Are You Putting Off Your Joy? Share the Present of You With the World ...

 Too many people put off something that brings them joy
just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule,
didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence
while you watched something on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said,
"How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gasp and stammer, "I can't.
I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday,
I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain."
And my personal favorite: "It's Monday" ...
She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.
We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained.
We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet.
We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older.
The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer.
One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of
"I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend,
she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas.
Her enthusiasm for life is contagious.
You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet
for a pair of rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream.
It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula
 and eliminate the digestive process.
The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker.
If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to ...
not something on your SHOULD DO list.
If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make,
who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? 

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round
or listened to the rain lapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head?
Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift ... thrown away.
Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

Life may not be the party we hoped for right now ... but while we are here we
can dance it into being!

Remember: Life's a gift, that's why it's called "THE PRESENT".
Share the "Present of You" with the world.

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A Pure Heart - What is it really?

For many years I thought a pure heart was a person who felt no negatives,
no hurt for another, no ill feelings, no selfishness, no impure thoughts.
I thought it was an individual who only held the highest love, felt the highest
and grandest feelings within and only good qualities, lived in a person with a pure heart.

Today I share with you the truth from my heart to yours ...
Today, I was told by another that I had a pure heart ... something I never considered myself to have.
If you could have heard her words, it would have brought tears to your eyes as it did mine.
But what is most important is what I realized and I hope it will help you see the beauty in yourself.
My heart is no more pure than hers or yours or anyone's ...
and those that I see with a pure heart have no more pure in their heart than yours or mine.
It was what she saw in my expression that was pure.

You see, I am a very selfish person actually,
but when it rises in me, I choose otherwise, it is never outwardly expressed.
I control that part in me so it does not come out ...or is not shown or used. That is all.
That is the only difference between me and one who outwardly chooses and expresses selfishness.
So many of you are out there trying to release things - there is truly nothing to release ...
there is only acting on or not acting on.
If a negative didn't rise in you ... how could you choose the opposite?
These are not bad things ...
they are beautiful for they show us the way to the beautiful choices available to us.

You see, a pure heart comes from a person who makes individual choices as to what to act on.
They have the same things and issues rise in them as everyone else on the planet ...
selfishness, ill feelings, hurts and negative qualities.
But it is "their choice" ... the choice of which qualities they choose to express out of their beingness.
When one chooses to only express the grandest qualities ... they appear to all others as being pure,
and in all actuality...they are. For they have won the battle within to express their Divinity.
Others will even argue with them, trying to show their pure heart to them
and how they are different ... but they are not different. It was their pure choice. This is truth.

 A thing rises in us ...
 It is either a grand thing or a not so grand thing or anything in-between.
Normally we re-act on whatever it is.
Create a warrior of Love within yourself.
The next time something rises in you ... let your warrior examine it before you re-act on it.
Ask yourself ... Is this who I want to be?
If not, thank your warrior for holding this while you pondered it,
thank the thing that rose in you for showing you a lesser expression of yourself
and then choose a grander expression with that knowledge in heart!
And when you least expect it, someone will walk up to you and tell you  ...
"You have a beautiful heart.".
 Unity 2003 - Author of, "Through the Eyes of the Heart".

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THE ONLY PRAYER

If the only prayer you ever said was "Thank You" ... that would be enough.

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A WORLD IN US

Each friend represents a world in us ... a world, not born until they arrive
and it is only by this meeting ... that a new world is born

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TRUST

When we trust ... we enter a state of absolute freedom and joy.
We don't have to do anything ... everything is already done
we don't have to change anything ... everything is already perfect
we don't have to go anywhere ... we have already arrived.

When we trust ... we know who we are
we are free ... and we experience the pure joy of being.

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IN TRUTH, IT IS

"So think as if your every thought
were to be etched in fire upon the sky for all and everything to see.
For so, in truth, it is.

So speak as if the entire world
were but a single ear intent on hearing what you say.
And so, in truth, it is.

So wish as if God himself had need of you. His life to live.
And so, in truth, he does."

~ From the Book of Mirdad ~

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TOO OFTEN ...

Too often we underestimate the power of
a touch. a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

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Listen For My Bell

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.
From a distance, each looks like every other horse.
But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing.
If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound,
you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to her halter is a small bell.

It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.
As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him,
and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is,
trusting that she will not lead him astray.
When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening,
she stops occasionally and looks back,
making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses,
God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect
or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell
 of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.

Good friends are like this ... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.
Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

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"Isn't Spiritual Supposed to Be Free?" 

Exchange is one of the Laws of the Universe and it is a very important law for us to come to understand.
Sadly, many of us were brainwashed into thinking spiritual should be free. 
What became of this was, those who were truly helping others on a full time basis suffered deeply because of it.
How do I know? I was one of those healers.

We need to ask ourselves if there anything spiritual about the one giving ... going without?
What is spiritual about the ones helping others spiritually, such as our healers, teachers, mentors
 and counselors going without? Do they not also have a physical body and physical needs just like we do?
Do they not also have to put food on their tables and buy clothes and other essentials after helping others?
Do we not pay our plumbers, electricians and donate in the baskets passed around in our places of worship?
Is it Loving to receive something spiritual and not give something back of equal value for the time shared?

The Universal Law of Exchange has been one of the toughest things for me to accept in my life,
 for I too believed everything spiritual was to be given freely and for free.
But I know now in my heart because of my life experience, the law of exchange is truly Divine, it is Love Itself.
For you see, I gave freely to others for over thirty years, I felt a calling in my heart to share what I knew.
I spent countless hours helping others in every way I could.
I received so many thank you's and hugs during that time and they were very precious to me,
but to be honest, those hugs and thank you's did not help me put food on my table.
Those wonderful ways of thanking me didn't help me meet my physical needs, nor did they
give me that precious commodity called ‘time’ back, so I could get all the chores waiting for me done.
I went without while helping thousands. I believed something without thinking about it with my heart.

If we do not come to understand this beautiful law, there will be no healers and helpers left,
for many of them have already gone down helping countless others without being helped back.
Many of our healers and spiritual helpers have gone without
because of their Loving choice to be of service to us.
We need to be responsible and recognize that if we have received something of value from another ...
we need to give something worthy back. The more loving we become,
the more we will understand the importance of this law called exchange.

When an exchange is given ... it signifies the time shared by another had honor and worth.
The receiver realizes the giver could have been doing something for themselves during that time.
Sadly, many of our gifted healers who have not been compensated for their time with us
are no longer here for us ... because they have had to go back to working regular jobs
in order to make the money needed for their physical needs. Needs that they have let go for a very long time.

Exchange shows we understand the importance of returning something of value for the time shared with us.
Exchange shows we realize their time is important, that they need to pay for food, clothing and shelter too.
It is the realization that a thank you or a hug in return, just isn't a real or fair payback.

Without receiving an exchange whether the exchange is money or time itself helping them to get things done,
our healers and those that help others on a regular basis, go down.
Their load becomes to heavy because as they continually help others,
they still have to accomplish all the things they need done in their own lives.
Acknowledging and helping them back in some way ... is not only honorable, it is Divine.
Unity 2006 - Author of ,"Through the Eyes of the Heart".

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The Bud verses Blossoming

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud
was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
-Anais Nin

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My Religion Is Very Simple ...

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
The Dalai Lama

My religion is very simple also ... my religion is Love.
Unity

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The Greater Battle

“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men,
is he who would conquer just one - himself.”
-Dhammapada, 8, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

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A Wonderful Message by George Carlin

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers,
wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment,
more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast,
get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait.
We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever,
but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character,
steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce,
fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality,
one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.
A time when technology can bring this letter to you,
and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe,
because that little person soon w ill grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you,
because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it.
A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares?
George Carlin

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Ego Was Given A Bad Rap ...

Everything is changing. We are changing. Things that we once believed are changing
and the time has come to re-evaluate everything we have come to believe.

Take a minute and say the word ego to yourself. Focus on the word ego for a while
and see how the word ego makes you “feel” inside.
When many of us hear the word ego, we go to something negative
because of what we have been told about ego.
Unfortunately much of what we were told was about an unbalanced ego.

It came to me the other day that many words are being spelled backwards these days to make new words.
So I have come up with a new word for ego. The word is oge. Oge is pronounced ooogeee. 
Now take another minute and see how the word oge feels to you.
Focus on the word oge for a while and see how the word oge makes you “feel” inside.
Oge sounds like someone you could be friends with, doesn’t it?

It is way past time for us to become friends with our ego because our ego is really our inner child.
It is the part of ourselves that is scared, fearful and constantly needs to be reassured.
It is the part of ourselves that we have put down and let others abuse. 
It is a part of ourselves that needs to be nurtured in many ways.
When we realize we are Love, everything changes.
When we Love ego, ego balances and everything changes.
When ego realizes It is Love, life changes in the most miraculous ways.

Well, if you’ll excuse me … me and ooogeee are going for a long needed walk.

Written by Unity, Counselor of the Heart, June 2007
Author of “Through the Eyes of the Heart”

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The Walking Stick Story and A Lesson Well Learned!

An enlightening story for healers and those who think they constantly need to help others.

One day I was coming out of the door of the camper we were living in
and I noticed a regular visitor, a walking stick. He had picked an awful place to rest, I thought,
right there on my door, he could get hurt with us going in and out of that door.
So I decided to help the walking stick.
I moved him over to the picnic table where I thought he would be safe.
Well the picnic table was very close to the bird feeder
and before I realized that the picnic table might not be a good place to put him,
a bird took off one of the walking sticks legs!

Well I ran over to help the walking stick once again.
The poor thing now only had five legs, so I moved him over to our tent.
Walking sticks seemed to like to crawl up the screening on the tent
and I figured now that he had a leg missing it would be easy for him to maneuver there.
Smiling and frowning at the same time because of the mishap
and the good place I had thought of to put him,
I left him alone.

I went back in the camper for while and then went outside again to check on my walking stick friend.
As I looked over our tent, my eyes went to the top where all the poles fit into a pentagon shaped holder
and there between all those poles was one of the biggest spider webs I had ever seen.
My eyes began frantically searching the tent for the walking stick.
I found myself focused about an inch away from where the web began and much to my dismay …
there was my friend about to walk right into it!
I couldn’t stop thinking about the spider’s sting if I didn’t get to him in time! I had to help him!
Well the top of the tent was high and I couldn’t quite reach the walking stick
 but I was determined to rescue him.
So I began jumping up and down and hitting the tent.
Well the walking stick bounced off the tent and hit one of the poles on the way down
and he lost another leg!
Now he only had four legs and the legs he lost caused his balance to be off.

I had to do something!  In my great want to help
I ran inside to my computer and searched the internet to find out what kind of food
walking sticks ate so I could put him close to his food since he was having so much trouble walking.
I found that they ate oak leaves. Well  we had an oak tree right behind the camper.
All I had to do was put him on one of the leaves. So I picked him up once again,
walked over and got on top of our lawn mower that was sitting on a trailer
but those darn leaves were too high to reach. Wobbling horribly and with my arm at full length and stretched out, I finally got the walking stick on a crooked hanging oak leaf. I did it!
I had helped him get to his food source, and satisfied with that I left him to live out his life.

I went back inside the camper but after a while my curiosity got to me
so I went out to check on my friend.
He had fallen off that crooked oak leaf, he was missing another leg
and was on the ground being eaten by ants! I couldn’t believe it.
I picked him up and brushed all the ants off him.
I then climbed on top of the lawn mower again and balancing the best I could
with the poor walking stick in hand, I reached and pulled off the very leave he fell off of.
I went into the camper and got a clear shallow dish to put him in.
I crumbled up the oak leaf and placed it next to him and I put a little purified water in there too.
I had to care for him from now on because he couldn’t make it on his own anymore.
But where would I keep him?
I couldn’t take him inside my camper in that dish because my kitty would eat him for sure.
I had to think this out.
So I put the dish containing my walking stick friend on the seat of an outside chair
that was shaded from the sun by our awning ... while I pondered what to do.

I was only in the camper a half hour trying to figure out what to do
when I decided I should go out and check on him.
Well, the sun had traveled across the sky and was shinning under the awning directly on that glass dish!
There was the little walking stick fried and stuck to that hot dish.

So the next time you think you're helping someone or something, you might want to think again …
because that little walking stick was just fine where he was until I decided to help him, over and over and over!

Written by Unity, Counselor of the Heart, June 2007
Author of “Through the Eyes of the Heart”

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... A few thoughts holding great wisdom ...

The Greatest Discovery
The greatest discovery is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.
William James

We Are ...
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle

Fretting over something you have done in the past?
Ever hear the saying, Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it?

Wish you could go back in time and change something you did in your past?
 From the Comic Strip, NON SEQUITUR by Wiley Miller

                Danae (a little girl): Can you send me back to yesterday, Jeffrey?
                Jeffrey (a very intelligent little boy): Sure, but it won't work, Danae.
               Danae: What won't work?
               Jeffrey: The main Reason anyone wants to go back a short period of time is to undo a mistake.
                            But it never actually works.
               Danae: How come?
               Jeffrey: It's a time travel paradox. Undoing a mistake erases the memory of it because now
                            it never happened.
               Danae: Well, DUH .... That's the whole point!
               Jeffery: But then you don't LEARN from it and end up making the same mistakes over and over again ... 

It Looks Bad Now ...
Ok, it looks bad right now, but calamity and opportunity can be two sides of the same coin.

Reward
"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it."
John Ruskin

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Forgiveness

In the Babemba tribe of South Africa, when a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly,
he is placed in the centre of the village, alone and unfettered.

All work ceases, and every man, woman, and child in the village
gathers in a large circle around the accused individual.

Then each person in the tribe speaks to the accused, one at a time,
each recalling the good things the person in the centre of the circle has done in his lifetime.
Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy, is recounted.
All his positive attributes, good deeds, strengths, and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length.
This tribal ceremony often lasts for several days.

At the end, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration takes place,
and the person is symbolically and literally welcomed back into the tribe.
~The Art of Forgiveness~
(What a wonderful way to remind someone of their grandness and how beautiful it is when they express It)

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Forgiveness can take forever - but Love will set you free

Everyone seems to be working on forgiveness these days.
We want to how to truly forgive so we can be at peace.
We want to experience this feeling we have been told about that truly sets us free.
The truth is, the feeling and freedom we are looking for
does not come from finding forgiveness – it comes from finding Love.

We were told that if we can find forgiveness we will feel better.
We know we need to find something
because we are not enjoying feeling bad, hurt, angry or resentful in any way.
We also know that if we continue to allow negative feelings to bother us,
that we are literally hurting our mental and physical health.

Because we have been told that forgiveness brings us a feeling of peace,
and peace is what we are seeking … we attempt to forgive, over and over.
But forgiveness evades us because when we try to forgive,
we find ourselves focused once again on those hurtful feelings we hold
and then the painful events repeatedly circle in our minds. We cannot free ourselves of the drama.

Therefore we need to take a closer look at forgiveness
for it is virtually impossible to forgive something when we keep focusing on the hurt and pain.
How can we be at peace if we are continually reliving the pain and hurt of an event
in our thoughts and hearts? We can’t.

Once upon a time an old man was robbed at gun point and he was beaten until he fell to the ground.
He was found and taken to the hospital. During his recovery the nurse who was taking care of him
noticed how undisturbed he was about the event.
She asked him how he could be so peaceful
and why he wasn’t angry at the man who did this horrible thing to him.
The old man answered her and said; “I guess it all depends on how you think of things.”
He began to explain that as the robber was taking all of his things; among them was a gold watch.
The old man described to the robber that his grandfather had given him that watch just before he died
and he asked the robber if he could please keep the watch because it meant very much to him.
The robber looked at the old man, grumbled and threw the watch back at him.
The robber then fled the scene and left the old man lying there.
The old man explained to the nurse, when I think of the robbery what I choose to remember is this,
the robber gave me back my grandfather’s gold watch that means so much to me,
and even though he had a gun he let me live. He didn’t have to do either.

As much as we would like to, we cannot change another, what another does
nor did - we can only change ourselves.
Peace comes from finding and thinking something good about even the most hurtful events.
It does not come from thinking and reliving the hurtful parts of the events we found ourselves in.
To find peace, you must first find something golden (the silver lining) to focus on.
Peace accompanies Love (the goodness or positive).

This wisdom is presented so you can feel good and be at peace when you think
about an uncomfortable event or are with or think about a person that bothers you.
It is very important to understand that this finding something good is for “you”.
It is not for anyone but you. It is not for the one who you believe hurt you.

The ultimate wake up is most of us end up working on forgiveness forever,
but if we find the Love we will set ourselves free of whatever it is.
There is no forgiveness – there is only Love.
Our challenge is always to find the Love (the good and the positive).
When we do - having to forgive anyone or anything disappears f
or we are no longer focused on, and bound to, what is wrong or what hurts.
It is the only way to truly be free of the negativity we are holding about any person or circumstance.

The old man found two good things, so can you no matter what has happened in your life.
The moral ends up being … find the Love (something - anything positive to look at)
or suffer the (consequences) worst of the event over and over in your mind and heart.

Therefore, if you are feeling bad and you want to feel good - change what you are thinking about now
and how you are currently looking at the situation you feel bad about.
Change your perception – how you see the circumstance or person.
Each thought causes you to “feel” a certain way.
You can change how you feel by simply changing your thought.
To feel good, find a good or positive thought to focus on.
You need to find at least one good thing about the person or circumstance that is bothering you.
The more good things you find, the better you will feel.
Focus on these things and receive the gift your shift in perception blesses you with.
This positive action on your part is how to make a life change; this is how to make your life better.
It is the miracle of Love.

Forgiveness doesn’t work for the most part
because it puts you in a place of focusing on what is wrong and what hurts.
Finding Love works because when you are focusing on what is positive you naturally feel good.
Finding the Love or good in things is how you experience life in a joyful way.
When you get used to finding the Love in events, others and yourself,
you experience a taste of heaven no matter what is going on in your life.

It is now that your homework truly begins.
Every time your focus goes to back to the negative event or to negative thoughts
about another (in the beginning we normally find ourselves reliving our negative thought patterns) –
your job is to focus on the good and the positive.
Keep returning your thoughts to the good and positive things you found.
Every time you find yourself thinking about the event in a bad way -
quickly return to the more Loving thoughts.
Eventually the ping pong game of going back and fourth will slow down.
You will be able to hold the good Loving thoughts … and as you do, you will be free.
Free of the pain. Free of feeling bad. Free from having to forgive.
And it will all be because you chose a Loving focus, you chose to find the Love -
which is usually our challenge to begin with.

Love doesn’t change the past, but it does change the present and how you feel now.
The choice was always Love. In the end all that matters is Love. Let what they did – be.
Do yourself a favor, find the Love now and set yourself free.

Written by, Unity - (UnityLove) - Counselor of the Heart - August 2007

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