“Life is meant to be loved, and love is life to be lived.”

                                                                                          - Deanna

DIVERSIONS

Dictionary meaning:  di-ver-sion [di vurzh’n]

1. distraction: something that takes somebody’s attention away from something else, especially from more routine activities

2. change of purpose or use: a change in the purpose or use of something from what was intended or from what something was previously

3. change of direction or path: a change in the direction or path of something

I have the sense that I’m standing in a tree fort….you know that feeling when you’re young, oblivious to the outside world and know nothing but love?  I feel protected from seemingly every person, critter and perceived thought by the timber that surrounds me.  I feel invincible. I feel like more than the skin that envelops my body.  I sense I am the best I can possibly be simply because I’m alive, right here in this space.  No one expects anything from me.  No one demands my attention.  No one needs me.  I am safe. 

Well, today I am here…this place that feels like home….my tree fort.  In this physical space I am literally surrounded by the warmth of golden, cedar logs.  Each direction my eyes take me, I see Mother Nature…the trees that dropped their leaves in perfect timing with the season, those that linger, hanging onto the color of autumn.  The blue sky shines brightly as a backdrop behind the trees, making even the bare branches pieces of art.  Just outside the twin pines nest the Eagles who perch to guard this fort with a watchful eye and protective nature.  Not even my imagination can squelch this serenity of just “being”.  Not right here anyway, in this space.  That alone makes me grateful. I feel peace.

I’ve been in this tree fort, my sanctuary the past two months…allowing myself to feel, to get inside myself, to get clear.  I knew this particular night I would be alone, nestled in the woods.  Initially I allowed my imagination to take me to a night of magical moments, of heart filling fantasies…making dinner together, sipping on wine, sharing in laughter. All with an imaginary friend, much like I had when I was small, but now we ardently play as grown ups.

I imagined the night with a like minded soul in front of the fire talking about stars, and the moon, other planets and the places the sun touches that we’ve never been.  Together we concoct what our lives were like in other dimensions.  I imagined the time together to begin with a walk in the woods.  There would be moments of words that don’t seem to get out fast enough, intermingled with shared silence and relaxed reflection.  There’d be a heart connection that could be felt simply be being in the presence of one another without even touching. At any given moment, my heart would seem as though it would swell right out of my chest.

We sit now, looking at the fire.  My hand reaches out to touch his.  The moment our skin comes in contact with one another, an electrical surge pours through my hand and up my arm.  I can’t quite tell where it settles as my heart quickens and butterflies flutter in my stomach.  Suddenly I feel warm and my breathing accelerates.  Or does it stop?  My chest rises and falls, rises and falls, but not nearly as quickly as I feel my heart pound.  I take a concentrated breath …am I trying to breathe deeply and draw in the moment, or has this moment taken my breath away? 

We gaze into each others eyes and share a telepathic language that begins the soulful communion.  Everything makes perfect sense.  There are no questions.  There is no doubt.  There is no second guessing that the right words are spoken, or that either one is accepted. I feel the enchantment move like waves through me and know that in this moment I am. I am. We are.  We are perfect.  We are perfect souls.  Our minds, in this awakening, are set free….set free of any self doubt, worries, or insecurities.  There is only love. Not only love for another, but love for all….love of self.  It feels safe.

Without speaking audibly, we rise and are drawn into each others arms.  My head turns in and I softly kiss his neck. .He leans in and gently kisses my shoulder.  It feels like butterfly kisses, soft, gentle, loving. Our bodies begin to sway, melting together as one.  We turn to face the music and drift into the vibrations, disappearing into the colors of the dusk.

Well, obviously that’s a fantasy. 

So my second thought for the night was to get my supplies together, pack my clothes, and begin referencing books for information I want to use for the weekends retreat.  I turn on music, a mix that stirs feelings deep within me. It’s the same mix I’ve listened to countless hours these past couple weeks.  I haven’t watched TV. My internet connection to my computer has been unavailable. I have books, my journal, the music, and my imagination.  The music takes me places that warm my heart, feed my soul and create a yearning of desire that I can’t quite name.  Sometimes I wonder just how crazy I’ve become in these woods.  But I go with it.  It feels good.

I go to the refrigerator four different times, intending to get some nourishment.  Each time I see something that needs to be rearranged, or thrown out, or cleaned.  Every time the door would close I’d remember I was meaning to pick out something to eat.  I need to remember to eat.  I go back a fifth time and get cottage cheese.  As I eat I look out the window and there are two deer within yards of me, they too eating.  I watch them. I’m interested in the way their ears turn different directions to keep alert to their surroundings.  There’s a third deer, much smaller, in the front yard standing at the skeleton keyhole of the gravel driveway.  I go out to the trailer of squash and pumpkins.  As I walk to the deer in the front yard, she puts her whitetail up for a warning.  I calmly tell her she’s welcome to stay here.  I want her here.  It’s o.k.  The tail goes down.  I walk to get the squash.  She walks towards me, gracefully…beautiful.  She’s one of the fawns that has outgrown her spots.  She’s got velvet black that trims her ears, a soft white tuft under her chin.  She’s fine boned and curious.  She trots to the others as I approach the side of the house, my tree fort.  I try smashing the squash open on the edge of a cement block. They keep bouncing off.  I try again.  Finally, one breaks into thirds.  Meanwhile the three deer are watching me inquisitively.  I talk to them as I roll two slices of squash just far enough away to not startle them.  They step closer. The third slice rolls directly under the front hooves of one deer.  She nonchalantly bends her head down and sniffs to see what this orange delectable treat is.  I thanked them for coming and went back in the house, my heart warmed.

I climbed the stairs inside the fort and turn the music up.  Sarah McLachlan’s song “Answer” comes on.  I fully intended to go down by the fireplace and begin my work.  Instead I caught my reflection in the mirror and I stopped.  The music was turned up loud enough that I could feel the vibration in my body. I turned to face the mirror directly and just looked at myself. 

The sun was beginning to set and shone brightly on my left side, my right side darkened by the shadow, reminding me of my own light and the shadow self within me, and I question if I can embrace both. At first glance, all I see is the thinness of my hair.  My gaze takes me to my eyes and I focus on the dark circles underneath. I look at my nose that isn’t cute and adorable, but long and angular. I see the stiffness that surrounds my mouth and jaw, clenching stalwartly as if to protect my words. I notice under my chin my skin is thin and looser than I have noticed before. My neck has lines and wrinkles that seem to age me more than I feel.  I don’t like how I feel about myself. 

The music stops, but I turn it back to the same song to repeat over and over. I stare into the mirror. A wave of emotions overcomes me.  All I can see is what is wrong.  

The rhythm, the harmonizing, the melody and words speak to me:

“I will be the answer, at the end of the line.  I will be there for you, while you take the time.  In the burning of uncertainty, I will be your solid ground.  I will hold the balance, if you can’t look down.  If it takes my whole life, I won’t break, I won’t bend.  It will all be worth it, worth it in the end.

At first I remain motionless. Then, unconsciously, I slowly unzip my jacket, tossing it aside and stare at myself.  I reach down and slowly lift the white top up over my head.  I stand alone, in my baggy pants and steel gray bra.  My eyes seem especially blue in comparison.  At first, I stare only at my face.  Then I allow my eyes to move their focus to my shoulders, my collar bone and the concave of my throat. There’s that thinning skin again.  I slowly take my eyes further down past my breasts to my abdomen and the bow of my waist. My gaze takes me to my arms, the curves and the unsightly bumps in my body. I reach back and unhook my bra slowly as I stare blankly into my own eyes through the reflection of the mirror of truth.  The fullness of my breasts has begun to shrink of late making them a shape I’m uncomfortable with. I force myself to look.  My eyes take me from head to waist, for that is only as far as I can see myself.  I notice all that is seemingly imperfect and then something in me, something in the lyrics of the repetitive song shifts my train of thought. 

‘Cause I can only tell you what I know, that I need you in my life.  When the stars have all gone out, you’ll still be burning so bright.  Cast me gently, into morning, for the night has been unkind.  Take me to the place so holy that I can wash this from my mind.  The memory of choosing not to fight.

As I continue to stare at what seems like a stranger, tears begin to swell in my eyes.  Soon my heart beats faster and a wave of emotion crests at the top of the ocean of feeling deep within my belly.  The only outlet for this release is through my voice, a wail of sorrow.  I see the grimace in my face as I fight the tears.  I decide to allow the flow instead.  I stare as I weep uncontrollably.

“If it takes my whole life, I won’t break, I won’t bend.  It will all be worth it, worth it in the end. ‘Cause I can only tell you what I know, that I need you in my life.  When the stars have all burned out, you’ll still be burning so bright.  Cast me gently, into morning, for the night has been unkind.”

                                                                              ANSWER – Sarah McLachlan

 Just as fast as the tears had come, they stopped.  I look intently into my eyes.  I like my left eye, but my right is droopy and swollen. I don’t like looking at it.  I’d rather stare at the one that I like what I see.  The sun continues to set, and the shadows dance on my skin.  Different parts of my body illuminate and draw my attention.  I see myself differently now.  I see my skin as soft and glowing.  I notice the softness and shine in my hair.  My eyes are bright blue and I feel comfort looking into them deeply.  My skin looks smooth like silk and my face takes on a glow. I look at my throat and see past the skin and into the part of my body that allows me to speak my truth and the channel that takes in food to nourish me.  My lips look full and soft. I trace the line of my collarbone with my eyes and it takes me down my arms.  These arms that can move miraculously in a variety of ways from getting me dressed in the morning, which can type and write and hold a book. To lift wood that will warm me this winter. To drive a car. To eat.  To create. To reach out and hug.  My breasts now become beautiful knowing they gave nourishment to new life.  My abdomen in all its curves held those lives and provided for them. These external curves miraculously contain my organs that work seemingly without effort or second thought.  Who am I to judge the body that shields them?  My perception changes to one of magnificence.

Again, I see the softness in my skin and now I am grateful.  My gaze takes in my entire body and where several minutes ago I only saw what was wrong; I now see its unique splendor.  How can I complain about the dark circles under my eyes that bless me with sight? How can I be disappointed in my nose when I am able to breathe in the fresh, crisp fall air and scents of the season? The lines of my throat remind me this is my channel that allows me to speak my truth and give me a voice. My rounded shoulders protect my heart, yet lead my upper body in the freedom to move. This body that encases my vibrant, living organs gives me life. 

Suddenly I don’t see a body, but I see light.  I hear a still small voice saying I am perfect. I am magnificently created. I sense the privilege that it is to be in this body that carries my soul around to experience what only we can experience on this earth plane. It’s amazing. It’s beautiful. It’s glorious, this feeling. I see the light that is not only around me, but is also within me. 

Again, I stare into the reflection of my eyes. My face changes from the one that is familiar to me to that of an old, sage woman…then it takes on different characteristics….I am white, brown, red, now yellow.  I am old, I am young, I am disfigured, I am whole, I am lovely. I stare at my left eye and see the crescent of the moon in the iris. The pupil becomes the world, then the universe. I see a simple speck that is one soul. It is so small.  Yet seemingly it becomes so clear how each of our souls are within that speck on this planet in this vast universe that is only one of several. The insecurities, the doubts the pettiness melts away. I know that I am every person. I know every person is a part of me.

The words of the song resonate with me.

My higher self speaks to me. Just when I feel defeated, my higher self steps in and doesn’t bend or break. It holds my balance. I know I am gifted in this life and I am never alone. I feel a burning desire to share my light. There are times others are the light for me, and I am the light for them. The reality of the oneness connects me to our entire planet…to the universe. I am a glorious soul having this amazing experience in this human body. I see the miracle in it now. I am grateful and know that perfection does not lie in flawlessly smooth skin or full round breasts, or a faultlessly structured frame or long flowing hair.  The perfection is just in me being me, and accepting my authentic self just as I am.  I don’t look outside myself to find the acknowledgement of being accepted or to feel desirable, or loveable.  It’s all within me.  While I’ve appreciated the light within myself, I had not fully accepted the shadow side of myself….the parts of me that aren’t so loveable, the thoughts I have that may not be acceptable.  But I’ve learned without the shadow, I cannot possible know the light.  These shadow aspects create the dimension, the balance, the contrast to fully be alive. 

I smile.

The sunset comes through the window and illuminates a soft orange hue across me. Around my head gold illuminates my crown. My body disappears in the shadow. I see only beauty in the light that is me.

The distractions of the night finally make sense to me.  These diversions have brought me full circle….from a place where I thought only in my imagination could I be loved, accepted and desired…and then distracted by the seeming reality literally looking at myself and wondering how I could possibly be any of that…to the final acceptance of myself and the inner knowing, and firm belief that, yes, I am all of that.

DIVERSION – The meaning I have taken and made as my own:  Consenting to the rawness of the road of uncertainty and the ignorance of illusion to shift the way I  look at myself, the way I  think about myself, the way I  talk to myself, and allowing the paradoxical  journey of self-discovery to take me on the various twisting, turning trails of truth to a place where I fully and completely love and accept my authentic self. 

 My goodness, this life is a beautiful ride.

Deanna

Select below for music video:

ANSWER by Sarah McLachlin

 10/21/11

 Row Your Boat

Over the past few weeks I have felt as though I’m a ship lost at sea.  I bob around, with seemingly no place to go and without a sense of direction.  I’ve been in rest mode which has been difficult to accept mentally and emotionally.  I am worthless if I’m not doing something, aren’t I?  Doesn’t society teach us that we constantly have to be moving and shaking…getting things done, accomplishing something?  After all, the longer and harder we sow, the more we reap, right?  Isn’t that how our society values worthiness and defines success? 

Circumstances of late are teaching me differently.  It fascinates me that my body is showing me exactly what it needs.  (“It” meaning physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.)   In this physical body, I’ve done a lot of inner work, learning to listen and pay attention to it….acknowledging how it feels, what it thinks, what it’s doing, what it needs, and at first my mind struggled with the acceptance of it all. 

I recently had an experience where I was unable to get up and face the day.  I normally start my day “working” before I even get out of bed.  Once awake, I have my laptop, pen, paper and begin by “doing”.  This particular day I couldn’t even spend five minutes working.  My eyelids drooped with heaviness, and I’d feel immense fatigue settle in.  I’d lay back down, cocooned in the down comforter and drift off to another plane, but not before feeling my heart race and mind chase the guilt of not “doing” something.  This state lasted for hours, in and out of sleep, in and out of work mode.  In and out of guilt ridden rest mode. 

I finally gave in and heard that still, small voice simply say, “It’s o.k.…..Rest”. 

Once I allowed myself this luxury, it felt as though this ball was rolling around on the game board of life, skirting around all the holes of the unknown, and all of a sudden dropped in place.  Dropped into a place where everything clicks and a level of understanding is reached.  A place that feels safe.  A place I can trust.

In accepting this space, I’m reminded of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s analogy of the childhood melody, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”:

            “Row, row, row your boat” – YOUR boat, not someone elses

           “Gently down the stream” – GENTLY do the work of rowing, why do it in a way that makes you struggle?  Stay in the flow….row DOWN  the stream, not against the current (why make things so difficult?!)         

          “Merrily, merrily, merrily” – Be joyful…do what comes natural that feels good, what makes you happy.

            “Life is but a dream” – Hmmmmm, isn’t it though? 

 So if I am to start to row my own boat, I can make it look like anything I want.  I don’t have to make it fit into the cast of what society says my boat should look like.  That means, if I need to rest I shall rest. 

Sometimes it’s o.k. to float in life…to be in a place to admire the boat you’re in, to feel the waves of circumstances supporting you.  Whether you feel those circumstances are positive or negative, they are all waves that exemplify who you are right now, and how your own set of circumstances have helped you step into the power of who you are and who you are yet to become….your true, authentic self. 

Every person, every situation, every circumstance, every wave is teaching you something about yourself.  It may be the relationship you share with a person that is the catalyst to push you into being the best you can be.  It may be the hurt that helped you find your voice or build your self-confidence and teach resilience.  It may be the heartache that teaches you forgiveness.  It may be the abandonment that reveals within yourself that you are more than this body, and are truly never alone.  It may be the joyful friendship you share with someone that teaches you a sense of humor will get you through anything and to not take life so seriously.  You may even allow yourself to feel an ethereal connection to someone that teaches you there are no mistakes in life, no need for regrets, no room for doubt in feeling what you authentically feel and on some plane, makes you feel absolutely perfect just the way you are…lumps, bumps, quirks, weirdness and all. Now that’s a good wave to ride.

So let go of the expectations in life.  Be true to your own rules.  Sail your own ship. 

“You can’t discover new oceans, unless you

have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

- Author Unknown

Smooth sailing, Mate,

Deanna

Today is a surreal day for me.  Life is seemingly moving in slow motion, yet screaming past me.  As I was driving, it felt as though I was still, not moving, and the landscape on either side rushed to get behind me.  I can only simulate it to driving a convertible, my hair not moving, yet the fields and woods cruise by at 60mph.  My eyelids blinked so slowly, I could see the light through the back sides of my lids. I’d gaze around, in a dream-like state only to notice that while the landscape continually changed, nothing within it was moving….no leaves on the trees, the pines didn’t sway, and the pastures were still, not even the sun mirrored off the highway.

My day started out at 6:00am.  I awoke just prior to my alarm going off, and reached over to press snooze so I could say my six minutes of morning prayers and voice my gratitude for the coming day.  Strangely, I kept falling in and out of sleep, distinctly remembering three different dreams and struggling to get my prayers said in between.  Six minutes.  It felt like an hour.  I start my usual routine and can’t help but notice that I don’t have a spring in my step.  I drudgingly go through the motions of preparing myself to face my work day.  Instantly I feel a surge of loneliness, of hopelessness, of grief.  My heart aches.

For those of you that know me, or have read through previous blogs, you know my cup runneth over….it’s typically more than half full.  Heck, I don’t even have a plain old see-through glass.  Mine is curved and delicately hand painted in vibrant colors.  Typically, through my rose colored glasses, the world is a wonderful place from my perspective, and filled with beautiful people.  I can take any situation, no matter how grave it is, and find the blessing in it.  I can look at people, no matter how vile, and see something good in them.  I can take any hardship and know there’s a lesson in it.  As the old adage goes, this too shall pass, but right now I feel the need to bask in the wretchedness of the circumstances of my life.  Life has thrown me a curveball and I don’t know how to swing.  Heck, I don’t even like this game.  Put me in the stands….I’m sure I’d have a better perspective. I never have been athletic, lucky has been more like it, or at least fortunate enough to dodge balls anyway.  One thing I do know after my 47 years is the game constantly changes.  I shall be patient, and things will work out as they should.  I’ll come off the field, dust off the dirt, head held high that I stayed in and played to the best of my ability, and feel confident that I finished a little wiser, a little stronger.  Next time I’m given the choice, though, I’m picking a different sport.  I’m thinking along the lines of something more at a walking pace.  Strolling would be nice.  Running tires me out.

It’s time to go within. 

  2011 has been a challenging year for many.  It is a year of facing head on old patterns of beliefs and having life situations that force us to look deeply within at what is working in our lives, compared to that which is not for our highest good.  The opportunities to look at our “stuff” have come hard and fast, showing their ugly head directly in front of our faces.  The good news is we are in a position to deal with it and have the opportunity to modify our blueprint. For some, you’ll fall into the same pattern of comfort that you have been used to.  For most, you will see clearly what has worked, what hasn’t and choose to either change the way you look at a situation, thus affecting how you feel, or you’ll make changes that alter your personal canvas to paint the picture of your life that matches the colors of your soul.

You can set the intention to first acknowledge any thing, person or situation that you have allowed to affect you negatively, and then make the choice to gently release that and move forward.  You may recall in the movie “Shrek”, that he compared himself to an onion, he had layers to peel and requested patience while he worked through each one. When we look at pieces of our lives and peel back each layer it’s not to say they won’t come off without tears, but once you’ve shed that which no longer serves you, it is done.  It’s over should you really choose it to be.  Caput.  Gone.  Then, on to the next layer.  While at first glance, this may seem daunting, please know that the bumps in life get smoother.  The down times you’ll find don’t last as long….the curves are fewer and farther between.  You’ll learn that the more grateful you are for what you do have, the more the Universe delivers to you what you want and like.  The key is focusing on what you do have and what you do want, versus what you don’t have or don’t want.  The Universe doesn’t recognize the difference between good and bad, it just hears what you put out there.  “I don’t want all these bills”, for example, translates to, “Bills?  Give her more bills!  Your wish is my command!”.  Instead, how about saying, “Thank you for the opportunity to have electricity, a phone, TV and internet.”  I do ‘this’ (pay the bill), and I get ‘that’ (a valuable service).

One of the most challenging layers is discovering true love.  Too often we look outside of ourselves for someone to notice us, to give us love.  Early on in relationships, both people put on their “A” game, giving attention, showing affection, and offering acceptance of one another’s idiosyncrasies.  It is here that we get caught up in our comfort zone and assume that this is love.  If the words are there, isn’t that enough?  Yet why is it after time we can feel so lonely when we’re together?  At what point did that emptiness sneak into our hearts?  And, where in the heck did all that self-doubt come from?  Now I’m not saying every relationship is like that.  I personally know several that aren’t.  Well, at least a few.  I do, however, feel if you’ve been drawn to read this far, you’ve probably had a relationship that you can relate to in these words.  And better yet, it is my hope that you will find yourself in the words that lie ahead and discover you are love.  It comes not from you looking outside yourself, but seeking that love within.  This is the core from which true unconditional love is revealed.

Earlier this year I participated in a Personal Transformation Weekend facilitated by Neille Arnold at CorePower Yoga in Edina, MN.  During a walking meditation I reflected on the question, “What is Self-Love?”  Here’s my thoughts from that day in early April as noted in my journal:

“Self Love is freedom.  When you fully and openly allow yourself to be free – free of fear, free of doubt and shame, free of criticism, free of illusions, free of judgment, free of power, free of what others think – when you truly allow yourself to be free, you have accepted you for exactly who you are.  You have come to the realization that you are love.  And, until you can stretch far enough, have the courage to fully embrace yourself for exactly who you are, with all your human characteristics, until you have reached that point you can’t possibly know love.  You are not fully open to receiving another’s love if you are not first in this place yourself.  For if you do look outside of yourself for someone to fill that void within you, you are doomed to failure.  The expectations will always be too high for one other person cannot possibly know and accept the depths of your soul – the innermost light and shadows that are within you.  It is like a bucket with a hole at the bottom – it is possible to fill it up, your storehouse of love, but it will seep out draining you and leaving you empty, perhaps even lonely. 

Self love is acceptance.  Accept all the pieces, all the experiences that make you as rich and interesting as you are.  Know that each one, regardless of your perception of good or bad, is perfect for that is what makes you unique and whole.  Wrap your arms around yourself and just sit quietly and hold yourself.  Love yourself.  Forgive yourself.  Accept.  Release.  Be love.  Self love is the greatest gift you can give to our world, our planet, our Universe.  Love yourself first, and the rest naturally follows.  You deserve it.  Love.”

Life’s relationships are simply mirrors of what’s really going on inside us.  While the topic of mirrors deserves a blog entirely on its own, in a snapshot on this subject, when you love yourself, truly and fully, you emit a vibration that will attract that love from another that matches what you feel for yourself.  Take a look at your current situation, whether you are in a partnership or single.  What is it you see in your mirror that is teaching you about how you love?

With blessings to have the courage to dig deep within yourself, I ask you are surrounded with light on your journey of self-discovery to find the most amazing person on this earth….and that’s you, my friend.  That is you.

In awe….sharing a smile from my heart and a hug in the blink of my eyes,

Deanna

I step outside onto the deck that is the same length as the log built house I’ve been invited to.  The double screen doors are wide open, making the outdoors an extension of the home.  All critters are welcome, but interestingly enough it’s as if there’s an unspoken respect that keeps them safe and therefore at bay.  I sit on the top step and gaze across the green, level lawn watching the end of the yoga practice in the grass in front of the lake before me.  It’s early evening, yet still warm as the setting sun glistens across the four yogis in savasana pose, corpse pose.  My favorite yoga position lying flat on your back with arms and legs relaxed comfortably to the sides.  This is the pose that signifies the end of the practice before moving to a new beginning.  As I’m seeing four different body types lying in the grass, relaxed and moist from their workout, and my sister guiding them in their relaxation process, going to each one, caressing their forehead and temples….honoring the gift they had each brought to their practice this evening, I begin to softly cry.  At first I feel a tingling behind my nose, and then my head gets warm and slightly aches before the tears well up in my eyes.  I know it’s not out of sadness, but out of wonder.  How beautiful.  Each one of these people are so different in looks, size, personality, even the ages ranging from 19 to 68…yet each one is lying there with their hearts wide open to the Universe, beaming with love.  Each person is so different, but so beautiful.  As individual as each one is, together, they are One.

And so the theme sets….BEAUTIFUL.

How many times throughout your day are you self-critical?  When your thoughts tell you how out of shape you are, how you’re not good enough, that you’re not good looking, and maybe even selfish or thoughtless.  Harsh words.  While those may not be the specific words in your head, I would bet the chances are pretty great that some of your self-talk is synonymous with them.  We are all guilty of that at various times throughout our lives, various times throughout the day.  May I introduce you to our ego. 

When spending time in Northern Minnesota, I’d go without showering right away….little to no make-up, and I felt beautiful.  Coming home, my ego has stepped back into my consciousness, and pesters me with the negative self-talk.  All I can see is the dark circles, puffy eyes, thin hair, muscles that aren’t toned and thinning skin.  I don’t feel so beautiful anymore. 

Why?  What’s changed?

After sitting with this for a while, here’s what I’ve determined.  I felt beautiful when I was surrounded by feelings of acceptance, gratitude, generosity of spirit, nature, humbleness, balance, understanding, support, openness, laughter, sharing, connectedness, communication and touch.  I felt beautiful when there were no “conditions” to simply be me.  I felt beautiful when surrounded by unconditional love.

My ego rudely welcomed me upon coming home and I was reminded of what I don’t allow myself when feeling bogged down by work, daily demands and assumptions of others actions towards me.  Do I hide behind keeping so busy that I don’t allow feelings of being connected because of previous rejections?  That I don’t take the time for communication, laughter, and understanding?  Do I pay closer attention to what I don’t have than what I do have, thus hindering touch, support, sharing, acceptance and gratitude?  It’s hard to feel the beauty when wearing a veil of guilt, remorse and unworthiness. 

Unconditional Love.  Just what exactly is unconditional love anyway?

Is it staying in a place where there is no connection, accepting that this is my lot, my bed, and I am to lay in it?  Is it choosing to go on with eyes and heart closed, treading water so as not to make waves…accepting what is, as is? 

Or, is it loving yourself enough to know that the core of who you are is worthy, valuable, deserving and beautiful at every stage of life?  Is the feeling of unconditional love the full acceptance of yourself, first and foremost, so you can fully accept others, knowing we all have idiosyncrasies? This is beginning to feel right.  It settles well in my stomach.  It’s like that feeling of someone smirking at you when you’re dancing.   You know that inward, smug smile with a bit of an eye roll look?  Almost as if you dance wrong?  When we are in the moment…in our own world that feels right, and makes us smile and feel wonderful inside, and then all of sudden open our eyes to see this type of reaction, it’s not that there’s something wrong with you (or me)….it’s just that people with that type of reaction just don’t hear the music.  Paradoxically, it’s that they don’t hear the music of their own soul.  They’re not truly listening to the beating of their heart and their internal rhythm, that which makes their heart sing.  They are reflecting onto you what they feel within themselves.  This translates to knowing that others reactions don’t mean you have to put up with them to know unconditional love.  Unconditional doesn’t mean you condone others actions and no matter what they do you have to accept it.  Unconditional love means you acknowledge what’s happening and you choose to not create any attachments to the event or person.  You can look at the situation from a higher perspective, knowing they are doing the best they can, but you don’t have to suffer because of it.  

So here it is as I understand it.  Unconditional love doesn’t mean you accept a situation just because it’s the nice thing to do.  Unconditional love, is seeing what is best for you, respecting yourself enough to acknowledge the difference in one another, and choosing to not react with an emotional charge, but see it for what it is, and let it go.  Let go.  Let go of judgments about yourself or others.  Hold yourself in a place of self-forgiveness, knowing you have done the best you could.  Forgive others knowing they have done the best they could.  The forgiveness releases the resentment that builds within your body which only turns into anger, ultimately ending in dis-ease.  Drop the veil of words you’ve hidden behind.  Show your true colors.  Let your light shine.  When you know your beauty on the inside, it beams from you on the outside.  You are more than words.  You are greater than your ego. 

You are beautiful, and you are loved.  Unconditionally.

My heart goes out to you as you finish this, with love.  For in you, I see myself, as it is my belief that we are One.  And in you, my friend, I only see beauty.

This one’s dedicated to you.  You deserve 4 minutes to hear this for yourself:  \”Beautiful\” by MercyMe 

In awe of your magnificence,

Deanna

Once we recognize what it is we are feeling, once we recognize we can feel deeply, love deeply, can feel joy, then we will demand that all parts of our lives produce that kind of joy.

                                                                                    Audre Lorde  

It’s hard, isn’t it?  To get quiet with ourselves and truly feel what it is that we are feeling?  For myself, I start to “feel” something and sometimes it scares me.  I question if what I’m feeling is real, an illusion, or just my imagination taking me away to distract me.  If it scares me, I quickly shift my thoughts to something else.  I don’t want to face my feelings.  After all, what if they are real?  What will I do about them?  It’s easier to not think about it.  But, sure enough, they’ll resurface, reminding me that what I feel is real, and it is then that I know I have to decipher if these feelings stem from my heart or from my head.  That is how I learn what is real and what is fascination of imagination….what is worth allowing, and what is best off dismissed….when to worry, and when to trust….when to intervene, and when to go with the flow.

Let me explain.

My son has enlisted in the Air Force.  He’s certainly done his homework over the past three-plus years, talking to recruiters, other servicemen and women, etc.  Upon his High School graduation I knew he would enlist either this year or next.  It was at dinner last week he informed me that he enlisted the day before.  My heart clenched.  My breathing became shallow.  I unexpectedly felt fear and a little panic.  The feeling caught me off guard; after all I knew he would be enlisting at some point.  At first I didn’t want to think about it.  I didn’t want to face the reality of what that means to a parent, who on some level is keenly aware of what their kids are exposed to, what they experience and what they endure. The instinct to protect has to be harnessed.  The groundwork has been laid, the foundation set.  When children have reached young adulthood, it is with pride that you support them in their dreams and endeavors.  You have given them wings, shown them how to fly, and now it is time to release and let them soar, for they could not if you still held on.

But how does that feel?  I sat with that for awhile, thinking about why my body reacted in such a way.  I determined this clenching feeling in my heart was actually directed by my head.  It was the final confirmation that this is really happening.  I needed to face the reality that no longer am I in control of my sons decisions.  My ego, perhaps, took that offensively, reluctant to let go.  As I sat with this and focused on what I actually felt in my heart, it wasn’t a clenching at all.  It was more of a burst.  I look at my son and know how quickly he went from pre-school graduation to high school graduation.  In a flash, I have seen the maturity of him physically, but more-so mentally and emotionally.  I am unbelievably proud of the decisions he is making for himself.  I am at peace with his confidence in his decisions.  My heart knows this is right for him, because he has chosen for it to be so.  I’ve always told my kids that they can’t make a mistake in life.  You’ll learn a lot of lessons, mind you, but you can’t screw it up. Every experience, every choice you make will lead you somewhere.  That didn’t come without warning, however, that certain choices definitely make the road more treacherous, difficult and a little longer and more windy!  Regardless of what they do, however, they will emerge stronger, more courageous, and wiser. 

So, now that I’ve taken the time to understand those feelings, it forces me to face more in my personal life.  It’s actually hard to even write about because the reality scares me.  The last thing I want is for my feelings to affect someone else in any kind of negative way.  So what do you do with those feelings that appear to have just that effect?  Stuff them?  Ignore them?  Pretend you don’t feel them?  Those certainly are all the easier route, but my experience tells me that only settles into our bodies as resentment, then anger, then illness.  For me, it’s necessary to face what it is I am feeling and to trust that I can only control my destiny and not the lessons others are here to learn in this life. 

But it’s hard.

That’s when I know I am thinking from my head.  When my ego steps in, it wants to control a situation and how someone feels.  I don’t want them to hurt.  I want to do something to fix it. 

When I look to my heart for guidance, then I know I can only control what I can control, and the rest I need to release my attachment to.  It is my belief that we are here on Earth to learn certain lessons.  It is also my belief that we choose to come back to “school” to continue learning.  (I stress, my belief, this is not fact nor something you have to accept….as with anything I write, take what you will and let what does not resonate go). It is with great caution that I warn you to try to control the feelings of someone else.  It is one thing to support them, but another to try to “fix” them or a situation that you think is better off for them.  We have no possible way of knowing which “class” they are in at “school”.  We don’t know what lessons they chose to come here to learn.  It is not our right to interfere with their soul’s journey.  So, knowing this, it narrows the gap when facing our feelings. 

There are feelings I’m facing of loss, disappointment, confusion, and heartache…and also feelings of exhilaration, connection, hope, wonder and excitement.  I’ve let these swim around in my head for far too long….all of them, and it’s time to sit….get quiet with myself and face each one, bringing them out of my head and into my heart.  From here I can embrace them or release them, depending on what is for my highest good.  I will do so knowing that I need to release the attachment and outcome that have to do with others, as that is out of my control. 

I will listen to my heart and move forward in a compassionate, loving manner, tuning in to what makes my heart sing and allowing those feelings to direct me on my path.  While I feel one of my “classes” is coming to a close, I am thankful for it’s teachings of love, self-worth, self-reliance and confidence to pursue the passions of my soul. I move forward in a place of trust that all the strength, courage, wisdom and understanding is within me, for I (just as you are) am an extension of a Higher Power.  All we need is within us if we just trust that it is so.  It is my intention to surround myself with people that are equally on the same plane, thus creating a loving support system rather than one that is enabling and co-dependent. 

Now that I know I can feel deeply, love deeply and feel joy, I move forward and command that all parts of my life produce that kind of joy, for I am worth it and it is worth sharing.

With blessings that you truly feel, are able to release from attachments, and discover your hearts song for the joyful life you so deserve.

Lovingly,

Deanna

I’ve been contemplating “Being in the Moment”.  It’s not an easy place to be.  Sometimes I find myself anticipating what will happen next.  Sometimes I’m lost in a sea of dreams floating on the possibilities of what could be.  Then other times, I find I question why the heck I just did or said something.  If it’s past, it can’t possibly be the present moment.  And yet again, if I do or say something, even if it’s regrettable, isn’t that being in the moment?  Not allowing myself to think about what I’m doing, just doing it?  Allowing myself to feel?

When my son came home tonight, he sat with me and we chatted.  I couldn’t help but look at him, feeling so much love, that I didn’t want to miss out on just being with him.  I wanted to put down what I was working on and simply dwell on every word.  I will never get a moment, just like that moment ever again.  Why don’t I do that with others close to me?  I can’t help but think it has to do with the amount of love that is reflected back.  Now the love between me, as a parent, and my children is unsurpassed.  It truly is unconditional, and I can’t possibly imagine it being anything less.  They are love.  It’s not that you have to share love to be in the moment, but when it’s someone you love, why would you not?  Why would I not?  What makes me choose to be fully engaged with one person, but not another, even when I love them?  I think it has to do with how closely our vibrations match.

You know the saying, “We’re just not on the same wavelength”.  It is my belief that we are all energy.  We vibrate at different levels.  One level is not any better then another level, they’re simply just different.  Those you match vibrationally are the people in your life you share relationships with that come easy, effortless.  We also have people in our lives where it is more of a challenge, more work to keep the relationship going.  This can be a friend, relative, co-worker, even spouse.  If you vibrate at different levels, one or the other has to adjust to make it comfortable.  The good news is, this is entirely possible. It starts with the acknowledgement that we are different and accept it for what it is.  Then look at them with compassion and love.  They are perfect just as they are, idiosyncrasies and all.  Step forward and truly hear them.  See them for who they are.  Engage in the moment.  You will never get a moment just like that ever again.  (Or you may be thankful that it was only one moment and not several moments!) 

Being in the moment isn’t always about the relationship we have with others, but also the relationship we have with ourselves.  I know I am going to try to simply “be”….not try to fantasize about the future, or dwell on the past.  My goal is to acknowledge my feelings at any given moment.  I won’t try to squash, judge, ignore or analyze them.   I want to accept what I’m feeling just for the sake of acknowledging them.  I want to know what it is I feel when I am fully engaged and in the moment of now.

Right now?  I feel acceptance.  I feel love. 

I’m thinking this is a pretty cool place to be.  Right now.

May you be blessed with the awareness of where you are, right now, and trust that it is exactly where you are meant to be.  May you draw to you those that match your vibration, so your life can shift easily and effortlessly in positive directions. 

Enjoy your moment,

Deanna

February…the month of Love.  How did your month start out?  Mine began with an awakening, a rediscovery….an unexpected resurrection in the very beat of my heart.  And I’ve been searching for the lesson in it since.  While this is my journey of self-discovery, perhaps you will find parts of this within yourself.  Or, better yet, may it challenge you to look within and see what simple awakenings you can stir.  May it be as empowering for you as these last ten days have been for me. 

Do you know what it feels like when someone, even for a split second, spots that awe-inspiring part of you?  When they see within you that amazing part that perhaps has been lying dormant?  I acknowledge the greatness in them for being able to awaken within me that feeling, and I’ve butterflies in my stomach ever since, as I too can now recognize myself in the same way.  I think unconditional love is one of the great lessons. Unconditional love is of the highest vibration.  Unconditional love is a feeling your soul knows to its core, and it is not bound by fear.  Soulful relationships are what we were meant to experience, where the connection between another surpasses the physical.  That very same unconditional love that we have only known as God-love, Universal love since before we were even born.  The re-awakening in this is where we start to love ourselves.  Self-love is the root.  Soulful relationships are the fruit that bears that love.

I invite you to take this journey in discovering your authentic self. 

Empowerment Exercise:

 What part of me do I need to show more love?

Where am I being tested in my relationship with my partner?

Where am I being tested in my relationship with myself?

What are my underlying fears?

What most frightens me?

What holds me back?

What illusions and walls have I built that feed fear and block love?

What boundaries and limitations have I created that keep me from my potential?

What is it that I am afraid of in the journey of my life?

We seek acceptance from others, yet our soul yearns for acceptance of ourselves.  What we are testing in another, we are judging in our self.  What is it we are so afraid of that allows us to judge?  Fear is the opposite of love.  Vibrate fear, and you allow others to buy into the fear that we believe in ourselves.  This can be debilitating in the relationships we so long for. 

We have the power to bring all sorts of love into our life.  Each moment is a new opportunity to see the light in another, to see the awesome spark in someone, and even in our self.  You have a choice….see the light in another, or see the insecure not-lit-up side of a person.  See the light.  If it seems dark, then don’t go to it.  See the light and acknowledge it.  See this light within, and this is your opportunity to blossom into your higher self.

“You yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire Universe, deserve your love and affection.”  -  Buddha

Re-discover yourself.  Know that you are magnificent, and don’t let anyone tell you any different.  You deserve that wondrous feeling of love your soul desires, and return to the love God created in you from the very beginning.  An authentically empowered person lives in love.  When you are connected to Spirit, you are authentic, and you are love. 

I encourage you to take less than four minutes to watch this empowering video “Inspiration of Change”. 

I ask that you receive many blessings for a blissful heart this Valentine’s Day.  Start by falling in love with yourself, and let the candy hearts of your life fall where they may.  I think you’ll be quite thrilled about the results, as the Universe is pouring its abundance of great Love out to you now as you acknowledge your own awesomeness.  As a matter of fact, I too think you ROCK!

Namaste, and love and hugs to all!

Deanna

As 2010 draws to a close I am mindful of so many people struggling through difficulties, financial worries, and healing endeavors. It has not been an easy year for so many.

I’d like to propose a new start for 2011. It’s time to clean out the clutter that harms your spirit and give your ill feelings a chance to transform from a healing gesture.

As you know, giving is a gift that is returned to you tenfold. Whether you donate your time, heart, or skills, all that you give genuinely to others impacts your heart chakra, your spirit, and your vibration.

Giving away your hurts is also profoundly healing because it unclutters your mind, opens your heart and creates a high vibration within you. Have you been wounded or injured by another? Has your spouse cheated, your friend lied, or your professional helpers betrayed you? Have you been robbed by an investor, defamed by an angry student, or verbally attacked because of hurtful rumors and innuendo from a disgruntled victim?

If you are angry, hurt, upset, shocked, afraid or depressed about a painful or difficult situation, then it’s time for my 30 day plan of healing hurt, renewing your energy and reclaiming your power. Five steps will change you for the better.

1. Make a list of three people who have wounded you. Write the names three people who have injured you. Perhaps you’ve been betrayed, cheated, used, teased, defamed, swindled, or some other painful experience.

2. Identify the wound. What did this other person do to you; give a name to the wound.

3. Explore your contribution to the situation. Being spiritually responsible requires courage. Did you get involved with someone you knew had commitment issues before they broke your heart? Did you invest with a financial person you knew lacked integrity? Did you open to and trust a friend you knew was incapable of intimacy or honesty?

4. If necessary (and it probably is) forgive yourself* for ignoring your intuitive knowing. Okay, you didn’t listen to your intuitive voice that said, “don’t do it.” Perhaps your desire for financial gain overruled your inner knowing. And maybe you ignored your spirit’s warning about the potential friend that you knew was incapable of living in a high vibration but you chose to get involved anyway.

*Self-forgiveness comes from identifying your role, and committing to doing things differently by listening to the smart part of you in the future. Forgiving yourself requires your desire to grow and do things differently.

Notice I spoke of self-forgiveness. I said nothing about forgiving the other person. These 30 days are for you.

5. Your healing begins with giving a blessing to someone who has wounded you. Say a daily prayer for 30 days for the other person. Pray for God or Higher Power to bless them. It is not a prayer for something specific, or even healing between you, rather, simply a blessing. God knows and understands the details.

Now at first you won’t feel your prayer, and perhaps you won’t even want to pray it. In fact you might not even believe your prayer at first. It probably will be quite difficult to ask for a blessing for someone who has injured you. But can you afford to wait?

Waiting for the perpetrator to admit his wrong doing, say he is sorry, or make amends, keeps you in a state of spiritual suspended animation. Mistrust, pain, anger, disconnection, resentment, fear, self-admonishment are all responses to your unhealed wounds, and they dampen your joy, cloud your thoughts, and lower your vibration. Waiting for an apology before your move on will distract you from all that is important, and allow your unhealed wounds to fester with cynicism, negativity, and a disconnection God or Higher Power.

Your injuries are a part of your cellular memory until you heal them. Your hurts are carried on your back and weigh you down, until you heal them. Holding on to your pain keeps the injury alive in your cells. You will become your wound and see that wound all around you. It will become your broadcast, your focus, and a permanent source of low vibration.

But here is the good news: When you authentically pray for someone you are angry with, you can’t be in your anger. When you send a blessing to someone who has hurt you, you are not consumed with your hurt. Your blessing is broadcasting a high vibration intention for another human being, which automatically raises your own vibration.

We know that prayers and loving intentions make a positive difference in our world. Your healing intentions will definitely heal you and that is the first step in unwinding a vicious cycle of pain and mistrust. Sending a blessing today.

Need more reasons to send blessings?
1. Your intentions will heal the pain, remove the desire for vengeance, and raise your vibration.

2. Your world will not be focused on betrayal, self-righteous and misplaced hurt and anger, or pain.

3. Your blessing will eventually run through your chakra system and actually feel wonderful!

I am not asking an easy task from you. I am asking a necessary task from you if you are serious about your healing, spiritual growth, and in helping me raise the vibration of our planet to the tipping point of positivity. 2011 is the year for healing and all our workshops will focus on your healing. You will learn, practice, and experience healing techniques.

You are all in my prayers this day to make 2011 a year of healing on all levels.

–Christel

Everywhere I go, people are talking about how “busy” our lives are.  My life is no exception.  I fully grasp the scope of this as I nearly put off “another day” in which I had good intentions to write another blog.  Oh, the excuses!  “There’s no time.”  “There’s so much to do.”  “I’ll do it tomorrow.”  “I’ll wait until I’m inspired.”  “Let me just check Facebook quick.”  Enough!  It’s been weeks….actually nearly 4 months!  It is time to sit, get quiet with myself and tap into what I intend to be a Universal message that is for the Highest Good of all who choose to read this.  The problem is I have no idea where to start.  That is, other than from the beginning.  That’s it, of course!

I have a hard time wrapping my brain around “the beginning”.  What actually was the beginning?  And is the beginning even what we perceive the beginning to be when we most likely are only thinking in terms of the beginning to be this planets origin? 

Beginning.  What a funny word, beginning.  It makes me think of all kinds of things that begin.  Life.  Love.  Laughter….disappointment, frustration, anger, worry, hatred, jealousy, grief and sadness.  Hope.  Acceptance.  Forgiveness.  Contentment.  Gratitude.  Just when did each of these feelings begin in you and me? 

Scan over those words again that describe our emotions.  Can you feel the difference in how it sits deep within you when you read or say aloud the words:  Life….Love….Laughter….Hope….Acceptance….Forgiveness….Contentment….Gratitude.  The words alone resonate at a higher frequency.  When you are energetically vibrating at a higher frequency it is nearly impossible to feel the lower, heavier negative feelings.  Isn’t this the beginning of Joy?

The remarkable thing is that you can take control and set the intention to feel those “good” feelings.  The feelings that make you happy.  It all begins with your self-talk.  

Can you go back to the beginning of this day and be grateful for the things that went right?  Or do you dwell on the thoughts of everything that went wrong?  Take a moment and ask yourself each question.  How does it feel?  Can you see that simply by changing the way you talk to yourself, how it can raise the vibration of how you feel?  Of course, you have to want to change.  We all know people that create their identity on what’s horrible in their life, how nothing ever goes right, etc.  Personally, I choose not to hang out with people like that.  I surround myself with positive, uplifting, but most of all grateful people.  It can’t help but rub off.  I know it makes a difference in my life, and I know it can make a difference in yours if you so choose. 

Feeling well emotionally is the beginning to feeling well physically.  When your thoughts are positive, loving and from a place of gratitude, you find you’ll begin to make healthier choices in your life, whether it’s getting the proper nutrition, deciding to exercise or pick up yoga and mediation.  Maybe you’ll read something inspiring instead of watching the news or a violent movie.  Maybe you’ll clean out your underwear drawer to begin clearing the clutter mentally.  (Refer to my “Clear the Clutter” blog for a great tip!  Yes, it really does work!)  Maybe you’ll reach out to help someone, or share a smile to brighten another’s day.  When you are healthy emotionally your body works on a cellular level to begin the process to heal itself.

If this makes sense to you, and yet you know you’re feeling a little stuck, make a Reiki appointment.  There are several wonderful practitioners in the area, or you are welcome to contact me to set up a session.  If you are unable to come to the Cumberland area, Distance Reiki is also available.  You don’t have to understand how it works, just be assured that energetically when you are aligned, things in your life seem to just click.  Reiki is a great place to begin, and you certainly don’t have to be not feeling well to reap the multitude of benefits it brings into your life.

As 2010 comes to a close and another decade begins, may you reflect on your choices, thoughts and actions to begin feeling, thinking and doing everything you are capable of to share love and light with everyone you are blessed to come in contact with. 

Namaste’ – The spirit in me honors the spirit in you. 

Now…go and hug someone!

Deanna

Yesterday I had a conversation with a WJMC client that I’ve been working with for the past week on advertising for Hahn Roofing.  Robert Maddox is from Iowa, but has spent much of his time in New Orleans with his fifth child, Robert G Maddox V.  Lil Boo, as he is called, is just 6 years old.  He has been in the Childrens Hospital since November, overcoming complications from H1N1.  This remarkable little boy is nothing short of a miracle.  Neither Science nor medicine can explain how he is overcoming such complications.  It can only be contributed to the power of prayer, and the faith of his family.  

Lil Boo’s father, Robert and his wife Renee, pray not just for his healing, but they pray in gratitude for all they are blessed with, and the miracles they have witnessed in their little boy.  It is their belief that God has already set the healing in motion.  It’s their gratitude that they extend to the Lord.  While the elder Robert grew up Catholic, it wasn’t until recently that he has learned to pray in the name of the Lord, rather than serving himself.  The repetitious prayers now have meaning.  The bible is his constant companion when he goes to church.  He can read a bible verse, and is able to remember and quote it fluidly.  He is grateful that he now lives his life to love and serve the Lord.  He’s learned the hard way to not just pray when things are hard, but to equally pray when things are good.  When someone asks him to pray for them, he tells them he has no power…he can’t do it, but he offers to work together with that person to open the door for Spirit to the work.  I can’t help but believe that everyone that has the pleasure to talk with him knows his word is “Hope”. 

Robert talked about Spiritual Gifts and referred to First Corinthians, Chapter 12.  People are blessed and given certain Spiritual Gifts, whether it is Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Workers of Miracles, Prophecy or Discernment of Spirits.  What an incredible lesson to look at our gifts and to use them.  Take, for example, if your father brings to your house the most beautiful gift you can imagine.  You say “Thank you”, and set it on the cupboard.  Each day you walk by it, but still it sits.  When your father comes back, he notices this incredible gift he brought you has gone unused.  Is that not what we tend to do with our Spiritual Gifts?  Even though we know we have it (or more than one), yet we make a conscious decision not to use it, or share it.  It seems ungrateful, doesn’t it?

I encourage you to look within yourself.  Name the Spiritual Gift(s) you have been blessed with and given out of pure Love.  Now, step forward and share your Gift with others.  Let’s set aside the selfishness, or the feelings of inadequacy.  Know that we are all equal in the eyes of Spirit.  We have all been blessed with our gifts because of what we are capable of, and who we came here to be.  We have been given our gifts out of Love, and the most proficient way of sharing our gifts is out of Love.

Then, as so simply phrased by Robert Maddox IV, “The only way to fix the world, is to change yourself”.  Isn’t it time we take responsibility for not what we think is wrong around us, but for what is right within us, and proclaim it at the top of our lungs?  I believe so.  So sing, dance, praise and smile the whole day long….for you have something beautiful to share with the World.

I encourage you to hear Lil Boo’s story in this short You Tube Video, and I ask that you find it in your heart to include Lil Boo, the Maddox family and the entire staff of New Orleans Childrens Hospital in your prayers.

Namaste