A beautiful thought is like a brightly shining star or an eagle in flight. It makes you look up.  When you look up, you are lifted from the mundane to the holy, from the fearful to the joyous.  Holy is like Heaven on earth and joyous is a place inside you that is filled with light. This Heaven is an eternal part of your very being and this joyous place is your home. Just pray, “God is the love with which I experience this moment.” And whoosh you’re in Heaven and at home in the state of purest joy. It’s not the past or the future in which we live. It’s now. Stay in the now surrounded by God’s Love and you can travel anywhere and still be Home.

Thinking a beautiful thought is like Dorothy clicking her heels.  Being in the NOW is the Kansas of our hearts.  Every possible moment, think a lovely thought while looking for the brightly shining star. And while you’re gazing at the star with a light heart and a smile on your face, don’t forget to watch for angels in flight.

You are a beautiful thought in the mind of God.  So now just be yourself.

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

A fact we must understand before we can receive the help we need to experience our peace is that there are only two ways to be in this world. A Course In Miracles teaches that people either call for love or extend Love. The call for Love is a crying out of the lonely and desperate soul who does not know his or her own truth. This means that everyone we see who is unhappy or angry or sad, unkind or ungenerous is crying out for God’s Love. This must be true because God is all there is and God is only Love. 

We are unhappy only when we think we are alone, an ocean drop that has separated from the vast sea of Love that created us. The only solution to the call for Love is the extension of Love.  To extend Love means to open our minds and hearts to Him who created us and to let His Love flow through us to those brothers and sisters who are crying out for whatever they believe is missing from their lives.  When we open our hearts to God, we then see everyone in a different light. Instead of seeing others as attacking or trying to harm us in some way, we now become one with the ocean, safe and protected from harm. Our minds become quiet, our hearts at peace and we are lifted by a wave of pure joy. We have chosen to join our brothers and sisters, not in their fear place, but in Light and in Love.  When we give Love, we MUST receive Love. The love may not come from our suffering brothers and sisters, but from a higher place that lives inside each of us. It is the law of God.  When we choose to join with God in this way, all of our judgments fall away and we become one with His Power and we are now able to recognize the truth which is, we have no cause for fear or sadness or anger. All we have is our own Truth in Him. And whether our brothers and sisters recognize it or not, this is all they have as well. 

It’s important to understand that we cannot gauge the success or non success of our spiritual gain by what others are saying or doing.  We have no way of knowing if we have stepped on a higher rung toward peace, except by what we feel inside. Only God can tell us if we are doing well and only if we let Him.  Not in words or even signs (although this may happen), but in the quietness of our minds, the calmness of our hearts and the smile in our eyes.

This holiday season is the perfect time to choose to take our separated drop and plop it into the ocean of God’s perfect Love and join with our brothers and sisters with peace filled thoughts and joyous extensions of loving energy toward all.  We must exclude no one and nothing in this and our gifts will be miracles of wondrous experience raining all about us.  And together we can splash happily in the puddles of joy that our raining miracles produce and peace will fill our hearts and we can rest in the understanding that God is Love and God is all there is.

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

Winter is a perfect time for quiet contemplation. For those in cold climates and those in rainy climates, wherever darkness falls early and begins late, spend this winter, not feeling cabin fever, but opening up to the unlimited and exciting space within you where all things happen in a lovely way.  Let peace happen.  Let joy happen.  Let freedom from fear happen.

Winter is our time for spiritual freedom.  It’s our opportunity to go inward, deep into the recesses of our truth where God lives and where the Heavenly Light never dims.  Where it is not cold and never rains.  Where an icy heart melts instantly and forgiveness heals everything and everyone.

Let’s begin our practice today with these words, “God is the Love with which I experience this moment, this day, this winter, this lifetime.”

Let’s smile a lot. Laugh with abandon. Hug everyone. Forgive and surrender everything that disturbs our peace. Let’s celebrate with our family and friends. Let’s count our blessings, not our grievances. Let’s go outside and play in the snow or dance in the rain. Let’s allow Love to govern our world, our lives and every relationship. Let’s place our trust, not in the world, but in God, our Source, our Creator, a Higher Being. Whatever name we choose is fine.  “I place my trust in the strength of God.”

Let this winter be a time of new beginnings. Let’s know we deserve to be happy. Let’s believe we are entitled to miracles.  Say this with determination, “I am entitled to miracles.  God, let me feel your presence in all ways and at all times.”

If our peace is disturbed by anger, sadness, anxiety, worry, pain or illness let’s pray, “God I surrender this experience to you. I want to be happy and healthy and I want this for my loved ones as well.”

We must pray these prayers until we mean them.  We must pray these prayers until we believe them.  Peace is not an impossible dream; fear is.  Love is not something that belongs to others, it is our essence and our truth. Let us simply open our mind and accept our gifts and say, “thank you God,” and be happy.

And now let’s have a lovely winter and the start of a whole new way of life. 

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

If we ask ourselves who we are, we generally answer with our names, our professions or our jobs, our relationships (parents, husbands, wives, partners, friends, etc.).  Or we respond with our interests, (artists, writers, singers, musicians, gardeners, etc.).  And all those things do make up our physical experience, but they are what we do more than who we are. 

Based on my experience here in the world and what I’ve learned from living, studying and being I have come to some conclusions I would like to share.

I believe:
We are not our bodies, but so much more.
We are not our weaknesses, but something so much stronger.
We are not our doubts, but something much more certain.
We are not our illnesses or disabilities, but something healthy, strong and perfect.
We are not our dark moments, but something filled with light.
We are not our fears, but something joyous and confident.
We are not our roller coaster emotions, but something stable, constant and eternal.

We are the awe we feel at a glorious sunset or a star filled night.  We are the beauty of a lovely garden, or a snow filled woods. Not the garden or the snow, but the beauty which is a feeling that lives inside us. We are the heart of a lovely song, the picture in the frame, the pinnacle of every fear-filled mountain we’ve ever had to climb. We are the joy in an unguarded moment when something passes over us that surpasses understanding.

We are the deep happiness we feel when we get it, even for an instant, that God is alive and well and no matter how it looks, all is right with the world. We are a holy instant when time stands still and space is limitless and we can see through the fear, the pain, the doubts, the darkness to a place of light and delight, and then, with great relief, feel all our burdens lifted from us. We are weightless.  We are ageless.  We are the kindness in a moment when we connect with someone unexpectedly and feel compassion and empathy. We are a gift to the world and the world is a gift to us. We are a blessing who can bless.  We are a savior who can save.  We are a healed healer. We are the answer to every question. The question to every answer. We are every lesson learned.

God is Love and so are you and I.  Anything else or anything less is simply an illusion, a dark dream from which we can awaken the moment we desire to remember who we are … who we really are.  I am ready, aren’t you?  So let’s join hands and minds and hearts and together choose to be WHO we are. And when we do, we will transform this world from chaos into glory, from darkness into light, from fear into joy. And everything else will be forgotten in the memory of our miraculous truth.    

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

You have a gift that’s holy it is clear,
Like some can paint and sculpt or write a poem.
It’s openness of mind and generous heart.
It’s your freedom to let others be themselves.
It’s forgiveness in the face of judgment and
Kindness in the wake of challenges that
Face the world. It’s willingness to be an
Instrument of peace and desire for joy
And abundance everywhere. It’s the easy
Laughter bubbling from you showing others
It’s not so serious as we would think.
It’s bringing all together in a place of highest
Thinking and connecting each and everyone
By a silver cord of unity that reminds us
We are One. Because you’re here, a holy
Presence in the world, all who know you
Circle round and dance joyfully in your light.
All these attributes are yours to be tapped
At any moment that you choose and every
Time you do, the world is healed a little more.

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

Dedicated to all the loving Children of God everywhere and that includes you.

How often have we heard or asked the question, Why me? And even the question, Why not me?  Usually in reference to drama or illness or pain of some sort. What if we turned that question and the answer around and filled our minds and hearts with loving expectations instead of possible bad news.

It would look something like this:

Healthy relationships filled with love and laughter.
WHY NOT ME?

Communication in which understanding is sought and quickly found. 
WHY NOT ME?

The perfect job doing just what I love.
WHY NOT ME?

Time and space for myself whenever I need it.
WHY NOT ME?

A partner who forgives my mistakes and values my strengths. 
WHY NOT ME?

A positive loving, giving, serving experience here in the world.
WHY NOT ME?

All my questions answered by a loving Source that knows me perfectly.
WHY NOT ME?

Health and well being for my body, my spirit, my emotions. 
WHY NOT ME?

Good news in the world every single day. 
WHY NOT ME?

Safety and protection for me and my loved ones.
WHY NOT ME?

Enough of everything for me, for mine and for all the world.
WHY NOT ME?

An experience where forgiveness and kindness, compassion and empathy are the order of the day.
WHY NOT ME?

An open mind and an open heart willing to allow the Divine Universe to govern my life.
WHY NOT ME?

A world of harmony and balance in nature and in the heart of everyone.
WHY NOT ME?

Every day a miracle of beauty and wonder.
WHY NOT ME?

Peace and Love and Joy in the world now, beginning with me.
WHY NOT ME?

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

I cannot judge another without first judging me.

Life is quite simple.  Peace is not an impossible dream.  When we are not at peace, it is because we have made a mistake in our thinking. It has nothing to do with anyone else. The solution is always forgiveness.  Forgiveness in the true sense is not overlooking or condoning someone else’s wrongdoing. It is simply choosing God instead of this. It is deciding for peace instead of judgment. In every aspect of our lives is the opportunity to forgive.  In our relationships at home, at work, in the news, in the neighborhood, in the grocery store …  When anyone or anything disturbs us, we can practice forgiveness by choosing to see the person or the situation through God’s Loving eyes. Before reacting to anyone, simply ask God to “Help me see this person/situation through Your eyes.”  In doing this, we are allowing Love to be in charge and our whole perspective on the world changes from “they’re bad” to “this is God’s business, not mine.”

We spend a lot of time in other people’s lives and in other people’s business. It is one of the great games that we invest in and one of the ways that we join with others against someone else. We feel justified and righteous pointing out other people’s mistakes to each other. We analyze their behavior, we feel sorry for the victims and if the victims are children, we feel even more righteous and justified. It’s almost comforting in a way to see the errors in the ways of others, because when we do so, we do not have to see our own mistakes. The problem with this thinking is that we don’t realize, when we do this, how we are hurting ourselves.  A Course In Miracles teaches that “to give and receive are the same.”  We cannot judge another without secretly judging ourselves. And so the forgiveness has to be for ourselves. Always for ourselves.  When we love and hold ourselves in truth and light, this healing energy will naturally fall upon our brothers and sisters as well. 

Today, instead of comforting ourselves with other people’s problems; instead of masking our own pain by looking outward at the world’s great mistakes, let’s go inward and look at the sadness, the guilt, every form of fear that we harbor and the wounded self that we are hiding from. Look at it and then allow God’s healing light to shine upon that dark place inside of us and show us that what we thought was so terrible about us is really nothing but a mistaken thought that can be replaced by choosing God and His peace instead of this.

Forgiveness isn’t easy, but it is simple. It requires only a little willingness to see the world and ourselves differently. We need only allow God’s laws to govern us and our world from now on and we will see that all is well and in God, all our problems have been solved. We cannot do this for another, only for ourselves.  And that’s enough. That is quite enough to change the world. That is the power of forgiveness within the mind of God’s creation – you and me.   

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

Together, let’s take the hand of God and let Him lift us up above the fray. And from this higher place, let’s rest in His Love and in His Light and smile with relief and gratitude that our suffering is done and Love has taken its place this moment and every single time we are willing to choose it.

GOD DOES NOT EXPECT PERFECTION, ONLY A LITTLE WILLINGNESS AND HE WILL DO THE REST.

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

These five attributes live inside each one of us. It isn’t a matter of developing them or finding them or creating them. It’s simply a matter of uncovering them. Acknowledging them. Accepting them.

We are like a lawn full of dead leaves. The dead leaves are our unwanted thoughts. Our unnecessary feelings. Our unkind expressions. Our unforgiving judgments. Our hurtful actions. Toward ourselves and others. Now, let’s get a rake and rake through the dead leaves of unwanted experiences and find the flowers underneath. Just underneath the surface of our pain there grows a beautiful flower. And another and another. These flowers symbolize within us our truth as creations of God.

They are called …
The Presence of Love
The Energy of Love
The Essence of Love
The Decision for Love
The State of Love

The Presence of Love. Happiness and Joy welling within us when we allow it.

The Energy of Love. Health and Well Being, a natural state of being that is our gift from God.

The Essence of Love. Harmlessness personified by kindness that flows constantly through us.

The Decision for Love. Helping others to find their inner flowers becomes our greatest joy.

The State of Love. Heaven is a state of mind and dwells within us right here, right now.

We may occasionally recognize these attributes in ourselves, but usually we let them pass by with little or no attention. What if we paid attention? What would we see? What would be our experience?

Happiness is every peaceful moment. It can be seen in a sunrise or a playful kitten. It can be seen in the unspoken joy that wells within us for no reason at all. Pay attention when this happens and focus on this feeling. It is the presence of Love.

Health and well being are when we see ourselves as more than a body. When an understanding comes over us that we are okay just as we are. No strings attached. No special conditions imposed. This is the energy of Love.

Harmlessness is when we choose to be kind instead of hurtful to another. No matter how small the act, our willingness to be harmless offers a loving, healing experience for us and for others. This is the essence of Love.

Helpfulness happens whenever we see someone in need and offer a hand, a word, an encouraging smile. Whenever we see someone’s cry for help and then answer it with a prayer or a blessing on their behalf. Whenever we withhold judgment and choose love instead. This is the decision for Love.

Heaven is God’s love that lives in each one of us. It is seen as light and experienced as truth, constant and unchanging and eternally us, one with each other and one with God. This is the State of Love.

Isn’t it a warm and lovely thought to know that underneath the dead leaves of our experience, just out of our awareness lives this amazing world ripe for miracles and quietly waiting for our attention? And when we pay attention it appears in full panoramic view and nothing else exists.

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.

There are schools of thought that believe that all healing is held in a single smile.  Could this be true? Could the simple act of smiling make the world a better place?  What if, instead of frowning at someone or something that you perceived as disturbing or disruptive today, you gently smiled?

What if, when you wanted to make a situation better and you couldn’t think of the words, you just quietly smiled?  What if, you wanted to convey something beautiful and loving to someone and the right thoughts to express this eluded you and so you took the other person’s hand, softened your eyes and smiled into theirs? What if you looked in the mirror and saw the hurt and the sadness in your own eyes and you turned that around by giving yourself a confident and loving smile. 

A smile is reassuring.
A smile is comforting.
A smile is contagious.
A smile is an easy way to communicate love, kindness and forgiveness.
A smile releases endorphins and makes us feel better.
A smile expresses joy and happiness.
A smile is a stepping stone to laughter.
A smile is a gift, an offering of an open heart and a helping hand.
A smile is very, very powerful and when you give it to another, you give it to yourself.

Today whenever something disturbs you, try this exercise, curve your lips upward, soften your vision and smile. Not just with your lips, but with your eyes. Let it come from deep within your heart.  It’s impossible to be depressed, sad, anxious, angry or afraid when your heart is smiling. Let a smile be your prayer.  Let a smile be your meditation.  Let a smile be your affirmation of your true worth and value. Let a smile change someone’s day.  Let a smile in each moment change your life.

May you walk in peace today knowing you are blessed and a blessing in the world.