Gratitude

Practicing the art of gratitude is one of the key things to learn on your pathway to joy. Gratitude enhances a person's self concept and outlook on life. Paying attention to even the smallest things can transform emotions from negative to positive energies. When you have "one of those days," you start feeling the negative energies take hold of you and then everything seems to go wrong. The negative energies will continue to increase as long as there is more focus on the negative energy. However, once you start practicing gratitude, the energy shifts and harmony returns.

The negative energy someone else is experiencing can also influence the people around them. Have you ever been in a line waiting for the cashier and there is someone that is grumpy because of the long line and wait? Soon you can visibly see the others in the line getting restless, irritated and agitated.The cashier's attitude starts to be effected by the negative energy as well and the frustration mounts. The wait seems longer as things seem to happen such as no bar code, or a spill, etc. Even the apologies from the cashier are greeted with angry looks or comments. When one person positively acknowledges the situation and says something in gratitude or presents even a simple smile, suddenly the positive energy shifts the environment. The cashier's tension visibly decreases. The frustration, impatience, and anxiety diminish. Things start to flow smoothly again. It is amazing how a simple smile and thank you can be so powerful in these situations. Try it the next time you are in a similar situation and watch the magic occur. Remember to try and put yourself into that person's shoes and note how you would like to be treated

Be observant in your environment. When it is a cloudy day, look at the clouds and notice the beauty of the various formations. When it is raining, observe the raindrops and how they are absorbed into the thirsty ground for nourishment. When it is snowing, be aware of the miracle of each individual flake. When it is a sunny day, notice the warmth and brightness that allows plants and flowers to grow. When it is windy, pay attention to how the birds play in the drafts floating effortlessly. Be grateful for these wondrous miracles that surround each of us every day.

As you become more aware of the beauty that surrounds you on a daily basis, it becomes easier to see the positive of various situations that you may face. Look at each individual as a special unique person and yet know that we are all one in this world. We are all connected and face similar challenges of life. Start truly "seeing" with your heart and appreciate this uniqueness as well as the oneness in each person.

*Practice saying thank-you to all you come in contact with in this world.
*Practice saying thank-you to the beauty of nature.
*Practice saying thank-you to yourself for the wonderful person that you are in
this world.
*Practice the art of gratitude.

The Chrysalis

The Chrysalis (similar to a cocoon) is formed by a caterpillar in preparation for a transformation into a beautiful butterfly. When a person has the possibility of a diagnosis of cancer the immediate reaction is one of intense fear and they enter their own type of Chrysalis at that time. The unknown darkness of the Chrysalis surrounds you and invites a deep self-reflection for the transformation to begin. As you move through the treatment process, know that the Chrysalis is actually a safe and secure place. When one is inside this Chrysalis it nurtures you while at the same time the mending, repairing and healing of the body occurs. It is time to surrender to the past distractions i life and learn the value of your being. Allow yourself this time to become healthier. The time inside the Chrysalis is a gift to know the importance of embracing the beauty of who you are as a person and not just the physical body. It allows you to create a healthier outlook on life and know the importance of taking care of yourself. Even though it is hard to see inside the darkness, the changes are happening physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. You will emerge from the darkness of the Chrysalis into a bright light bringing new beginnings.

As you come out from the Chrysalis you will look at all of life differently. You will understand the significance of seeing a beautiful butterfly flying freely without the distractions of the past. You are now an enlightened person, knowing that you have been transformed into a beautiful, courageous, and powerful human being. The celebration of new beginnings with your expanded knowledge of who you are as a person will help you to passionately enjoy life to the fullest.

Just One Day

Spring is a wonderful time of year.
The flowers are blooming and the birds are singing.

In just one day I saw in my backyard....

*Numerous hummingbirds busily dancing between the flowers in the garden and the sugar water feeders

*Goldfinches clinging confidently to the swinging bags in the trees full of their favorite, Niger seed

*Brightly colored yellow Orioles and their babies with their warning cackle and whistle int he trees preparing for a quick sip of sugar water from their orange feeders

*Cedar Waxwings arriving together in a chorus of high pitch whistles in the neighbors Mulberry tree full of freshly ripe fruit

*Grossbeaks not to be mistaken as an Oriole but just as brightly colored with more of an orange and patterned wings, foraging for their favorite sunflower seeds and enjoying the Mulberries as well

*Blue Jays announcing their arrival and trying to hold as many peanuts as they can in their beaks before taking off to find that special hiding spot

*A Mockingbird flashing the white spots on its wings as it tries to scare the other birds from the fresh fruit berries

*A baby Robin with it's red breast and yellowish beak learning from its parents how to pluck a berry from the tree

*Black Starlings zip in not very gracefully to grab whatever fruit or seed is available before bulleting off again

*Bush Tits suddenly appear with their small peeps to check out the various bushes for their favorite small bugs

*Towhees that I like to call Peepers, peep merrily around the yard as they calmly forage for bugs

*A Western Tanager with it's brightly colored orange head and yellow body sneaks into the Mulberry tree to feast on fresh berries

*A Woodpecker rhythmically taps out a beat in another tree ignoring the other birds following her

*Ring turtle doves and Mourning Doves appear hoping to quietly eat some see, unseen

*A black Crow flies overhead but does not stop

*Varieties of baby birds closely follow their parents with the cry of hunger, pestering them until they finally give in and feed them

*A House Wren sings merrily in the trees, flitting its tail preparing to feed the babies in their nest

*An assortment of House Finches flock to the bird feeder, the bird bath, and the ground kicking up dust as they take their dust baths

*Quietly a Hawk flies over the backyard and suddenly there is chaos, the birds all fly to safety and some sing their warning cry to others

As the danger of the hawk subsides, one by one the birds start flying back to the yard to once again enjoy the harvest of food and share their beauty....even in just one day.

Letting Go/Surrendering

Letting go and surrendering the past events and fears leads to a healthier more joyful life and connection to God. Why is it so difficult to release the emotions from past events? There are many past events that have created pain, sorrow, hurt, anger, guilt, and fear. A person experiencing these emotions may not even be aware that they are holding onto them so deeply. The emotion has been repressed deep into the body. Where a person holds onto these emotions may vary and result in physical symptoms such as stomach irritations, heart problems, or throat issues. The burden can become heavy at times and holding onto these emotions can create a sense of powerlessness. By holding onto this feeling, the focus is only on the feeling within you and creates a barrier that no one can reach including God. Anger or whatever the emotion is at the time becomes the sole focus. The more the focus is on the feeling, the more intense the feeling can become with no resolution in site. To learn the art of letting go and/or surrendering can allow a sense of release that will bring your self awareness back to yourself. There cannot be growth, balance or progress in your spiritual pathway if you continue to hold onto these past events so strongly. To be able to change your direction and re-focus on your pathway, one must learn the techniques to surrendering.

Imagine water flowing freely in a river and how the flow is unimpeded. As the water flows, you can clearly see through the clean water as it continues on its journey. If the water is impeded with debris, it becomes stagnant, dirty, and unclear. You cannot see through it and it is stopped on its journey. However, once the barrier is released, the water slowly starts flowing again freely and continues its way again on the journey. Clarity is resumed. This analogy is similar to holding onto something that you are not able to let go. Your connection with God is impeded and the spiritual journey is not as clear or easy. Trust in the power of letting go. Start by recognizing the emotions that are holding you back and preventing you from moving forward on your journey. Do you want to continue to hold onto or release these emotions to be able to become more clearly the person you were meant to be?

A technique that is helpful in letting go the negative emotions is through visualization. First create a quiet calm space where you can focus on on the process. Breath deeply and slowly. Imagine the river flowing clearly and notice where it might be getting stuck or have a barrier. What are the barriers that are preventing the river from flowing more freely? What are the emotions related to this barrier? Open your heart and surround yourself with the loving light of self-acceptance and compassion. Choose to release, imagine releasing your concerns, worries, self-doubt, and whatever the emotion might be to God and the angels. Feel the lighten of the release. See the barrier get smaller; imagine putting a stick in the river to release the debris that is causing the barrier and see the water start flowing again.

Another method is to either visualize or actually try to hold water in your hands. As you struggle to try and keep all the water in your hands, the water still leaks out between the fingers. See the water as it flows through, let go the barrier of the hands and release the water. Watch the water freely flow out of your hands.

Journaling after these visualizations will help you more clearly see what barriers of emotions are holding you back on your journey and the significance of surrendering these barriers. Appreciate the courage in yourself for facing the issues and letting go the barriers that prevent you from connecting to your God more fully. See God in everyone and realize that everyone has their own issues they are trying to release. Remember the next time something is held onto so tightly to imagine yourself as the water flowing freely without the barriers, surrendering to the flow of the journey of life.

Fear

What is holding you back from achieving your full potential? Is fear holding you captive so that you are not able to experience true joy in your life? Why is the fear so intense in certain situations? How can we release the hold of fear in our lives?

The Law of Fear states that "fear separates," and "we move away from things we fear." It can be difficult to work with people that are experiencing fear and displaying emotions such as anger, frustration,and impatience but if you learn to look beyond the emotion, many times the emotion is a reflection of fear that is holding them captive in their hearts. When someone displays anger and unhappiness, ask the question, what fear are they holding onto? This will help you to understand that they are expressing their own fear and is not a personal reflection of you. Learn to send them compassionate love and gratitude in teaching you how fear can damage a person's happiness in life.

I personally hold onto fear in many avenues in my life and struggle to release this fear at times. Fear is an emotion that can produce a feeling of anxiety in anticipation of a bad outcome. What are the triggers that cause fear in your life? Fear can result from outcomes from past events. My history of breast cancer with all the treatments, side effects, and intense feelings during this time period still brings fear in anticipation of a doctor's visit, a mammogram screening, or even the monthly self exams. This causes me to want to avoid or "separate" myself from the exams or doctor visits that need to occur to remain healthy. Where do these feelings of fear come from and what can we do to get beyond the debilitating effects and insecurities that result from the fear? Know that you are not alone. Everyone is touched with fear at some point in their life; whether it is related to fear of an illness, fear of death, fear of being alone, fear of not being loved, fear of failure, fear of change, fear of the past or future, fear of trusting someone, fear of embaressment or being judged, fear of not having control, or fear of the unknown. Fear can instill a child-like response or regression. The emotions that result from fear can range from frustration, anger, sadness, and depression.

To be able to get beyond the debilitating effects of fear, one must recognize the different triggers that bring on the emotions and feelings of fear. Acknowlege the fear, understand the triggers, and then work on releasing the fear. To get beyond the fear and release the anxiety, focus on the "now." Know that the past is past; learn the lessons from the past. Don't worry about the future; focus on the "now" and what you can do now to feel better, happier and less fearful. My example of fear from my past history of breast cancer seems obvious when considering the potential of the cancer returning. What can I do to release this fear to the universe and get beyond this trigger of fear? One of the biggest things I have found helpful in releasing this is focusing on being in the "now." I practice releasing the past, not worrying about the future, but focusing on the "now" and on being healthy. I concentrate on taking care of my self the best I can at the moment and keep moving forward with the continual focus of self-care. Yes, there are certainly days that I do not eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, etc. but holding onto the motivation of self-care and re-focusing on this daily helps. This moves me beyond avoiding or "separating" myself from the necessary screenings (self-exams, mammogram, physician visits) to maintain my health.

An additional method I have found helpful in releasing the emotions of fear is through journaling. Consider having a journal specifically titled "Fears" and use this journal on the days or the times that you are experiencing the emotion of fear. This will help you identify the common triggers that bring on the fear in your life. What are the similar situations that bring on the fear? What are the emotions associated with the fear? Are they the same feelings each time? Identify what the fear is related to such as fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of death, etc. Can you identify what the fear is related to? If not, continue to journal until you are able to go deeper into yourself to identify the feelings. After identifying the triggers that bring on the fear, start focusing on the present time. Release the past, learn from the lessons of the past, and don't worry about the future; focus on the positive of "now."

Another helpful technique to release fear is to envision positive outcomes. Learn to set your intentions in a positive and specific manner. For example, instead of stating your intention "I hope I'm able to remain healthy and the cancer does not return," state it with a confirmed positive intention such as "I am healthy and will remain healthy." Another example of re-phrasing intentions in a more positive way is "I hope or will try to be successful in my upcoming presention," change it to "My presentation will be outstanding, motivating, and successful." If you practice these small differences in setting intentions, you can release the attachment to the fear of outcomes. You can also confide in a trusted friend your feelings as you work through the difficult times of fear. Sometimes just having someone listen to your fears helps you to look at things in a different perspective. Practice setting positive intentions with your friend. Your friend can point out potential re-phrasing that may need to occur to make your intentions more positive and powerful.

An additional approach to decrease fear is to allow time to take some slow deep breaths and remember a particular location or experience that brings you back to the feeling of joy, happiness, and comfort. This place for me is the ocean. There is something about the feel of the ocean that brings me much comfort and peace. It soothes my soul, connects me to my God and the feeling that I am not alone; God will always be there for me. Even if you cannot visit the ocean, you can still take a few minutes to close your eyes, take some deep breaths and visualize the place that can bring these feelings back to you. This small amount of time can help shift your negative thoughts into positive energy and free yourself from the feelings of fear. Of course, if you can visit the special place that brings these positive feelings to you, then do it and hold onto these feelings when you return to difficult situations.

Once you are able to work through the fear, the feelings can be exhilarating to know that you have accomplished the satisfaction of not letting fear be captive over you. You are more powerful than fear, you have a choice of letting fear be captive over you and "separating" you from living your full potential. Open your eyes to the person that you can become by releasing fear to the universe and embracing challenges with enthusiasm and excitement for positive outcomes.

We could all learn lessons from watching little puppies play. They play with abandon and happiness. Watching them brings laughter and joy. The puppies don't worry about how they might look as they tumble and live in the moment. We certainly can take lessons from this by learning to live life with less self-consciousness and fear and to just go for it with fun, joy, and laughter.

Choice

Choice is a gift given to us by God. What can choice do for you?

*You can choose to see the beauty of nature or not
*You can choose to hear the beauty of nature or not
*You can choose to feel the beauty of nature nor not
*You can choose to smell or taste the beauty of nature or not
*You can choose to feel the music or just hear the music
*You can choose to be happy or sad
*You can choose to be accepting or angry
*You can choose to learn from the past or hang onto the past
*You can choose to be patient or inpatient
*You can choose to love or to hate
*You can choose to act or to procrastinate
*You can choose to forgive or not to forgive
*You can choose to smile or to frown
*You can choose to surrender negative energies or hang onto negative energies
*You can choose living or death
*You can choose compassion or indifference
*You can choose joy or unhappiness
*You can choose to let go or to worry
*You can choose satisfaction or frustration
*You can choose to develop boundaries or feel guilty
*You can choose enlightenment and growth or stagnation
*You can choose peace or anxiety
*You can choose tranquility or chaos
*You can choose self care or illness
*You can choose knowing or doubt
*You can choose trust or fear
*You can choose positive intentions or negative intentions
*You can choose to attract positive outcomes or negative outcomes
*You can choose to accept and resolve problems or focus on defeat
*You can choose to live in the now or worry about the past and future
*You can choose to accept responsibility or give your power to others
*You can choose to focus on success or fear of failure
*You can choose balance or exhaustion
*You can choose to see miracles or disasters
*You can choose a positive attitude or negative attitude
*You can choose to see situations positively or negatively
*You can choose exhilaration or disappointment
*You can choose to see the beauty of others or not
*You can choose to see the beauty within you or not

How would you like to live your life? What choices would you like to make?

Patience

Do you often feel discouraged on your spiritual pathway? How do you maintain the feelings of happiness, security, comfort, and peace? Why does it seem so hard to sustain these feelings or emotions? Why are we so hard on ourselves in wanting to be "good?" Are we striving for perfection?

Patience is the key to understanding ourselves and our humanness. The Law of Patience states, "all things arrive at their appointed time, impatience simply causes delay." We are hard on ourselves when we expect that we need to always be good or perfect. When we fall down and scrap our knees we have a tendency to stay on the ground and berate ourselves for falling. Instead, it is best to pick ourselves up, clean our wounds, and start the healing process. Soon the scabs heal and whether there is a scar or not the healing takes place if we are patient. If we pick at the scab too early, it bleeds and the healing time is extended. The question then is how can we learn patience to allow the healing to proceed without interference?

I sometimes find myself berating myself over not being good enough. I'm on a spiritual pathway and when I fall down on the pathway, I have a tendency to bring back all the insecurities, self doubt, guilt, unforgiveness in my self. I start wondering who I am and what my purpose in life is. It becomes overwhelming and the impatience that I experience brings on the negative energy and thoughts. The pessimism creeps in and all the positive energy and momentum on the pathway comes to a screeching halt. I have learned that this is the time to truly be your own best friend. Again, we are much harder on ourselves than we are with other people. When another person is going through a tough time, we gently provide them words of encouragement and support. Learning to change your thoughts and choosing to think positively will help make the situation better. We are human and not perfect beings, as we strive for a happier life there will be lessons along the way that will make us stronger. The pathway may lead us to other pathways or detours for a moment. As we learn the lessons from the detours, we must keep moving forward, trusting and knowing that any bumps in the road are lessons to learn and understand for our purpose in life. When these obstacles come into our pathway, it is best to take the time to breathe. Breathe deeply, slowly and feel the emotions as you surrender and let go the self defeating attitude. Learn to laugh and not take yourself so seriously. The situations may take on a whole different feel when you appreciate the lesson being learned. This is the time to look deeper and pay attention to what the true lesson is teaching you. Take time out to spend in nature or in solitude to quiet your mind. Start to journal the emotions that come up. You may need to re-focus your time to bring balance back into your life. Are you going through the motions in life, getting angry with the traffic, the intensity of work or juggling family responsibilities but not taking any time for your own health and well being? Sometimes these particular lessons in life come to us to help us slow down and realize the importance of bringing balance back. There is no statute of limitation on patience. Our understanding of time and life itself is very limited, we must make choices daily and allow the answer to our questions to come when the time is right, not as we know time but as the universe does.

One of the biggest things we can do to help with our patience is knowing, believing, and trusting that we are on the right pathway. We need to let go of the frustration and fear on the pathway and appreciate and practice looking at things differently.

When one is held up in traffic and late for an important meeting, the frustration and impatience arise. The worry about being at the meeting intensifies; however, this only creates negative energy and anxiety. The best thing to do is concentrate on taking deep breaths and stating "this is out of my control, there is nothing I can do now to make the traffic better, relax and breath and trust this is happening for a reason." You may not understand the reason at the moment but many times the answers become clear later.

Another example of patience is a gardener. The gardener carefully plants seeds of tomatoes. It takes patience to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, water, fertilize, tend to and hope the elements of the weather cooperate. Then months later, the plant has grown and the flowers indicate potential fruit. Eventually the green tomatoes turn into the bright red fruit. The fruit of the tomato tastes even more delicious and rich in flavor when finally picked to grace the food at the table. Without the patience of the whole process, the tomato may never become ripe to be eaten and savored. Each year as tomatoes are planted, new techniques, watering systems, etc. may be adjusted based on the lessons learned from the previous year to produce an even more productive crop. This is how we must look at ourselves in our pathway. We are preparing the soil, planting seeds, watering, absorbing the sun, growing each day, producing flowers and fruit and each season starts anew. Each bump in the road we can start anew, replanting the seed and continuing the process. Enjoy the fruit along the way but know we must continue moving forward to produce the crop of tomatoes each day. Think of your pathway in this way, it is always a work in progress. If we push on a door and meet resistance sometimes we continue to push because of our impatience and get nowhere, however, soon there is the realization that the door says, "pull." When we pull the resistance is gone.

Be patient with yourself, know there will be challenges, learn the lessons from the challenges, be kind and gentle to yourself. Pick yourself up from falling down, clean the wound and continue to move forward with gratefulness for the lessons learned in making you stronger and more powerful in your quest of a better you. Share the lessons learned with other so that they can learn to heal from your lessons. Remember the next time you fall, be your own best friend.

It takes patience for the caterpillar to become a butterfly.
It takes patience for the flow to bloom from a seed.
It takes patience for the tomato to ripen from seed.
It takes patience to learn how to forgive.
It takes patience to learn balance.
It takes patience to set boundaries.
It takes patience to understand our past.
It takes patience to learn the lessons of life.
It takes patience to believe.
It takes patience to surrender and let go.
It takes patience to live life.