UPDATE ON MY LAST POST:GREED

Hey folks. Sure hope all of you are doing great and that you will have a fun and safe weekend filled with much love,peace, and joy. Much to my surprise when I went to our mailbox this afternoon there was a letter from the aforementioned dentist office where my wife had been taken advantage. I opened the letter and enclosed was a check for 57.00. Nothing else mind you, not even a note to say sorry about the misunderstanding. Too bad I had to file a complaint with the BBB to get them to do the right thing. I have learned another lesson from life and for once I managed to get our money back. Just thought Id let ya know. Take care and enjoy every moment you have! Life is just so short so tell those you love and care about just how much they mean to you today before its too late!

GREED

Is it just me or has almost everybody gotten so greedy that they will do anything for a dollar? I remember back a few years ago when you could get a buy on a purchase for a fair price. Or pay your monthly bills and still have a little money left over? Seems to me like all the companies or service providers I now deal with wont be happy until they get our last dime. They want it all for themselves and dont care if they leave a body with a dollar to spare or not. And one of my pet peeves is paying a dear price for a service or product only to find out I have been taken to the cleaners once again. Ill give you an examp;e of what Im talking about. Last week my wife was having some trouble with a tooth that had been capped a few years ago so she made an appointment with our dentist.Once there they did an xray of the tooth in question and the dentist assured her there was no problem of any kind with the tooth. My wife came home delighted that all wehad to pay was 26.00 for the exam and xray when she had been afraid it would need a new crown. Before she left the dentist office that day he told her she had not had a dental exam and cleaning fora couple of years and that it would be a good idea to get one done.So before leaving she scheduled an appointment the following monday for the cleaning. She asked them how much it was going to cost and they told her 126.00 total. When she went back for the appointment the dentist looked at the tooth he had xrayed on friday and this time he said it was cracked and needed to be recrowned at the cost of a cool 1 thousand dollars. Now this same dentist had crowned a few of her teeth a few years back and the the cost was 775.00. I always thought the price was way too high but I suppose that is the going rate these days. Since we dont have dental insurance we will have to pay all of it out of pocket.But thats not what really teed me off. After the cleaning my wife went to pay the126.00 she had been told it would cost. But the office girl told her it was 183.00. She asked why the price was not what she had been quoted. The girl told her it was for the xrays they had taken.Because my wife is such an easy going person she went ahead and paid the 183.00. When she got home and told me that I was furious.I mean they should have told her the xrays were gonna cost extra . She was led to believe that 126.00 was all the costs and that the xrays were just a normal part of the exam since they failed to tell her it would be extra. I tried to remain calm and called the office and talked to one of the women in the office. I informed her I thought we had been overcharged and would she kindly take the 57.00 off of our credit card. She said she would check with the other folks and call me back. A few minutes later she called and informed me they had no intention of refunding us the difference. OK , you may think 57.00 is not much and that I should just let it drop. But when I feel a wrong has been done to anyone I think the wrongdoer should at least be made accountable.Too manytimes in the past when things like that happened to me I would just chalk it up as a lesson and go on. But for the past few years I have decide to stand up for what I believe in. I told the lady on the phone that I couldn't believe that this dentist was so greedy that he would not do the right thing.I started going to him over 25 years ago and when I married 15 yrs ago my wife went to him and we spent a bundle of money mostly on my wifes crowns. Then 4 years ago my wifes folks moved to Paducah and we set them up for their dental work with this dentist.All the money and business we gave to him and he cant see clear to do the right thing. Well I can only tell him that decision will cost him a lot more than the 57.00 he screwed us out of.My wife has already found a new dentist and he has started on 2 new crowns for her at 900.00 a pop.He normally charges a little more than that for crowns but he cut us a break since she was a new customer. I have also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau against our previous dentist. Now do I think we will ever get our money back? Probably not. But thats ok cause now that dentist will have a pending complaint against him unless he makes it right.And I also intend to tell everybody I can about this guys practice. So whether its a dentist or some other service company I would advise that before you trust them with your money it would be a good thing to check with the BBB first. Like I said I may be wrong feeling the way I do but Im just damned tired of people ripping me and anyone else off. You know I hate to use my blog to vent about my own experiences and you may find it quite boring and I wouldnt blame you a bit. But I do feel better now that Ive written my feelings down . Now I can just say thanks to our old dentist for making me angry because that has helped me to grow a little bit more spiritually. I sure hope all of you have a better experience with all your business dealings. God bless all of you

WISHFUL THINKING VERSUS CONVICTION

Webster's defines conviction as a strong belief. How strong a belief one has will determine the outcome of any given circumstances. Lots of us, myself included, often times confuse conviction with "wishful thinking" and that is what makes for all the confusion in our lives.Well, maybe not all, but a lot of it Im sure. How many times I have mistakenly thought my beliefs were a conviction when in reality it was more of a wishing or hoping rather than a real conviction of belief. I've seen folks who claim they are sure they have found a conviction in that their life is about to take a turn for the better turn right around and sabotage that belief with words or thoughts to the contrary. Its kinda like someone saying I have all the faith in the world that tonite is the nite I finally hit the big one in the lottery. Yet when they go to buy the ticket they mention to the clerk that they never win anything. They say they are unlucky but at teh same time they tell the clerk that tonite is gonna be different because they have been thinnking positive thoughts. I would argue that all they have really done is mask their "hope" and "wishful thinking" in a cloud of confusion. They do not have a conviction and the thoughts they are putting out to the Divine Mind is this: "I don't really believe deep down that Im gonna win anything but theres always a small chance. Cant you help me?" From the Gospel of Thomas comes this quote:"You must seek in order to discover the Spirit and Truth and must continue seeking until you realize the Spirit indwelling you and know teh Truth in your own experience." And from the SOM Textbook pg 499: A silent conviction is worth more than the loudest proclamation from the housetops of those who shout affirmations to the great nowhere. So right now is a great time for all of us to figure out just what it is we desire from this life and then work on attaining a conviction that willo be strong enough to allow our desires to be made manifest. The best to all of you.

THINKING TRUTH

Well, certainly one person's truth may not be the same for another at any given time but rest assured there is a greater Truth "out there" just waiting for us to gather it in and accept it as the One Truth. I firmly believe this truth is the one that tells us we are ALL one in spirit and will one day arrive at this truth in our consciousness. It may be hard to see at times and you have every right to disagree with my way of thinking but to me it doesnt change any thing really. Here is a quote from Christian D. Larson from his book Pathway of Roses: "The states of mind will always be true so long as the mind thinks the truth---- thinks the truth that man (woman and children) is in the divine perfection of his (their) real spiritual being." And also from the Science of Mind Textbook pg 142: When we understand the Law, we learn to consciously embody what we wish, and think of this only, and then we are drawn silently toward it. My personal hope and desire is that each of us quickly learn to accept this Truth and begin living our lives as One race--human beings! May all of you be safe and have a most wonderful week ahead.

THE ONE SOURCE

Have you ever felt out of place, alone in a crazy world, misunderstood by most people, or just experienced a vague feeling that something is missing or out of place? Have you ever felt that life is something greater or more supreme than you yourself are? Have you ever felt you are just not in the right place but at the same time you don't know where it is you are supposed to be? I believe most of us have experienced one of these feelings or something very similiar to that at one time or another. Believe me, I know I have felt that way many a time. And its not so much a "bad" feeling as it is one of restlessness or just not knowing which way to turn next. At any rate its not a very "good" feeling to experience but I have found that when I am in the midst of one of these periods it has always made me stop and take a long honest look at myself. And by doing that I believe I have used those times to grow spiritually and realize who I really am. Even tho I may still have doubts from time to time I believe that all of us as human beings are exactly where we are meant to be at every precious moment. It may not seem like it and it may not be much fun at times but it is a necessary step in ones evolution of self and mind. I truly believe with all my heart and soul we are all "ONE". We come from the same Source and will return to that Source when the time is right. I further believe we are always "connected" to our Source which then makes all of us connected. As Isha Upanishad speaks to Spirit: "Source of life for all creatures, spread your light and subdue your dazzling splendor so that I may see your blessed self. Even that very Self am I!" And from the Science of Mind page 28:We shall never encompass God (Spirit), and yet we shall always be in God and of God! I bid all of you a good night and hope and pray that tomorrow's sunrise will find you happy, loved, safe, and feeling great!

COMING BACK HOME

Just like the biblical story of the Prodigal Son we must all learn to find our way back home if we are to live this life fully and attain enlightenment to some degree. By going back home of course I don't mean we shall all go back to where we were born in this world. The home I speak of is our "Spiritual" home. And this home also is not to be confused with any religious teachings of a home somewhere "out there" above us far away in the etheral expanses of outer space. Again please dont get me wrong; if you believe in a home in Heaven or anywhere with your God that is ok by me. But for this essay that is not the "home" I am speaking of. The one I speak of is the one that lies deep within our souls that is oft times hidden or obscured from our immediate view as human beings.And no wonder it becomes clouded what with all the "junk" we deal with on a regular basis. Most of us get so caught up in our daily lives( jobs, children,spouses,debts, etc etc) it really takes an effort to turn ones attention to their inner home. But when we do discover we have made it back home toour center we find all is well. Therein lies all the answers we seek, all teh love and peace we desire, and the complete stillness that tells us everything is ok andf that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.As Joel S. Goldsmith puts it:"Each one has to find himself (herself) to be the law of life unto his or her own being---the kingdom of his her own being." Another quote I really love is found in the Science of Mind page 127--When we know our oneness with God (Spirit) and Law, what a great burden is removed. My sincerest hope is that each one of you beautiful people will soon find your way back home if you have not already arrived. Peace and love I leave with you. Bless all you gentle souls.

YOU ARE MY HERO

I truly believe that inside each of us there lies an unlimited potential that few of us ever truly realize we have, let alone use that potential for greatness. As human beings it is so easy to look at others and see the great things they accomplish and thus they soon become our "heroes". Don't get me wrong, I think all of us need a hero or two in our lives. Maybe these heros are just ordinary people who we depend upon to help keep us sane at times. These heros come disguised as family members, friends, artists, authors, sports stars, and yes I believe even those we may call foes can really be a hero at times. I classify anyone who helps me along in this world to grow and to learn as one of my heros. I have so many untold heros that have written books for me to read, that have taken a moment to say hello and how are ya, that have turned their back on me and forced me to do the thing for myself, heros who have allowed me to be a small part of their lives, heros who have overcome great odds and accomplished much good while leaving me with hope for myself in accomplishing things I previously thought unattainable.Yes, Ive been fortunate, my life has been filled with heros of all kinds, some that never even considered themselves a hero.I would have us all realize that at any given time we may be a hero to someone without even knowing it. So instead of looking at all the heros out there and saying I wish I could do something grand, look inside, dig down deep, find that unlimited potential for good, and let Spirit lead you on to becoming someones hero if only for a fleeting second. We are all the Light that shines from infinity and thus beyond. I leave you gentle souls with this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:"Insist on yourself; never imitate......Every great man(and woman) is unique."