Hustle & Bustle Gives Way to Quiet

I've been missing my dad particularly strongly this month. So ... my holiday spirit has been missing too. There are a few decorations up in my life: I brought in poinsettias for the Unity office and we have a wreath on our door at home. We bought our home Christmas tree on Sunday but didn't bring it inside the house until this morning.

The reading by Rev. Mark Fuss in the Advent Booklet yesterday touched me gently. His reading begins with how the hustle and bustle around Christmas gives way to the new year and it's hard to even "process what had happened."

Then he writes:

"These days the memories I treasure most arise during the quiet moments of Christmas. The early mornings are my favorite time. I turn on the glittering tree in the darkness just before dawn and sit in the quiet with a cup of coffee, letting the memories roll over me... Even the memories of loved ones who have passed become a sweet sadness in the stillness. A warm heartache and a gentle tear drop, as grief's grip has lessened and allowed the remembering to flow. Faith, family and feelings, quiet treasures all."

 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

For me, sitting in our darkened living room with just the Christmas tree lights on in the evening is my time for quiet. This year I will appreciate that time in a more mindful way.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And I especially wish for you some quiet times in the days ahead.

~ JEAN

My Home Office

Studying the 12 powers or abilities this year has been a wonderful, learning exercise. Currently I'm working on Will (August) and Order (September). I read Charles Fillmore's chapters on each power and then I read the pertinent chapters in PowerUP. The Twelve Powers Revisited as Accelerated Abilities by Paul Hasselbeck and Cher Holton. In PowerUP, each chapter ends with a couple activities.

I do well with these two abilities, if I say so myself. That being said ...

Activity One for Order is to choose a specific area in my home - actually the book says "Think about the messiest place in your house." And then "Schedule a block of time, and put it in order. Create a space that is balanced, orderly, neat and efficient for what you need."

I chose three places: my spare bedroom, my sitting room and my office. The first two were easy. I now see a clear bed that had been piled with clothes, paperwork and other items. In just an hour, I had put away the clothes, moved my summer clothes into the attic and brought down my winter clothes, filed the paperwork. I looked around that room, took a deep breath and was satisfied.

My sitting room had become a depository for items that needed to be moved to the attic; the vacuum cleaner, cord winding around the floor, was just sitting there instead of being brought back downstairs where it belonged. In a few minutes I took the tubs into the attic, brought the vacuum cleaner back downstairs, took a deep breath and was satisfied.

My office was a whole different story. I can't remember how many months (years) I've hated the lamps in my office - utilitarian, clamp-on lamps that don't stand up any more. My husband and I had gone twice to two different places to find lamps. No luck or way too expensive.

I've even piled papers on my chair - so I can't  sit down!
My magnet board is at top right.
The new lamps are great!

I could no longer even see my desk. Piles everywhere except where my computer keyboard is - piles upon piles of paper to file and organize, papers to decide if I even need or want them anymore. I had gotten to the point that whenever I walked in that room to drop something off, I'd mentally say - I'm not coming in here right now. I didn't even want to balance my checkbook here much less write for pleasure.

I have a magnet board in my office. On it is a thought of the day from March 23, 1998. It says:

My office is filled with the vibration of love and productivity.

Working here is a joy and a deep pleasure.

That certainly did not apply. I had completely lost touch with that thought - even though it has clearly been my intention since March of 1998.

Activity One got me going. I renewed my efforts to find lamps. My husband and I went to Home Depot and found just the two lamps I wanted and they were affordable too. We brought them home and put them together. A great fringe benefit, the old lamps I hated, my stepson needed for his office. Perfect in every way.

The first thing I did was dust my entire desk, moving all the piles aside to reach the desk. When I finished dusting I was finished for the day. But I was on my way to bringing my office up to a place I wanted to spend time in again.

Between my will and my order abilities, I am committed to continue to clear up my office. Each day I go in there and tackle a pile - organize bills and file them. Update my health records and file them. Check my "to do" lists to see if I need them any more. I've done everything on the list, I just need to recycle the paper.

Although I still can't see much of my desk, I can see some of it. And I remain committed to sticking to this project. Pretty soon, I will be using my office not only to balance my checkbook but also to start some of the writing projects I have up my sleeve. I take a deep breath and I am satisfied.

~ JEAN

Getting Back on my Path

My last two and a half months have been a whirlwind - traveling to nice places; having visits from family; going to the Unity Eastern Region Conference - all good stuff.

But ... when I looked at my calendar for those months, I didn't have very many free, totally unplanned days. In fact in September I only had three .

I know that isn't enough now - I knew then too but couldn't seem to get control of it. In October I experienced almost the same few days. And November has joined in with very few days too.

When I returned from visiting my 90-year-old mom on November 16, I was happy to have been with her for eight days. I also would have rejoiced (if I wasn't so tired) - I won't travel again for three months.

Last week I was catching up with sleep and not doing much of anything else. Every time I noticed one of my lists, I looked the other way.

I needed R&R. I gave myself permission to read a novel or two, to play games on my cell phone, to walk the dogs, to take naps a couple of the days. It was good.

This week I woke up with some energy - I felt back to my normal self. I noticed the lists and began to check off some items.

Looking back over those 2-1/2 months, I realized that I had taken a detour from my spiritual path. I haven't written anything here in weeks. Although I read the Daily Word every morning and wrote about my day every night, it didn't get through. I became grouchy about almost everything. I forgot about love and wisdom.

Now I'm getting back on my path slowly but surely. That feels good too. I don't know how to prevent the detours that are sure to come again, so for right now I'm staying present and using this "fill-in-the-blank" affirmation:

Forgiveness comes from within,

I have the power to create a sense of forgiveness in my life.

I alternate between forgiveness, love, wisdom and joy. Today I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving Dinner with my stepson, daughter-in-law and grandchildren tomorrow.

~ JEAN

Shame

I’ve noticed that some of my deepest spiritual work happens while I am sleeping or attempting to sleep.  It’s like Spirit knows when my defenses are down . . . .   This afternoon, I was sleeping to recover from an overnight shift at my second job.  I had just woken up briefly to get a drink of water and was settling back down in hopes of getting a couple more hours of shut-eye.  My mind wasn’t particularly quiet – I was worrying about some things that had happened earlier in the day - so I started to practice a form of meditation which I learned in a class I took recently.  I began to repeat the word “flow” in my mind as a mantra because I’ve noticed that focusing on this word usually helps me to move into a feeling of alignment with Spirit.  

Well, rather than drifting peacefully into that blissful state of non-awareness that usually comes from a good meditation, as I was repeating my mantra, instead of becoming more relaxed and UNaware, I started to become PAINFULLY aware of a deep sense of shame welling up from within.  As I lay in my bed, I had the sensation of being gradually overtaken by an awful feeling of unworthiness that seemed to stretch from my head to my toes and reached to my very core of my being.  I felt a gnawing in my stomach and a dull ache throughout my entire body.  And the discomfort was intensifying.  This was a completely unexpected turn of events, but I was acutely aware – as I lay there writhing in my own skin – that it was not a bad thing.  It was my Higher Self attempting to get my attention.

If you’ve been reading my blog posts, you know that I’ve been on a quest to remove the blocks and barriers that keep me from living in a full awareness of the presence of God.   Well this sense of shame that I’ve been secretly harboring almost my whole life certainly qualifies as a barrier.  As long as I am carrying around this deep feeling of “I am not good enough – I am sorry – I am a mistake,”  I can’t possibly experience the unlimited flow of Spirit.  The two things don’t match up – I am unworthy AND a beloved child of God?  It doesn’t jive.  In order to be fully in the flow of Spirit, I have to find a way to let go of my feelings of shame and unworthiness.

I don’t believe there is a magic bullet for conquering shame.  I’ve done plenty of work on identifying where this feeling of shame comes from and how it became so deeply rooted in my personality.  I’ve analyzed and re-analyzed.  I’ve reasoned and talked it to death.  I’m fairly confident that my usual, logical tactics will not be effective in this arena.  What I know for certain, though, is that simply allowing these feelings of shame and unworthiness to rise to the surface can be a powerful step toward healing.  I believe this is why I needed to have this experience while I was half-asleep.   During my waking hours, I am a MASTER at “stuffing” unpleasant feelings –so much so that I am not even aware that they exist.  Spirit knew that my defenses would have to be down in order to bring these feelings to light. 

The yucky feeling of shame is still with me.  I still feel that gnawing in the pit of my stomach and the tightening in my throat.  But rather than stuffing it back down, I’m sitting with it and noticing the sensations.  I’m practicing non-resistance and allowing it just to be.  Dr Brene Brown says, “Shame is the swampland of the soul.  You don’t have to live there.  Just put on some galoshes and walk through and have a look around.”  It may take a thousand times of noticing my feelings of shame and sitting with them and allowing them to be.  Someday, by the grace of God, maybe these feelings will disappear.  Regardless, I believe that awareness is the key to lessening their grip on me so that I can move more fully into an awareness of the presence of the Divine.  

~REBECCA

The Answer is “YES” – Now Let it Go

Over the past few years, I have read several books and taken several classes on the topic of prayer.  The more I learn about Unity’s “version” of prayer from Unity greats like Eric Butterworth and Rev. Jim Rosemergy, the more I understand that I am called to release all of my human needs before I enter into my time of prayer and seek to simply become aware of God’s presence.  The problem is, even as I’m trying my darndest to let go of my attachment to outcomes, I have found myself still holding on to my need for things to be a certain way and secretly hoping that if I can just become quiet and aware enough, God will swoop in and make all my dreams come true.   

Recently, I’ve been studying the book The Universe is Calling by the late Eric Butterworth, a legendary Unity minister who pastored a Unity Center in New York City for over forty years before he made his transition in 2003.  Butterworth echoes the descriptions of prayer which I’ve read in Jim Rosemergy’s book The Gathering, as well as much of what I have read by twentieth-century mystic Joel Goldsmith.  In short, prayer isn’t about begging or pleading or even just secretly hoping for God to bring about changes in my life.  True prayer is simply getting quiet enough to experience the presence of God right where I am and understanding that, no matter what my problem or my desire, a consciousness of God is the only answer I need to seek.  This is the essence of the idea “seek first the Kingdom, and all else will be added unto you.”

This is easy enough to comprehend on an intellectual level.  So why has it been so hard for me to put into practice?  Well . . . what I’ve come to realize is that there is a part of me that hasn’t really believed that it’s possible for me to have what I desire or to find solutions to the seemingly chronic problems in my life.  Somehow I’ve been thinking that God’s answer will be a “NO”, and the more I believe that I can’t have my human needs met, the more I am inclined to hold on tight to my notion of how things should be. 

Something that has become clearer to me through Eric Butterworth’s teachings is that God’s answer is always a resounding “YES.”  Can I have a beautiful, comfortable home?  YES.  Can I have a fulfilling career?  YES.  Can I have a blissfully happy marriage?  YES.  Can I travel?  YES.  Can I have a joyful family life?  YES.   God’s answer is always YES.  Just knowing this somehow frees me up to let go of my attachments.   

Now, don’t get me wrong – just because God’s answer is YES doesn’t mean I automatically get what I want.  I still have to mind my thoughts and my actions.  If I want abundance, I can’t be thinking thoughts of poverty.  If I want a beautiful, comfortable home, I can’t be amassing clutter and holding on to things I don’t need or love.  If I want a blissfully happy marriage, I have to make time to connect in a meaningful way with my partner.  God says YES, but God can only do for me what it can do through me.   This is where the rubber hits the road.  

Knowing that God’s answer is YES makes it much easier for me to release my human needs before entering into my time of prayer and allows me to focus fully on expanding my awareness of God’s presence which, after all, is my ultimate goal.   Even if I have no idea how or when my human desires might be fulfilled, the energy of YES changes everything.  

~REBECCA

Thank You!

Recently, Rev. Carmela delivered a series of Sunday talks based on the book "The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity" by Edwene Gaines, a Unity minister.  This happens to be one of my favorite books on the topic of prosperity consciousness, so on Sunday mornings I found myself eager to receive a refresher on each of the four laws and to hear Edwene's stories, which are all very familiar, recounted in the talks.

In one of her messages, Rev. Carmela shared the story of how Edwene made a decision early in her exploration of the laws of prosperity to refrain from complaining, gossip, and criticism for 21 days - because she had heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and she was trying to elevate her consciousness so that it would support her vision of prosperity.  To take it one step further, when something happens that we don't like, rather than complaining or blaming or criticizing, Rev. Carmela suggested that we practice simply saying "thank you" as a way of demonstrating a sense of gratitude and also non-resistance, which are essential for experiencing prosperity, as well.

I decided to try adopting this practice of saying "thank you" in the face of events or circumstances I don't like.  Lately, I've found myself being very critical and grousing at the most minor of inconveniences.  This kind of grouchiness seems to run in my family and tends to get worse with age - haha! - so I can recognize it pretty easily, and I made a commitment long ago not to perpetuate it.  But here I am being grouchy on a fairly regular basis, so it's time to take a look and see where I need to make some changes.

What would it look like and feel like to say "thank you" throughout the day, even when things aren't going my way?  Something like this . . .

My cat peed on my dining room floor again today - thank you.
My oldest child has found yet another way to circumvent the rules - thank you.
Another school shooting and still no action from Congress - thank you.
Nobody in my house seems to know where the recycling bin is - thank you.

I have a feeling it's going to take a while for me to be able to feel true gratitude for the events and circumstances in my life that don't match my vision of how things should be.  For now (I'm sure you can tell) I'm delivering these expressions of gratitude with a snarkiness that probably renders them mostly ineffective.  But I do notice that my energy shifts when I say "thank you."  And I believe that it's possible to get better with practice.  As I continue to say the words "thank you" out loud throughout my day, I imagine I will notice that I begin to soften around the people and situations that really get under my skin and that I will begin to experience a feeling of true gratitude no matter what is happening around me.

~REBECCA

Autumn

My all-time favorite season has arrived - on September 23 at 4:21 a.m. to be precise.

The Daily Word for that day was Autumn. Part of the meditation reads: "The trees undergo a major transformation every year with what appears to be little effort. In a similar way, I accept the cycles of my life." Also "My day includes periods of work, play and relaxation."

And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years." Genesis 1:14

Here is the first evidence

of autumn in the trees at Unity.

What a beautiful beginning.

Balancing work, play and relaxation is my intention every day. So today, Friday, September 25 I have been working at Unity for about three hours - preparing for the Gary and Cindy Lora-Renard Seminar, answering emails and a couple of other things.

When I get home shortly, I will kick off my shoes, open all the windows in my bedroom, sit down on my big old easy chair and read my current novel. I may also dip into The Universe is Calling. Our class met last night - we have a few chapters to read before next Thursday evening's class. At around 4 I will walk our doggies - a treat for me as well as them. And when I get back, my husband and I may just sit on our deck, watch the birds at our bird feeders and have a glass of wine. This may be among my perfect days.

I hope the same for you - today and every day.

~ JEAN

Fill in the Blank

A recent Daily Word was Free and the meditation included this affirmative sentence:

Freedom comes from within, 

I have the power to create a sense of freedom in my life.

One of my favorite Unity teachings (others teach it as well) is that we have all the answers within.

My mantra for much of 2015 has been I choose peace. Then I realized that the above could be a fill-in-the-blank affirmation. Replace "freedom" with "peace" ... or "love," "gratitude," "abundance" or almost anything, and in every case the affirmation is amazing and true.

Pick one of the 12 powers to fill in the blank: understanding (for July), will (for August), order (for September) and these work too.

I am not a good memorizer. I hear other people say their favorite prayers and affirmations so easily and I just can't seem to do it.

After I wrote those two sentences I realized that my internal message makes me sound like a victim. I am not a victim in any way, shape or form! My internal message needs to change: I can memorize and I am going to memorize this affirmation. And so now I affirm: I can and will memorize this affirmation because it has so much meaning to me.

What a great example of using the power of understanding in my life.

~ JEAN

Life's a Beach

All summer long, smiling, cheerful people have been asking me, "So how's your summer going?"  Where do I begin?  Well . . . I'm dripping in sweat 24/7, I'm miserably hot all the time, my kids are driving me nuts, my house is constantly a mess, I have no time to myself whatsoever, and I absolutely HATE not having a set schedule.  That's how my summer is going.  How's yours? (Smile)

This is my annual summer ritual.  I'm 95% miserable for the 100% of the season.  And on top of being miserable, I beat myself up for being miserable.  It's loads of fun.

So the other day, I thought to myself, "There has to be SOMETHING about summer that I like.  I can't STAND to hear myself complaining anymore."  But at first, I couldn't come up with a single thing.   Then it hit me - the beach.  The beach is one thing, maybe the only thing, I like about the summer. I love the ocean breeze.  I love the sound of the waves hitting the sand.  I love the feeling of the sun on my face.  And I love the relaxed feeling that comes with spending a day at the beach. 

So I'm doing an experiment.  Is one positive thought enough to dispel a whole season's worth of negativity?  By just concentrating on my love of the beach, can I turn my "stinkin' thinkin' " around?  Out of the 10 weeks of summer, I generally only spend one week at the beach.  Could I make it a point to add some additional beach trips to my summer calendar?  If I can't spend more time at the beach, can I bring some beach-y elements to my summer days - maybe with beach decor, or by listening sounds of the ocean, or by reading a book that is set near the beach?  Just thinking about the beach lifts my spirits. Even if I did nothing BUT think about the beach, my experience of summer would be more positive.  I believe I may have found the key to happier summers - and, not surprisingly, it begins with my thoughts.

~REBECCA

Seriously, Lighten Up!

I've been out of sync with recent Daily Words like

Joy

Radiant
Expression

Celebration

I haven't been feeling those feelings lately. My days are freed up from the busyness in my life - and that's what I wanted. I wake up in the morning with free time and I intend to make this day count one way or another. At the end of the day, I reflect back on the day. What did I do today that made it count?

Some days it's easy to list a few things:

One day I sewed pillowcases for our two dog beds - the blue denim material and the spool of thread had been sitting upstairs in my sitting room/meditation room for over a year. Then I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes with two bars of resistance. I began an essay on one of my dad's World War II letters. I read a novel for awhile. I studied July's power of Understanding (I'm a month behind). I played a few of my games on my phone. I had a glass of wine with my husband. We watched some soccer on tv. This was my idea of a good balanced day.

Another day I went to the grocery store for staples like paper towels, cat food, napkins, garbage bags. I rode the stationary bike for 25 minutes (it was hot and boring but I did it anyway). And I continued working on the essay.

Other days I don't feel like I've done anything to make it count. So when the Daily Word last Tuesday was celebration, I couldn't do it. Then I realized I've been putting pressure on myself to make every day count.

The next morning (Wednesday) I woke up with this message from Holy Spirit: Lighten up. Don't take life so seriously - enjoy each moment I'm alive and well. As I left our house to walk our two dogs, I felt the cool breeze and the warm sun on my face; I took a deep breath, threw back my shoulders and felt taller and, yes, lighter.

Looking across our lawn, I saw our sunflowers with their faces turned toward the sun. Goldfinches were perching on the spent flowers to eat their seeds. What on earth else is there to feel but joy at their sight, to celebrate nature in my life, and to express God's radiance through me?? I just need a reminder now and then.

My intention going forward is to be excited to find out how I will make this day count. That turn-around feels so positive.

~ JEAN

Staying in my own Business

Do you ever find yourself having long conversations in your head with another person? Maybe it's to replay a previous conversation. In your head, you know exactly the right response to a slight, an insult or a comment that will SHUT THEM UP FOREVER. Or maybe it's a rehearsal for a future conversation that you know will probably never happen ... but it is so satisfying to figure out ways to say everything exactly right.

I have been having internal conversations with one particular person lately. I'm practicing what I could say to them that is brilliant, clear and will change them into the person I think they should be. I want to set this person straight. I practice what I could say to stop them from getting in my face ever again.

Then I was journaling about the Daily Word meditation on Curiosity in July. The sentence in the meditation that caught my attention was:

"I tap into my curiosity with the intention to explore new perspectives."

Aha, a new perspective. Why does this person behave the way she/he does? I thought: I need help on this. I sat quietly in my chair knowing I didn't have a clue what to do about this.

The message I received was ... Why am I wondering why? I will never know this person's why. In fact it's not important for me to know why. They are just being who they are.

I've been lucky to study Byron Katy's book Loving What Is. In that book she writes: "I can find only three kinds of business in the universe, mine, yours and God's. Much of our stress comes from mentally living out of our own business. Being mentally in your business keeps me from being present in my own... Do I know what's right for me? That is my only business."

Wow, is that freeing! And like the balloons picture, I choose to let all those conversations go.

~ JEAN

Permission to Be Ordinary

Here’s something I’m considering:  what do I have to do to earn God’s love?  I have spent countless hours, days, weeks, years of my life believing and behaving as if there are things I need to do to earn love – from my parents, from my friends, from the world and, I’m realizing, by extension, from God.  Somewhere in my mind, I created an image of the perfect me – one that would be worthy of being loved – and I’ve been chasing that image for my entire life.  I’ve set impossible standards for myself, and since I always seem to fall short of the perfect me I’ve dreamed up, I’ve never really felt like I deserved to be loved and cared for.

I’m still reading Break Out! by Joel Osteen, and there is a chapter in the book entitled “Be Confident in What You Have.”  In this chapter, the author suggests that we stop focusing on what we think we lack – talent, education, personality, whatever – and start focusing on what God has given us as we move forward in the direction of our dreams.  He goes on to say that we don’t have to be extraordinary to experience the fullness God’s love:

“God is not looking for super talented people.  He is looking for ordinary people who will take the limits off Him so He can show His goodness in extraordinary ways. “

“If you’ll be the best you can be right where you are, living with confidence, believing that God is breathing in your direction, then God will do for you what He did for the hungry crowd (in the loaves and fishes story).  He will take the little and He will turn it into much.”

This is an earth-shattering concept for me.  To believe that it’s okay for me to be ordinary - as I am?  To trust that I am enough even if I haven’t achieved the elusive ideals I’ve established for myself?  To allow myself to be loved despite all of my imperfections?    The very idea brings such a sense of relief that it makes me feel weak in the knees.  I’m still trying to digest it. 

Thank you, Joel Osteen, for offering this teaching to me in a language I can understand.  

~REBECCA

My Shift

“Doesn’t back seat driving drive you nuts?” I asked my mom.

“Not really.” She replied. “I appreciate it because they might see something I don’t.”

And with that simple exchange several years ago my attitude began to transform. The wisdom of my mom’s perspective was, I believe, God speaking to me through her.

There are a couple people who are my back seat drivers. Before I had that brief conversation with my mom, I bristled every time one of them told me how to drive. After all I have been driving for over 40 years. Do they think I’m stupid? My defenses erupt. Thinking someone else considers me stupid isn’t pleasant and neither is feeling my defenses erupt.

Wednesday’s Daily Word was Transformed. Here are some parts of the meditation: “I look into my heart to see what I can shift to better align with God…. I affirm: I trust God’s power to renew and change my life. I am transformed in mind, body and spirit. Repeating this statement many times leads me to change the way I think.”

I knew I had made a positive and healthy shift when, this week, my husband and I decided to go see the movie “Mr. Holmes.” I was the driver that day. As I pulled onto Interstate 78, I said to him: “You need to be prepared.”

“Why?”

“Because you have to pick our parking place.”

“Oh, okay. I think I can do that.”

And we laughed.

The meditation ends with “I am grateful for the power of God!”

Amen to that.

~ JEAN

P.S. The movie was very good.

Unexpected Blessings

This past week, while I was on vacation at the shore, I happened to pick up my copy of the book “Break Out! 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life” by Joel Osteen.   Part of my morning routine is to read something inspirational before sitting down for meditation.  And on this particular day, Mr. Osteen’s book was exactly what I needed.

In one chapter, entitled “Explosive Blessings,” he talks about how we should always be ready to receive unexpected blessings.  

Boardwalk - Photo Credits to Dave Stoker

“You may think your current situation is permanent.  You’ve been there a long time, and you can’t see how you could ever move up.   All the facts are telling you it’s impossible that things will improve, but God has ways to increase you that you’ve never dreamed of.  He’s saying today, ‘You need to get ready.  I have explosive blessings coming your way.  Where you are is not permanent.  I will take you higher . . . I will suddenly change things for the better in your life.’ ”

The encouraging words from this chapter created a tremendous shift in consciousness for me.   They helped to begin to free me from a cycle of negativity and frustration which was beginning to feel like a new permanent way of being for me.

After I finished my reading and completed my meditation, I went out for a run on the boardwalk.  As I ran south, the wind was at my back and running was easy.  But when I turned to go north, I was running into the wind, and it was difficult.  On any other day, I might have given up and started to walk instead.  But having just read that God can turn things around at any moment, I found that I had more stamina to deal with my current challenge. 

I’ve been reading a little from the same book each day before my meditation.   Although Joel Osteen and I differ in many ways in our understanding of God, I believe that he has the third Unity principle down pat – “we create our own reality through our thoughts and beliefs.”  And my thoughts and beliefs could use a little pick-me-up recently, so I’m very, very thankful for his inspirational words.
  

~REBECCA