Loving others

Love is our greatest lesson. 
Though it sounds simple, it's not.

If we attach strings to love, we weave a web.

Entrapment causes fear and resentment. 

This love/hate relationship is called “co-dependency”.

Love needs nothing in return.

It is given freely, 
not just to people who make us feel special,
but to the whole world... 

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If I love myself, I love you.

If I love you, I love myself.

- Rumi

Going beyond...

There is a voice in us.

Not a voice of reason or logic,

but a voice of truth.

It comes from within our soul.

We must listen carefully and follow it,

to fulfill our purpose in life.

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My soul is elsewhere, I'm sure of that, 
and I intend to end up there."
- Rumi

Trusting what comes

In life, there is a duality whether we like it or not.

Happy days, sad days, frustrating days.

It’s important to remember on the difficult days 

not to be flattened by the circumstances.

We can make the choice to…

let our experiences harden or soften us.

feel victimized by the events or empowered.

curl up in defeat or stand strong in our faith. 

give into fear or expand our courage.

put up protective walls or live compassionately.

We can not shield ourselves from the human experience,

but we can move more fluidly through it by practicing

acceptance rather than struggle and resistance.

It’s helpful to remember that pain is the catalyst 

for softening our edges, expanding our hearts, 

and gaining wisdom…

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This being human is a guest house. 
Every morning is a new arrival. 
A joy, a depression, a meanness...
comes as an unexpected visitor...
Welcome and entertain them all. 
Treat each guest honorably. 
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, 
meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. 
Be grateful for whoever comes, 
because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.” 
- Rumi

Lean on faith

We grow through our times of trial.

No need to fear difficulty.

Every experience has something 

valuable to teach you.

Though we are meant to move forward

we often get stuck because we fear change.

What we may perceive as difficulty 

is likely to be our perfect wake-up call

and the catalyst for something better.

Instead of struggling in resistance,

welcome the chance to learn something new. 

Surrender any attempt to force a different outcome.

When you adjust to living in uncertainty,

it will begin to feel like home.

Allow yourself to be guided by grace.

Trust that life is always working in your best interest.

It's the season

It is your season for joy.

Life wants to take you places 

that are so beautiful

that you haven’t even dreamed

of them yet.

Be sure to leave behind all the pieces 

of the past that won’t compliment

the beauty of what lies ahead.

Don’t diminish your experience

by trying to plan the journey.

Your soul hungers for something

that is beyond the realm of your mind.

The moment you say “yes”,

your old life will vanish and your new one 

will delight you with it’s splendor…

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As you start to walk out the way, the way appears.

-Rumi

Feel the tug of...

When your soul is beckoning you,

there is only one choice to make;

to follow it to the edge of the earth.

For it is only in living your life purpose,

that you will truly feel alive.

Remember to travel light, 

for there is nothing you need to take on the journey.

The path is already paved with golden opportunities. 

Step beyond all limitation!

Risk everything to venture into new horizons.

Feel the warm, solid earth beneath your feet 

as you reach to caress the stars that illuminate the way.

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Stepping out of the story

Reality and truth exist only in the present moment.
When you no longer look at the world through your past, 

you will have mastered your life lessons.

There will be no more pain or suffering.

And when you glance back in the rearview mirror,

 you will see how perfectly your story has played out.

How wonderful that you will put an end to struggle 

by completely surrendering fear and resistance.

Your heart will be so open that you can fit the world in it.

Your mind will be a canvas that only God gets to paint on.

There will be many more changes to come,

but you need not worry for life loves you dearly.

Whatever it brings, it will do it with the highest intentions.

Where you go from here may still be a mystery,

but you can be certain that the future is more beautiful

than anything you could have ever dreamed possible...

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Taking flight

To soar freely in life, you must...

pass all your test flights
by weathering your storms.

use times of struggle

to strengthen your wings.

empty out your sorrows 

to take flight.

leave your past behind,
to glide effortlessly.

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Mending your wings

Weave your story with acts of kindness, courage, and faith.

Let unconditional love be your greatest achievement.

Use your power to change the heart of the world.

Be a warrior for truth. Stand up for what you believe in.

Be humble and fierce at the same time.

Don’t let your old hurts harden or weaken you.

Throw away the tarnished mirror of the past.

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Beauty- inside and out

For a woman to claim her power,

she must take a deep, honest look at herself.

Though it is a daunting process,

her determination and courage ensures her success.

There will be things she must do; 

lessons she must master, tests she must pass.

This includes wrongs that need to be made right,

grief work, anger work, and forgiveness work.

She must also let herself be vulnerable, 

 exposing the carefully guarded places in her heart,

caressing any bruises that are still tender, 

and becoming friends with old sorrows.

In the beginning, she will weep and fall to her knees

when she sees the errors she has made 

and the ways she has abandoned herself.

But only upon awakening to truth,

does she starts to mend her broken-ness.

When she has faced and healed her life, 

all that will remain are the lessons she learned

and the gifts that each lesson has given her;

beauty, wisdom, compassion, strength...

Again she will fall to her knees

not because she is sad,

but because her heart is filled with gratitude 

and she sees how beautiful the world really is.

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The courage to change

Be brave! Don’t give your power to fear. 

Free yourself of shallowness, youthful arrogance, and rigid beliefs. 

Let life turn you inside out when change is needed.

Live with simplicity, integrity and grace.

Ask the hard questions about yourself and live the answers.

Meet each day with open arms.

Be receptive to all the blessings life wants you to have.

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Beginning again

When things fall apart in our lives,

a season has come to an end.

Our tendency is to hold on to familiarity.

But just as nature is aligned with impermanence,

change is meant to be part of our journey too.

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Opening new doors

I just figured out how to bring my words and my photos

 and my drawings together. So excited... Looks like things 

are going to change on my blog.

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Living intuitively

Let your goal be peace and harmony. 

All the havoc in your life is self-created. 

You will suffer if you live from your mind.

Understand that the stories your mind plays 

are together woven with the threads of your past.

The only thing you should rely on is truth.

Truth comes from God/our intuition.

Everything that is not of truth, is ego at work.

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Love is quiet

Having empathy doesn't mean that we need to plunge into someone else's pain story and rescue them. Sharing pain is not an act of love. 

Love is not about sacrifice. Love is quiet, patient, and trusting. 

Why do we rescue others? People mirror our unhealed hurts. We then, attempt to quiet our own pain by fixing them. A perfect set-up for a co-dependent relationship.

 Letting our pain story bleed into someone else's only creates more pain. It is not a solution. We must learn to lift the heaviness of our own hearts before we can be successful at lifting up others.

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Moments in time

A perfect day...

My handsome son and beautiful daughter-in-law

Wish you both the very best...

My wonderful, crazy sister and my cute, inquisitive cousin

The only thing we should carry into our future are the precious moments that 

touch our hearts deeply. Everything else from the past needs to be released...

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Infinite possibilities

God has a beautiful plan for our lives,

but if we don't follow our intuition,

we will never know what the plan is.

Be willing to surrender your small ideas.

Remember that God dreams bigger than you. 

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The many blessings

Picture yourself as a woman

who has healed the wounded way

she once viewed the world.

With new eyes,

she sees everything as God... 

Finding peace

Let go of fear; fear of change, 

fear of what tomorrow will bring.

Release the past; forgive those who have hurt you 

and make peace with your own mistakes.

Have faith; trust that whatever comes your way

will probably be a do-over for something 
you haven't come full circle with yet...

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The unhealed mind

 An untrained mind is like a child without a parent.
Without guidance, the mind will jump from one drama 
story to the next... stories about fear, negativity, danger, 
worry. All the stories are the thoughts of a frightened child.
A child that lives within you...

Remember the Wizard of Oz? At the end, we see that 
the scary wizard was merely a little man behind a curtain?
Basically all the scary scenarios you waste your life trying to
 protect yourself from, stem from an unhealed mind/child.
 They are not real! You must not give them power. 
Discipline your mind! Heal your child!

The mystery of life

Acceptance is the key to serenity.

Often we struggle when we’re afraid  

rather than trust the order of things.

Learn to sit in the discomfort

instead of trying to force change.

Resistance often brings pain with it.

Lean on faith rather than fear.

When faith is deeply rooted, 

there will be an underlining sense

of peace and calmness

no matter what the situation is. 

You may not feel secure at this moment,

but know there is a wondrous rhythm 

to all that happens in life.

Though you may not be able to see the big picture,

just breathe and surrender to mystery of all things.

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A zest for life

We all have special abilities. 

It can be our thirst for adventure, 

our compassion for others, 

or the peaceful rhythm in which 

we dance with life. 

It can be our graceful ability to grow 

more beautiful with age,

see the world through a lens of optimism,

or live in the moment 

because we have chased away 

the ghosts of our past.

It can be how we weather our storms,

how we turn obstacles into opportunities,

or how we allow our hearts to be open

so the world can come in...

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Accepting change

There is a mysterious, yet perfect rhythm to life.

Change is natural part of our dance with it.

Sometimes the changes can be difficult ones;

the loss of a loved one, a failed marriage, illness. 

At such moments, we are reminded how fragile life is

and that there is no immunity to sorrow.

Even those times when our hearts shatter 

  like pieces of fragmented glass,

will gift us with strength, faith, and endurance.

Grief is the vehicle that transports us

into the promise of tomorrow.

When we descend to the bottom of sorrow,

we will rise with a softer rim around our hearts

and a deeper appreciation for life.