“I will envision calm and quiet happiness today.”

Our minds are powerful gifts. We can use them to envision and manifest what we want.  It’s not so important to envision things as it is to envision happiness and love, peace and joy.  With these attributes, all that we need in things will happen as they should. 

Feel your breathing becoming deeper and slower.

See happiness as light shining through you.  Lift your face to its soothing warmth and hear your happy laughter. See yourself dancing with pure joy under a gentle sun, on a white beach by a silvery lake. Know that this joy is a gift that you deserve.  

See yourself at peace now, calm and quiet and filled with love. 

Peace is felt as free and easy; floating weightlessly upon the silver lake. Feel the movement of the water under you gently rocking you into a state of oneness with your own true Self.

You have never felt calmer.
You have never felt healthier
You have never felt safer.
You have never felt happier. 

And you know that this feeling will go on forever. You know that even when the white beach and the silver lake are gone from your mind, the calm and quiet happiness that fills you now will never leave you as long as this is what you choose.  And if your old feelings begin to resurface, just bring back the vision and breathe quietly for a moment until peace returns. As you go about your day, feel gratitude fill you and overflow into the world as your whole being smiles with relief and joy.

“Today I will choose to listen.”

We could all do with a little less conversation, a little more loving thoughts. We spend way too much time talking about our lives, evaluating our relationships, deciding who is right and who is wrong and feeling defensive, judgmental and generally unhappy and dissatisfied with our lot in life.  It’s as though we believe our experiences have nothing to do with our decisions and our choices, but are foisted upon us by an unfriendly fate. And having decided this, we then talk about it incessantly.

It’s time to stop complaining and change our mind, not only about others, but first and foremost about ourselves. It’s time to let go of unhappy thoughts and exchange them for some loving thoughts. For every unhappy thought, unkind act, or judgmental word, there is an equivalent loving thought, act or word. We just need to be quiet a moment and allow them in.  In stillness we can hear God’s voice gently reminding us again and again, “A little less conversation, a little more listening please. “

“I will be grateful for everything today.”

There are some things it is difficult to be grateful for.  A challenging relationship, the loss of a job, too much grass to mow, an illness.  And yet each and every experience is here to teach us something. In this sense gratitude for everything is appropriate and even helpful because it opens our mind to another way of thinking. It also offers us the opportunity to grow past each lesson, bringing us closer to peace. When we are grateful, we open our minds and hearts to a higher place within us. Instead of letting fear be in control of our lives, now love is in control.  Love makes everything easier and gentler and clearer.

It is easy to be grateful for a beautiful sunset, hummingbirds in the flower bed, a perfect rose, a laughing baby.  But now let’s try to  be grateful for the guy who cuts us off in traffic, the boss who doesn’t appreciate us, the co-worker who gossips about us, the spouse who doesn’t understand and the giant pot hole we didn’t see until too late. If we can be grateful for these things, our life will change, moving quickly toward healing and happiness. Before long we will see everything as an opportunity for forgiveness and new thinking.  Then we will get it as we realize that no matter what is happening around us we can still be at peace. 

Don’t forget to breathe.

“The mind that serves God is unlimited forever, 
beyond the laws of time and space, and with the strength
and power to do whatever it is asked.” A Course In Miracles

“I will let the Divine Universe guide me today.” 

The world is changing at a fantastic rate. And it is changing for the better. The reason it looks so dramatic, so intense and so filled with disasters is because it isn’t easy for us to give up the fear and pain that we’ve cherished for so long. The ego isn’t going out like a lamb, but it is going out. It is happening with every thought we choose that comes from Love.

Fear is leaving with every choice we make to see things differently and our every desire for a better way. It is disappearing with every kind thought, every helpful act and every loving wish for our brothers and sisters to succeed.

Fear is fading with every experience of forgiveness and with every tiny willingness to let the Divine Universe be our guide in all things.

Love is following closely upon the heels of our fading fear.  When we give power to Love, we remove it from fear.  We need only keep our thoughts focused toward the light; our minds and hearts open to healing.  Recognition of the Truth will dawn upon us and glorious Light will shine away every dark thought that holds the world hostage. 

Fear is gasping its last breath and soon will fade into the nothingness from which it came. God is smiling  with  gentle gratitude upon His children who are now choosing to remember Him and nothing else.

“… in God’s eyes your loveliness is so complete and flawless that He sees in it an image of Himself.” Paraphrased from ACIM

“I am God’s Love and Peace and Joy.”

Sometimes fear just happens. We may look around at our lives in a given moment and try to understand what we’re afraid of.  With caution we note, nothing is really wrong right now.  Does this mean that something bad is going to happen?  Or is happening and we just don’t know it yet? Or is it possible, that our unremembered past is haunting us?  Is God giving us a lesson?  Or punishing us for something?

Or is it none of the above? Perhaps it’s just an opportunity we’ve presented to ourselves to forgive and surrender everything to God.  If we feel lost in a temporary morass of fear and dark thinking, all we need tell ourselves is, “This is not necessary.  Whatever this fear is,  it certainly can’t be from God.  God doesn’t make fear, He only dispels it.” And then we surrender it to Him.

So let’s begin breathing gently into the senseless fear and fill it with Love. Let’s remind ourselves as we breathe in and out slowly and mindfully, that we are the light of the world deserving of love and joy and peace.  And more than deserving of these things we are these things. We, as God’s creations, ARE Love and Joy and Peace. There is no opposite to God except in our limited thinking. 

Let’s smile with gratitude and relief at the understanding that no matter how dark things look or feel, the truth of us is something else.  And that something else is Love because God is only LOVE. And we belong to Him.

“I will not fear my own joy today.”

“Fear is gone and only Love remains.” A Course In Miracles

What we deserve in this world isn’t about doing, it’s about being. 

Love and its healing touches each heart that is open and ready.  When we aren’t ready, when we shut down and refuse to look inside ourselves, it’s only because we’re afraid of what we’ll find there.  We are afraid to stop being busy and just BE. We don’t understand that if we are quietly looking and calmly being all we’re going to find is Love.  Although we fear pain and suffering, we are really only afraid of joy and love.

What holds us back is that we don’t believe we are entitled to God’s Love and in our judgments, we don’t believe our brothers and sisters are deserving either. 

All this time we could have been resting in Love, basking in glory and enjoying God’s Holy Universe. Let’s grow still, focus on our in and out breath and in calm and quiet reverie watch as the winds of fear transform into the wings of love.  “Fear is gone and only Love remains.”

So the simple lesson is this, “Let’s not be afraid to be happy.” BE being the operable word.

“I will bless myself by blessing everyone today.”

Remember the old saying, hatred is drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.  Now, isn’t that an insane way to live? We are not separate from our sisters and our brothers.  We cannot wish to take something from someone else and not find ourselves feeling deprived. We cannot wish ill upon anyone and not bring ill upon ourselves.  We cannot judge another without judging ourselves. It is not a punishment, but simply the Divine Law of Oneness.  By this same law we cannot bless anyone without blessing ourselves.  

The Basic Law of Oneness is from God. How we choose to use it belongs to us. And therein lies our power which we call free will. Use God’s Law as He intended it in forgiveness, kindness and compassion then happiness and abundance will be forever ours.

Feel everything going right today as you go about your day with calm and quiet confidence.

See your brothers’ and sisters’ lovely smiles. 
Hear only laughter and delight everywhere you go. 
Join the party. Be the life of the party. 
Celebrate your life. Celebrate yourself.  

Decide to forgive everyone and everything, because really, who cares?
Let it all go and free yourself from a life of pain and suffering.
Feel yourself floating lightly with a smile upon your face as all your cares gently wash away and you are left with only love and joy.

Choose to align only with what will bring you joy.
Then even challenges will have a healing purpose.
And their purpose is …
            a lesson to be learned.
            a blessing to be recognized. 
            an opportunity for Oneness.

And that’s the Law!

“God’s love surrounds me and protects me today.”

Just for now, feel yourself surrounded by Love as you are held in the arms of He, who created you and Loves you more than you are capable of understanding. Such a Love as this knows no limits, no boundaries and is beyond time and space. Allow yourself to walk with Him in perfect Holiness and let every fear and worry be lifted from you as He tells you softly again and again, “Dear Child, all your problems have been solved.” 

Do this just for now and then remember,

the past is over,
the future isn’t here and
NOW is all there is.

Live in the glory of your own holiness… just for now.

“Let me breathe freely today.”

Slowly …

Breathe in, then out and
Smile

Breathe in, then out and
Forgive

Breathe in, then out and
Let go

Breathe in, then out and
Love

Breathe in, then out and
Trust

Breathe in, then out and
Say Thank you.

“… and the remembrance of God shines unimpeded across the world. God’s face is seen in every living thing and nothing is held in darkness, apart from the light of forgiveness.  There is no sorrow still upon the earth.  The joy of Heaven has come upon it. Vision is wholly corrected and all mistakes undone.  Attack is meaningless and peace has come. All living hearts are tranquil with a stir of deep anticipation for the time of everlasting things is now at hand. There is no death. The Children of God are free.”  A Course In Miracles

“Today I choose a life governed by Love and seen through laughing eyes.”

Imagine a world where laughter is the universal language. Where peace is common and joy lights our path. A world where fear is not part of the vocabulary. In this world every day begins with a smile and every heart is calm and quiet.  In this exciting world, Angels fly about and carry us wherever we need to go. We can parasail from a cliff side with perfect safety or dive into the depths of the ocean and view the wonders without concerns for pollution because we have learned to respect and value all of nature.

Everyone is familiar here, not just familiar, but known as dear siblings. We have a clear understanding of unconditional love and we happily pay it forward to all the world. Every day is a celebration and an experience of delight. Danger, sickness, scarcity, war and death are gone from our thinking. Health, abundance and perfect safety are the norm. Jobs are unnecessary now because everything is shared. Prisons are a thing of the past because everyone is only kind and loving toward everyone else. We all know our greater purpose and we love giving to each other without the need for thank you’s. The reason thank you is unnecessary is because gratitude flows from us as naturally as breathing.

Our skills are appreciated by everyone and we all work together. Those who love to plant, plant the food and the flowers and the trees and then gift them to the rest of us. Those who enjoy cooking make our mouths water with their delicious concoctions. Food is healthy and plentiful. There is no such thing as hunger because, remember, everything is shared. Those who love to paint pictures do so with a loving heart and the art is so powerful it takes our breath away. Those who love to act and sing and dance and make music gift their talents to the rest of us and bring us joy with their moving performances. Those who love to write, write the most amazing poetry and stories beyond anything we’ve ever known because it comes from their deepest and most holy place. A place we aren’t even aware of now. Those who love to serve, serve only God and He guides them in their service to all others.

Those who love to invent things are honored for their skills and their inventions are provided to everyone without question and everyone without question is grateful for the sharing of these gifts. Those who love sports perform with ease. Every skill is an art and comes from the highest Loving place within us. Boredom doesn’t exist because we are all too busy being happy and doing what we love best, writing, reading, working with our hands. Whatever it is we love to do is only what we do. Televisions, cell phones and computers are only used for sharing good news and for teaching us about the wonders of the greater world and the worlds beyond this one. Judgment is gone. Attack?  Defense? Unnecessary.

Competition is an archaic tradition now because everyone does everything for the artistry and the pure pleasure of it. No stress and no disappointment is involved because there are no losers. In this new world everyone wins. There are no extremes in nature because nature is governed by our kindness and compassion. Our loving thoughts tame tornados and tsunamis and make earthquakes and floods impossible.  Death is over.

Seem inconceivable? If so, it’s only because we can’t wrap our mind around the possibility that there is another way, another world, another experience that we are denying and closing off. And we don’t understand how powerful we are and how real God is. If our intentions are for a beautiful utopia and if our minds are open and accepting and ready to share and to live in Love, then it must happen.

God is not impossible. God simply is. And we can choose how to see each moment and each person in our lives. What holds us back is only fear. Fear takes a thousand forms, but in the end, it’s only a decision. We can surrender fear and forgive its cause whatever that may be and then choose God instead. If we all did this, in time we would be experiencing a healthy, holy, laughing, loving, abundant and glorious world.

Afraid of change?  Afraid of sacrificing the things we like about this world the way it is? What if we could try this new world for just a day?  Would we really come back to the darkness and density and pain and suffering we know now?

The power in the joining of the minds and hearts of God’s Creations in Love is beyond what we can comprehend. But who needs to understand? We just need to choose Love and trust God to take care of the rest. And we need to do this a moment at a time, an hour at a time, a day at time. The more consistently we choose God, the more beautiful becomes our world.

In silence we pray, “God’s Will is Mine.” A Course In Miracles

As we go about our day, our thoughts scurry willy nilly around our brain like mice on caffeine.  A judgment here, a guilty thought there, a tinge of sadness, a splash of fear. All these negative thoughts do nothing for us, but only block the channel to God’s constant flow of joy and His eternal stream of perfect peace. We are way too tolerant of our mind’s chatter and way too impatient to be still and in the moment. Only by being still and mindful in this moment will we allow ourselves to remember who we really are.

Our negative and fear-filled thinking has made this world a sad and angry place. Haven’t we grown weary of such a place?  When will we finally be ready to acknowledge that there is a better way and it lives right inside our own mind and heart? And not only does it live inside us, it is the truth of us. It is our gift from a Loving God who quietly tells us over and over and over, gently with absolute patience and complete Love, “Be still and know that I am here.”

We needn’t worry about what our brothers and sisters are doing, thinking or saying. We need only be mindful of the glory of God  within ourselves and our brothers and sisters, in time, will see their reflection in our light. Through our quiet willingness to be an example of forgiveness and of love, they will find their own path of healing.   

We have His love there is no doubt. Now it’s time to open our mind and really understand what it means to be a Child of God. It’s time to see His Light, feel His joy, delight in His wisdom. It’s time to experience and own our own truth. Life, when lived happily is done so, one mindful moment at a time taken lovingly step by step with our hand in God’s. A kind thought here, a generous act there, a forgiving choice here, a helpful hand there. A smile. A laugh. A celebration of true life!  “God’s Will is mine.”

“Help me answer all my fear-filled thoughts with joy.”

Fear speaks first.  Its voice is easily recognized. It sounds like an unhappy three year old as it tantrums its way into our minds distracting us with raucous shrieks until we give it all of our attention.  Or it surges through us like an insidious and silent swirl of muddy feelings and fills our hearts and every aspect of our being with dark dread.

When we finally choose to take a breath, calm our mind, smile into our heart and surrender these intolerable emotions, sweet and gentle Peace, who has been waiting in the wings is allowed to flow free. And our minds and hearts are filled with quiet joy.

The insanity is interrupted and love becomes the power in which we function. While fear just disappears.

“I am free to dance in the joy of my Oneness with all.”

I love the word free.  It feels so … freeing.  Free from fear.  Free from sickness.  Free from pain and suffering and anger and sadness. 
Free! Free! Free!

Free to forgive.  Free to love.  Free to share.
Free to join with all others in the great Oneness of our being.

Free to smile. Free to laugh.
Free to jump up and down with joy.
Free to bow our heads with quiet gratitude.

Free to open our hearts and let love in. 
Free to shine our light upon everyone that comes before us. 

Free to walk the earth with a happy heart. 
Free to know that God’s laws rule and all is well with the world. 

Let’s bask in it. Let’s rest in it. Let’s play in it.  

Let’s let freedom ring so loud our ears hurt.
Let’s sing freedom songs at the top of our lungs.
Let’s dance with the wild abandon of the free spirit.

Let’s jump in the freedom puddle and splash freedom all over us.
Let’s leap from the freedom cliff and watch ourselves fly free.
Let’s float on freedom and sink into freedom.

Let’s rejoice in freedom as we celebrate freedom; ours and everyone’s.  After all, it’s free!

God gave us free will.  Not to use it to tie ourselves to darkness and pain, but to allow ourselves to be free! 

Care Free.   

“I am entitled to miracles today.”

I am entitled to miracles, large and small, that color my world and make me smile. 

I am entitled to everything I need. Even when I don’t know exactly what that is, there is a living, breathing Life inside me that knows for me. 

I am entitled to perfect health; health of mind and body and spirit.

I am entitled to perfect safety even when the world feels unsafe.

I am entitled to happiness, the kind that never changes and never leaves.

I am entitled to unlimited abundance that is shared by all.  

I am entitled to joy that lights my eyes, lifts my heart and brings me peace.

I am entitled to a calm and quiet state of mind that lives sanely within me even when the world looks insane.

I am entitled to love,        

             relationship love,
             family love
             friendship love.

And the other Love that comes from deep within my soul and is my gift from a Source that is greater than me.  

I will receive all this as soon as I remember, believe and trust in the holiness within me.  

God carries me now above the fray and beyond all fear as He whispers sweetly

“YOU ARE ENTITLED. 

DEAR HOLY, INNOCENT, BELOVED CHILD OF GOD,

YOU ARE ENTITLED.”

“The joy of God is what I am.”

Those who are the happiest in this world are so, not because of their worldly circumstances, but because of their inner desire for peace. When we look for peace within us, our worldly circumstances manifest this desire.  It’s not the other way around. We aren’t happy because we get what we want.  We get what we want because we have first chosen to be happy.  Until we have decided to be happy, we can’t even know what we want.

The power is in our own thinking.  The Universe can only open itself to us and offer us amazing opportunities when we have first opened our hearts to experience life through Love. This requires that we value ourselves as God values us. 

Our only real problem is that we don’t understand the simplicity of the joy of God.  It’s not something we do or something we have or the way our bodies look or feel.  IT IS WHAT WE ARE.  And that’s the thought we need to own.

“I’m going to laugh at life today.”

What if we stopped taking ourselves and the world so seriously?  Would it be such a disaster?  Or would it change the energy field around us and make our lives a little easier?

Humor can be found in just about everything. How many times have we been involved in an intense disagreement with someone close to us when suddenly the whole thing seemed outrageous and hilarious?  Didn’t the whole dynamic change from miserable to just plain wonderful? 

I’ve heard laughter at funerals, haven’t you?  Doesn’t loving laughter feel more a celebration of our loved ones than sadness and despair?

Let’s join together in a celebration of life with some happy laughter.  Laughter can hurt and laughter can heal. Let’s focus on the healing kind today and laugh a lot. If something seems serious, before we react, let’s ask ourselves, is there anything funny about this? I bet we can find the laugh button within ourselves if we try.

If someone in our life chooses to be hurt or angry, perhaps a thought of quiet kindness and compassion can crumble the wall of intense emotion and soften a heart or two.  Not always out loud, if their hearts are closed to healing and open to pain.  But as a silent prayer lifted up to God on their behalf.  With a gentle smile inside our heart.

We spend far too much time looking for bad news.  Waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Just watch the evening news. There’s almost a desperation in the way each drop of pain and suffering is wrung from every story.  We can, if we choose, find something to sadden or anger us in just about anything. But we can find laughter and joy in just about everything as well.

“My heart is open for healing.”

There is a love that, like moonlit ripples upon a silver pond, cannot be stopped, but only watched in awe and gratitude and then allowed to spread and be shared with all. Stars, too many to count join with the moon’s light as they, as one source, emblazon the skies. Darkness disappears and a look of ethereal beauty is upon the earth. Healing from this light born from love, radiates throughout the universe and touches each heart that is open and ready.

Today I will let God show me how to be helpful.”

“All are chosen. Few choose to answer.” from A Course In Miracles

We are so intent on believing we have to do something in the world that we run frantically here and there trying to fix things from our limited understanding.  This inevitably leads to mistakes.  We keep making the same errors over and over and then expecting different results. It isn’t our business to fix ourselves or the world.  Our business is to open our minds and hearts to God’s Love within us and allowing Him to fix things. Once we understand this, we will see great transformation in our lives and before long in the world.  God is the power of Love and we must forget everything but that.  Only Love can make the necessary corrections for healing us and the world. We just have to let it happen.

Don’t be deceived into thinking that God will just do things like magic tricks.  What God does is presents us with opportunities to be truly helpful.  It’s up to us to choose to follow His guidance.  When we do we will find that we have never been busier or more filled with joy.  In God’s busyness we are never overwhelmed or frantic or in doubt about anything.  In God’s busyness, there are only calm and quiet miracles which create hugely loving changes.

We’ve tried it our way.  Over and over and over. How many times have we said, “I’ve tried everything and nothing has worked.”  So why don’t we just stop trying and allow the Divine Universe to lift everything from us so true transformation can happen. Now are we truly helpful.

“I will let God do His job today.”

One moment there may be a spark of joy, but it isn’t long before that is squashed by darker feelings of impending doom.  We tell ourselves with and without words that we don’t deserve the joy.  And if we look around it certainly seems as though it’s true. All the suffering and the wars and the lack of this and that build a picture in our mind that since this is the way it is, it must be what we are entitled to. And we have these inner conversations that convince us that our pain is absolutely deserved.  Or if not deserved then certainly we must be innocent victims of an insane world.

There is enough judgment, anger, fear, sadness, suffering, guilt, attack and blame in the world without our joining in the din like children pounding on a pot with a wooden spoon crying, “I know what’s going on and it isn’t good. Not only is it not good, but it’s all your fault!” 

We can’t stop the insanity by shaking our fist at it. Or by accepting ourselves as less than we are. We peer fearfully through a dirty window and then believe, not in the window, but in the dirt. Following the advice of our small minds is how we become part of the problem instead of part of the solution. This is our time for stillness and for listening to He Who knows what we don’t.  We are the window, not the dirt!

The way to know if we’re mistaken is to ask ourselves these questions:
Is this thought coming from love? 
Is this thought kind? Compassionate? Forgiving? 
Are we letting God be in charge of the world? 
Or are we trying to do His job?

Today I will let God show me how to be helpful.”

“All are chosen. Few choose to answer.” from A Course In Miracles

We are so intent on believing we have to do something in the world that we run frantically here and there trying to fix things from our limited understanding.  This inevitably leads to mistakes.  We keep making the same errors over and over and then expecting different results. It isn’t our business to fix ourselves or the world.  Our business is to open our minds and hearts to God’s Love within us and allowing Him to fix things. Once we understand this, we will see great transformation in our lives and before long in the world.  God is the power of Love and we must forget everything but that.  Only Love can make the necessary corrections for healing us and the world. We just have to let it happen.

Don’t be deceived into thinking that God will just do things like magic tricks.  What God does is presents us with opportunities to be truly helpful.  It’s up to us to choose to follow His guidance.  When we do we will find that we have never been busier or more filled with joy.  In God’s busyness we are never overwhelmed or frantic or in doubt about anything.  In God’s busyness, there are only calm and quiet miracles which create hugely loving changes.

We’ve tried it our way.  Over and over and over. How many times have we said, “I’ve tried everything and nothing has worked.”  So why don’t we just stop trying and allow the Divine Universe to lift everything from us so true transformation can happen. Now are we truly helpful.