God has Such a Great Sense of Humor

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The Universe has such a strange way of letting us know what is going on. I was talking to one of my aunts today and I mentioned that I was more spiritual than religious (or Christian) and she pointed out what people actually perceive when they hear either of those words. Christian brings Jerry Falwell to mind, and Spiritual brings Shirley MacLaine to mind. Funny thing is I have nothing in common with either of those personalities, and my spiritual self is my Christian self. I guess it is the same as using God vs Universe in conversation. I guess when you go through experiences where you relate to others what it is you believe, one has a tendency to draw back from the truth, afraid what others may think. I thought I had done away with that when I learned "It is not my business what others think of me," by Eckhart Tolle. I guess I have to work harder.
During the conversation I mentioned to her that the Universe was sending me mixed messages lately like when I worked at the church bazaar last week and I was once again, in the middle of my two sisters, Martha and Judy. The woman on my right was named Judy and the woman on my left was named Martha. Even though my sister Judy is dead, I am still in the middle of them both, and I never should have been. I was the youngest, not the middle child. Oh well, I went on to point out to my aunt that my father must be trying to get a message to me also, because the morning after the bazaar I found my father in the kitty litter box...I know weird right? Actually his picture fell off the wall into the litter box below it.
But I digress. So I was walking the other night and some things were running through my mind and a conversation I had with one of my aunts came through, and I was suddenly struck by the sheer joy of it. She asked me what I wanted to do with my life and I said "I want to be an inspiration to others, to make a difference." The thing that made me laugh was that I have just decided to join a Direct Sales company which is something I shared with that aunt, and I remember feeling that we were inspiring others. As a matter of fact, I know we were. We loved what we were doing and we did it really well. So here is the answer to her question coming about, but what is the Universe trying to tell me about my sisters and my father. He is probably trying to get me to make up with my oldest sister, after our falling out. I am too comfortable to do that though. It seems that I like a lot less drama in my life these days. I am not angry with my sister, I am just enjoying having my children to myself, and I hope she is enjoying the same thing. But who knows...maybe I should ask Shirley MacLaine. What does my father being in the litter box really mean? lol
God does have a good sense of humor, right?

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."

PRESENCE

Cover of Power of Now

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I’m reading the “Power of Now,” by Eckhart Tolle, and this morning I was reading Chapter five where he is talking about The State of Presence and he suggests that one should try a little experiment. “Close your eyes and say to yourself: “I wonder what my next thought will be?” Then be very alert and wait for the next thought. Be like a cat watching a mouse hole. What thought is going to come out of the mouse hole?” and he suggests to try it now. So as I was on my walk tonight with Willie Nelson playing in my ears, I remembered the thought, so I let it run through my mind and in the next instance, I turned my head to the left and out of nothing, and nowhere there was a tiny, perfect white flower. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. How beautiful. The best part is that I got to experience PRESENCE as he describes it in Chapter 5, and the reward was so beautiful, one tiny little white flower out of nowhere standing there just waiting for my mind to quiet enough to notice it. You can be sure my neighbors are thinking I’m crazy now (not that I care), but here I am doing my power walk laughing right out loud. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It’s not like I have never seen anything like that before, but in PRESENCE it is just so alive.

Earlier in the day I was sitting with my friend Beverly and a yellow butterfly skimmed past us. She said “Hi, Vi.” and then explained to me that that is how her sister Violet comes to her,” and then she asked me if I had seen the Oriole this morning and I had so say no, I missed it. I then asked her if she had seen the Cardinal that had been around lately because I believe that is how my sister comes to me. Five minutes later, I was at the laundromat at the front of our complex and when I parked the car, the cardinal flew right past me, and I said, Hi Judi.”

Life is so amazing when you open your mind and eyes to the beauty that surrounds us every minute of everyday. Try Tolle’s experiment and see what you come up with. I hope you experience is as wonderful as mine was.

LOOKING TO LEARN YOGA?

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A LITTLE LAUGHTER EVERYDAY IS THE BEST MEDICINE!

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The best cure for all that ails us is a little laughter everyday. I like mine in high doses. How about you? Check this out for some hearty laughs.

Talking Parrot - The most popular videos are a click away

Hummingbirds and The Law of Attraction.

I use the Hummingbird as my logo to depict my faith in "The Law of Attraction." Another example is the Monarch Butterfly. Both of these creatures live The Law of Attraction. They are prime examples of how the Law of Attraction works. If you choose to attract these beautiful creatures to your garden, it must be under very certain conditions. They are attracted to color and to the sweet liquid that we put out for them. If these CONDITIONS do not exist in your garden or near it, then you will not attract Hummingbirds or Monarch Butterflies. I wanted to particularly attract them to mine, so I planted a lot of purple and red flowers, a Trumpet Vine, and a Butterfly Bush for the Monarchs. My neighbor gets more than anyone I have every known, but she plans very carefully and is very consistent with her flowers and the perfect food. Making sure they are always provided for, they continually return. Both creatures are miracles of nature when you think about it. The miraculous thing about them is their size and strength. Monarch Butterflies migrate from great distances every year.

"Each adult butterfly lives only about four to five weeks. But one of the many wonders of the Monarchs is the annual creation of a unique "Methuselah generation." As autumn approaches in their sites of migratory origin, a very special generation of butterflies is born. Unlike their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents -- all of whom had ephemeral lives measured only in weeks -- these migratory butterflies survive seven or eight months. In human terms, given our average life span of 75 years, this would be like having children who lived to be 525 years old!" THERE IS THE MIRACLE.

The Law of Nature in philosophical terms states that "a system of right or justice held to be common to all humans and derived from nature rather than from the rules of society, or positive law.

Why Hummingbirds Migrate:
As with most of our migratory birds, hummingbirds apparently evolved to their present forms during the last ice age. They were (and largely still are) tropical birds, but as the great ice sheets retreated from North America, they gradually expanded their ranges to exploit rich temperate food resources and nesting space, filling unoccupied niches in the U.S and southern Canada while evading intense competition in the tropics. Some songbird species have adapted completely to our variable North American climates, in part by becoming vegetarians in winter, and don't migrate. But hummingbirds are carnivores (nectar is just the fuel to power their flycatching activity), and depend on insects that are not abundant in subfreezing weather, so most of them must retreat back "home" to Central America in the winter or risk starvation. AGAIN THE MIRACLE

The Law of Attraction requires the CONDITIONS be right to attract what it is you want in your life. Wanting is not enough, you MUST take action to get what you want and the more consistent the action, and the more consistent the direction...will be what attracts what you want into your life.

So remember:THE SECRET
THOUGHTS DO BECOME THINGS
THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES
MIRACLES ARE ALL AROUND US
ASK, BELIEVE AND YOU WILL RECEIVE
It all begins with baby steps.

A GIFT FOR YOU!

IMAGINE...A WORLD FULL OF FRIENDS!

Image via Wikipedia "Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay awhile,
make footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same."
Anonymous

When I first read the quote above, I thought, the author was referring to death, but then, as I read it again, I realized that death is not the only separation between friends and family. In the course of our life, (even though life is only the dash on your gravestone between your date of birth and your date of death, according to Eckhart Tolle)we naturally come in contact everyday with someone new, it can be a quick "Hi, nice to meet you," or it can be the beginning of a long standing friend or life partner. All of the connections should be made in the same way. I believe that it is important to treat everyone as if they will become your friend. Make no assumptions about what you see in their face. "It is not your business what others think of you", that is the greatest lesson I have ever learned, again from Eckhart Tolle. If you treat every person as though they are about to become your life long friend, you will have no regrets.

A life with no regrets should be the life we live everyday. Not to diminish that sentence with an old adage, but "make everyday the first day of the rest of your life." Make it a point to greet every person you meet, with the mind set already planted, that they will become your friend. Imagine, a world full of friends....WOW!

THE COST OF MEDIOCRITY!

Image via Wikipedia"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself."
Wayne Dyer

This quote would have meant nothing to me, had I not been awakened by “The Secret” and transformed even more by Eckhart Tolle…and of course Wayne Dyer.

I read something today in a message from Mike Glaspie that reminded me of that quote.
“Successful people talk about , think about and test ideas. Unsuccessful people talk about and think about people.”

ALSO:
“The price you pay for mediocrity is more than the cost of success.”

In the past year, the way my mind has developed through many hours of personal effort and study, has made me realize the truth of all those quotes. Simple but clear statements that define my new life. I do not care to judge others and I very carefully pick and choose what I think about and talk about. It is a joyful, everyday, effort that I have reaped huge rewards from. I have been happy to share it with friends and family and see the ways that this has also affected them. It is my pleasure when I see that in others.

I wanted to end tonight with a humorous note, and when you see the content you will understand how the tiny miracles in my life show up, this is from my jounal:

So, I am sitting here at 9:30 still have not written my blogs for today and I am enthralled by this pdf file I got in my email today about a case study that shows people are more attracted to negative headlines than they are to positive ones. I am just turning to page 7 when my cat POGO jumps up on the back of the chair next to me to get in the window. Well, he should know by now that it is a no no…but he’s a cat, what can I say. I get him out of the window and go back to page 7 and see this: TRICK #6 CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT. Welcome to what Michele and Kristine call Annie’s world…Meanwhile the cat got back in the window and got really mad when I tried to take him down…They are new blinds…but he doesn’t care.

Make a choice to watch it, read it or live it…but at least try it, and remember this:
THE SECRET

Thoughts do become things.
There are no coincidences.
Miracles are all around us.
Ask, Believe and you will receive.
It all begins with baby steps.