Our need to be loved

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When we are open...

we will begin to receive love..

from the most surprising places...

The starting point is surrendering to...

 our desire to be loved...

our need to be nurtured...

We may feel awkward with this need...

We will learn...

We will grow to trust our ability to choose people...

who are safe.

We have denied ourselves too long.

We have given so much...

and allowed ourselves to receive too little.

We open up like flowers.

Sometimes it hurts as the petals push open.

Be glad.

Our heart is opening...

Melody Beattie - The Language of Letting Go

One of my few efforts to draw facial features.

"I am open to receiving love"

Blessings in disguise

                                                      

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There's comes a time when we all have to surrender to change. Sometimes making a change isn't easy, but in the bigger picture, it can turn out to be a blessing. 

After several uncomfortable bouts with acid reflux, I'm ready to surrender the foods that trigger it. It means giving up some of my favorite things such as: chocolate, coffee, pasta sauce, pizza, macaroni and cheese, ice cream, popcorn...

 These have been my comfort foods for most of my life, but I'm going to trust that making this change will be a gift, not only for my health, but in my spiritual life too. How often do I use comfort food to avoid my feelings? I don't know, but I guess I'll find out.

My commitment for today is a diet that work for my needs. Fortunately, I love to eat healthy...

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What lies behind us
and what lies before us
Are tiny matters compared to
What lies within us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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We must be willing to get rid of
the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
The old skin has to be shed
before the new one can come.

Joesph Campbell

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"I am willing to change"

Love comes in all shapes and sizes

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I was reminded yesterday, when I ran into someone I hadn't seen for awhile, how certain people have touched my heart. And when they do, that special feeling is always there for them. There is no rhyme or reason to the choices my heart makes. To put it delicately, this particular person I saw yesterday is a bit rough around the edges. He tends to offend to others with his bad attitude, his lack of hygiene and other things. But what I see in him is his intelligence, his humor, and his capacity to love when he lets his guard down (I've seen how gentle he was with his son).

After seeing my old buddy, I later reflected on how many people have touched my life over the years and still do today. I am truly BLESSED and THANKFUL for all of them!

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 I see God in every human being.
When I wash the leper's wounds I feel I am nursing the Lord himself.
Is it not a beautiful experience?

~ Mother Teresa ~

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"Love comes in all shapes and sizes; the heart does not discriminate"

Creating a more joyful life

The burnt orange color looks pretty against the blue sky.

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Did you know that every single thing is made up of energy-our thoughts, actions, reactions...?

...and whatever energy we put out in the world...
comes back to us.

Have you heard the saying "you reap what you sow"?

It's as simple as this:

If you want more love, you have to give more love.

If you want more peace, your thoughts must be more peaceful.

If you're feeling judged, stop judging others and it will change.

Every minute of the day on a conscious level or subconscious level,

we are choosing our experiences.

If you're not happy with what you've created...

change your thoughts, actions, and reactions...

and your life will transform.

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The background on this photo has blue and green.

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It's not your work to make anything happen. It's your work to dream it and let it happen...
That's the promise of Law of Attraction.

~ Abraham (Esther & Jerry Hicks) ~

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"I release all my negative thoughts so that I create a more joyful life"

Everyone is my mirror

It's fun to find backgrounds that contrast with the object I'm photographing.
I love the pink flower with the lime backdrop.

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As much as we've been taught not to judge, we all do it to some degree or another.

And though we may have 20/20 vision about others...

We may not always have clarity about ourselves.

Remember...

People who irritate us are showing us the places where we are holding judgement...

against ourselves.

Everyone is a mirror...

Everything we see outside of us is a reflection of our own thinking...

We are the storytellers...

The script writers...

The co-creators...

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Using a darker background.

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 ...recognize that this person is there as your mirror or your teacher. You’ve brought them into your life to show you a part of yourself that you need to develop, so that you can be more balanced.

Shakti Gawain

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"I learn about myself through others"

A life of ease

On my walk yesterday, the weather was cool and sunny, the sky was blue as can be, the birds and butterflies were plentiful....it was perfect.

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“To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness.

This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way,

good or bad...

Things, people, or conditions that you thought you needed for your happiness now come to you with no struggle or effort on your part,

and you are free to enjoy and appreciate them - while they last.

All those things, of course, will still pass away,

cycles will come and go,

but with dependency gone there is no fear of loss anymore.

Life flows with ease.”

Eckhart Tolle

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“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness.  How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having
at the moment.”  E. Tolle

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"My experiences are lessons to help me evolve"

Transforming problems into blessings

I took these photos several years ago when we were vacationing in Captiva Island. We stopped to eat at this restaurant called the "Bubble Room". The food was okay, but I loved the buildings.

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Something that gets us through stressful times is gratitude.

Recently I faced an interesting challenge...not a big one, but it was uncomfortable, none the less. At first, I wanted to react to the situation. But after giving it careful thought, I decided instead, to be grateful, accepting, and light-hearted about it. I knew it was opportunity for personal growth...a new life lesson...and I wanted to learn it.

 I have to say that everything worked out well. Practicing patience and gratitude transformed my problem turned into a blessing. It was a wonderful heart lesson about acceptance, understanding, and love.

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The restaurant

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“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes... Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Gratitude turns negative energy into positive energy. There is no situation or circumstance so small or large that it is not susceptible to gratitude's power...”

Melody Beattie   

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The gift store

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"I am grateful for all the lessons life brings me"

The faces of courage

Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow.

-- Dorothy Thompson

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Courage has many different faces.

 

 Courage is getting back up when life knocks you down...

Being afraid and doing it anyways...


Not letting fear of failure hold you back...

 

Making changes...letting go...trying new things...

Looking at yourself and your life honestly...

 

Risking your heart to love others...


Being vulnerable and authentic...

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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end
of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.
-- Mary Anne Radmacher

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"I trust that my life is in perfect order"

Living without limitations

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that frightens us.

We ask ourselves 'who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?'

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. "

~ Marianne Williamson

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As you've probably noticed, I'm not writing as much as I was in the beginning. I'm learning that sometimes it feels right to be the teacher, and other times, I need to be the student. On the mornings I wake up with nothing to say, instead of trying to force ideas, I'm sharing some of the teachings that have inspired me over the years. I hope they will inspire you too! Thank you for taking this blogging journey with me and being patient with all my trials and errs. You're the best!

...Oh yes I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to, I can do anything

I am strong

I am invincible 

I am woman

Helen Reddy - I am Woman

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"There are no limits to what I can achieve"

The Velveteen Rabbit

The children's story about the velveteen rabbit takes you on an emotional journey as the rabbit is trying to find out what is real in the world. It teaches about the importance of love- the value of loving others, being loved, and our need to belong. Like the rabbit, love can cause us wear and tear. But we can't let that discourage us; love is the lesson we've all come here to learn.

                            Quotes from "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

“Weeks passed, and the little Rabbit grew very old and shabby, but the Boy loved him just as much. He loved him so hard that he loved all his whiskers off, and the pink lining to his ears turned grey, and his brown spots faded. He even began to lose his shape, and he scarcely looked like a rabbit any more, except to the Boy. To him he was always beautiful, and that was all that the little Rabbit cared about. He didn't mind how he looked to other people, because the nursery magic had made him Real, and when you are Real shabbiness doesn't matter.”  

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Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”

    

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"Love is the experience I'm here to have"

The most beautiful things

                                                                    

The best and most beautiful things in this world
cannot be seen or even heard,
but must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

Summer. Beach sand, perfect tans. Day walks, night talks.
Sleepless nights, pillow fights, & spending every day with those who matter most.
~ Unknown ~

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"Life is good"

Finding our strength

We all strengths and weaknesses. This morning I was thinking about two of my strengths. One is my ability to forgive and the other is my ability to love. No matter what life has thrown me, it hasn't made me bitter, angry, or resentful. Every experience...whether it was loss, rejection, hurt, disappointment...has come bearing gifts and strengthened me. There are times I have wanted to close my heart to protect it from hurt, but the joy of being connected to others far outweighs the pain. I will risk being hurt a thousand times, but I refuse to close my heart to the joyful experience of love. I believe, for the most part, life is sweet and there is a goodness in everyone. I also believe that my experiences have helped me to evolve and become a better person.

What are your strengths? Do you take risks? Is your heart open to love?

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The human emotional system can be broken down into roughly two elements:
fear and love.
Love is of the soul.
Fear is of the personality.

Gary Zukav

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"There is nothing to fear about love"

Feelings of hurt

When driving home, I happened to catch a glimpse of this beautiful flowering tree along side the road. Lucky for me, I had my camera.

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Melody Beattie- The Language of Letting Go

Feelings of hurt and anger can be difficult to face. We can feel so vulnerable, frightened, and powerless when these feelings appear. And these feelings may trigger memories of other, similar times when we felt powerless.

Feeling hurt doesn't have to be so frightening. We do not have to work so hard to avoid it. While hurt feelings aren't as much fun as feeling happy, they are, still, just feelings.

We can surrender to them, feel them, and go on. Emotional pain does not have to devastate us.

Eventually, we learn the lesson that real power comes from allowing ourselves to be vulnerable enough to get hurt. Real power comes from knowing we can take care of ourselves, even when we feel emotional pain. Real power comes when we stop holding others responsible for our pain, and we can take responsibility for all of our feelings.

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Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires,

and a touch that never hurts.

Charles Dickens

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"Even if I get hurt, I'll take risks to love again and again"

Thinking good thoughts

“Every thought we think is creating our future.” Louise L. Hay

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Each thought is precious... Our power lies in the thoughts that we choose to think today.
We can think happy thoughts. We can think positive thoughts. We can say, “Yes, I can do it!” We can think thoughts that make us feel joyous. We can learn to think only about all the good in the world... We can greet the day with a smile. We can let the world know that we’re happy to be alive. We can express gratitude at every turn. We can love our bodies. We can be our best friend...

Our reward is that we get to watch day by day as our lives turn into the most joyous, loving, healthy, prosperous, fabulous experiences... So train yourself to think thoughts that make you feel good.  written by Louise L. Hay

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Imagine that your thoughts are like drops of water. One thought or one drop of water does not mean very much. As you repeat thoughts over and over, you first notice a stain on the carpet, then there is a little puddle, then a pond, and as these thoughts continue, they can become a lake, and finally an ocean. What kind of ocean are you creating? One that is polluted and toxic and unfit to swim in, or one that is crystal clear and blue and invites you to enjoy its refreshing waters? Louise L. Hay

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"I will only think good thoughts today"

A grateful heart

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie

People usually consider walking on water
or in thin air a miracle.
But I think the real miracle
is not to walk either on water or in thin air,
but to walk on earth.
Every day we are engaged in a miracle
which we don't even recognize:
...curious eyes of a child--
All is a miracle."
Thich Nhat Hanh, "Miracle of Mindfulness"

"I will be grateful for even the smallest things"