FAITH & A CREATIVE MIND = WONDERS

We all know what faith is(believing in things unseen) and whether we think our faith is strong, weak, or somewhere in between we may be surprised to find that our faith coomes in really strong when we are not even consciously aware of it. It is one thing to pray for a healing from some sickness and test our faith in awaiting to see if the prayers are answered. And many of us, in a time like that, may find our faith being weak. But that doesn't mean all our faith is weak. For many of us this day started off with a car ride to work. And I would bet that most of those folks never gave a thought as to whether their car would start and get them to their place of work. So unless you are one of the unfortunate ones who is having to drive a worn out car or truck you may agree that your faith in your car was strong. This is just one example of how we use our faith in lots of "small" things on a daily basis. But when it comes to the "big" things in life, like a physical or mental healing, a new job, meeting our soulmate, making money etc, we oft times find our faith a little weaker. Why is that I wonder? I think I know my personal reasons but I can't answer for you. You will have to examine your deepest thoughts and beliefs to answer that one! But one thing I can tell you is that, in fact, the Universe knows no "little" or "big". It only knows to give you exactly what it is you are holding as your deepest beliefs and thoughts. I might suggest if you feel your faith is weak in any area of your life that you start taking a closer look at your true feelings of your own self-worth. I have known many many folks who would say-"well so and so gets all the breaks and Im just a born loser. Or, they can have faith but Im just not made that way. Or they may say I just cant catch a break, everything is always against me. Or I cant win anything or I Never win nothing or Im the unluckiest person in the world, or blah blah blah--Im sure you get the picture. I truly believe we must first put some faith in knowing that there is a Power that is greater than our own ego self and that this Power plays no favorites and is Always, Always, just waiting for our belief in It to become strong enough so It can make manifest anything we want in our lives. You just gotta believe! Trust me on that one I do know that for sure. Building ones faith in anything takes time and it takes much effort unless you just happen to be a true believer already.I wish you all well in your search for a stronger faith and if life ever does knock you down a bit may I suggest you get right back up, laugh at yourself ,and begin again with an even more determined attitude! I leave you with a quote from Mr Ernest Holmes in his book Creative Mind:"We must come to realize that we are living in a perfect universe peopled with perfect ideas; it appears to us as we harmonize with it." Take care my friends and try to remember to enjoy each and every moment you have, for indeed, that is really all any of us have! I now depart from your company with wishes and prayers for a life that you will find rewarding and full of love, peace, and joy! "HUGS" to all

BEING AWARE OF OUR ONENESS WITH NATURE

It is truly a marvelous and beautiful world in which we find ourselves living as human beings. One "problem" I do see is that we humans mostly think we are the "highest" evolved beings ever created and that the other life forms on this earth are somehow "beneath" us. Well I may agree somewhat in that humankind has evolved but I cant see how we are any "better" than any life form that has been created. And personally I have found that atuning myself with all o f nature is the easiest way for me to remain centered even when surrounded by the "turmoil" of everyday living. Nature can teach us all so much if we but take time to listen and appreciate all that nature has to offer to each of us. I have had many people in my lifetime tell me that they were depressed, sad, and feeling lost. My first words to them was advise them to take a day or evening off from whatever was going on in their life and just get out in nature and attune their minds to everything going on around them. And you know the argument I got most of the time when I suggested that was "But I don't have time to do that". Hey, I know life can keep us really busy but cmon dont tell me that you cant find an extra few hours a week to just "BE" The folks who always said they didnt have time did however find time to watch their favorite tv show, or go to that special concert, or lie around on the sofa feeling sorry for themselves. Its all a matter of priorities I suppose. But I really feel if someone is hurting in any way and feeling disconnected with life they should find at least 1 day or nite a month to get away from everything and get out in nature. Even the bigger cities have parks that are filled with the abundance of nature. As one watches nature it may at first seem scattered and hurried but upon closer inspection one can see nature flows along in accord with its own nature or as I like to say "No hurry-no worry" I read somewhere that George Washington Carver would ask an ailing plant what it needed so he could see to it that the plant was healed. Mr Carver was quoted as saying:" If you love it enough, anything will talk with you." And I must say I agree wholeheartedly. So my friends I do hope you will find time to really commune with nature and that it will help to soothe your soul and make this life even easier. My hope is that each of you will be extremely blessed this upcoming week with much love, peace, joy, and kindness. And don't forget to spread your kindness to all you meet. You are,nomatter what circumstances you find yourself in, an instrument of love and light. Keep smiling and let that Light shine!

GRATITUDE

One of our biggest lessons in this life is to learn to be grateful for everything we are given. And this also includes being thankful for all the times when life seems to make us miserable over something that seems totally unfair and uncalled for. Yesterday many of us celebrated Thanksgiving Day. And it was truly a day when many of us stop to give thanks for the blessings in our lives. Only I personally believe that we should stop every day and count our blessings.One thing I have learned in my life is that the more thanks I give for what I do have, the more gifts I am blessed with. Just like planting seeds in a garden with faith that eventually the seeds will produce for us the gift of something good to eat, we must plant seeds of thanksgiving for things not only which we already have but for things that are yet to materialize in physical form.For me personally, the greatest gifts I have EVER received are the people who are a part of my life. I try hard to never take for granted a loved one whether I see them daily or maybe just once in a great while. And one of the brightest gifts I receive is when I hear from an old friend whom I havent seen or heard from in a while.For to me those friends are just as important and just a sloved as my "close" friends. And yes, I am truly blessed in this regards and as I continue to go along this path in life I hope that everyone of my friends and family members realize just how much I love and adore them. In his book "Spiritual Liberation" Michael Beckwith states: "Evolved people give thanks for life, for the intelligence within the body temple, within nature, for what most people don't even notice as they navigate through their day."And from the Science of Mind Textbook comes this thought:In everything give thanks. An attitude of gratitude is most salutary, and bespeaks the realization that we are now in heaven. I now leave all you beautiful folks with hopes that each of you will be extremely blessed with much love, joy, health, and inner peace as the weekend rolls on. Be safe and remember to be thankful for this one eternal moment which is really all any of us have or will ever have. "HUGS" to all

ALLNESS OF TRUTH

Tell the truth! How many times have we been admonished to do just that--tell the truth? Now don't get me wrong. I firmly believe in the truth and being forthright with others but what happens when ones truth doesn't jive with someone else's truth? I can share with you my "truth" but that doesnt necessarily mean it is the one "truth" for you. You may ask--How can that be? Well take the example of a man who looks at the ocean, he might say"I see an ocean colored blue" And that is his truth for sure. But another man or woman may look at the identical ocean and say,"I see an ocean colored green". And as before that is her or his truth. How can both be truth when they are different? Thats why I say my truth may not be your truth. And back to the ocean what about the person who is born color blind and can see no color but gray? Is his truth right? I know you can see what I mean and this helps me to accept my truth without having to defend it to anyone. And it also helps me to accept anothers truth as right for them even if I agree or not. As human beings we are all ONE as I see it and need to start being more open minded and accepting of others and their cultures and beliefs. I will leave you with a quote from Ernest Holmes' book You Invisible Power. Mr Holmes states the following:"If clear reasoning does deliver the perception of the allness of TRUTH, and if Truth is a synonym for God, then we may say:God is all there is." And from the Science of Mind comes this thought: With our present limited vision, we neither see nor know the real Son, but the Father within knows and understands. In parting I would like to wish all a very happy Thanksgiv ing Holiday to all who observe this special day. Let us be mindful of all we have to be thankful for each moment."HUGS"

TO LOOK FOR SUPPORT OR TO OFFER SUPPORT

Well, we all need the support from others at times. I think there is no way around that for sure. We may say we don't need anything or anybody or their support but I really doubt if that is true. Now we can be our own biggest supporter in some things and we need to at times. But one of the greatest blessings we can do for others is to allow them to offer their support in any myriad of things we are trying to accomplish. There have been times in my life when I felt totally alone and unsupported by anyone including the Universe Itself! Now I realize those times were only short periods when I allowed the "darkness" to cover up my inner "light" because I know we are ALWAYS supported by the Loving Universe. We can lose sight of that fact from time to time but it in no way is it true. At least as I see things.Now, at this point in my life I find myself supported by many family members and friends and it helps to keep me strong in trying to become the best human being I possibly can. When we allow anyone to give us suppoprt in any way it not only helps us but it gives the other person satisfaction in knowing that they have done something good and worthwild for another human being. And for most of us that means a lot. The gift of giving is great in itself but the gift of receiving can be just a satisfying. In her book "Walking Through Illusion" Betsy Otter Thompson asks the following questions: "Do I imitate those who are happy, or only those who speak of happiness?"--"DO I live a satisfying life, or do I anticipate satisfaction down the road?"--Do I look for the best in people or do I look for the worse in people?" Good questions indeed! Betsy also shares the following quote: The soul who looks for support rarely finds it; The soul who offers support always does." My sincere hope for each of you is that your life is filled with a great support system made up of kind loving people who you care deeply about. And may you remember to not only accept support but to be a source of support for anyone who may find your help inspiring. I leave you now with hugs and thoughts of inner peace and joy to come your way now and forever.

LOVE AIN'T NO GOOD TIL YOU GIVE IT AWAY

Well, ya gotta possess a thing before you can share it with anyone else, dont you agree? And more times than not the thing we do possess doesn't really mean that much too us unless we do share it with others. I'm continually amazed at the folks who claim to love someone else but at the same time say they dont really love themselves. Now like Forrest Gump says:" I'm not a smart man but I know what love is." and I also know you cant give away something you dont have in the first place! So in that regards I would say if we want to be a giver of goodness in this life we must first accept and allow the Universe to endow us with the goodness we intend to share with others at a later date. A quote from Kabbalah states the following:First we receive the Light; then we impart the Light. Thus we repair the world. I agree with this thought and my personal intentions are to allow the Powers That Be to endow me with as much goodness and wisdom that I can accept right now so that I can gladly share it with anyone who cares to listen. And my hope is that each one of you will do the same and maybe, just maybe, by working together we can at the very least, make a few lives more comfortable and fulfilled by sharing our good with everyone. God bless you all, and remember that you can make a difference! I leave each of you with a big hug and hopes that your upcoming weekend will be filled with much love joy and peace.

A NEW START

How many times have you said,"If only I could start over."If you are like me you have probably done that a fe w times at least. And this can be referring to anything in our lives from having a second chance with someone we love or another chance at the "perfect" job etc. Well, I must tell you we can choose to start over Anytime we choose to. It may be too late to save that latest romance, marriage, friendship, new jobs, or anything else we have "lost" but regardless we can still choose to start over. And as long as we can start over I think we may as well start over in a new way that wil bring us pleasure instead of torment. Life is more than happy to giv e us a s many chances to start over as we want. Its never too late or too early to begin anew. In Ernest Holmes book "The Creative Mind" he states:"...all that we have to do is to turn from the old way and begin in the new." And the Science of Mind Textbook states: Evolution is the time and the process through which an idea unfolds to a higher state of manifestation. So instead of feeling depressed, angry, or confused by the way things are unfolding in our lives let us right now decide to turn things around by planting a new seed(thought) as to what it truly is we wish to see made manifest in our own lives. After all is said and done the only one responsibile for our lives is ourselves! I sure hope all of yo have a wonderful week ahead and can remember to enjoy each sacred moment we are given. And also try and see if by chance you can do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return. This in itself will be a new seed planted in our subconscious mind which if taken care of and tended to in the proper way will manifest later in our own lives as some kind of goodness. Bless you all!

IMMORTALITY

What if we all are immortal no matter what we do here on earth or by what rules we live by. Just a thought and I sure cant say for sure everyone is immortal. I do believe the spiritual essence of us is immortal even tho the human mind and body isnt. I read a quote from Luther Burbank who says:" My body is no older than my mind---and my mind is adolescent. It has never grown up. It never will, I hope. I'm as inquistive as I was at eight years old." Maybe we all should learn to ask questions instead of just accepting anybody's elses way of looking at things. Then maybe this life could be a little less stressful and a little more loving and kind. Think about it my friends!

A SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP

All relationships of a material existence will come and go as we move through the illusions of this material world. Some of these relationships will be deep, meaningful, fulfilling, long lasting, and truly beautiful. Others may be short, shallow, resentful, and very trying. But no matter what these relationships entail or how long they last they will one day cease to be, at least in the form as we know them now. And each relationship should serve to enable us to become better human beings as we learn to grow and to share with others. On the other hand a spiritual relationship will last throughout eternity ( as the way I see things). I believe that those whom we have deep relationships( such as one with our true soulmate) with shall continue even after so called death comes knocking at our door as it surely will one day. And with all my heart I believe we will be reunited with those whom we have experienced deep loving and learning relationships. In what form we will be reunited I can only wish I knew for sure. In his book titled "A New Earth" Eckhart Tolle states the following:"What remains is the light of consciousness in which perceptions, experience, thoughts, and feelings come and go. That is BEING; that is the deeper true I."And from the Science of Mind Textbook comes this thought: To be spiritually minded is to enter that tranquil atmosphere of pure thought, that "Heavenly Consciousness" which is "the secret place of the Most High" in man(woman). So today my friends let us begin to really enjoy our true relationships with those we love by forgiving each of their faults and forgiving ourselves also, and starting our relationships with a new found feeling of love , joy, and grace. God has been "good" enough to bring those folks into our lives so let us take it from there and treat each other as if today is our last day on earth.And then we can look forward to keeping those relationships ongoing in the "future" spiritual relationships. Lets all be good to ourselves and even better to those we love!"HUGS" to you all!

WHO ARE YOU?

Have you ever asked yourself:Exactly who am I these days? Whether you have or not it may be the time to do it again or for the first time ever.What are we exactly? We all know we are made up from minerals of the earth and we all arrived here on planet earth by the same means.And we also should know that we are what we consume with our daily diet and that we become who we are by taking in all our experiences and acting as we see fit. But we are a lot more than those things make us. And the exciting thing is we are in control as to the type of human being we wish to become. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in or experiences we have garnered, we can, at any moment choose to become someone we can love ,respect and be proud of. I know firsthand just how "hard" it can be to do a truly honest self examination. It is so easy for us to see the "faults" in another but at times we are blind to our own faults. Noone likes to be told by anyone that we are less than a great human being. But if we can just be totally honest with ourselves and not put any "spin" on how we are conducting our lives then that is the first step to total self-awareness. And then we can begin to change the things we dont particuliarly like about ourselves. Also this examination should help us to see others in a totally different light and instead of thinking "less" of them we can accept them as they are and realize that just like us they are on their own personal path to spiritual enlightenment. In my friend's (Betsy Otter Thompson) book "Walking Through Illusion" Betsy states: "You are the Light you let in, the love you give, the beauty you define, and the reason you live." I sure agree with Betsy on that and I would recommend that if you haven't read her book yet, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of it.Betsy is truly one of the most enlightened "souls" I have ever met and she does great work. So right now I sincerely wish for each of you wonderful folks the best of everything that this life has to offer.About the only advice I would ever give is this:Always be good to yourself and even better to those you meet. Be safe out there, have fun, do something nice for someone, and please remember to live each moment to the fullest!

MONEY AS A SPIRITUAL IDEA

Now money is something all of us need to truly live a life that is very fulfilling. There are many diferent ideas as to money and what it means to each of us. To some money is the number 1 quest in this life. To some it is just a means to an end. And to some it is considered the "root" of all evil. As for myself I guess I've been to all those conclusions at one time or another in my life. I've always been blessed in that Ive always had enough to get by on. I've never been "rich" and there are a couple of times when I was down to no money at all. But everytime I do go "broke" there has always been an answer to get me back in the flow of enough money to survive. In reality money is only another illusion of this world( or so I believe). In itself money is just metal or paper and cannot do anything of its own accord. I have now arrived at the point in my personal consciousness that I really dont think much about money at all. Every day I tell myself that I have more money than I am going to spend today so why worry about it. I just expect the abundant universe to supply my every need and so far it has worked out wonderfully. But I kkow its hard to say money doesnt mean anything when one is faced with lots of deblt and cant afford to pay the rent. So again Ive arrived at the point where I believe money means different things to all of us. I think the biggest mistake most of us make is not being content with what we have right now. And when we fixuate on the "lack" in our livves then the Universe just gives us more of waht we are thinking and that is lack. Another problem many of us have with the concept of money is that we believe that it truly is the "root" of evil. And we feel if we were rich we would be lead down a path of destruction. In reality money I believe is a gift from the Powers That Be and is only loaned to us to use hopefully in a positive manner.If we can get used tothe idea that money is a spiritual entity our state of lack will be allieviated.As Catherine Ponder wrote " I bless persons and conditions as channels of my prosperity, but God is the Source of my supply." And a quote from the Science of Mind Textbook says: Let us not say that fifteen dollars is material and the Lord's Prayer is spiritual. Everygood thing is from our One Source or God and it is up to us to accept this gift and our responsibility to use the gift wisely. My desire for each of you is that money will flow freely into your lives and that you will use it to not only better your own life but to help others as well. I hope all of you have a most wonderful weekend!

YOU CAN'T LOVE ANYBODY UNLESS YOU LOVE YOURSELF FIRST

May I ask a question of you? When is the last time you told yourself that you loved yourself? Or have you ever told yourself that? When it comes to love we are a curious sort I do believe. We tell folks everyday we love em but usually neglect to love ourselves first. Maybe cause it may sound a little arrogant or smug or whatever and we are afraid others will accuse us of being too full of ourselves. Now I must admit when I do tell myself I love me it sounds kinda strange but one day I got to thinking. And the question I had was this: How can I or anyone for that matter give away something we don't have. So I figured that if I was to truly love anyone I would have to start with myself. This in turn took me to many different thoughts in my mind. It caused me to take a deep look at who I was and what kind of human being I have become. That journey in itself can be scary as it was for me. No one 'myself included' likes to admit we have faults and that there are things about us that can be "hard" to love. So I had to forgive myself first for all my shortcommings and then go from there. And today I can say I do love myself. That's not to say that I still don't have faults to overcome and Im a long long way from becoming the human being I eventually want to be. But at least now when i tell someone I love them I know I can because I have loved myself first(warts and all) and it is now mine to freely give away. So here you go my friends---I love ya'll , yep every single one of you even if I may not agree w ith the way you are living or not. I can still love you as you are and only hope you are working on becoming a kind caring and loving human being. Try this if you will. Look inot a big mirror and repeat to your reflection I LOVE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE! You may laugh at yourself think its all silly or whatever else but believe me if you want to truly be a loving being you have to love yourself first.Good luck on your personal journey to finding the "good" in everybody and everything life has to offer. I will now leave you with a quote from Oscar Wilde:"To love yourself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."