tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89248052120537949512023-11-15T10:42:49.227-07:00InsightsOut® by Fern Stewart WelchAuthor Fern Stewart Welch shares insights from her ongoing spiritual journey with the purpose of helping others create better lives and, ultimately a more humane and happier world. Her essays are filled with the joyful discovery of how life is really meant to work, and they light the way for those who seek the principles of successful living.Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-61825192391023903752017-01-01T09:58:00.001-07:002017-01-01T09:58:59.021-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FFF3DB; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;">
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">World
Peace Prayer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Let us pray in
our hearts for a League of Souls and a United World.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Though we may
seem divided by race, creed, color, class, and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">political
prejudices, still as children of the one God we are<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">able in our
souls to feel brotherhood and world unity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May we work for
the creation of a United World in which<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">every nation
will be a useful part, guided by God <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">through man’s
enlightened conscience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“In our hearts
we can all learn to be free from hate and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">selfishness. Let Us pray for harmony among the nations,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">that they march
hand and hand through the gate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of a fair new
civilization.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">~Paramahansa
Yogananda, the world renowned author of<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The
Autobiography of a Yogi”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-77108802174426965192016-09-21T15:28:00.000-07:002016-09-21T16:03:27.917-07:00Today Is International Peace Day and We Can Do Our Part<br />
"<i>Many of the world's greatest minds, masters and teachers throughout the ages claim that we will never have world peace until we come to inner peace within ourselves," </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> </i>It's time we take note.<br />
<i><br /></i>
In 1981 the United Nation's General Assembly (UNGA) established by resolution 36/37 that September 21<i> is </i>the day we devote to strengthening the idyllic vision of peace, both within and between all nations and humanity. <br />
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Furthering that mission, in 2001 the UNGA voted unanimously to adopt resolution 55/282 and establishing an annual day of nonviolence and cease-fire.<br />
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I'm sure that many Americans and individuals around the world felt as I did then... gobsmacked and helpless<br />
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About a decade ago, I asked a small group of successful, spiritually based business women to meet and to co-create a World Peace Prayer for use in our different areas of influence. In my case, I had my computer master to insert it on my web page and have written many essays on this subject, for posting on this blog site.<br />
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I've included the World Peace Prayer at the end of this blog for I know it might give you a way to be part of the solution. Or you can come up with your own and light a candle and sit with your loved ones and start your own approach.<br />
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I also started a Living Love Prayer Circle where I meditate, pray for friends, family and beloveds who request it. Once I feel close to God I repeat the Living Love Prayer and end with the World Peace Prayer.<br />
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I believe in miracles and know at the core of my being this approach is blessed and, is a way to help change our world forever.<br />
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Love Light Blessings.<br />
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<u>THE LIVING LOVE PRAYER CIRCLE</u><br />
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I align my energy with the Living Love Prayer Circle, and now live as the real me I was born to be.<br />
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I am healthy, whole, joyful, successful, peaceful and wise.<br />
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I know that loving me is the key to truly loving others.<br />
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I know by loving and accepting myself and others - and by resolving conflicts and living in peace within myself - the powerful and positive energy that results radiates out into the world and neutralizes the negativity that is detrimental to the Earth and all life forms.<br />
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I am grateful for the incredible Gift of Life and for the opportunity to be part of a Living Love Prayer Circle, which elevates the consciousness of humanity, heals the Earth and furthers the cause of World Peace. AMEN<br />
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<br />
<u>THE WORLD PEACE PRAYER</u><br />
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I align my intention with the Living Love Prayer Circle.<br />
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I envision the energy from this Sacred Circle rising up to embrace Mother Earth and all its inhabitants<br />
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The Earth is healed and its consciousness protected.<br />
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The evolution of all souls is harmoniously advanced, and<br />
Peace, Love and Cooperation now manifest on Earth. AMEN<br />
<br />
Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-20832235481553609782016-08-31T17:28:00.000-07:002016-08-31T17:28:10.991-07:00Nature: The Remedy for What Ails Us<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="color: #29303b;">The serious challenges facing us and our country now make this
the perfect time to take a break from the crazy-making reality of the external
world. It appears as if we have fallen down the rabbit hole and nothing seems
to be as it should. We desperately need to seek healthy, sane and wise answers
that will help us calmly negotiate the rocky road ahead, and which will
ultimately help heal our country and the world.</span></div>
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But the truth is that these answers will never come from the chaos and fear
that surround us. They will come only from within us by listening to our own
inner guidance, the true compass for meaningful and successful lives. While
there are many ways in which we can connect with our inner knowing, spending
time in nature is the easiest and most accessible path for many people. Here we
find a nurturing space that holds the antidote that can counteract the poison
of today’s world of double standards and double-dealing. Nature is, above all
else, incapable of deceit, dishonesty or hypocrisy.<br />
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In nature’s sincere, pure simplicity lies the opportunity to reconnect with the
true values in life: honesty, integrity, love and kindness and caring for
others and the Earth.<br />
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Some of the older generation can remember when their parents, grandparents and
great grandparents were in such close communion with nature that they could
“read” the signals in the skies and predict the weather and the ebb and flow of
seasonal changes. We need to return to that primordial respect and reverence
for nature.<br />
<br />
When we lost this closeness, we also lost our innate awareness of how we fit
into the natural order of life on Earth. We feel this loss of connection as a
fear, and desperately seek to cover it up by continually focusing on the
busyness of the external world. Yet no matter how hard we push ourselves or
what ridiculous levels of activity we aspire to and attain the feeling of being
alone and disconnected never goes away.<br />
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As we spend time in nature, however, we feel our wholeness in the well-ordered
cycles, and sense our oneness with life throughout the cosmos. We also experience
inner peace because Mother Nature does not judge us, and this helps us renew
our trust in life.<br />
<br />
Our distant ancestors knew of the healing power in nature. They would often
take those who were ill or emotionally distraught into the forests so that the
powerful energy in the trees would soak up any confused energy, which calmed
them and hastened their healing. This gives new meaning to free-standing urgent
care centers.<br />
<br />
As nature is the true language of our being it speaks to us at a soul level
through beauty and the intelligent order of the universe. It reminds us that we
are one with all life and a vital part of the whole. Reawakening to these
truths is the true path to inner peace and the remedy for what ails us, society
and our planet.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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_________________________________________________________<br />
Copyright © 2010 by Fern Stewart Welch</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">[One of the author’s most requested essays] </span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The authors </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">books include: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior
of the Heart”, (April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver
Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,”
(Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a
Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2009) are available
at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="comments"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-81480822510905390372016-07-31T15:00:00.000-07:002016-07-31T15:00:29.653-07:00On Becoming a Human-Being Instead of a Human-Doing<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3774592466882173133"></a><br /></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1b0431; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“When one door closes,
another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully on the closed
door that we do not see the one which opened for us.” </span></i><span style="color: #1b0431; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">~Alexander Graham Bell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It wasn’t until my
late husband became critically ill and I left the corporate world over a decade
ago to care for him that I became aware that for most of my life I had been a
human-doing instead of a human-being.<br />
<br />
The realization didn’t come quickly. For a long time I was so overwhelmed by
all the challenges before me that I threw myself into activities that consumed
the hours and days of my life. Evidently the strong work ethic I learned from
my birth-family translated into feeling worthy only when I was fully engaged in
doing something. The busyness also served to keep me from ever questioning how
I was living my life, if it was working for me—and if not, why not?<br />
<br />
When my husband’s health challenges became so serious that he had to be placed
in a 24-hour care environment, the situation changed dramatically. I had
released a number of external commitments in order to care for him, and for the
first time in my adult life I found myself relatively free. The freedom proved
unsettling. Not only did I desperately need to come to grips with the emotional
situation with my husband, I needed to come to peace with what all of this
would mean to my future life. After trying unsuccessfully to resolve the
situation on my own through my usual direct-action efforts, I realized I didn’t
know what to do. I felt helpless.<br />
<br />
The time had come when I had to stop all the doing and turn within for answers.
I was faced with the biggest challenge to my own peace of mind and sense of
well- being—me. Or more accurately, the sum total of mental and emotional
baggage that lived within me and that had determined my actions, inactions,
thoughts, decisions and non-decisions my entire life.<br />
<br />
I had an established daily routine of meditating, journaling and affirmative
prayer, but because the job and then my husband’s situation took priority over
my needs, the time I spent within was determined by those demands. Now I could
spend as much time as desired.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
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My well-honed and single-eyed approach did prove beneficial in this instance.
After months of this inner focus, I began to feel a sense of peace. For the
first time in my life I was content spending time within. The meditation helped
to discipline my racing “monkey-mind.” Gradually my mind opened to a deeper
awareness of life and awakened me to my self, others and the eternal and
sublime energy that is within each of us and everything in the universe, which
we call God. I was realizing some balance in my life, which brought greater
clarity to my thought processes and a growing ability to manage my emotional
state. When I opened to loving myself, I became aware that my ability to love
others in an unselfish and healthier way was greatly enhanced.<br />
<br />
I discovered that meditation is a path to inner peace, as it enables us to
connect with the sanctuary of unconditional love, guidance and support within
that is the heart desire of every conscious person on Earth.<br />
<br />
In this process I became a human-being instead of a human-doing. I no longer
judged my worth or my life by what I do. By learning to live an inner-directed
life, rather than seeking meaning outside myself, I know that whatever activity
I engage in will be meaningful and purposeful.<br />
<br />
There is a new-found peace and contentment at the core of my being, a sustained
sense of well-being and happiness—no matter what conditions or situations
arise. I am no longer driven to do. I allow myself to be.<br />
<br />
___________________________<br />
Copyright © 2010 by Fern Stewart Welch</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">[One of the author’s most requested essays] <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The authors </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">books include: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior
of the Heart”, (April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver
Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,”
(Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a
Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2009) are available
at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="comments"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-36434433619362663242016-06-30T11:28:00.000-07:002016-06-30T11:28:17.476-07:00Finding Inner Peace Within Ourselves is the Key to Furthering World Peace<br />
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>"... Let us pray for harmony among the nations, that they march hand in hand through the gate of a fair new civilization." </i>~Paramahansa Yogananda </span><br />
<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">During this dramatic
and emotional time in our country and the world, what we all need is a heaping
helping of inner peace. From my experience, the challenge here is two-fold. First
we must recognize that it is possible to attain this state even in these
difficult times and then that it is imminently worth the time, energy and
resolve it takes to get there. I know. It took me many years and many life
upheavals, traumas and challenges before I was literally brought to my knees in
desperation – with a willingness to do whatever it took to bring some inner
calm into my life.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
<br />
What I had to get past in order to open to this possibility of inner peace may
sound familiar to some of you. Like most people I had heard about the peace
that <i>passeth</i> understanding all my
life. The rub was that I considered it a platitude, a carrot, a myth that was
perpetuated by organized religion to keep members hanging in there. Actually,
at that time I had never met a church-going person, or anyone else for that
matter, who radiated inner peace, knew what it was, or claimed this was
something that was attainable or desirable. While this doesn’t say much for my
spiritual awareness back then, it’s just where I was.<br />
<br />
As it turned out, the only myth I was wrestling with was the fact that inner
peace is not and never has been the property of organized religion. What I have
learned is that the universal life force-energy, which we call God, did not
develop religion – humanity did – and God has no connection with its dogmas,
rules and rituals. It was simply man’s positive desire to try to make sense of
why he was on Earth and what he was supposed to do.<br />
<br />
I find it interesting that Native Americans have been advising us for centuries
that we will never find inner peace through overworking ourselves and rushing
through life, which is what most of us do because we don’t know any better. The
first step in finding inner peace lies in recognizing there is something in us
that isn’t satisfied by the greed and $ucce$$-at-any-price culture that exists
today. Many of us know this somewhere in our hearts and minds, but we seem to
be stuck in the fallacy that tells us that if we can gather enough money and
possessions we can make our own security and have peace of mind. That sentence
concludes with the unspoken phrase … and the bloody blazes with everyone else.<br />
<br />
The problem with thinking we are independent of everyone else is that it isn’t
true. We are actually dependent and interdependent on all others. Whether we
are aware of this or not, like it or not, we are one with all life on Earth and
what benefits one, benefits all, and what harms one harms us all.<br />
<br />
We are also one with the eternal and sublime energy that we call God, which is
why when we turn within and consistently connect with this awareness we can
cultivate an inner peace and calm that nothing can disturb. The Truth is that
the Infinite-Life Force-God is always at peace, as there is nothing that can
disturb it. And as we strengthen our link with the Infinite, which is the
birthright of every human being, we share in that peace.<br />
<br />
This process also opens us to the sanctuary of unconditional love that is the
heart’s desire of every individual on Earth, as well as the guidance, support,
wisdom and, yes, the peace that really does surpass our understanding.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
<br />
I learned that maintaining inner peace no matter what happens is not easy but
it is possible. The key lies in making it a daily habit to connect with our
inner selves and to consistently forgive ourselves and others, which releases
the past. Then when any untoward event or situation comes up in our lives, we
remember that all life is change. Instead of condemning the incident, and as
soon after the optional hissy-fit as possible, we then ask what is to be
learned from this “challenge.”<br />
<br />
As we continue to take this positive approach, eventually we come to a point
where we can actually bless the event or situation and recognize it as an
opportunity for soul growth. When we can do this, the time frame for learning
the lesson is greatly decreased, and the gift in it – which is always to open
us to receive more good in life – manifests much more quickly.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
<br />
By consistently strengthening our connection with the Infinite within us, and
letting go of the past by forgiving ourselves and others – we are on the path
to lasting inner peace –and hastening World Peace.<br />
___________________________________________<br />
Copyright © 2010 by Fern Stewart Welch</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">[Repeated by request] <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The author's </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">books include: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior
of the Heart”, (April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver
Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,”
(Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a
Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2009) are available
at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="comments"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-35523271512785412772016-05-31T13:34:00.001-07:002016-05-31T13:34:20.558-07:00"Oh, God! Here I Go Again" or "Thanks, God! Here I Grow Again" ... The Choice Is Up to Us<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<i style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The difficulties of life are to make us better, not bitter.”</span></i><span style="color: #29303b; line-height: 15.6pt;">~Unknown</span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some of you may recall that I have previously written about
a fractured family relationship that has caused me great heartache and sadness
for decades. Unfortunately, I experienced another emotional episode with
that same person a while ago. This time, though, after years of spiritual
work, instead of being hooked into the same-old, in-kind reaction, I knew I was
okay enough to not only withstand the barrage of anger but to do something
about it. OMIGOD. What a breakthrough.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I immediately remembered that it takes two people to keep this
negative cycle going, and only one to stop it At that moment I promised
myself I was going to be the latter.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Being unaware of the source of the breach between us, I tried
many times through the years to ask the person for forgiveness, but to no
avail. Back then I thought it was because she enjoyed having the power to
deny my hope for reconciliation. Now I know it’s because I was meant to
recognize the fact that if I’m suffering, it’s my problem, and I need to heal
enough to allow whatever I’m holding onto to be faced, felt, and released.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While my inner guidance provided me with the Inner Work
technique to use in such situations years ago – the truth is that I seldom saw
this individual – so I turned within to focus on this issue only when I was the
recipient of another emotional outbreak. By then, I would be
so upset by the depth of the emotions within me that I just wanted to get past
it.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This time, however, I knew instantly that I was through with
being a handy target for these emotional outbursts and was determined to learn
my lesson, grow through it and come to peace with this issue. I went into
prayer and after centering myself, I realized that my inner guidance was urging
me to re-read one of my favorite books. It was by Arun Gandhi, the fifth
grandchild of Mahatma Gandhi, and is titled “Legacy of Love – My Education in
the Path of Nonviolence.”</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not only did I re-read several chapters, I clearly recalled
being at Arun’s presentation that evening back in 2010. Since I thought
that I was in for a history lesson about India’s trials, tribulations and
victories, I didn’t expect it to touch me personally. I was wrong.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His profound insight was that humanity views violence as only <i>physical</i>,
therefore missing the awareness that we daily contribute to <i>passive
violence.</i></span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to Arun, we do this in many oppressive and
disrespectful ways, including gossiping, name calling, blaming, bullying,
teasing and insulting, as well as venting our anger on others. As I remembered
this statement, I realized immediately that there’s probably not a person on
Earth who hasn’t at one time or another unknowingly indulged in some form of
passive violence. </span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He explained that passive violence generates anger because the
target doesn’t know how to deal with it positively, and the only option
seems to be to resort to some form of physical violence, or to keep
stockpiling resentments. So, I was actually adding fuel to the fire of my
undesirable situation by blaming the other person. Now I see why no
healing was ever possible under those circumstances.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The next insight I gained was that this dysfunctional
relationship was somehow linked to my early-childhood experiences in a large
family that left me feeling unlovable, unworthy and vulnerable. This was
surely the reason that as an adult I was addicted to being treated with loving
kindness and respect. And when the reality of the unkind and
disrespectful relationship with this individual didn’t fit my desires, I
reacted with animosity, blame and a prayer that she would eventually learn <i>her</i> lesson
and act accordingly.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I seized this latest opportunity to clear and release this sad
situation for all time. I immediately began daily forgiveness work for
each of us. When I began to feel centered, and could come from a level of
love for the other person, I started the Inner Work.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After an unusually powerful and tearful energy release, my inner
guidance drew me back in my mind’s eye to when my “adversary” was a newborn
baby.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My first thought was if this is to “soften” me up, it won’t
work. I was born the seventh of ten children. And while I loved
babies and had enjoyed (most of the time) being in charge of my younger brother
and sisters, I was only eight-years-old and just wanted to be free to play
outside with the rest of the kids. When my mother appeared, she took the
infant from the baby’s mother and placed her in my arms, indicating that she
had volunteered me to care for the baby after school each day and on the
weekend. I was overwhelmed.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I sensed it wasn’t wise to speak up, because my mother made it
quite clear the baby was “sickly” and the mother needed help, and we were
“family.” I decided to do what I had to do, but as I girded myself for
this unwanted act of charity, I also actually felt a slight hardening of my
heart toward this infant. Just then I got the message my inner guidance
was orchestrating. I had <i>rejected</i> this fellow human
being from the beginning, and I had to accept 100% responsibility for my
part. She had chosen to give back to me (unknowingly) the rejection I had
set in motion.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I started to judge myself harshly for what I had done, my
inner guidance stopped me in my tracks. I was to ask myself these
questions: Did I do the best I could as a young child? (Yes.) Did I see life
differently then? (Yes.). Did I know then what I know now?
(No.) Would I have acted differently if I had? (Yes.) Am
I willing to forgive myself for making a mistake, and not realizing the
consequences it set in motion? (Yes.)</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At that moment, I relaxed into the process totally, for I knew
from past experience that I was being guided into the insight-healing I sought.
I was now face to face with the infant, looking directly into her sparkling
blue eyes. I was also the adult I am now, and was captivated by how
lively she was, for I knew the life challenges she would face. As she
smiled and gurgled her way into my heart, I felt the plate of armor dissolve
and love flowed freely through me to her. WOW!</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I recalled soon after the visioning, that by the time this baby
was two-years-old, and I was 10, I had chosen the path of love for my life
journey. As a result, I spent many hours – and most of the money I
made, (25 cents an hour) from babysitting neighbor children – in trying to add
joy to her life as she faced continuing health challenges.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also realized once again how powerful our thoughts are and the
importance of mastering them to assure they yield desirable instead of
undesirable results.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I fully accepted that I was totally responsible for my part
in this situation, and my counterpart was 100% responsible for her reactions
and responses, I vowed to continue the Inner Work and claimed freedom from this
issue for all time. (See the Inner Work steps in the February essay or on the
author’s Web Page at:</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.fernstewartwelch.com/"><span style="color: #956839; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.FernStewartWelch.com</span></a></span><span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.)</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hip, Hip, Hurray and Hallelujah! What a gift, and it
couldn’t and wouldn’t have happened until I chose to face the truth and to <i>grow
t</i>hrough life instead of continuing to <i>suffer </i>through it.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I meet every
life experience by smiling, standing tall and saying:Thanks God, here I grow
again.</span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">___________________________________</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Copyright
© 2014 by Fern Stewart Welch [This archived essay reprinted by
request]</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious
Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2008), are available at
Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-29103014882531603172016-05-01T14:40:00.001-07:002016-05-01T14:40:33.990-07:00You May Think You're Falling Apart ,,, But It Could Be Your Chance to Get It All Together<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> “It’s a fact: We need a body to
continue experiencing life on Earth.” ~Fern Stewart Welch </span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Two years ago, after
78 years of mostly radiant health, my body began sending me messages in the form
of various maladies, a not so subtle reminder that while our souls are immortal
our bodies are finite. This falling-apart time that I felt I had reached
meant that a major life choice loomed before me: Did I give up and give in,
thinking that I had no alternative – or did I decide to trust my own inner
knowing that tells me there is another option? </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since I wrote my epitaph when I was a freshman
in college –</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I Lived, I Loved, I
Learned –</span></i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">it didn’t surprise me
that I had already selected my motto for this stage of life –</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I refuse to die until I’m dead.</span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In other words, I
would not focus on dying, which would send my body the wrong message, which was
that I was ready to</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">go home. </span></i><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At that point, my body would start to fulfill
my “order” by sending me more maladies. Instead I changed my negative thoughts
about my ailments to positive ones. I knew at the core of my being that I
wasn’t “falling apart,” and that I was being guided to awaken to a more
expanded view of living and – ultimately – dying. So with a strong sense that
every cell of my body agreed, I affirmed: <i>I am not falling apart; I am
finally coming together.</i></span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My rationale for that
strong outlook was two-fold, the maladies that were popping up got my attention
and after some deliberation, I realized our bodies are sacred vehicles that
allow us to</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">experience life on
Earth. Obviously it was also time to step up as a partner and help my
body do its only job … to constantly heal itself. Unfortunately, for most
of my life I hadn’t been a good partner. I took my good health for
granted and never once thought of my body as the incredible work of genius it
is. At this point, I was able to look at this experience of things going
wrong physically as another life lesson – opportunity – the kind that allows us
to gain insight into how life is really meant to work.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of course, I was aware
that many sick people around the globe already lived this choice – they never
thought of giving up or giving in just because of what a caregiver or space-age
machine declared was their fate. We’ve all watched them share their
extraordinary stories online, on television and hungrily read their
books. Here’s one of my favorite examples:</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jill Bolte Taylor,
Ph.D., is a brain scientist who experienced a massive, debilitating stroke, and
chronicled her challenge to regain her life in the book “My Stroke of Insight:
A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey.” After years of strong
resolve and faith, and partnering with her body in selecting the medical care
and therapies necessary for recovery … she discovered her body’s incredible
capacity to heal. She’s now sharing her inspirational experience with
people around the world to help others, especially stroke victims.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No matter how serious
their prognosis, many courageous people like Dr. Taylor accepted their own
inner knowing that our bodies are equipped to reenergize, regenerate and renew
every cell, organ and function—depending on our desire and conscious direction.
I humbly realize that while I don’t share the life skills and knowledge of Dr.
Taylor, I am a fellow soul and therefore am heir to the same healing power that
is within each of us. Plus, I am totally committed to fulfilling my life
purpose by sharing the insights I learn with others as I</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">grow</span></i><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">through life instead of just</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">going </span></i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">through it.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The fact is that for
the past three decades each member of my team of caregivers has embraced the
field of integrative medicine that combines the best of modern-day medicine, as
well as holistic modalities and philosophy. This means I’ve been learning
to take responsibility for my health decisions concerning drugs, surgery and so
on. The result is that despite a few aches and pains and some
inconveniences, I am still here – and prescription free.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also believe that
each human being is a unique and precious individualized expression of the
Universal Life Force-Energy-Spirit-God. We’re on a unique journey that is
tailored just for us, and the one-size-fits-all diagnoses and required drugs
and treatments – along with a belief that the Earth is flat – belong together
in the dustbin of history. We are being called to a conscious awakening
within ourselves that is a necessary step for us to keep pace with the planetary
transformation that is ongoing and the incredible high-tech scientific world we
now inhabit.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Being born on Earth is
such a Gift. No matter what chapter of life we’re in, it’s an opportunity
to grow into a higher level of consciousness, which is why we’re here. I
believe in following that truth and by doing so, that I will be able to live
life the way in which it’s really meant to unfold. I may have come to
this awareness late in life, but obviously it’s the right timing for me.
I am being led and supported in loving myself, taking charge of my life and
owning my power. Baby steps perhaps, but the feeling deep within me is
the only encouragement I need to know I am on the right path.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For more than a
decade, I have been focusing on fulfilling my life purposes, my potential and
true heart and soul desires. Recently I began receiving the following
message from my Higher Wisdom Self: “Take Heart, Fern, these are The
First Days of the Best Years of Your Life.” That has always lifted my
heart and spurred me on to trust and have faith in what is to come. I
recognize the truth in it for now no matter what life presents, I face it, do
what I can to cope with it – and continue on my journey with a reassuring
feeling of contentment, joy and peace.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During the ensuing
years I have experienced several brief episodes of a level of bliss that felt
like heaven-on-Earth. The first time, I hugged it to my heart and as I
focused on staying in that energy, I realized it was achievable for longer
periods of time right here on Earth. In other similar instances the
all-encompassing bliss was accompanied by an inner knowing that if I died right
then, it would be okay for I was God-smacked with a joy that permeated my being
and caused me to know that at some level, I was already perfect, whole and
complete. There was also a palpable energy that I recognized as an
anticipation of Good.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The more I focus on
expanding my conscious awareness of how life on Earth is really meant to be
lived, the stronger the inner soul urging is to be free to live a longer life
and to continue discovering the Real Me I was born to be.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We don’t have to gaze
at the stars or ponder the endless number of galaxies to bring up the awe,
love, mystery and potential that is inherent in the gift our bodies present to
us. All we have to do is turn within and become acquainted with our
sacred</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">life vehicles</span></i><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to discover the power within each of us.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I think about it
now it’s like being given a magical, mystical toy and I’m just now opening it
and seeing what we can accomplish by partnering together. This opens us
to consciously realizing the incredible intelligence, love and perfection that
we are. As if that wasn’t enough, each of us shares in the Universal
plan. Our role is to take every challenge as an opportunity to help us learn
how life on Earth is meant to work – and to realize that our magnificent body
is capable of keeping us around until we have fully expressed our unique
energy, light into the world. Thank you, Life. I’m Happy.
More Please.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“There is a power and presence within you that
is greater than you are and you can use it." </span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ~</span></i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Irene Amanda Hunter, author of “The Miracle of
Being The Real You.”</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">______________________________________
Copyright
© 2015 by Fern Stewart Welch [Repeated
by request]</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books:
“Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart”, (April 2013); “Tea with
Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live A
Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows the
Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit
Within,” (Feb. 2009) are available at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as
well as bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.<br />
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-77100915886575153082016-04-01T08:10:00.001-07:002016-04-01T08:10:53.934-07:00Making the Best of the Rest of Your Life<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“<i>Start by doing what is necessary; then do what’s possible,</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and suddenly you’re doing the impossible.” ~Francis of
Assisi</span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I remember when I was
very young hearing my 93-year old great-grandmother repeat that old maxim, “If
I’d known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of
myself.” Like most youngsters, I didn’t take my elder’s wisdom to
heart. And, eventually I did recall the conversation, with regret.
Because as a much older me, I was suddenly receiving messages from my own body
– I had begun to face one challenging aging ailment after another, barely
coping with one before another popped up. I shouldn’t have been so
surprised – I had already written another essay based on it seeming like our
older bodies might be falling apart, but it could also be our chance to partner
with our bodies. But, of course, we humans are always forgetting and then
being reminded again. The truth is that our bodies are finite, they do
wear out, and they do malfunction – especially if we haven’t taken good care of
them, and have taken them for granted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, what can we do to
ensure that our later life is as healthy and productive and happy as we would
like it to be? Well for starters we need to realize the fact that
statistics already show that human beings are now living longer than
ever. The trend that’s already obvious is that the 70s are the new
50s and the 90s are the new 70s. This means (statistically) that we are
going to be “old” for much longer periods of time than our parents and
grandparents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That fact automatically
shoots <i>taking better care of our bodies up to the top of all
lists. </i>Every day for decades we’ve been inundated with
information that encouraged us to eat a life-enhancing and nutritious diet, to
exercise, lose weight, run, walk and keep moving so that we can have a fit and
healthy body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As seniors, many of us
already had a handy excuse for ignoring the fitness craze that is still
sweeping our country, because we thought it had nothing to do with us.
After all we were too busy focusing on what we thought were the last years of
our lives. Yet the truth is: <i>Better late than never. </i>Thank
you, Granny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While it’s obvious
that younger generations will have more time to adjust to living longer lives,
we oldsters have already recognized that life itself is an incredible gift, and
the opportunity to live to an advanced age can be an even greater
blessing. It’s our responsibility to make the most of it, and to prepare
our bodies for a longer lifespan by staying healthy and fit, and we can do it
wisely without <i>ripped muscles</i> and<i> six-packs.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We also need to expand
our minds and embrace the new concepts of agelessness and youthfulness, as well
as life-long learning and goal-setting. Another self-defeating thing that
we foot-dragging oldsters do to stay firmly entrenched in “the old days” is to
resist all changes, and particularly technological change. I’ve heard
many of my peers say when they are being chastised by their family members for
retreating from the high-tech world we now live in: “Oh well, we’ll be
long-gone soon.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">People who think that
way have already started opting OUT to put it bluntly. The thought being,
that we can’t move forward or don’t think we can, or don’t have the urge to do
so. The upshot of that closed and unhealthy mind-set is a fear of
learning new ways, and of trying new things. It can also isolate us from
society – and put our lives in a static kind of holding pattern – that says
we’re still here, but patiently waiting for the way out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I remember a quote by
bestselling author Richard Bach that fits this situation perfectly: <i>“If
you think your mission on Earth is complete, if you’re alive it isn’t.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have to admit that I
am still one of those “foot-dragging” seniors. For example, just like my
parents I resist using the drive-in window at my bank, and still write checks
to pay my bills. I don’t even want to talk about how little I know about
my one high-tech concession, computers, for if it works that’s great, but if it
doesn’t I have no clue as to what to do. My young grandsons are my
tutors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After I was recently
presented with another aging ailment, I began seriously wondering what the
final chapter(s) of my life <i>could </i>be like if I changed my
outlook and became part of our world’s evolution into a higher conscious
awareness. I knew immediately that not being part of Life and just kind
of “hanging in,” wasn’t for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here’s what I
did. I took a week off for a self-imposed retreat (which I call
time-out-of-time) to ponder my stage of life and to revisit some of the wise words
of my mentors and teachers, as well as famous sages and philosophers who have
gone on before us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This statement from my
late friend and mentor Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross captured my attention<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Each and every one of
us is a unique, individualized expression of God – the Divine Mind – and we’re
here for a reason, and there will never be another me or another you.</span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was touched at the
core of my being by that quote, and took the time necessary to do two
things. The first was to accept the fact that in order to continue
experiencing life on Earth we must have a body and the healthier the
better. Next I took a clear look at my life to figure out what I would
need to do (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually) to help me make
the best of the rest of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Feeling somewhat
overwhelmed by the latest ailment I was experiencing I sat down and listed my
half-dozen maladies, along with specific dietary do’s or don’ts for each
one. I also added prescribed exercises, meditation, visualization, and embryonic
(qigong) breathing as well as homeopathic and holistic healing modalities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Having focused my
thoughts by writing down my concerns and what I could and would do about them,
I no longer felt overwhelmed. What I had done was to come up with a simple list
of how-to’s that in a very short time (two weeks for me) became a healthful and
uplifting habit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As soon as I started
working with my body as a willing partner, I immediately felt supported and
empowered by the positive energy that now coursed through my being. I was
no longer a helpless victim just waiting for the next aging ailment to show up,
I was consciously partnering with my body to attain and maintain a higher level
of energy and well-being to prepare me for whatever life presents. (This
includes a bit of time to have a snit-fit when and if another malady shows up.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As my
great-grandmother also said, “When you have your health, you have
everything!” She was right. I’m aware and kind of gobsmacked that
at the age of 80 I committed to a new vision – with a healthier diet, exercises
and taking full responsibility for my body. My goal is to continue
experiencing life on Earth, growing in conscious awareness instead of
just getting older … and making the best of the rest of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I made my decision
with a tip of the hat to the late Art Linkletter, who wrote a bestselling book
years ago titled – “How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life –
in which he said, <i>You can’t stop the clock, but we can rewind
it.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I chose to do
that. I finally realized that it’s time to embrace this brave new world
instead of resisting it. Life is change, and the world is changing fast
and in ways that will affect every aspect of our lives—and they’ve only just
begun. The good news is that part of living in a time of rapid change
also means we can take advantage of new and unparalleled opportunities … and
use them to make the best of the rest of our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">______________________________________ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Copyright © 2015 Fern
Stewart Welch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books:
“Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,” (April 2013); “Tea with
Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live A
Balanced Life In an Unbalanced World,” (Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows the
Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit
Within,” (Feb. 2008) are available at Amazon.com other online booksellers and
bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-49272345195401948322016-03-02T11:11:00.002-07:002016-03-02T11:11:57.398-07:00How I Learned (Painfully) That Patience Isn’t Just a Virtue … It Can Also Keep You Out of the Hospital<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Self-love
is the key to patience, persistence and success.” </span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-size: 14pt;">~</span><span style="color: #29303b;">Unknown</span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve been wrestling with the reality of patience vs. impatience
for many years – with healthy signs that I’m making some progress. But I
still experience times like the following situation, when I wish with all my
heart that I had stopped and asked myself: <i>If I really loved me, what
would I do right now?</i></span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After grocery shopping for an hour, I arrived home with a trunk
full of bags to unload by myself, and the awareness that I would have to put
them all away. I was tired, my patience exhausted, and all I wanted was
to get this chore over with and sit down to relax. I grabbed two of the
last four bags in each hand, noticing that the ones in my right hand each
contained a half gallon of milk. I didn’t think about those heavy bags,
just that if I could close the trunk of my car right then, I wouldn’t have to
come back out to the garage to do it.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Reaching for the trunk lid, I swung my right arm up above my
head, attempting a Michael Jordan slam dunk, grabbed the lid and pushed
down. But it took more strength than I had with the weight of the milk
containers and I knew as soon as the lid slammed shut that I had hurt my
shoulder. By the next day, the pain had not abated so I sought medical
help. I had a moderate injury to my rotator cuff that would not require
surgery, but would take time to heal, and I would have to limit the use of my
right arm, including not being able to drive for a while.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why was I in such a hurry that I abandoned good sense, acted
without thought and chose to do something that would compromise my
well-being? If I had taken a moment to think, had a moment’s patience, I
would have realized that what I was doing was not only risky but
unnecessary. Surely I had already had enough not-so-good experiences with
impatience in my long lifetime to learn this lesson. I can remember as a
child my great-grandmother, Amanda Hampton Crownover, would wag her pointer
finger at me and say, “Act in haste, repent at leisure.” Was I ever! Ouch!</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet, when an issue, such as patience, or the lack of it, sticks
in my consciousness, and won’t go away, I know it’s an indication that it’s way
past time to focus on this lesson. My modus operandi is to turn within
and realize any insights, apply them in my life to assist me on my spiritual
journey, and to share them with other interested souls who also seek to know
how life on Earth is meant to work.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As the thoughts began to gather around the current issue – my
lack of patience – I recalled that in at least three instances over the past
few years, my impatience resulted in some totally unnecessary, minor – yet
painful and inconvenient – health challenges. Many seniors would just
chalk those experiences up to aging and let it go at that. Not me.
I want truth.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I asked my inner guidance what I’m to learn from these
situations, I was told that if I want to continue experiencing life on Earth, I
have to take better care of the sacred vehicle (body) that allows me to do
so. As usual, part of that aspect had to do with getting the maximum
nutritional value from the foods I ingest, and also exercising a little every
day to keep all the organs functioning at an optimal level. I’m seriously
working on each of these.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But the most important – as well as the most surprising, and
vital bit of information – was that I needed to face, heal and release the
mental and emotional aspects of me that cause the impatience. In other
words, the major insight in this specific situation turned out to be that I
evidently had much more inner work to do on loving myself.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Actually, I honestly thought that after all the years of daily
inner work I’ve done to heal and release the childhood feelings of being
undeserving, unworthy and unlovable, that I was now nearly “home free.”
Not so. Evidently I still have layers of undesirable energies that if I
want to keep moving forward on the spiritual path, need to be acknowledged and
worked with until they too are in alignment with what is for my highest and
best good.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I began the process of plumbing the depths of me to discover
insights about my impatience, naturally the first thing I thought of was what
I, and perhaps others, consider the real-world definition of <i>patience</i>.
It goes something like this: Patience means gritting our teeth, digging
in our heels and putting up with some undesirable and negative condition,
person or situation.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now I know that while some of this may be true, it’s obvious
that there’s a lot more to the full meaning of patience than most of us
realize.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After several days of soul-searching and no instant insights, I
realized that the only way I was going to make any progress was by going within
and looking at my own life. The first thing that popped up was the fact
that when I answered God’s call to be a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart more
than twelve years ago, it took not only great daily patience but also long-term
persistence (and faith) to stay on my spiritual path. It wasn’t and still
isn’t always easy to stay strong and face the challenges and blockages that pop
up from the core of my being. More often than not, it was extremely
humbling. But the patience and persistence I have managed to gain
continue to help me stay lovingly present and conscious of what is happening on
my spiritual path so I can open to the insights and fulfill my purpose by
sharing them to help others on their life journeys.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As to my inner work, after going within and releasing any
negative feelings about my periodic “attacks” of impatience, I released any
unloving feelings about myself. At that point, I <i>got it</i> that
patience in its true fullness means first and foremost that we are to be
patient with ourselves. This also means being compassionate, and
forgiving, and loving ourselves at every opportunity, because we are all
works-in-progress, and we deserve all the help we can get.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What I believe we all need to remember is that we have our human
aspect and our Godly side. While we are human and can choose to express
anger, fear, impatience and jealousy, we also have and can express the
God-qualities of compassion, caring, joy, love, patience and persistence.
I consider myself reminded Big Time that patience means being loving to me
first. This opens up the opportunity to give any decision the time it
needs before I abandon loving myself and act impatiently.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The other insight I gained was that when we can grow into having
patience with ourselves and the process of life – whether or not we’re
committed to a spiritual path or just want to create a better life – we will
automatically realize that <i>self-love </i>is a vital part of our
truth and that it requires daily practice. Actually our universal life
mission is to truly love ourselves. It’s been said throughout eons of
time that before we can love another we have to love ourselves.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh, BTW, if I had had the patience in my garage to put those
heavy things down and to ask myself the question: “What would be the loving
thing to do?” The answer would have been that a truly self-loving person
would never consciously choose to risk injury just to save a few moments of
time. Knowing what I know now, I choose to strengthen my self-love, and
to claim that patience and persistence guide my life. I can hear my
beloved great-grandmother saying: “Finally, better late than never.”</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
I daily claim and practice self-love, patience and
persistence. </span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With patience I
hold on, hold fast and hold out for the best life has to offer.</span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">_____________________________________________________</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Copyright © 2014 by Fern Stewart Welch (Reprinted by request.)</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious
Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2008), are available at
Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="comments"></a><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-70889485960356651712016-01-30T14:35:00.000-07:002016-01-30T14:35:25.391-07:00Putting Yourself First May Be the Best – and Most Unselfish – Thing You Can Do<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); line-height: 16.8pt; margin-bottom: 9pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, serif;">I often wonder who decided that I was to be a giver instead of a receiver in
this life. Well, now I know. I myself made that decision, and I was all of 10
years of age at the time. As young as I was, it seems I had come to a decisive
point in my life. I realized I was a conscious, thinking human being, and was
searching for something that would lift me up and beyond my current circumstances
to a more desired life. At first, I tried finding what I was looking for by
visiting some of the churches near our house, but found that their messages of
“hell-fire and brimstone” were not what my heart and soul sought. I realized
fully that the situation in my birth family figured in my quest also, as I was
the seventh of 10 children and was born a highly-sensitive introvert. I yearned
for the individual attention, guidance, and love my life was missing, and which
was an impossibility in such a large family. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
The decision I made in an innocent Mother Teresa-moment was to choose the
path of love and to always give priority to the needs of others (primarily my
family members) instead of selfishly focusing on myself. Then I would receive
back what I so sorely desired. Being a voracious reader, including books on
family issues, I thought I knew how to help fulfill my needs and benefit
others. For a time I focused extra attention and caring on my parents and
siblings, but it made no difference in the lack of attention or acceptance I
felt.<br />
<br />
So I extended my attention beyond the family and discovered that the
responses to my selfless-do-gooder actions were beginning to make a difference
in my life. It started when Miss Rule, the elementary school librarian, took me
under her tutelage and I became her number-one assistant, which was a boost to
my self-esteem. Something obviously shifted in the “little me,” for each
teacher throughout eighth grade, responded to me in ways that were a balm to my
heart and I wanted more of the wonderful feel-good feelings. Those positive
feelings were so strong that I remained on the path I had chosen, unaware – or
not caring – that I often ignored any preferences or needs of my own to help
others.<br />
<br />
As a grownup, once I began to focus on the lesson of self-love, which is
invaluable to a balanced and happy life, it was clear that some childhood
conclusions – like mine – can be the source of poor life decisions, less than
healthy relationships, and an unfulfilled life. I realized that my immature
decision to put others first no matter what the situation was – needed to be
reexamined by a mature adult. And I was the only one who could do it.<br />
<br />
What I discovered – became fully conscious of – was that this childhood
decision was the source of active conflict in my adult life for at least a
decade. It started with the publishing of my books and realizing that in
addition to being a highly-sensitive introvert, I had become a spiritual
contemplative. This meant that I had no interest in pursuing fame or fortune. I
just wanted to follow my chosen path and to fulfill my life purpose – which is
to continue growing through life instead of just going through it – and sharing
the insights I gained to help others create better lives. I’m in the process of
learning to balance self-love with loving and releasing others to their own
destinies, and with my background this is a tall order and will take time.<br />
<br />
The more I realized that I had been controlled by that subconscious order to
always help others, the more I recognized that while some of the “motherly”
things I had done through the years may have been truly love-based and healthy,
some were not. Sometimes the others involved could have resolved their own
challenges and learned vital life lessons, and sometimes my involvement could
have been simply an unnecessary interference and probably caused emotional
stress for all concerned. Now I’m beginning to experience a feeling of peace
and wholeness when my actions come only from love and are positive for all
concerned, and a feeling of emptiness and sadness when I realized they are
ego-based and come largely from a long-term habit.<br />
<br />
I’ve known for a long time that everything in life happens for a reason, and
we’re here on Earth to learn the lessons that present themselves. For example I
learned a long time ago, after having three children of my own, that there’s no
way I could have fulfilled all the individual needs and desires of the 10
children my parents had. Who could? I’m sure that as parents, beyond providing
a child’s basic need for shelter, food and love, it is part of the curriculum
in Earth school to choose to use what challenges/opportunities life delivers us
to fuel our unique life journey. The more challenging our circumstances have
been, the greater the gift in overcoming the past.<br />
<br />
I also realize fully that everything that happened in my childhood,
including the directive to choose the path of love, is what fueled me to
continue on the spiritual path. That decision eventually led me to finding my
life purpose, and now the opportunity to open more fully to it. I also
recognize how vital self-love is in creating the lives we desire and deserve.
And for those insights I bless everything that ever happened in my life for
they have brought me more joy and happiness than I ever dreamed possible. Thank
you, God. I have no complaints.<br />
<br />
Now that old directive has been replaced by a new one – to be a loving,
benevolent “bystander” for those I care about. I will be there when they truly
need me, and ask me, and I will remain free to focus on my own soul-growth.
This requires conscious commitment, discipline and awareness every single day.
It also means I continue working on loving myself so that my level of self-love
is at a high level. This keeps me healthy and happy, and any decisions I make
are based on selfless-love that benefits all concerned.<br />
<br />
Helping others is a blessed life goal, but I’ve learned how important it is to
put our own oxygen mask on first, because if our needs are not met, we have
little or no ability to help others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whenever I fail, or when I doubt, or when I’m down – I remain
kind and loving to myself. </span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <b><u>10 Easy Ways to Build Self-Love, Self-Compassion and
a Happy Life</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
BE YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND.<br />
<br />
Write down what your “self talk” says about you. If it’s critical, change it to
loving words.<br />
<br />
Write out a list of your best qualities, life gifts, abilities and look at it
often.<br />
<br />
Look in the mirror each day, lock eyes and say I love you – continue
until you can feel comfortable and filled with self-love.<br />
<br />
Forgive yourself, others, release the past, and live in the moment.<br />
<br />
Set boundaries and say no to anyone or anything that does not align with
your core values, your heart and soul desires, and your highest and best good.<br />
<br />
Meet challenges by going within and asking your inner guidance to tell
you the lesson you are to learn. Don’t give up. You already know the answer.<br />
<br />
Meditate. Go within to experience the bliss and deep inner peace within
us. Conscious awareness is inherent in this process. You will soon recognize
and release old patterns and behaviors and transform your life experience. (See
Meditation Made Easy in my Spiritual Warrior book.)<br />
<br />
Say each day with passion: I Am God’s Magnificent Vessel of Greatness!<br />
<br />
Repeat often during challenging times: There is an opportunity in this to
learn a lesson. Thanks. Everything happens for my good (eventually) and I’m
going to be gentle, kind and loving to myself every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">____________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Copyright © 2014 by Fern
Stewart Welch – (reprinted by request)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books:
“Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart (April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,”
recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live a Balanced
Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov. 2008), and “The Heart Knows the Way – How
to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,”
(Feb. 2006), are available at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as
bookstore chains such as Barnes &I Noble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-26775116403893939822016-01-01T09:42:00.001-07:002016-01-01T09:42:52.908-07:00 Just When It Seems Your Life Is As Good As It Gets … You Might Learn Your Biggest Lesson of All <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1757642359581873510"></a><br /></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> "</span><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Without
change something sleeps within us. And seldom</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Awakens. The sleeper must awaken.” ~Frank Herbert<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was three days from the deadline for posting my monthly essay
online when I realized I had to delete yet another unsatisfactory version. (I
was stymied, dead in the water – and it was a shock.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This was definitely not writer’s block. After nine years and more than 200 essays,
this was the first time I had come to a full stop. Certainly I’d experienced ups and down and
static times before, but I had never once thought of the possibility of going
fully into reverse – and staying there – which is what I feared was happening
to me. I had gone abruptly from living
in a spiritual state of trust, security, peace, joy – and being able to share
that with readers – to floundering unproductively in doubt, fear, insecurity,
loneliness and vulnerability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes, I had finally reached a place of happiness, security and
spiritual comfort in my life, and I wanted to stop striving and at 82 years of
age just to stay there forever. But I
had also become complacent and conveniently lost sight of the fact that life <i>is </i>change, and that praying daily to<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">live in the status quo and have it keep getting better was in
opposition to how life really works. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had hoped to live the rest of my life from the spiritual
aspect I had spent years attaining. Now,
though, I seemed to have taken a giant step backward. I was so surprised and so rattled by the
accompanying negative emotions that I didn’t know how, when or why it happened
and whether or not it was going to be a permanent situation. I couldn’t even imagine at that point that I
might be able to master my own emotional and mental aspects enough to gain
insights and move back on track. I
feared my journey was over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Before this backsliding episode, the writing and sharing of
these essays about <i>growing </i>through
life’s lessons instead of just going through them had taken on a life of its
own, and I had trusted it completely.
This time it seemed that no matter how deep I dug in searching for the
lesson I was meant to understand, bring forth and share with others, I simply
couldn’t hit pay dirt. I finally felt
guided to post archived essays for the months of gestation that unprecedented
and challenging new lessons would require.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As soon as I made that decision, I breathed a big sigh of
relief, as I felt a welcome release of stress. After several weeks of staying
away from the computer and working in my patio garden to prepare the plants for
winter, I began to sense that the almost 360◦ metamorphosis from positive to
negative energy was lessening its hold on me.
It seemed nearly miraculous, but then I remembered that our ancestors
often took ailing patients into the forest to aid their healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Apparently a respite spent partnering with Nature was allowing
me to stop focusing on all the negative aspects of my situation. I had stepped back and away from the stress
and disappointment of backsliding and this allowed me to begin functioning
again at a more desirable level. I
realized that my time in nature brought back my perspective and this allowed me
to continue objectively seeking answers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I continued my daily soul-searching, I prayed that my “job”
(life purpose) was the same as it was before: to grow through life instead of
just going through it, and sharing the insights gained with others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It also wasn’t lost on me that experiencing once more what it
was like to be living life from a lower energy vibration, and with all the
negative emotions, was absolutely undesirable.
I had never liked living like that, and I still didn’t. Even thinking about it caused a slight twinge
of fearful energy to begin rising up in me.
Thankfully, I immediately felt a stronger, positive surge of energy
course through my body. I knew then that
I held the answer within me and I <i>could </i>and
would eventually reach a level of conscious awareness that to me, comparatively
speaking, was like heaven on Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I started to wonder how I could do that, and quickly remembered
that being committed to fulfilling my highest potential in life had brought me
to the former plateau. I sensed that if
I remained on that path, it would enable me to get back on course. So, I did the only thing I knew to do. I went straight back to the basics, and was
daily working on shoring up the connection with my inner self by using positive
affirmative prayers, and also claiming to increase the level of trust and faith
I have in God-Good-Truth-Love, and Me.
It felt right and good. I also
went back to doing some necessary inner work and released some negative and
invalid beliefs, thoughts, life patterns and idealized and false self images.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I realized that when I hit a bump in the road, the key is not to
allow the poor Little Me aspect of my ego to run wild by bringing up all of my
negative and self-effacing thoughts and fears.
As soon as I was relieved of built-up stress, I experienced a positive,
steady energy at the core of my being—again.
Hallelujah!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was obvious to me that this was the toughest lesson I’d ever
experienced. And I’d done it to myself,
of course, by losing perspective and then tying myself up in knots over
it. I’m not ashamed to admit this
now. I’m human, and know that many of us
allow negative and false thoughts to remain in our subconscious and they become
strong directives in our lives. Our
souls present us with ample opportunities to face, feel, heal and release such
negative directives. The choice is ours. (It’s simple, but isn’t always easy.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What I finally learned was not to steadfastly try to hang onto
the <i>status quo </i>when we reach a
desired energy level and our life seems like it’s the best it can ever be. That’s not the way life works. We’re here to grow into a higher conscious
awareness, and the opportunities are countless, and endless, and present
themselves every day of our lives – unless we put up a mental Stop Sign like I
did – that denies change and resists new experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If I’m ever faced with another highly emotional lesson like this
one, here’s my plan: Before another
self-blame snit-fit of stress and flailing emotions can take control, I’m going
to remain calm and go within immediately and call forth the highest and best me
I can be. Then with the strongest
thoughts, desire and energy I can muster, I will claim faith and trust in God-Good-Love-Truth
… and Me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also know now that as I choose to live this lesson, everything
necessary to enable me to move forward on the next step of my spiritual journey
is awaiting me. And, my friends, from
this experience, I believe that this is the way life on Earth is meant to
work.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">___________________________________________
Copyright © 2016 by Fern Stewart Welch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,
(2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced
Life In An Unbalanced World,” (2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to
Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,”
(2006), are available at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as
bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.</span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-5075433924489703082015-11-27T12:16:00.001-07:002015-11-27T12:16:58.799-07:00<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1757642359581873510"></a><span style="color: #1b0431; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Gift That Only You
Can Give Yourself<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b0431; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Be yourself: Everyone else is already taken.” ~Oscar Wilde<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The more time I spend
in and observing nature the more I learn about myself. It recently dawned
on me that I have spent my entire life in an effort to learn to relax and be
who I am. I discovered this by watching the rabbits and birds that
frequent my lush yard. They are totally content with what they are.<br />
<br />
I smile when I think about what it must be like to be a blade of grass, whose
only role in life is to grow and be green. In doing so, it fulfills its
purpose and enhances the beauty of a yard or a field. What a sad and
frustrating experience it would be for that blade of grass to spend its
lifespan wishing to be a flower, a shrub or a tree. Yet, not being
grounded and accepting who we are seems to be part of the human condition,
resulting in many of us spending our lives striving to be something that we are
not.<br />
<br />
It does not have to be and should not be that way. Each of us is
important, as no one else can be who I am, or who you are. It is only our
wayward minds that confuse and frustrate us and keep us from enjoying the
fullness of what it means to be alive in this form.<br />
<br />
I believe the most important element in overcoming this tendency is to come to
peace within ourselves and accept who we were born to be. Our culture is
so focused on the external world that we rarely, if ever, take the time to
explore the inner world that is within us.<br />
<br />
Many people believe that life is what happens to us externally, and our role is
to react to whatever comes our way, but that is not so. The Truth is that
the point of power is within us and has always been. We need to realize
that the way life is supposed to happen is from within out--not the other way
around. When we understand this, we become empowered and can determine much
of what happens to us in life.<br />
<br />
We have the power to stop our fear-based frantic search for answers outside
ourselves. Unfortunately, our culture focuses on and requires that we not
be in touch with ourselves or our environment, much to the detriment of both.<br />
<br />
Going within and connecting with our inner selves is an absolute
necessity. It naturally leads to connecting with that larger part of us
that knows we are one with everyone else, as well as with the Earth
itself. At that point, there is no confusion or frustration about who we
are or what our purpose is on this planet, as it is simply to be fully and
wholly who we were born to be.<br />
<br />
Once we make this connection, we will be free of the thoughts that have kept us
off-balance and off-purpose and that preclude us from achieving our full human
potential. There is great power in this knowing--power that can change
our lives and the world. It is the gift that only you can give to you.<br />
______________________________<br />
Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch – repeated by request.<br />
<br />
The author's books:”Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,” (2013);
"Tea with Elisabeth," recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction; "You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,"
(2008) and "The Heart Knows the way
- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit
Within," (Nov. 2006)are available at Amazon.com, other online
booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-13656372208923147412015-10-20T14:31:00.000-07:002015-10-20T14:31:24.672-07:00The Importance of an Attitude of Gratitude<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #1b0431; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a successful and fulfilled life." </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1b0431; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ~Jack Canfield, "Chicken Soup for the Soul"</span></i><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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.<br />
<br />
This information has been around for eons, and has allowed many individuals to
create successful, enriching and happy lives despite external socio-economic
conditions.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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 can expect to receive Good
back from the Universe.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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>I am
grateful for</i> ______________, and let your mind and heart fill in the
blank. We can also make a daily written list or start a daily Gratitude Journal
and keep track of everything for which we are grateful, including ourselves,
our abilities, attributes and talents. When gratitude is practiced consistently
for the good we have in our lives, the loving universe takes that as our order
and sends us more of the same.<br />
<br />
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 a comfortable and warm bed,
for my house, my car and for each person, event and experience I will meet this
day. I also repeat this affirmation daily: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>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. </i><br />
<br />
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 the following affirmation: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>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. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I turn over, I
always feel complete and clear of the happenings of the day, and just naturally
drift into a peaceful sleep.<br />
<br />
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. This is another blessed gift for which we can be exceedingly
grateful.<br />
_______________________________<br />
Copyright © 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch – Repeated by request.<br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,”
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious
Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2008), are available at
Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-57241471495873863052015-09-29T15:14:00.001-07:002015-09-29T15:14:49.472-07:00The Practiced Ear Hears the Song Of God in Nature<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I sense a deep primordial kinship with the fall season. As
the Earth's energy slows down following the boisterous display of summer, I
instinctively know it is time to draw within and spend quiet time in
contemplation. The need is strong, and the sometimes cloudy, cooler days
complement this desire.<br />
<br />
Lately, I find myself reflecting on the creativity of nature and the similarity
of thoughts and seeds. Whenever I plant a sunflower seed in my small
patio garden, I can rest assured that the germinated seed will produce a
sunflower. So too will the thoughts I focus on produce their own
likeness, and whether they are deemed desirable or undesirable depends on the
quality of my thoughts. It is important to choose my thoughts carefully
so that what springs forth in my life is as dependable and desirable as what
flourishes in my garden.<br />
<br />
In joyous anticipation of partnering with nature, I pick up my pruning shears
and trowel and head for my small back patio garden to view the results of
the Southwest desert's harsh triple-digit temperatures. Despite appropriate
care, some potted plants have not survived, much like some of my misplaced
thoughts and desires. I bless them and with a sigh, scoop them up and recycle
them into the earth.<br />
<br />
I am heartened though that while some umbrella plants are brown half-way to the
base of their sword-like leaves, they are still alive and worthy of continuing
attention and care. I know that with judicial pruning, some plant food
and lower temperatures they will have a rebirth and soon settle in -- healthy
and strong for the milder winter months.<br />
<br />
It is with great pleasure that I notice the gentle breeze that cools my brow
and plays a melody on the chimes. I survey the healthy green of the large
jasmine bush and the heavenly bamboo that long ago sent down their roots deep
into the earth. They can easily withstand the summer heat and the cold of
winter.<br />
<br />
I realize that many of us also seek to anchor our trust and faith into
something greater than we are that will sustain us and enable us to not only
survive but to thrive despite the traumas, trials and tribulations of life.<br />
<br />
For sentimental reasons, I usually plant red tulip bulbs in pots and place
them in a box of sawdust in the garage to prepare them for an early blooming
period in a process known as "forcing."<br />
<br />
Each time the brilliant red tulips reach full bloom in the still-cold days of
winter, I honor the many flowering plants that have "nursed" me
through trying times in my life. They serve as gentle reminders to my
yearning heart that spring will eventually burst forth once again in all of its
full frolicking, rollicking and riotous splendor.<br />
<br />
While surveying the ravages of summer on some of the plants, I realized I
finally understood my late husband's seemingly blasé approach to flower and
vegetable gardening. As a master gardener as well as a practical
person, he would give the seeds and sprouts all the tender loving care
necessary for optimal growth and then say, "Shape up or ship out."<br />
<br />
He gave them every chance to survive, but when it became obvious that they
weren't going to make it -- into the compost pile they went. I now find
this not only a well-reasoned approach to the mysterious vagaries of plant
survival, but to the choices we make in life. If our thoughts-decisions
bring good results, excellent. If not, we uproot them and choose new
ones.<br />
<br />
I was initiated into the joys of gardening in childhood by my grandmothers and
my favorite uncle, and my lifelong interest was matched by that of my late
husband. They taught me that nature is the true language of our being,
and that we can learn from it whatever we need to know about life.<br />
<br />
The invitation is always there for us to draw near the bosom of nature.
If we lean close and listen, we can hear the serenade of God, and know that we
are part of Creation and one with all life ... dissolving all fears.<br />
_______________________________<br />
Copyright 2012 by Fern Stewart Welch
(Repeated by Request)<br /><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart”
(2013), “Tea with Elisabeth” (recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction), “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World” (Nov.
2008), and “The Heart Knows the Way—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious
Connection with the Divine Spirit Within” (Feb. 2008), are available at
Amazon.com and other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-48001051551894056052015-08-31T14:55:00.002-07:002015-08-31T15:28:40.287-07:00World Peace May Take Time to Achieve … But the Good News Is You Don’t Have to Wait for Anyone Else to Get Started<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<i> Peace
is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old
barriers, and building new structures. </i>~John F. Kennedy</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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A few months ago, as I was writing in my journal, the idea came to
me to start a “Living Love Circle” to further world peace. As I thought about it, a wave of joyous
energy swept through my body, inspiring me to quickly send an e-mail to a small
group of friends asking them to join me in the adventure. I told them I had no idea how to accomplish
this lofty goal but that by joining together I knew we would be provided with
everything we needed to move forward.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I received no acceptances from my friends – not one – and after I
reflected on some of their comments it was obvious they mirrored the mind-set
of millions of individuals around the world when it came to seeking peace. Their no-thank-you rationale included such
thoughts as: <i>The current global problems
of cultural, political and religious differences are too complex and too deeply
imbedded; people are too angry-greedy-hate-filled-ignorant to care about their
fellow human beings … and finally, there are too few people on Earth who can
get along well with their families, let alone with everybody else. </i>I was brought up short.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I thought all this over for a few days and then I said “yes” to
going solo with a Living Love Circle. I
was certain that after I dropped back and allowed the full gestation of the
idea – that others would be drawn to the cause. Of course I realized that at
81-years of age it’s pretty obvious that world peace will not be achieved in my
lifetime and certainly not by me alone.
Yet there’s a deep concern gnawing within me that unless we each do what
we can – alone or not, here and now – world peace probably won’t be achieved at
any time hereafter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The truth in my friends’ reasons for declining reminded me of
another Truth. When we think we can do
something, we can – and when we think we can’t, we’re right again. And every trip, no matter how long, begins
with that first step that gets you up and on your way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After some more reflection, I realized that I’ve already been on
this solo world peace path for some time, yet without the typical circle
concept. I’ve written a number of essays
on the subject and most recently wrote one that I believe holds a major key to
assisting world peace. The process
starts within by mastering conflict resolution in ourselves. This translates to actually living peace and
sharing the powerful energy with others to help counteract the existing mass of
negative energy that hovers over the Earth like a dark cloud.<o:p></o:p></div>
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True it will take time and millions of peace-filled “soloists” to
make it happen, yet living peace is something we can do within ourselves, and
no one can do it for us except ourselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the past I’ve been content with just writing about what came
through me concerning world peace, but now I wanted to know more about the
history surrounding humanity’s quest for world peace, which obviously has started
and stopped countless times. I also
wanted to pay homage to the higher profile peacemakers of the past – as well as
to honor the millions then and through the millennia who were unknown and still
are today. It seems many souls, like my
friends, choose to go solo and use prayer and other under-the-radar actions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was delighted to discover an impressive website that listed many
organizations seeking world peace and a multitude of peacemakers known to
history starting with the prophet Moses (BCE), who united the tribes of Israel,
wrote the <i>Torah </i>and the<i> Ten Commandments. </i>Among the many names listed I recognized
such peacemakers as Lao Tzu, a philosopher from the sixth century BCE, to Siddhartha-Buddha,
(563-483 BCE), Jesus of Nazareth (6 BCE to 35 AD), and Muhammad (570-632 AD),
who unified Arabia and wrote the <i>Qur’an. </i>There were hundreds of other well-known
names through ensuing centuries such as: St. Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc,
Immanuel Kant, Thomas Jefferson, Victor Hugo, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther
King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, and on and on and on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At that point, I was filled with gratitude for every soul who
focused their lives on elevating the consciousness of humanity and knowing it
or not, also furthering the cause of world peace on Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I thought that greater minds than mine had probably already
established guidelines as well as how-to guidebooks that delve deeply into the
complexities of modern-day life (religious and political differences, as well
as cultural beliefs) that cause such highly emotional dislike and distrust of
others. The biggest problem is, of
course, that the Truth in these issues must be addressed and acted upon by
those in power using common sense and diplomacy to identify areas of cooperation
and unity. The rest is up to us … all
those “soloists” out there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I googled “How to achieve world peace,” and up came a healthy list
of possibilities. I was drawn to a book
by Crandall R. Kline, Jr., titled “Peace Within Our Grasp: Making the Dream a
Reality.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Robert Stewart, who wrote the Preamble for the book said that the
author has done the world a great service by demonstrating in his “how-to
manual” that world peace is achievable.
He added, “It is the best book on how to achieve world peace I’ve ever
read.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After scanning the lengthy summary, I recalled from the author’s
bio material that Kline had spent 40 years studying why we have wars. His unique approach to achieving world peace
was to quote the experts then identify and interpret what seem to be rational
ideas. I especially liked his
recommendation that <b>all </b>people are
required to be “activist intelligentsia” and by using high-tech communication
keeping the government from straying from the path of peace.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition to writing essays about the importance of coming to
peace within ourselves, I’ve also written about another major issue that when
resolved would hasten the process of world peace. And, it wasn’t covered in Kline’s treatise,
or any other online source I clicked on.
That issue is: FEAR.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I positively believe that we can place all the current critical
problems facing our country and the world into one big lump, and with only a
little digging we will find the defining thread that ties them all together. No matter the challenge – fear – is the
underlying factor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the core of every challenge lies this basic threat. We are fearful of anyone who is different in
actions, beliefs, looks or speech. We
are afraid of events taking place in the world, and those that may take
place. We are afraid of life and death
and everything in between. We are afraid
of who we are, so we spend our lives locked in a façade so that we won’t be
rejected by others who are doing the same thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Most of us live our lives totally unaware and fearful of the
incredible life force that is within us and everything in the universe. Instead we focus on the external, which is
sated with the nonfulfilling and crazy-making reality of a fear-based society.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve learned that until we can individually face our own fears and
take the journey within to know ourselves, we will never have the understanding
to accept others fully, no matter the differences. Until we have control over ourselves we will
continue individually – and as countries – seeking to control others so that we
have enough of whatever it is we need to make us feel secure: love, money,
power, prestige or possessions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And until we reconnect with the eternal and sublime energy that is
within us and everything in the universe, we will continue to feel the illusion
of separation which keeps us locked in our fear.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is the key, the answer, to all the problems in our lives, our
country and the world. Once we open to
the unconditional love, peace, support and wisdom that every heart yearns for,
we will Know we have discovered the greatest gift Life has to offer. We will become the consciously aware
spiritual human beings we were born to be.
We will no longer desire or need to have power over others. We will honor ourselves, all life and the
Earth. We will open to living from a
higher conscious awareness. Our very
presence will help to raise the energy level of others, and in the process help
us heal the Earth and every human being.
And we will be on our way to <i>World Peace</i>.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is the way life was meant to work. This is why we are here on Earth. Our true destiny is to<o:p></o:p></div>
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become fully aware of our inherent spirituality, to learn how to
become co-creators with this incredible energy and to aid in the conscious
evolution of ourselves and the Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p> </div>
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In this time of global crisis, there remains a great opportunity
to a great change for the better. And
there is no doubt that the path to this end lies within each of us, in our solo
selves. As we accept our birthright of
being individualized expressions of the Greatest Power on Earth, we master our
fear, resolve inner conflicts and come to peace within ourselves. Then one by one we’re birthing a new cultural
paradigm on Earth, and ushering in lasting peace.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Affirmation for World Peace<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></div>
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<i>I
consciously align my intention with the energy of Living Love.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> I
visualize the energy rising from this sacred circle to embrace Mother Earth and all its inhabitants.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>The
Earth is healed and its consciousness protected.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>The
evolution of all souls is harmoniously advanced.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Peace,
Love and Cooperation now manifest on Earth.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> ♥ And So <u>It Is</u>!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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__________________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Copyright© 2015 by Fern Stewart Welch<o:p></o:p></div>
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The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction: “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious
Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2008), are available at
Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-15574278943636533512015-07-31T11:29:00.003-07:002015-07-31T11:29:53.479-07:00Some People Are Born With the Grace to Live an Extra-Ordinary Life ... and the Rest of Us Can Learn From Their Example<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span>Albert Schweitzer said that the purpose of human life is to serve,
to show compassion and to possess the will to help others. My late sister Jessie, who lived a simple,
unheralded life, would have been surprised to know that she embodied that
philosophy. And it was my privilege to
not only witness someone live those values, but to have those principles as a
guideline for my life.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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How else could I recognize that by the time Jessie was a young
adult (ten years my senior) she already possessed the positive attributes and
qualities that I’ve been working to attain and maintain within myself (off and
on) since I was 10-years old. For me, this self-transformation would obviously
be a long-term project. But I finally
realized, in the past few years, that I had reached a level of peace and
contentment similar to Jessie’s that brought joy and happiness into my life
regardless of external circumstances. I
was filled with gratitude.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I seriously thought that if I was very careful and maintained the <i>status quo</i> that this highly desired
peace and contentment would be with me for the rest of my life. I was wrong.
Life is <i>change </i>and the choices
we have are simple, but not always easy.
When we’re young it’s easier to cope with change, grow through it and
often realize after the fact that it actually brought good into our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The rub is that as we age, and the physical and mental changes
that befall us cause us to be less adventurous, we find it more and more
difficult to positively respond to change.
So many of us (me included) opt to choose a certain stage of life that
seems pretty desirable – and that’s where we draw the line and choose the <i>status quo.
</i>But what we don’t realize is that by making that choice we could
also be saying goodbye to consciously choosing progress and growth. Ouch.
That sounds familiar.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since I had managed through the years to attain a level of
conscious awareness and a desired lifestyle that was the best I had ever
experienced, I wanted to continue living from there. Part of my joy came in honoring my two other
siblings who had their lives cut short by cancer. I chose to honor them by seeking to live a
better, more meaningful life; in other words to continue growing
spiritually. At this time with Jessie’s
recent passing at 90-years old and with a lifetime of selfless contribution to
eight younger siblings – and to life in general – I chose to honor her by
releasing my hold on the <i>status quo. </i>I knew this would please her<o:p></o:p></div>
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I chose to claim an expanded vision for the rest of my life –
opening myself to more options – and releasing the how, when and where to
God-Good-Life. What I had overlooked was
that by claiming an expanded vision or any other change in my life I was also
setting in motion a universal law that was known throughout the ages as – <i>As you think, so you are. </i>It is now known globally as – <i>When you change your thoughts, you change
your life.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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So, I have no idea what will happen in response to the three new
daily “life changing” affirmations (see below) that I selected to use. But
since I believed they are grounded in God-Good, I trust and expect that these
new directives are for my highest and best good.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->I <i> I claim that opening to an expanded vision for my future brings
only wonderful new experiences into my life. <span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I claim that Divine Order is established in my life experiences - and </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">that Divine Timing flows through all my life happenings.</span></i></div>
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<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Ordinarily I would have been focusing my attention on the
spiritual aspects of my life to glean any messages about expanding my life
purpose, potential or adding to my list of true heart and soul desires, however
there was no time for that. It seemed the snug little house that I had lived in
for 18 years and planned to spend the rest of my life in … was speaking up loud
and clear. I was experiencing the first
indication that my life – and my house – was <b>a-changing.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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It all started with a minor plumbing problem, then the same day
the A/C unit died, and then the garage door opener quit, then the nearly
inaccessible smoke alarm battery died.
And looking back now, I am pretty sure that I was in a light stage of
shock.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The minor plumbing problem in the upstairs bathroom opened up my
blessed sanctuary (upstairs and downstairs) to a bunch of heavy booted
technicians, with multiple tool kits on wheels – which meant drilling and
hammering noises day after day – and accompanied by huge amounts of debris,
dirt and paint dust. All of this to a
highly-sensitive person like me was an assault on every aspect of my being.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also my office was in one of the reconstruction areas and on some
days it was not possible to gain access.
When I could get to the computer, the noise level and strangers walking
in and out made it impossible to align with the creative energy that I seek
daily. It felt like my life was out of
control, and my beloved house was out to get me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Actually, I was too distressed to even stop, retreat from the
house, or turn within and ask myself my usual key question: “What am I to learn from this
situation?” When I was finally able to
go within and gather my wits about me, I realized that I had allowed the external
chaos to temporarily knock me out of a balanced energy state that allowed me to
live from loving kindness. I had given
thanks every day for the incredible gift of life. I want that energy level back.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The automatic inner peace and contentment that I wanted to last
forever had slipped away. It was the
first time in a long time that I felt alone, disconnected, and vulnerable. I don’t know what an out-of-body experience
feels like, but this was more like a numbing sensation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I really knew something was wrong when I started blaming others
for the situation and refusing to take responsibility for any life decisions or
non-decisions that had drawn this situation to me. Also, being more human than spiritual at that
point, I was highly judgmental of everything that was being done. The biggest
surprise was that I could so easily be knocked from my comfort zone of peace
and contentment, joy and happiness. I
wanted that back. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Normally I would have called my sister Jessie and told her of my
predicament, but she was in the last days of her final life journey, and my
priority was to be there for her. Still
I wondered how she would have reacted to my situation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fortunately phase two was the positive reconstruction period. By habitually spending time within for so
many years, I was gradually able to return to this daily routine and began
writing out strong, positive directive prayers to resolve this situation. At the same time <i>positive</i> things began to happen – like first and foremost – the
reimbursement checks began to arrive from several insurance companies. Then I noticed a major difference between the
take-apart crew and the putting-back-together team. It was like having new friends who wanted to
work together to ensure that the very highest level of work was done with the
least upheaval to my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This was an incredible boost to my morale, plus they went to great
lengths to clean up their messes, and to close doors behind them to keep out
unwanted bugs and crawly creatures. I was
so delighted to have the reconstruction phase started that I found my heart
opening to all the workers, and started offering them cold water and homemade
cookies. I soon became at ease in
sharing light conversation and laughter that brightened the long, hot,
noisy workdays for everyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was a mutual heart-opening experience. They thanked me for allowing them into my
house. I thanked them for using their
skills to heal my house. Later that
night I recalled what Jessie had often said … <i>We are mutually blessed by the opportunities to relate on a human,
humane and caring level.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Now I know that being open to change – and facing it with a
positive attitude – is a prerequisite, and so is an awesome helping of trust
and faith, with an expectancy of Good.
All that, plus the loving kindness and the laughter, was just what
Jessie would have done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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___________________________________________
Copyright © 2015 by Fern Stewart Welch<o:p></o:p></div>
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The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction: “You Can Live a Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious
Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb.2008), are available at
Amazon.con, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-67930273523162625862015-06-30T12:09:00.001-07:002015-06-30T12:09:37.523-07:00Making the “Impossible” Possible<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<i>“World Peace Day
is envisioned to become a moment of global unity—it is up to us to make it a
reality.” </i>~Jeremy Gilley<o:p></o:p></div>
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After posting a recent essay on giving and receiving, and feeling
complete with the insights I had gained, I happened upon a quote by Indian yogi
and mystic Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev that changed my opinion. I realized immediately that I had only
scratched the surface of this vital and complex issue. Evidently I was meant to dig much deeper to
fully grasp and understand it so I could embrace and share it with others.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His provocative quote says that when we think or say something is
impossible, what we’re actually doing is telling the universe, “No thank
you. We didn’t really want that anyway.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some of the “impossible” global examples Vasudev is obviously
referring to are world peace, poverty and hunger, and on an individual level,
perfect health, healthy relationships and prosperity. They remain impossible, he said, because we
hold negative thoughts in our consciousness that cancel out any possibility of
receiving them as a reality.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Vasudev’s quote highlighted what I believe, which is that we live
in an abundant universe that is constantly giving, but many of us, me included,
aren’t always willing to <i>receive. </i>We are the ones blocking the flow by
saying or thinking, in essence, “Never mind, that may happen for someone else,
but not for me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the yogi’s first questions after making his bold statement
would have to be, why are we withholding good from ourselves? And the next one would be, why would we ever
choose to put such unhealthy and undesirable limitations on the infinite
giving-ness of Spirit and the abundant universe?<o:p></o:p></div>
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My immediate response would be from my own experience: Most of us still don’t know how life on Earth
really works. I lived the first half of
my life as a victim for exactly that reason.
Until I learned the truth in what Jesus taught about <i>It being done unto us as we believe, </i>I
was living by default instead of by design.
In the mid-seventies, this incredible concept had been succinctly
re-stated as: C<i>hange your thoughts and
change your life.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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And thanks to hundreds of visionary writers and speakers, as well
as many sages and spiritual leaders throughout the ages, we are finally aware
enough to accept this concept. It is
being lived and confirmed by millions of people all over the world, thanks to
all the above and TV’s all-purpose guru Oprah.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I embraced this truth, I realized that we are the
scriptwriters, the casting directors and directors of our own comedies, dramas
or tragedies. The Universal Life Force,
energy that is in everything and everyone in the universe, is the producer. I finally recognized that I had been trapped
in a victim role with absolutely no idea that the pleas and prayers I spoke
each morning were overshadowed by the negative thoughts I focused on the rest
of the day. The universe sees no
difference between an order that is positive or negative; it only knows to
fulfill it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next deterrent to receiving our good from the universe is
directly related to the invalid thoughts, beliefs, needs, feelings and life
patterns that we hold in our subconscious.
These long-forgotten directives determine whether we feel worthy,
deserving, or lovable enough to receive our good.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The solution, from my experience, is to take the time to look
within and start clearing out the negative beliefs we have so that our desires
for a good life can be realized.
Naturally, we also have to know what we want, which many people don’t,
and I didn’t for a long time. Then we
need to clean up our subconscious and align our desires with what is good in
the universe, which means that our desires neither harm nor take from anyone
else. When we can do this and maintain
an anticipation of good, we are open to receiving.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Is it a lot of work to make the impossible possible? Yes.
But the result is so much better than spending a lifetime wishing we
knew why other people were living “charmed” lives and we always ended up with
the short end of the stick. It was never
meant to be that way. This is a blessed,
abundant universe, and it’s time to realize that we were born to have all the
good our hearts desire—and can accept.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Incredible technological and economic changes are taking place in
our world right now and are already affecting every area of our lives. I believe that the “impossible” global and
individual changes that humanity yearns for are imminently possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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To meet the challenges and opportunities that will alter
humanity’s future one way or another, we need to accept the reality of how life
works and align our thoughts and actions with that awareness. Our lifetime might see the beginning of a
cosmic push-comes-to shove era for human beings. And if we truly want to be
part of this opportunity to create a better world, we must face the fact that
it won’t be <i>zapped </i>on us—it has to
happen <i>through</i> us. We must wake up and realize that by aligning
with the Greater Power within us we can consciously direct the course of our
lives and together make the <i>impossible </i><b>possible</b><i>. </i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Copyright © 2011 by Fern Stewart Welch [Repeated by Request]<o:p></o:p></div>
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The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,”
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” (recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction); “You Can live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); “The Heart Knows the Way …” (Feb. 2008), and are available on
Amazon.com, online booksellers and bookstore chains such as Barnes &Noble.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-80247279445302895142015-05-31T13:30:00.001-07:002015-06-03T14:33:50.031-07:00Everyone Wants to Bring About World Peace -- But Those With Any Chance to Succeed Know They Must Start Small -- With Themselves<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<i>“We
cannot leave It (peace) up to other people – creating peace is up to each of
us.” ~Naomi
Drew <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Who among us hasn’t been moved by our troubled world to ask
ourselves the following question: <i>What could I possibly do to help bring peace
to our world? </i>Since my initial
approach to any complicated problem is to corral it by making a list, I
immediately sat down and Googled “Deterrents to World Peace.” What came up was a mind-boggling raft of the
most intimidating, soul-searing issues imaginable, running the gamut from war
and terrorism to climate change, religion and powerful conflict-causing
cultural and gender issues.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Obviously, it’s certainly beyond the ability of any ordinary or
even extraordinary human being to know where to start. While it’s appropriate for the national and
international powers that be to work on these issues from those levels, I
believe along with many others much wiser than I that without the help of each
of us the situation will only get worse. For the solution to this problem to work it
must not only trickle down, it must trickle up, and sideways – simultaneously.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also believe that the high-tech world we’re living in right now
is fully capable of helping humanity be part of ensuring that future change
comes about with love and caring for others, so the results are by design
instead of by destruction. It’s
literally up to us to step up and help counteract threats to our vision of the
peace and security we desire for ourselves, our beloveds and all humanity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After absorbing the emotional impact of the problems blocking the
way of world peace, I needed an hour of prayer work to bring my thinking down
to what practical ways each of us, as individuals, might use to start initiating
the overall process of reversal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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While I’ve worked for and achieved a level of inner peace within
and am aware of how it blesses my life, I had no idea of how my increased awareness
would lead me to recognize a practical approach to world peace through
something as prosaic as a gathering of friends.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was at a dinner party at the home of two of my longtime friends
when they exploded into a fully-loaded emotional torrent. I just sat there in stunned silence praying
for peace in their situation and also an acceptable way to exit the venue as
quickly as possible to respect their privacy.
The other guests were on the same wave length and when the host and
hostess left the table and took the drama into the kitchen, we exchanged a
knowing look, and then headed out the door.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Naturally being very fond of the couple, Jack and Jane (not their
real names), they were automatically the focus of my heartfelt prayers on the
drive home. Several days after the incident, I received a note from Jane apologizing
for the public display of discontent and seeking my help. This was followed that afternoon by a
telephone call from Jack, also echoing Jane’s request for help. Evidently getting the truth out and releasing
a lot of pent up anger had opened their minds and hearts, to what was still
good and desired in their relationship.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While listening to Jack’s plea for advice – I remembered an
excellent response line – <i>I will have to
take this into prayer, and if I receive any insight that might help you I will
be in touch. </i>This was my saving
grace, as I was then free to trust in my Inner Guidance as to whether or not I
was to give any assistance beyond prayers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next day while adding Jack and Jane to my daily prayer list,
the first thing that flashed through my mind was the fact that another friend
was married to an attorney who also specialized in corporate arbitration and
mediation. I called her and explained
the situation. She said she had some
information that her husband often sent out to dear friends and family members
who were experiencing similar situations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She e-mailed me an excerpt from a book by Naomi Drew, titled “Hope
and Healing: Peaceful Parenting in an Uncertain World,” that came out after the
infamous 9/11 tragedy. The author is
recognized around the world today as an expert in conflict resolution and
peacemaking for all ages. I found the
excerpt consisted of <i>Six Steps for
Conflict Resolution. </i>They resonated
deeply within me as being a positive, heartfelt and wise approach for anyone
seeking help with resolving a conflict and coming to a peaceful solution. I also loved the title of the excerpt: <b>Learning Peace </b>– with a subhead – <b>We cannot leave it to other people …
creating peace is up to each of us.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The excerpt was definitely something that knowing Jack and Jane as
I do, I was certain they were capable of putting to good use. I also realized that receiving the Six Steps
was a positive sign that I was to provide this information and also continue
supporting them with prayers. I had let
Jane and Jack know that if I gained an insight that would help them, I would
let them know.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The insight turned out to be an intro to the six how-to guidelines
and it fit perfectly. It was in the form
of a <b>key question </b>that each
individual was to ask themselves before starting the process, together with a
list of <b>Desired Answers </b>for the
question that would set the tone for the <b>six
win-win guidelines. </b>I also included
a copy of the complete excerpt in the e-mail packet:<o:p></o:p></div>
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The question is: <b>What do WE
want in this situation? The desired
answers are:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b>What is morally fair and right and that we both agree on.<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What brings out the best in each of us and is for our individual
highest and best good. What allows us the opportunity to resolve the situation - with mutual respect - and that allows us to close the process by sharing handshakes, high-fives and/or hugs.</span></div>
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<u>Six Steps for
Conflict resolution<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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Step 1:<b> </b>Cool off. Conflicts can’t be solved in the face of hot
emotions. Take a step back, breathe
deep, and gain some emotional distance before trying to work things out.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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Step 2: Tell what’s
bothering you using “I messages.” I
messages are a tool for expressing how we feel without attacking or
blaming. By starting from the “I” we
take responsibility for the way we perceive the problem. This is in sharp contrast to “you message”
which put others on the defensive and close doors to communication. A key <i>credo</i>
in conflict resolution is, “It’s us against the problem, not us against each
other.”*<o:p></o:p></div>
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Step 3: Each person
restates what they heard the other person say.
Reflective listening demonstrates that we care enough to hear the other
person out, rather than just focusing on our own point of view. It actually fosters empathy.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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Step 4: Take
responsibility. In the majority of
conflicts, both parties have some degree of responsibility. However most of us tend to blame rather than
looking at our own role in the problem. When we take responsibility, we shift
the conflict into an entirely different gear, one where resolution is
possible.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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Step 5: Brainstorm
solutions and come up with one that satisfies both people. Resolving conflicts is a creative act. There are many solutions to a single
problem. The key is a willingness to
seek compromise.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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Step 6: Affirm, forgive, or
thank. A handshake, high-five, hug, or
kind word gives closure to the resolution of conflicts. Forgiveness is the highest form of closure. For both parties, forgiveness means the
freedom to be at peace inside their own skin and to be glad in each others’
presence. What a legacy to leave our children
as we teach and model this.”*<o:p></o:p></div>
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♥♥♥<o:p></o:p></div>
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I placed the Six-Steps in the body of this essay and not just as
an add-on at the end because this type of information is invaluable. I’m pleased to share with you that Jane and
Jack are using the Six-Steps and are now working together to resolve their
challenges. They are committed to
co-creating an honest, mature and peaceful relationship that allows for
sometimes strong disagreements and subsequent compromises – the key to healthy
relationships.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the process of praying with Jane and Jack for a positive
resolution, I realized the two-part insight that I want to share with you. First, their experience confirmed the vital
importance of making conflict resolution a part of our daily lives, for when we
experience peace within, and live it, we radiate a powerful energy force that –
when joined with millions of others – will help counteract the all-encompassing
negative energy of greed, dishonesty, hatred and lack of regard for others that
rule our world today. Jane and Jack are also setting a great example for others
to follow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The other half of the equation is to use scientific prayer – which
is basically positive thought and energy combined. This means we don’t plead or beg God for
world peace, we use a prayer of gratitude each day, thanking the Universal Life
Force-Energy-God for manifesting our heart’s desire. We can also enlist others to do the same –
and use the Internet to blanket the world with similar positive prayers. With millions of individuals aligning with
the perfect power within, <i>and backing
their prayer with faith and powerful emotional energy, </i>the Universal Law
receives the energy-directive and responds to ensure the result is harmonious,
joyful, peaceful and Good for all concerned.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“Thank you, God,
for providing us with a new formula for world peace, that every man, woman and
child, of all races and religions, can use to heal the cloud of uncertainty
that hovers over our lives and our loved ones – and at the same time help
struggling nations around our troubled world unite in a bond of brotherhood.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b>Note*: </b>The Six Steps are
condensed excerpts from Naomi Drew’s book, “Hope and Healing--Raising Peaceful
Children in an Uncertain World,” published
by Citadel in Sept. 2002.<b> </b> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>___________________________________
</b>Copyright © 2015 by Fern Stewart Welch <o:p></o:p></div>
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The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,”
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” (recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction); “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); “The Heart Knows the Way …” (Feb.
2008), and are available on Amazon.com, online booksellers, and bookstore
chains such as Barnes & Noble.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-49118073446568183552015-04-30T13:42:00.003-07:002015-04-30T13:42:45.207-07:00To Give May Be "Better" Than to Receive ... But for a Happy, Healthy Life You Need to Balance Both<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #1b0431; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<i>“When
I gave – gifts or service – it made me feel really good inside.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>When
I was on the receiving end of giving, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I
often felt uncomfortable, less-than and weak.
~Guess who?</i></div>
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My parents may have been acting on their early church teaching
that giving was better than receiving, or they had simply come up with a handy
way to settle the “who-gets-what?” issues among their nine children. In my child’s mind – I came to believe that I
was giving a lot to others without getting much in return. At any rate, as I grew up, I became a Giver
(with a capital G) because I’d learned that my selfless behavior had seemed to
endear me to others as the considerate, generous and thoughtful one. I stuck with this method of living for a very
long time, until recently, when I discovered that my lifelong habit of
giving-giving-giving was no longer rewarding me with the desired feelings of
love and self-esteem and a sense of being a good person. I had repeated a longtime, annual offer to an
event that really matters to me … and the good feelings I always had before
simply weren’t there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Naturally I wondered if the lesson I was to learn from this
uncomfortable situation was that I had accepted only half the equation of
Giving and Receiving. I went online and
after reading several articles, I discovered that today Giving and Receiving
are talked about as two points on the same spectrum, as well as examples of the
universal dynamic energy exchanges that take place throughout the Cosmos. It’s the give and take energy-wise that makes
it all work – down to and including on the personal, individual level. One site likened Giving and Receiving to a
flowing river and as long as there were no interruptions or stoppages
everything in the river was healthy and all was good. Hmmm … now that’s an intriguing segue to
learning about how healthy Giving and Receiving can improve our lives on a
daily basis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What I realized after probing my heart and mind about the
unsatisfying <i>giving</i> experience that
triggered this essay, was that the event itself was not the key to my
dilemma. The strong response was obviously
meant to get me thinking, which it did.
This time, I had reacted with resistance and resentment, instead of the
usual feeling of positive anticipation and joy.
Naturally, I was stunned at first because this specific event was one
that I truly enjoyed and had chosen to be personally involved in for years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I continued seeking to understand the change in my attitude
about giving, I noticed a number of uncomfortable memories popping up that
served to recap some aspects of the earlier decades of my life. The images were of kind and loving
individuals who were offering me all forms of assistance or help, and my
response was to avoid <i>Receiving</i> it
like it was the plague. Even when I was
a single mother of three and needed all the help I could get, I always said,
“No thanks, I can handle it,” even when I had no idea of how I could do that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It seems for some long-forgotten subconscious reason I couldn’t
allow myself to say “yes” because I associated receiving help or support with
being weak, guilty, ashamed, and less-than.
I didn’t know the source of that directive in my subconscious back then
and still don’t know today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since this is my fourth essay on this subject it’s obvious that
the answer that I’ve been seeking is that I still have something to learn about
how to balance Giving and Receiving and how to do it healthfully and
continuously.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I thought long and hard on why I had previously chosen to be a
Giver instead of a Receiver, I realized it was a no-brainer. With Giving there was such a good feeling,
especially when the giving came from my heart to someone or a cause that I
truly cared about. This was hands-down
so much more comfortable and desirable than the feeling of discomfort I
experienced when I was the unaccustomed Receiver.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today I realize that in all those years when I was so off-balance
in my ideas about giving, I wasn’t just hurting myself, but others as
well. I recognized that my <i>modus operandi </i>back then was so filled
with emotions that there was no way it could have been healthy giving or
receiving. I felt so bad for the person
asking for help, for their humiliation, and for my own memories of how
humiliated I felt when others knew I was needy.
During those heavy-duty emotion-packed times, I just wanted to fulfill
their request quickly, so we could end the emotionally-charged situation for
everyone concerned, especially me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I never once thought about any repercussions or side effects for
either the giver or receiver in such an unhealthy situation. I realize now that I probably gifted
individuals who would have been better off learning a life lesson from their
needy situation, and sometimes I contributed to a charitable cause just to
boost my self-esteem and feel good about myself. I am human.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once again I was becoming overwhelmed by not being able to finally
get the spiritual lesson from Giving and Receiving, so I called my go-to
expert, Irene Amanda Hunter, a longtime friend, mentor and spiritual life
coach. Her book, “The Miracle of Being
the Real You,” has helped countless thousands of people, including me, gain
insights into our own blockages and get on with clearing them so we are free to
fully be who we were born to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In this instance, she explained that psychologists have now
acknowledged that this almost universal (Giving and Receiving) challenge comes
about when as children we are helpless and dependent on having all our needs
met by others. If we were left without
having received our share of what we needed, the result would be held as a
powerful directive in our subconscious.
These hidden <i>orders</i> concerning
<i>feelings of injustice </i>and <i>lack </i>can serve as silent handicaps that
can thwart the life we’re meant to live. Our saving grace is to seek help and
choose to grow through such challenges instead of just going through them<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now I understand why it was difficult or even impossible at times
to fully express (give) my unique life gifts.
It was because I was still stuck on being <i>needy</i> and wanting only to <i>receive
</i>what was lacking in childhood.
Obviously this is why I over-compensated and became a super-giver to
bolster my sense of self worth. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Since gaining insights to inner blockages is part of my life
purpose, I immediately began Inner Work to release the past and the unknown
subconscious directives that were causing this particular challenge. In doing so, I finally realized that the
strong body-mind-soul negative response I experienced was my body’s way of
saying “<i>Enough!” </i>It was time to grow
through this spiritual lesson and to celebrate the increased conscious
awareness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So I learned that when we feel overwhelmed it’s not time to give
up and turn to food, or whatever our crutch of choice is at such times. Instead it’s time to move forward and
celebrate another growth step. My new
awareness is now enabling me to release the need to give, give, give, to prove
I am worthy. I chose faith instead of
fear. I’m also learning to say “No” to
shore up my healthy “me first” goal when it’s appropriate; to set boundaries,
and schedule time to continue becoming the Real Me I Was Born to Be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The reason to master Giving and Receiving is simple and huge. The truth is they’re both the same and you
can’t have one without the other. The
desired result for humanity is that when a person is capable of healthy
receiving from a healthy giver – with love and gratitude – the energy exchange
is complete and perfect. This means that
divine love is expressing through the individuals and <i>voila, </i>we are helping create healthier relationships and a
healthier, balanced world that works for everyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Suggestions to
help us become healthy Givers and Receivers:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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<b>Take </b>time to love the
wounded child within, and develop a loving, mature adult to guide you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Give </b>to causes that
inspire you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Take</b> time to learn to
master Giving and Receiving healthfully.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Give </b>to where you
experience the most joy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Take </b>time to be Grateful
for the Good that’s come to you and for the good that is yet to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Give </b>and <b>Receive </b>with Love and Gratitude.<o:p></o:p></div>
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____________________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
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Copyright© 2015 by Fern Stewart Welch<o:p></o:p></div>
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The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,“ (April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient
of the 2010 Silver Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An
Unbalanced World,” (Nov. 2008); “The Heart Knows the Way …” (Feb. 2008), are
available on Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains
such as Barnes & Noble. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-2735278008311391862015-04-01T11:47:00.000-07:002015-04-01T13:09:32.349-07:00Making the Best of the Rest of Your Life<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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“<i>Start by doing what is necessary; then do
what’s possible,</i></div>
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<i>and
suddenly you’re doing the impossible.” ~Francis of Assisi<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I remember when I was very young hearing my 93-year old
great-grandmother repeat that old maxim, “If I’d known I was going to live this
long, I would have take better care of myself.”
Like most youngsters, I didn’t take my elder’s wisdom to heart. And, eventually I did recall the
conversation, with regret. Because as a much older me, I was suddenly receiving
messages from my own body – I had begun to face one challenging aging ailment
after another, barely coping with one before another popped up. I shouldn’t have been so surprised – I had
already written another essay based on it seeming like our older bodies might
be falling apart, but it could also be our chance to partner with our
bodies. But, of course, we humans are
always forgetting and then being reminded again. The truth is that our bodies are finite, they
do wear out, and they do malfunction – especially if we haven’t taken good care
of them, and have taken them for granted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, what can we do to ensure that our later life is as healthy and
productive and happy as we would like it to be?
Well for starters we need to realize the fact that statistics already
show that human beings are now living longer than ever. The trend that’s already obvious is that the
70s are the new 50s and the 90s are the new 70s. This means (statistically) that we are going
to be “old” for much longer periods of time than our parents and grandparents.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That fact automatically shoots <i>taking
better care of our bodies up to the top of all lists. </i>Every day for decades we’ve been
inundated with information that encouraged us to eat a life-enhancing and
nutritious diet, to exercise, lose weight, run, walk and keep moving so that we
can have a fit and healthy body.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As seniors, many of us already had a handy excuse for ignoring the
fitness craze that is still sweeping our country, because we thought it had
nothing to do with us. After all we were
too busy focusing on what we thought were the last years of our lives. Yet the truth is: <i>Better late than never. </i>Thank
you, Granny.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While it’s obvious that younger generations will have more time to
adjust to living longer lives, we oldsters have already recognized that life
itself is an incredible gift, and the opportunity to live to an advanced age can
be an even greater blessing. It’s our
responsibility to make the most of it, and to prepare our bodies for a longer
lifespan by staying healthy and fit, and we can do it wisely without <i>ripped muscles</i> and<i> six-packs.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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We also need to expand our minds and embrace the new concepts of
agelessness and youthfulness, as well as life-long learning and
goal-setting. Another self-defeating
thing that we foot-dragging oldsters do to stay firmly entrenched in “the old
days” is to resist all changes, and particularly technological change. I’ve heard many of my peers say when they are
being chastised by their family members for retreating from the high-tech world
we now live in: “Oh well, we’ll be long-gone soon.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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People who think that way have already started opting OUT to put
it bluntly. The thought being, that we
can’t move forward or don’t think we can, or don’t have the urge to do so. The upshot of that closed and unhealthy
mind-set is a fear of learning new ways, and of trying new things. It can also isolate us from society – and put
our lives in a static kind of holding pattern – that says we’re still here, but
patiently waiting for the way out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I remember a quote by bestselling author Richard Bach that fits
this situation perfectly: <i>“If you think your mission on Earth is complete,
if you’re alive it isn’t.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I have to admit that I am still one of those “foot-dragging”
seniors. For example, just like my
parents I resist using the drive-in window at my bank, and still write checks
to pay my bills. I don’t even want to talk
about how little I know about my one high-tech concession, computers, for if it
works that’s great, but if it doesn’t I have no clue as to what to do. My young grandsons are my tutors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After I was recently presented with another aging ailment, I began
seriously wondering what the final chapter(s) of my life <i>could </i>be like if I changed my outlook and became part of our world’s
evolution into a higher conscious awareness.
I knew immediately that not being part of Life and just kind of “hanging
in,” wasn’t for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s what I did. I took a
week off for a self-imposed retreat (which I call time-out-of-time) to ponder my
stage of life and to revisit some of the wise words of my mentors and teachers,
as well as famous sages and philosophers who have gone on before us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This statement from my late friend and mentor Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
captured my attention <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Each and every
one of us is a unique, individualized expression of God – the Divine Mind – and we’re
here for a reason, and there will never be another me or another you.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I was touched at the core of my being by that quote, and took the
time necessary to do two things. The
first was to accept the fact that in order to continue experiencing life on
Earth we must have a body and the healthier the better. Next I took a clear look at my life to figure
out what I would need to do (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually)
to help me make the best of the rest of my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the latest ailment I was
experiencing I sat down and listed my half-dozen maladies, along with specific
dietary do’s or don’ts for each one. I
also added prescribed exercises, meditation, visualization, and embryonic
(qigong) breathing as well as homeopathic and holistic healing modalities.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having focused my thoughts by writing down my concerns and what I
could and would do about them, I no longer felt overwhelmed. What I had done
was to come up with a simple list of how-to’s that in a very short time (two
weeks for me) became a healthful and uplifting habit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As soon as I started working with my body as a willing partner, I
immediately felt supported and empowered by the positive energy that now
coursed through my being. I was no
longer a helpless victim just waiting for the next aging ailment to show up, I
was consciously partnering with my body to attain and maintain a higher level
of energy and well-being to prepare me for whatever life presents. (This includes a bit of time to have a
snit-fit when and if another malady shows up.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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As my great-grandmother also said, “When you have your health, you
have everything!” She was right. I’m aware and kind of gobsmacked that at the age
of 80 I committed to a new vision – with a healthier diet, exercises and taking
full responsibility for my body. My goal
is to continue experiencing life on Earth, growing in conscious awareness
instead of just getting older … and
making the best of the rest of my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I made my decision with a tip of the hat to the late Art
Linkletter, who wrote a bestselling book years ago titled – “How to Make the
Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life – in which he said, <i>You can’t stop the clock, but we can rewind
it.” </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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I chose to do that. I
finally realized that it’s time to embrace this brave new world instead of
resisting it. Life is change, and the
world is changing fast and in ways that will affect every aspect of our lives—and
they’ve only just begun. The good news
is that part of living in a time of rapid change also means we can take
advantage of new and unparalleled opportunities … and use them to make the best
of the rest of our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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______________________________________ <o:p></o:p></div>
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Copyright © 2015 Fern Stewart Welch<o:p></o:p></div>
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The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,”
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In an Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious
Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2008) are available at
Amazon.com other online booksellers and bookstore chains such as Barnes &
Noble.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-73920904774653565212015-02-26T16:25:00.000-07:002015-02-26T16:25:46.090-07:00When You Tell Your Negative Thoughts, "You're Not the Boss of Me," Anything Is Possible<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<i><span style="color: #1b0431; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care of what you
think; thoughts live; they travel far.” ~Swami Vivekananda</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like many others I need to be reminded, evidently often, that I
can give myself permission to allow good into my life. Earlier this year, I
spent several months feeling not quite myself, but all the tests came back
clear and didn’t point to a specific problem. This was good, I
thought, because nothing was seriously wrong, but I still felt “poorly” as my
mother would say. This continued until I mentioned my malady to a metaphysical
friend. She looked straight into my eyes and stated firmly, “You are
seeing yourself as sick. You need to immediately change that thought
and focus on visualizing yourself as healthy, happy and filled with
energy.” I started doing that, and realized that in shifting my
negative focus to a positive one, it energized me, which stimulates the immune
system and supports healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The concept of changing my thinking to change my life certainly
wasn’t new to me. But this incident left me wondering why I still
don’t automatically remember what I could do as soon as I find myself stuck in
another undesirable life situation. I immediately recalled another similar
incident. I was in a Dream Builder class, and the dream that was coming into my
mind was much bigger than I expected. I soon started to wonder why I ever
thought that such a large dream was possible for me. I asked for a private
session with the facilitator and told her my concerns. When I was
finished sharing my story, she said, “You can have it any way you want.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My body’s energy response to her statement is seared in my
mind. It was quick and strong and flashed through me like a wave of
electricity. I knew instantly at the core of my being that her
statement was absolutely true. The only limitations on my life are those I
place on myself through my own thinking.<i> </i>What an
exhilarating, exciting and wonderful truth. And the best news is that we are
born with this gift and when we can control our thoughts, anything is
possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Obviously I can still get caught up in life and need to be
reminded that I have the power within me to create my life by design or
default. After giving it some thought, I realized that when I get caught up in
a situation and experience fear, my energy takes a nose dive. When that
happens, I give up control of my life, take on the victim role and am reduced
to accepting whatever life delivers. It wasn’t until I confided “my
problem” to someone who could stand in truth for me that I remembered I was
capable of moving beyond the collective consciousness and reclaimed my power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Be assured that I am exquisitely sensitive to the fact that it
isn’t easy to be in control of our thoughts even some of the time, let alone
all the time, but it is certainly worth the effort. I firmly believe what Jesus
taught during his time on Earth: <i>It is done unto us as we believe.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thanks to many of today’s visionaries and authors, and Oprah’s
efforts, this concept is now being put to the test by many people around the
world. Some have done the "impossible" simply because
they believed it was possible and never allowed limitations to stop them. We
read about their stories or see them on television all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, I ask, why not you and me? To that end, I have adopted from
a friend’s young grandson a powerful words-to-live-by motto. This
wise-beyond-his-years youngster was being urged by his frustrated family to
admit he was losing in a seemingly never-ending board game. At one
point, he took a break, then got up and walked around. They asked
him again, hopefully, “Do you give up?” He uttered these words of
wisdom: <i>I never give up and I never give in, but sometimes I take
a rest. </i>I didn’t ask my friend if he ever gave up. I smiled and
chose to think that he didn’t, but the others did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here are some of the positive affirmative thoughts that I now
use to support myself: <i>The power of Spirit is within me. It is
creative and knows no limitation. I never allow my earthly mind to
cramp my thinking or restrict my vision. I know it is done unto me as I
believe—and, I</i> <i>never give up and I never give in, but sometimes I take
a rest.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">___________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Copyright ©
2013 by Fern Stewart Welch (Repeated by
request)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s
books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,” (April 2013); “Tea with
Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live A
Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows the
Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit
Within,” (Feb. 2009) are available at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as
well as bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-4914465832899214662015-01-31T13:07:00.001-07:002015-01-31T13:07:55.232-07:00Live the Miracle of Finding and Being the Real You<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #1b0431; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b0431; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>something else is a great coup." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I first began writing essays for the Internet in 2007, I
had no idea that my passion and commitment would become focused on chronicling
the insights I gained from daily life challenges in order to help others on
their own life paths. Along the way, I came to realize that we're all on
a sacred journey to discover how life on Earth is really meant to work, and how
to love ourselves and others enough to accept all the Good the world has to
offer.<br />
<br />
For me, that last part meant several decades of plumbing the depths of my
subconscious to uncover the false self-images I concocted as a child to protect
myself in what I felt was a lonely, overwhelming and unsafe
environment. And I was very good at it. Unfortunately, I think I
also had help from some unknowing adults who added their own unwise directives
into my innocent and wide-open mind. <br />
<br />
Whatever the source of the negative information that was downloaded into my
subconscious, I'm finally learning how to recognize and release these defensive
and fake barriers so that I can fully live as the Real Me I was born to be.<br />
<br />
I'm now able to respond fairly quickly when another layer of a false self-image
is seeking my attention. When a life issue pops up that pushes my
confidence buttons, I feel the familiar emotion and frustration that tells me
here we are again, and it isn't to be ignored.<br />
<br />
For example, I was recently introduced to the work of a young man who is on a
similar spiritual path, is a highly successful author-writer-speaker, and about
five decades younger than I am. I was delighted by his gifts, commitment
and obvious success, and saluted him with an honest clarity that resonated with
every fiber of my being.<br />
<br />
When I thought about his wonderfulness the next morning, however, I was shocked
and surprised to find that I had slipped back into an old habit of judging and
comparing myself to others, and coming up with the short end of the
stick. It seemed he was so much better than I am, at everything.
This felt like a mini-emotional earthquake and once again I was a
defenseless child, filled with self-doubt, sadness and shame.<br />
<br />
I immediately took out my journal and asked for the truth in this situation,
and waited. The answer indicated that once I could identify the cause and
effect of this specific false self-image, I would realize it was no longer
appropriate and consciously do what I was led to do to release it.<br />
<br />
I was led to sit quietly, say a prayer and go within. I started the
process with a mental and emotional walkabout through my childhood. I saw
in my mind's eye that even though I was born into a large family, I felt alone,
defenseless and helpless. It was an added benefit to be experiencing this as
the highly-sensitive adult I am now. This made it easy to understand why
as a highly-sensitive child I felt such a strong need to protect myself.
Also, since discipline in my early life was often delivered with anger, I
decided that in order to be accepted loved and secure, I would have to be not
just super good but <i>perfect. </i>Bingo--my first major false
self-image.<br />
<br />
This insight really hit home because for the major part of my life I had
struggled to be "perfect" in the opinion of others in hopes of
receiving good in return. Of course I knew that being without fault
isn't possible, but I honestly thought that aspiring to such a state wouldn't
hurt anyone and was in some way admirable.<br />
<br />
I made a major breakthrough when I learned the undesirable side effects that
idealized self-images have on our relationship with ourselves, others and life
in general. When we are not our true selves, we don't really know us, and
neither does anyone else. This fakery blocks us from fully loving and
accepting ourselves, loving others and accepting good into our lives. How
could it be otherwise, when we don't allow our real selves to be known?<br />
<br />
What also amazed me was that the defensive barriers and false self-images I set
up as a child continued on automatic. While as an adult, I became better able
to cope with the realities of life, my ego continued these false self-images as
the blueprint for my reaction whenever certain buttons were pushed.<br />
<br />
Even though I had gradually lost sight of my original decision to be perfect, I
still <i>sensed</i> at a deep level that I wasn't good enough and I
wouldn't be able to keep it a secret forever. This lifelong
under-the-radar fear of being "out-ed" as a fraud instead of a
paragon of humanity had ruled my existence. Because I couldn't take the
risk of failure, of being found out, this false image determined the
experiences and the level of success I would allow myself in every area of my
life.<br />
<br />
And this, my dear friends, is how these idealized and false self-images can and
do affect our self-confidence, our relationship with ourselves, others and the
amount of good we allow into our lives.<br />
<br />
I pray that by sharing this insight from my life, others may resonate with a
need to heal and release their own false self-images, and uncover their true
identity. And if they do take on this life lesson, they will learn that
the process includes forgiving themselves and any other individuals whose
negative actions and words were embedded into their innocent minds.<br />
<br />
For this, I use the forgiveness technique I learned from my friend and
spiritual teacher, Irene Hunter, author of "The Miracle of Being the Real
You." <i>I freely and wholly forgive myself for any real or
imagined wrong done by me to me, or to anyone else - past or present. I
freely and wholly forgive anyone else for any real or imagined wrong done to me
- past or present. I am free. They are free.</i><br />
<br />
I also repeat a daily directed prayer to assist me in continuing to face, feel,
heal and release any other idealized false self-images I still hold of
myself: <i>I am authentic and real at the core of my being. I
radiate joy, love, peace, truth, and am open to receiving all the Good the
world offers.</i><br />
<br />
In freeing ourselves from false self-images, we become real and open to all of
life's positive possibilities, and can live as our authentic selves.
Whether we're consciously on a spiritual path or just trying to make it through
our lives with as much good as we can allow, being able to love and accept
ourselves as we truly are is the golden key to the most important door we will
ever walk through.<br />
_______________________________<br />
Copyright 2013 by Fern Stewart Welch (Repeated by request.)<br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,” (April 2013); “Tea
with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for Non-fiction; “You Can
Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows
the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine
Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2008) are available at Amazon.com, other online booksellers,
as well as bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.</span><span style="color: #29303b;"> </span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-91970151817823301652014-12-31T11:50:00.000-07:002015-01-01T08:29:51.380-07:00You May Think You're Falling Apart ... But It Could Be Your Chance to Get It All Together <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It’s
a fact: We need a body to continue experiencing life on Earth.” ~Fern Stewart Welch </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Two years ago, after 78 years of mostly radiant health, my body
began sending me messages in the form of various maladies, a not so subtle
reminder that while our souls are immortal our bodies are finite. This falling-apart time that I felt I had
reached meant that a major life choice loomed before me: Did I give up and give
in, thinking that I had no alternative – or did I decide </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">to trust my own inner knowing that tells me there is another
option?</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"> </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Since I wrote my epitaph when I
was a freshman in college – </span><i style="color: #0d0d0d;">I Lived, I Loved,
I Learned –</i><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"> it didn’t surprise me that I had already selected my motto for
this stage of life – </span><i style="color: #0d0d0d;">I refuse to die
until I’m dead.</i></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In other words, I would not focus on dying, which would send my
body the wrong message, which was that I was ready to <i>go home. </i>At that point, my
body would start to fulfill my “order” by sending me more maladies. Instead I
changed my negative thoughts about my ailments to positive ones. I knew at the core of my being that I wasn’t
“falling apart,” and that I was being guided to awaken to a more expanded view
of living and – ultimately – dying. So with a strong sense that every cell of
my body agreed, I affirmed: <i>I am not falling apart; I am finally coming
together.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My rationale for that strong outlook was two-fold, the maladies
that were popping up got my attention and after some deliberation, I realized
our bodies are sacred vehicles that allow us to<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">experience life on Earth.
Obviously it was also time to step up as a partner and help my body do
its only job … to constantly heal itself.
Unfortunately, for most of my life I hadn’t been a good partner. I took my good health for granted and never
once thought of my body as the incredible work of genius it is. At this point, I was able to look at this
experience of things going wrong physically as another life lesson –
opportunity – the kind that allows us to gain insight into how life is really
meant to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of course, I was aware that many sick people around the globe
already lived this choice – they never thought of giving up or giving in just
because of what a caregiver or space-age machine declared was their fate. We’ve all watched them share their
extraordinary stories online, on television and hungrily read their books. Here’s one of my favorite examples:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D., is a brain scientist who experienced a
massive, debilitating stroke, and chronicled her challenge to regain her life
in the book “My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey.” After years of strong resolve and faith, and
partnering with her body in selecting the medical care and therapies necessary
for recovery … she discovered her body’s incredible capacity to heal. She’s now sharing her inspirational
experience with people around the world to help others, especially stroke
victims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No matter how serious their prognosis, many courageous people
like Dr. Taylor accepted their own inner knowing that our bodies are equipped
to reenergize, regenerate and renew every cell, organ and function—depending on
our desire and conscious direction. I humbly
realize that while I don’t share the life skills and knowledge of Dr. Taylor, I
am a fellow soul and therefore am heir to the same healing power that is within
each of us. Plus, I am totally committed
to fulfilling my life purpose by sharing the insights I learn with others as I <i>grow </i>through life instead of just <i>going </i>through it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The fact is that for the past three decades each member of my
team of caregivers has embraced the field of integrative medicine that combines
the best of modern-day medicine, as well as holistic modalities and
philosophy. This means I’ve been
learning to take responsibility for my health decisions concerning drugs,
surgery and so on. The result is that
despite a few aches and pains and some inconveniences, I am still here – and
prescription free.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also believe that each human being is a unique and precious
individualized expression of the Universal Life Force-Energy-Spirit-God. We’re on a unique journey that is tailored
just for us, and the one-size-fits-all diagnoses and required drugs and
treatments – along with a belief that the Earth is flat – belong together in
the dustbin of history. We are being
called to a conscious awakening within ourselves that is a necessary step for us
to keep pace with the planetary transformation that is ongoing and the
incredible high-tech scientific world we now inhabit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Being born on Earth is such a Gift. No matter what chapter of life we’re in, it’s
an opportunity to grow into a higher level of consciousness, which is why we’re
here. I believe in following that truth
and by doing so, that I will be able to live life the way in which it’s really
meant to unfold. I may have come to this
awareness late in life, but obviously it’s the right timing for me. I am being led and supported in loving
myself, taking charge of my life and owning my power. Baby steps perhaps, but the feeling deep
within me is the only encouragement I need to know I am on the right path.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For more than a decade, I have been focusing on fulfilling my
life purposes, my potential and true heart and soul desires. Recently I began receiving the following
message from my Higher Wisdom Self:
“Take Heart, Fern, these are The First Days of the Best Years of Your
Life.” That has always lifted my heart
and spurred me on to trust and have faith in what is to come. I recognize the truth in it for now no matter
what life presents, I face it, do what I can to cope with it – and continue on
my journey with a reassuring feeling of contentment, joy and peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During the ensuing years I have experienced several brief
episodes of a level of bliss that felt like heaven-on-Earth. The first time, I hugged it to my heart and
as I focused on staying in that energy, I realized it was achievable for longer
periods of time right here on Earth. In
other similar instances the all-encompassing bliss was accompanied by an inner
knowing that if I died right then, it would be okay for I was God-smacked with
a joy that permeated my being and caused me to know that at some level, I was
already perfect, whole and complete.
There was also a palpable energy that I recognized as an anticipation of
Good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The more I focus on expanding my conscious awareness of how life
on Earth is really meant to be lived, the stronger the inner soul urging is to
be free to live a longer life and to continue discovering the Real Me I was
born to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We don’t have to gaze at the stars or ponder the endless number
of galaxies to bring up the awe, love, mystery and potential that is inherent
in the gift our bodies present to us.
All we have to do is turn within and become acquainted with our sacred <i>life vehicles </i>to discover the power
within each of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I think about it now it’s like being given a magical,
mystical toy and I’m just now opening it and seeing what we can accomplish by
partnering together. This opens us to
consciously realizing the incredible intelligence, love and perfection that we
are. As if that wasn’t enough, each of
us shares in the Universal plan. Our role is to take every challenge as an
opportunity to help us learn how life on Earth is meant to work – and to
realize that our magnificent body is capable of keeping us around until we have
fully expressed our unique energy, light into the world. Thank you, Life. I’m Happy.
More Please.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><i>“There
is a power and presence within you that is greater than you are and you can use it." </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><i> ~</i>Irene Amanda Hunter, author
of “The Miracle of Being The Real You.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">______________________________________ Copyright
© 2015 by Fern Stewart Welch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart”,
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov.
2008); and “The Heart Knows the Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious
Connection with the Divine Spirit Within,” (Feb. 2009) are available at
Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as well as bookstore chains such as
Barnes & Noble.<br />
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-15863880290406571562014-11-24T12:44:00.000-07:002014-11-24T12:44:56.853-07:00The Importance of an Attitude of Gratitude<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #1b0431; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a
successful and fulfilled life.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1b0431; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">~Jack Canfield, “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” </span></i><span style="color: #1b0431; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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.<br />
<br />
This information has been around for eons, and has allowed many individuals to
create successful, enriching and happy lives despite external socio-economic
conditions.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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 can expect to
receive Good back from the Universe.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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>I am
grateful for</i> ______________, and let your mind and heart fill in the
blank. We can also make a daily written list or start a daily Gratitude Journal
and keep track of everything for which we are grateful, including ourselves,
our abilities, attributes and talents. When gratitude is practiced consistently
for the good we have in our lives, the loving universe takes that as our order
and sends us more of the same.<br />
<br />
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 a comfortable and warm bed,
for my house, my car and for each person, event and experience I will meet this
day. I also repeat this affirmation daily:
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>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. </i><br />
<br />
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 the following affirmation: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>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. <o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I turn over, I
always feel complete and clear of the happenings of the day, and just naturally
drift into a peaceful sleep.<br />
<br />
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. This is another blessed gift for which we
can be exceedingly grateful.<br />
_______________________________<br />
Copyright © 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch – Repeated by request.<br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The author’s
books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,” (April 2013); “Tea with
Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for Non-fiction; “You Can Live A
Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows the
Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit
Within,” (Feb. 2008), are available at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as
well as bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.</span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924805212053794951.post-51443426971583076322014-11-01T07:26:00.000-07:002014-11-01T07:26:40.949-07:00We Live in a Scary World - And Making It Better Begins With Us<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 243, 219); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“We
must become the changes we seek in the world.”
~Mahatma Gandhi</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Corporate greed,
immorality, incivility in public life, disrespect for the rights of others and
even less concern for how millions of people in the world eke out their lives
in poverty, suffering from war, disease and lack of opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Granted there’s a whole lot of undesirable stuff going on in the
world today – you have only to glance at your newspaper, go online or withstand
a cycle of cable news to get a full measure of it. And you have to wonder if this scary decline
is getting as bad as we think, or do we just know more about it nowadays
because of the 24-7 news coverage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As bad as things may seem – in our neighborhoods, our country,
the entire planet – there would be – believe it or not – a great deal more
pessimism about this societal slip-and-slide were it not for the beliefs and
actions of many millions of intelligent people around the world who are
committed to helping their fellow human beings see the Big Picture, and
hopefully, our role as individuals in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In this highly emotional climate, we need to ponder on a quote
from futurist/visionary Barbara Marx Hubbard, who has been called the best
informed human being now alive regarding “futurism” and the fore-sights it has
produced. Hubbard stated that “Whatever
we are going through is part of the planetary struggle to evolve.” She continued with this explanation: "Throughout human history there has been a
continuous and growing impulse toward the regeneration of humanity.” And this is despite many examples that could
cause some to question that there is <i>any </i>activity
in that direction. But when we take a
few minutes to realize how far we’ve come – albeit in fits and starts – since
cavemen wandered the Earth, it’s obvious she’s right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet the mess we’re in now – that humanity as a whole has created
– is serious enough that it behooves us as individuals to bypass the
emotionalism of fear and blaming, and ask ourselves this question: “What can we learn from this situation?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I believe along with many others that our lesson as individuals
is to finally pay attention and realize that we’re part of a spiritual, as well
as a physical, world and it’s way past time to take responsibility for our part
in changing the negativity that exists today—<i>because it determines our tomorrows.
<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When we can start replacing negative thoughts with positive ones
in our own everyday lives, we will truly be able to feel that we are now part
of the solution instead of part of the problem.
And if it seems that anything that could be done would be such a tiny
step in a great journey – just remember that’s how all great journeys begin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One of the most disturbing reactions I see in this situation,
because I experienced some of it myself, is that while many people seem shocked
by the sheer magnitude of the decades-long negative slips that have brought us
to where we are today, they don’t know what to do about it. Trapped in that mindset, the answer is
“Nothing” when they ask themselves the question: “What in the World Can an Individual
Do?” This makes them feel even worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This question came up for me during election time, and the
brutality and craziness of the campaign process had totally turned me off, and
for a micro-moment I thought about a way to register my disappointment – and it
was to withhold my vote. Two things
happened to reverse that immature and unwise response. First common sense prevailed and I
immediately returned to my normal desire to support our democracy, which is
based on individual participation, caring for the greater good, choosing to
live from a higher set of values and ethics, and exercising and honoring the
privilege of voting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Second, I believe that if we’re here on Earth at this time, it’s
our destiny to help ourselves, our fellow human beings, and our planet through
this time. This was confirmed for me
recently while in the dairy aisle at Albertsons grocery store. Perhaps it was only a commonplace incident,
but an illuminating one for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I couldn’t reach the last carton of unsweetened almond milk on
the highest shelf and spent a few too many minutes maneuvering. When I turned to look for an employee to help
me, I was embarrassed to see a line of carts behind me. I began apologizing profusely and was
pleasantly surprised. Instead of snide
remarks or angry words I was met with smiles and kindness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I expressed my delight at their responses, those total
strangers spontaneously circled me and proceeded to assure me that common
courtesy and human kindness still exist, and there was always hope for
humanity. The gathering concluded with
high-fives, handshakes, and a half-gallon container of almond milk in my cart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It wasn’t until I worked through my own “stuff” and gained the
insight in this lesson that I was able to complete this essay—and to vote. I realized fully that by continuing to hold
negative thoughts in my mind or spewing them out verbally to others, I was
actually adding to the problem instead of making a positive difference, which
is my heart and soul intention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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From what I’ve learned, the answer lies in the Universal Law of
Attraction, which means that <i>like
attracts like. </i>We already know that
millions of the seven billion human beings on Earth today are</div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">thinking, verbalizing and acting on such heavy-duty energy
thoughts as anger and hatred, which are immediately deposited into the group
consciousness of humanity. This magnifies and attracts even more negative
happenings into our world and our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The good news is that millions of us (hopefully) are now aware
of an answer for what ails us and our world.
This key has been around for eons of time, dating back to Jesus and
Biblical days. It is simply this: <b>When
we change our negative thoughts to positive ones, our lives change for the
better and in that process, we elevate the consciousness of humanity. </b>This means we have the power individually
to be part of the solution. And we do
that by mastering and cancelling negative thoughts and holding only positive
ones for ourselves, others and the world.
It can begin with something as “small” as helping a shopper reach a carton
of almond milk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All we need to do is choose how we want our lives to be, and
what we desire in our world, and to start claiming it in positive words, and as
a done deal. For example, repeat this
positive affirmation daily: <i>I am grateful for a world that works for
everyone, and is filled with health, wealth, wisdom, loving kindness,
happiness, joy and peace.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here are some simple steps to help us begin experiencing the incredible
healing feeling that comes from accenting the positive, eliminating the
negative and making a difference in the world:</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: 'Courier New'; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: 'Courier New'; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: 'Courier New'; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Start </b>a daily
Gratitude Journal; it will transform your life.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #0d0d0d; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;">M</b><span style="color: #0d0d0d; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>onitor</b> your
thoughts and cancel negative ones by saying </span><i style="color: #0d0d0d; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;">cancel,
cancel, cancel, together, together, together. </i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;">(This includes your conscious, subconscious and super-conscious
aspects.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Practice</b> living
loving kindness (including yourself.) </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Forgive</b>
Everyone (including yourself) and Everything</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">_____________________________________ Copyright © 2014 by Fern Stewart Welch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author’s books: “Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of the Heart,”
(April 2013); “Tea with Elisabeth,” recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for
Non-fiction; “You Can Live A Balanced Life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In An Unbalanced World,” (Nov. 2008); and “The Heart Knows the
Way – How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit
Within,” (Feb. 2008), are available at Amazon.com, other online booksellers, as
well as bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Abouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884492534098692675noreply@blogger.com0