I AM REALLY STRETCHING THAT COMFORT ZONE!

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I am really stretching the comfort zone today. I wrote to Ellen DeGeneres and asked for her to have the "cash for clunkers" to come to Norton, MA for me.
I recently wrote on one of my blogs, about how I went to the Dollar Tree one day and found two books that changed my life; they were "I'm Proud of You," by Tim Madigan, written about Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers); and the second is called "The Prayer of Jabez," about how Jabez asks God to "Expand his Property" and God answering his prayer. "1 Chronicles 4:9-10"
The first book left me feeling curious and confused about why Fred Rogers was asking Tim Madigan's brother, who was dying of cancer, to pray for him,(Fred) and the second book answered that question. Fred Rogers developed a very close relationship to Tim Madigan and his family, especially when Tim's brother Steve, was in the final stages of Cancer. During that time one of the last conversations Fred had with Steve over the phone, he ended the conversation with, "Please pray for me Steve." Asking a dying man to pray for you seemed confusing and even a little frightening to me. It was a concept I had never considered, but then I read "The Prayer of Jabez," by Bruce Wilkinson, and my question was answered.
In "The Prayer of Jabez," chapter 2 is titled "So Why not Ask?" and in it are a couple of paragraphs that tell a story about Mr. Jones getting to heaven and how when Peter has finished giving him a tour of heaven, Mr. Jones asks why Peter has not shown him one particular building and Peter answers with, "You won't want to see what is in there." Mr. Jones persists, and Peter relents, and lets him in. When Mr. Jones opens the door, what he sees is a room filled floor to ceiling with shelves, and on each of the shelves are white boxes tied with red ribbons. Mr. Jones notices that there are names on them and asks Peter if there is one with his name on it. Peter says that there is, so Mr. Jones enters the room and finds his box. What he finds inside are all the blessings that God has had in store for Mr.Jones' whole life....but he never asked for them. The idea that God wants us to ask for ourselves, is a new concept to me, and one I am trying to find comfort in, but here I am trying to teach THIS OLD DOG SOME NEW TRICKS, TO BREAK OUT OF THIS PRISON IN MY MIND CALLED AGORAPHOBIA. And the answers come to me in two $1.00 books, that just happen to be in front of me, and I just happened to have a couple of dollars to buy them with. It is a powerful message to me and I have shared this message with as many people as I can, because I don't want another day to go by without others realizing that this is what God wants for us. God wants us to be happy, for him to be happy, simple...but true. "Pray for me."

IF YOU NEED A LIFT TO YOUR DAY, THIS KID WILL DO IT!

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Sometimes  it is just a word, a picture, a phrase, or a quote...to change your mind-set for the day.  Only you can control where your thoughts go...Find them in beautiful places and make yourself laugh.  Humor can change your mindset in a minute, and when it does...EXPRESS YOU GRATITUDE.  This kid will lift your day.  I first saw it on TV and had to watch it over at least three times with live TV.

LOVE...LOVE....LOVE...

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UNIVERSE, HEAR ME ROAR! IAM OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE!

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When I originally created "Our Gratitude" as a business, it was with lofty and ambitious drive.  None of that has changed, but I am still waiting to hear what the Universe (source) is telling me to do with it.  I have never stopped trying, although I have shifted gears many times, but I never lost sight of my original three goals, one of which is about to come to fruition.
1.  Complete a cookbook with my family called "Traveling Recipes," in memory of two family members that died in the same week in June 2007.
2.  Create a blueprint for a day program for "high functioning" adults on disability, because when my depression manifested as Agoraphobia, there were no programs available to help me.  I have a wonderful counselor, so believe me when I tell you, if there was one, Debbie would have found it for me!
3.  To have a car that makes me happy and gives me FREEDOM to access the outside world, that I have missed so dearly.

Well, the cookbook is almost completed, and I am only waiting on a few photographers to allow us permission to use their photos, and for The American Cancer and Heart Organizations to repsond with their information to recieve the donations.  All proceeds from this book have always intended to be for them, and will always be for them, even as I create new books, a percentage of all those proceeds will also be donated to them.

But back to the Universe.  The journey I took writing and compiling "Traveling Recipes," is in itself a bit of a miracle, and I express gratitude for it everyday, but here is my dilemma...FEAR OF SUCCESS!  As many fears as I have overcome in the last 5 years of my life, battling this disease, none has been more difficult to overcome as the "fear of success."  How do I know this, you ask? (Well, in my story you do), Because I can still feel the fluttering of anxiety, the closer I get to the completion, (the part where the world judges you based on their perception of what you have accomplished.)  I know "it is not my business what others think of me," ("A New Earth:  Awakening to You Life's Purpose," Eckhart Tolle) because my closest friends and I have adopted that principle, and it has driven us to lofty heights of self confidence; but the anxiety remains.  Although, today as I am putting off taking an exam for a class, and fiddling around with the things I do on the internet, ( you know, the business thing) I realize that I should have that anxiety, I should be afraid, I should wonder why I am nervous...because that is where success takes you...OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.  I am not only "out of my comfort zone,"  I am "out of my mind."  Funny, huh? Out of my mind is exactly where I am supposed to be...again.  "Out of my mind," no longer trapped in the hollow corridors of my mind, afraid to face the world as who I truly am. 

So, the Universe has answered my roar, afterall, and has told me to step outside and ROOAARRR...as loud as I can, "I am exactly who I am supposed to be, I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and I am so truly, completely, and utterly, grateful to be here.  Not to be ungrateful though, but... where is my car?

Please watch for "Traveling Recipes," as it is scheduled to be release in October of 2009.
When you purchase your copy, be sure to try out the recipes, make them your own way, and send them to me with a story about yourslef, so you can be in the next of the series, "Traveling with, Traveling Recipes."

Insight of the Day

Here is a Friday story, I Wish You Enough I never really thought that I'd spend as much time in airports as I do. I don't know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of travel. But I'm not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports. I love them and I hate them. I love them because of the people I get to watch. But they are also the same reason why I hate airports. It all comes down to "hello" and "goodbye." I must have mentioned this a few times while writing my stories. I have great difficulties with saying goodbye. Even as I write this I am experiencing that pounding sensation in my heart. If I am watching such a scene in a movie I am affected so much that I need to sit up and take a few deep breaths. So when faced with a challenge in my life I have been known to go to our local airport and watch people say goodbye. I figure nothing that is happening to me at the time could be as bad as having to say goodbye. Watching people cling to each other, crying, and holding each other in that last embrace makes me appreciate what I have even more. Seeing them finally pull apart, extending their arms until the tips of their fingers are the last to let go, is an image that stays forefront in my mind throughout the day. On one of my recent business trips, when I arrived at the counter to check in, the woman said, "How are you today?" I replied, "I am missing my wife already and I haven't even said goodbye." She then looked at my ticket and began to ask, "How long will you...Oh, my God. You will only be gone three days!" We all laughed. My problem was I still had to say goodbye. But I learn from goodbye moments, too. Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough." She in turn said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy." They kis sed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral," he said. "When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?" He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more."When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following=2 0as if he were reciting it from memory. I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye." He then began to sob and walked away. My friends, I wish you enough! Bob Perks Bob Perks is a professional writer and speaker. You can visit his website at: www.BobPerks.com Thomas Nelson Publishers will be releasing his book, I Wish You Enough: Embracing Life's Most Valuable Moments - One Wish at a Time on December 8, 2009. It is a collection of his stories based on the "Eight Wishes" expressed in the original story. It can be pre-ordered at a savings by clicking here. Click here for our printable version Sent to you as a courtesy of: Bob Proctor Join Bob EVERY Monday at 5pm E.S.T. for a complimentary teaching call. Just phone 1-507-726-3300 at 5pm E.S.T. on Monday Pass code 22010# http://www.bobproctor.com Change your email address or name here If you wish to be taken off our list click here Please feel free to contact us any of the ways below: e-mail: insights@insightoftheday.com Postal Service: Insight Of The Day 8900 E Pinnacle Peak Rd. Suite D240 Scottsdale, AZ 85255 Phone: 1-800-871-9715 Fax: 1-480-661-1014 For our SPAM Policy, click here. Powered by SPWS.NET

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NOTES TO THE UNIVERSE

Everyday between 3:00 am and 4:00 am, 5 days per week, I know, with certainty, that there will be a message in my email box that will launch my day. Mike Dooley has a gift that is unexplainable and right on every time. He has changed the whole look on Tut's Adventure Club and if you are looking for the gift that expresses "exactly" how you feel about someone...go there:
Tut's Adventure Club

MARY TRAVERS DIES AT AGE 72

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It's sad that with every good intention there are people that manage to make bad ones out of them. It never ocurred to me that this song was about anything other than a young boy's life and his innocence. Happiness is a mind set, as is health, so always having good intentions is the perfect way to always be happy. (naturally)
They were wonderful at what they did and it is sad to know she has passed, but the idea that Peter, Paul, and Mary gave so much to the world; should give us comfort in her passing.

REMEMBERING PATRICK SWAYZE

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What a wonderful way to remember Patrick Swayze