We don't have to allow this present moment or our future to be dictated by our past. We can learn from our past but we don't have to be enslaved by it. Worry and guilt keep us in the past, whereas faith, hope, and love can free us now and keep us free in the future.

Trust

7/16/2015

Surely there must be a reason for the pain and suffering we encounter. Perhaps that reason has to do with helping others overcome the things we had to overcome. We might not know the reasons, but we can trust they are there and that all is good. We can trust the process, learn from it, and help others, too.

Kindness Works

7/15/2015

Kindness is so inexpensive and so helpful. It not only helps those to whom we spread it, but it also helps us. When we are kind to another, that kindness comes back to us. We may call it karma, the golden rule, the law of attraction, or simple common sense. What we send out, we receive. Those who share kindness and compassion find they have an unending supply. If we aren’t kind and compassionate for the sake of others, we should at least try to be kind and compassionate for ourselves. This might be a selfish motivation at first, but the love will soon become genuine.

Move On.

7/14/2015

We cannot change the past, but we can change how we respond to it and interpret it. One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is to let go of a past that we have no control over. By reliving and holding onto the past we stop living in the present. Forgiveness plays a huge part in putting things behind us, but also understating that we don’t have to be confined to the mistakes of the past, ours or others, can put a smile on our face and a brighter step in our walk.

Weekly Newsletter: Our Words

7/14/2015

Our words have power to heal or destroy. Most of our speech doesn’t result in those extremes, but the words we speak are seldom—if ever—neutral. Another way of saying it is that at any moment in time our words heal or create dis-ease.
This is merely a fact, and not a cause for guilt. If our words are not loving and forgiving then we simply recognize it and move on. At times we tend to fall into negative thinking. When we recognize that we are having negative thoughts which are producing negate emotions, we can change our thoughts, and that action will result in more positive emotions and speech.
Or, we can change our words first and quite often our thoughts will follow. I have experienced times when I was teasing someone and inadvertently paid them a compliment. Their appreciation seemed to transform the exchange, so I eased up on my teasing and my words became kinder.

Learn from Your Emotions

7/13/2015

One thing we are sure of is that emotions come and go. Some we welcome and some we try to suppress. Instead of suppressing our challenging emotions to the point of denial, let's accept them, examine them, detach from them, and learn from them. We are more than our emotions, and we don't have to be defined by them.

Forgive Anyway

7/12/2015

Forgiveness helps the one who forgives as much or more than the one forgiven. The beauty of forgiveness is that the forgiven ones don’t need to know they have been forgiven by us. After all, they might not see anything wrong in what they did, or they might not even know they had hurt us. But if we were hurt by someone and we wait for an apology, we might never get it. We can forgive anyway, because it heals us and makes us stronger.

Make Your Future

7/11/2015

We have the ability to change. If we don’t like who we are today, then tomorrow we can be someone different. We might not see a huge difference in 24 hours, but we can begin the process of change. In fact, we will change and we will be a different person in a day, a week, a month, or a year. The question is will we be in charge of the change, or will we allow the circumstances around us to determine who our future selves will become?

True Feelings

7/10/2015

When we bury our feelings and pretend nothing is wrong, we will discover that nothing seems right. In the past I felt as if I couldn’t have genuine feelings. Whenever I felt something that I didn’t believe fit with my religious believes, I would immediately try to get over it or buy it. I’ve since learned that feelings are part of what it means to be human. I can have a feeling and choose not to act on it, or I can try to suppress it which only seems to make it stronger. I choose to acknowledge my feelings. Some I act on if I can do so and still remain true to who I am and how I want to be. Others I’ve learned to explore and release.