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