Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Importance of an Attitude of Gratitude

As everyone knows, we are facing serious challenges in our country right now, providing us a perfect opportunity to consider utilizing the highest and best information available to protect and maintain our health, prosperity and happiness or, if needed, to increase all three. Taking advantage of this tried and true information will benefit anyone who uses it, and in the process it will help heal America.

This information has been around for eons, and has allowed many thousands of individuals to create successful, enriching and happy lives despite external socio-economic conditions.

The primary concept, which I have written about before, is that by changing our thoughts we can change our lives. Millions of people around the world are confirming the truth of this concept daily by living it. They are also attaining and maintaining an Attitude of Gratitude, which is a key component that assures success.

It is helpful to remember that gratitude is simply taking the time to look around us and appreciate what we do have. And not only does the Universe love a grateful heart, it responds affirmatively by sending us more of the good we are already enjoying. In practicing gratitude each day, this places us in alignment with what is Good in the Universe. This is a powerful place from which to act. By placing only positive thoughts and affirmations of our desires into the Universal Law, and maintaining an attitude of gratitude, we receive back what we have placed as our order.

The challenge for some of us lies in the fact that no matter what we have, we often see only lack and scarcity because we don’t have enough, or we fear it won’t be enough in the future, or isn’t everything we want, or what we really want. If we truly want to change our lives for the better, it is vitally important that we start to become consciously aware of the many Good things that actually are in our lives and to start being grateful for them – no matter how small they may seem to be at the time.

One excellent way to do this is to take time each day, either first thing in the morning or at bedtime in the evening, or both, to repeat everything we can think of that we can be grateful for in that day. Just say: I am grateful for ______________, and let your mind and heart fill in the blank. We can also make a written list or start a Gratitude Journal and keep track of everything for which we are grateful. When gratitude is practiced consistently it is positively life changing.

I start each morning by being grateful for another day of life, for a good night’s sleep, or an unbroken night’s sleep, for the comfortable and warm bed, for my house, my car and for each person, event and experience I will meet this day. I also repeat these affirmations daily: I am grateful for this day, knowing it is the first day of the best years of my life. I am grateful for the continuing Good that comes into my life in expected and unexpected ways.

At night, before I fall asleep, I review the day and while going over it bit by bit, I declare every event Good, every person Good and bless the day. Then I repeat these affirmations: I bless everything that happened today and everyone with whom I came in contact. I am grateful for all the Good I see in my life and for the Good that is yet to be. As I turn over, I always feel complete and clear of the happenings of the day, and just naturally drift into a peaceful sleep.

As we learn to focus on positive thoughts and to live with an attitude of gratitude, this raises our energy vibration, which also elevates the consciousness of humanity. Since our government mirrors our level of awareness, we will also be helping our country return to a state of harmony and balance, and this is another blessed gift for which we can be exceedingly grateful.
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Copyright © 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within – is available at Amazon.com, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The Simple Joys of Nature's Seasons

In the desert where I live, triple-digit temperatures have finally dropped into the 70s during the daytime, and this means our fall is almost here. I have been doing some re-potting and planting of flowers in my small patio garden and am once again feeling the joy of being in harmony with nature.

I realize that many people are city dwellers today, and seldom think of the importance of nature in our lives. The tendency is to get caught up in the fast pace of life and forget what it feels like to connect with the Earth, feel the soil in our hands and participate in the natural cycles of life.

Still, I believe that we all share a primal response when we notice that nature is shifting into another seasonal change. It may be the falling leaves and a slight chill in the air, or in some areas the first snowfall, but for that fleeting moment we are reconnected to the Earth and grounded in the truth that we are one with everyone and everything on this planet.

While I have lived in the desert long enough to get used to just two seasons, hot and not so hot, there are definitely some rewards. In addition to giving relatives who live in more frigid zones a difficult time by announcing the balmy shirt-sleeve temperatures we enjoy on some of their coldest days, we can wear the same type of clothing year round.

Even though my family moved to the desert when I was a pre-teen, some of my most cherished memories are of winters in St. Louis, where the climate changes were definitely less subtle. For instance, I remember once as a young child I awakened before anyone else in my family with a heightened sense of excitement. And sure enough when I ran to the window and checked, there was the first snow of the season and it was so brilliantly white that in the light it seemed to be sprinkled with jewels. I also didn’t miss the fact that it looked at least six to eight inches deep.

Without another thought I grabbed my coat and quietly left the house barefoot and in what was surely a state of childhood bliss. There was not another footprint anywhere in sight. I ran to the end of our block one way and then to the other with an intention of being the first person to leave footprints in this magical gift. I believe that in marking the occasion in this way, I was paying natural homage to the blessedness of the event, as well as a child’s way of joyously welcoming another opportunity to have fun.

And fun we did have. When we weren’t in school, there were the special days of going with my older brothers to Lafayette Park and sailing down the hillsides on our sturdy wooden sleds, which they masterfully guided. On regular days, we younger kids satisfied our desire to drain every last bit of joy from the snow by building forts and having day-long snowball fights, interrupted only by the need to go indoors and thaw out and being forced to go to the bathroom, eat or put on dry clothes.

Even the adults seemed to appreciate the beauty of the local park, which became a snow-covered wonderland. The picture-postcard images of stately bare trees dressed in arctic-blue ice and outlined against the grey-blue skies were ethereally beautiful.

What great and treasured memories. Yet, as I look around my neighborhood today, there are mostly desert-friendly trees such as paloverde, olive, oleander, mesquite and greasewood. The sun is shining brilliantly, it is a balmy 75 degrees, and flowers are blooming all over the neighborhood, including bright-red geraniums on my back patio. And there will be no shoveling of anything, except maybe a little dirt. Life is good when we are in harmony with nature, no matter the reason or the season, or even the climate zone we call home.
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Copyright © 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within – is available at Amazon.com, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

How Our New President Can Help Us Maintain Hope

There is absolutely no secret as to why the president-elect struck such a respondent chord with millions of Americans. Or why his victory reverberated within the hearts and minds of leaders and ordinary citizens around the world. It was obvious that not only were we losing hope, but it seemed much of the world was in the same boat. The presidential nominee’s stirring words and the promise of change spoke to the innermost desires of many freedom-loving people around the globe.

The challenges we face are the result of a retreat from basic values that our founding fathers held dear. We allowed greed and self-interest to grow wild and unchecked in our government, and in the institutions that were intended to benefit American citizens. Personal accountability is at an all-time low in our country, as are honesty, honor, integrity, respect and truth. Since we live in a democracy, the responsibility to pay attention is ours. We can’t afford to lose our focus again.

It is vital for us to remember that our government and the conditions in our nation simply reflect back to us the collective, predominant thoughts and actions of the citizenry. In order to have a better government, we must live to the highest and best ideals within us so that this is mirrored in our leaders, our government and institutions.

Bearing in mind that personal responsibility and accountability are major keys for all of us, here is what we will need from the new president and his administration to sustain our rekindled hope in the future:

First and foremost, he must prove to be a leader worthy of following.

This means holding firm to the values of truth, honor, integrity, honesty and respect that were prescribed by our founding fathers. He must unequivocally assure that our nation embraces the cause of human rights at all times and under all conditions.

We must have transparency in government, and the president must help all of us understand, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt did during another traumatic time, what our country is doing, why, and what we must be willing to sacrifice and do in order to support and help our country’s policies succeed.

Our leader must develop and follow a well-considered and sensible foreign policy that relies on diplomatic intervention and solutions, and comes from a point of cooperation instead of competition and intimidation. War is no longer acceptable as a substitute for conflict resolution.

Many people are aware that there are enough finances and material goods available to end world hunger and poverty. Ignoring these basic challenges only results in circumstances and situations that foment and encourage the continuation of world aggression and violence. There is a ready wellspring of intelligent and credible people who could help the incoming administration develop a plan and implement it.

Ending the torture and resolving the disaster represented by Guantanamo Bay would quickly herald a return to sanity and values in this country. This would go a long way toward undoing the damage to America’s reputation as a leader in human rights. It would also enhance and support the global goodwill and respect that is now being expressed and is so welcome.

We also expect the incoming president to make the best use of the brilliant minds of our time and meet the major challenges, which include: pulling us out of the economic downturn, resolving the situation in Iraq with honor on all sides, giving intense consideration to any commitment of additional troops in Afghanistan, making definitive and effective moves toward resolving global warming, ending our dependence on foreign oil and effectively passing humane and sane immigration reform.


As Americans, we have always been willing to make any sacrifice and shoulder any responsibility to work together for a return to stability and order in our nation. We have done it before and with renewed hope we can do it again.
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Copyright © 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within – is available at Amazon.com, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

How We Can Help Our President Make a Difference

I believe at the conclusion of the recent presidential election any historical aspects were trumped by the widespread resurgence of hope that has long been missing in our nation. This was a result that took many millions of Americans, including myself, pleasantly by surprise, as the calls for change by both candidates were believed by some to be simply the usual political campaign rhetoric.

Now, however, we have renewed hope and confidence that the many ills in our government and in our nation can be healed. There is hope in the belief that not only is change possible, but that it can be a reality. And hope that once again our nation can regain its rightful place as a respected world leader.

This emotion of hope proved to be so strong and infectious that it ignited the hearts and minds of millions of our countrymen, as well as leaders and ordinary citizens around the world. This fragile flame presents an opportunity, an opening that must be protected and utilized wisely. Hope, combined with faith in a righteous cause, can change the world. As a nation, our leaders must harness the renewed hope and once again set us on a positive path. And it is vital that we support them.

We have known for years that there has been a crisis of values such as honesty, respect and integrity at all levels in our society. We also knew that our country was on a slippery slope as far as the direction in which we were heading in domestic and foreign affairs, and with all the dire circumstances facing us it seemed inevitable that we were edging closer to the abyss.

The basis of our democratic form of government requires the initiative, interest and involvement of all citizens. This has been severely lacking over the last few decades, and by not fulfilling our responsibility, we ended up getting the government we deserve.

Our government and the conditions in our nation simply reflect back to us the collective, predominant thought forms of our citizenry.

We must not take our attention off the desired course again. Change must come from inside us if we want our government to change. If we want to grow past wars as a means of conflict resolution – or to change the path our government has been on – we must also change.

It’s not what we say we are as individuals, but what each of us truly is and believes at the core of our being that makes a difference. It truly is done unto us as we believe. When we change our thoughts our lives change. Since our government mirrors our collective thoughts, if we change, our government will change.

When enough of us can clear and cleanse invalid thoughts, life patterns and emotions that have kept us mired in negativity, we will have elevated our energy vibration and our conscious awareness. As we heal ourselves, we protect and enhance the future of our nation and the world.

It isn’t simple or easy. This healing calls for a dramatic change. It means living from the highest and best that is within us. If we cheat on our families, our income taxes or in our business dealings with others, we can expect the continued proliferation of greed and dishonesty at all level of society and in our government.

If we lie, cheat, steal or are lazy and don’t do our part to further the cause of democracy – no matter how well meaning, charismatic or gifted the new president – nothing will change. It can’t. The president’s role is to be on the front line and hold the torch high for us, but it will take a concerted effort on behalf of all of us to make desired changes.

We cannot afford to let this opportunity pass us by. Whatever changes we need to make in our lives, whatever we need to do to support our communities, our country and to help our president make a difference—now is the time.
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Copyright © 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within – is available at Amazon.com, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Good Health Takes More than an Apple a Day

As parents, we often think how great it would be if we could take all the lessons learned from our various life experiences and magically infuse them into our offspring – and see them accepted as readily as a cold drink on a hot day. Dream on. Even while our children are in front of us seemingly receiving such words of wisdom, the life force is surging through their bodies beckoning them to unknown and exotic adventures that are of their own making; not rules set by their parents.

This is often glaringly evident in the choices children make relating to their health and well-being. All too often, after a few years of being urged to eat their vegetables, brush their teeth and take care of their bodies, they find the switch inside their heads that turns off the lectures.

What we parents really want is for our children and grandchildren to benefit from our mistakes and to awaken sooner rather than later and learn to live healthier and happier lives. The truth is that it isn’t easy. Life does come at us fast, and we get so busy trying to fulfill our varied life roles that not only do we lose contact with our bodies; we lose the natural wisdom within us that knows how to care for our physical vehicles.

It has long been known in many cultures that the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects of our bodies are interconnected. Many disease processes that show up in the bodies of adults have their beginnings in the mental and emotional levels of our being and then manifest in the physical body. When a dis-ease or illness shows up at that time, it is often a message from our subconscious letting us know that we are out of balance at some level of our being, either mentally, emotionally or spiritually.

By the time we are five or six years old, far too many of us have already internalized messages about being undeserving and unlovable. These invalid subconscious directives can have an undesirable impact on our health and our lives and will continue to do so until we replace them in our subconscious with positive ones. Repeat daily: I now willingly release any need, pattern or belief in my subconscious that denies the truth of me—which is love. I deserve the best life has to offer.

It is now believed that a contributing factor to adult-onset disease and illness is a lack of forgiveness for someone in our lives, and the one that is the hardest to forgive is usually the one we most need to forgive. Sometimes it’s us. Repeat daily: I freely and wholly forgive myself for any real or imagined wrong done by me to me or anyone else, past or present. I freely and wholly forgive (name) ________ for any real or imagined wrong done to me, past or present. I am free. They are free.

There are many ways in which to come into alignment with our bodies and our inner wisdom, such as: meditation and prayer, working with our dreams, and discovering our life’s purpose and joyously living it. Repeat daily: There is an infinite source of wisdom, love, health, peace, prosperity and guidance at the core of my being. As I turn within and align with this awareness, all the answers and solutions desired for health and happiness are now mine.

The pendulum in our country on any issue normally swings wide before it settles into a commonsense equilibrium, as in the case of health. Ignoring our bodies and taking them for granted was not the answer, and neither is becoming health fanatics.

As parents, we can take comfort in knowing that someone may have been listening after all. It is now becoming common knowledge that the way to live healthier, longer and happier lives is to take early responsibility for our bodies and to learn how to cooperate with them. That’s all we ever wanted!
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Copyright © 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within – is available at Amazon.com, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.