Lizzie Velasquez - The World's Prettiest Friend

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Lizzie Velasquez - The World's Prettiest Friend

Crazy Love...Surviving Spousal Abuse

Leslie Morgan Steiner was in “crazy love” — that is, madly in love with a man who routinely abused her and threatened her life. Steiner tells the dark story of her relationship, correcting misconceptions many people hold about victims of domestic violence, and explaining how we can all help break the silence.

As a ‘survivor’ myself, I was truly moved by this TED Talk.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1yW5IsnSjo&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Crazy Love...Surviving Spousal Abuse

Timing is Everything!

Timing is everything! I don’t belive anyone dies before they have agreed to do so. I don’t believe in happenstance or coincidence anymore either.

Everything has a season and there is a season for everything.

(Ecclesiastes 3)

I may not always (seldom in fact) understand why something has happened or why something has not happened. But I do believe it has happened, or will happen, at the perfect moment in our lives.

Life is full of mystery. But I have come to accept the great and small mysteries of life as part of the perfect ingredients we need to be who we are.

MY TRUTH: Thank you for the mystery of life. Thank you for the ‘timings’ in life. Thank you for LIFE…period!

 

Timing is Everything!

Dry Spell

Have you ever gotten on a roller coaster and wondered, “What the heck am I doing this for?” Have you ever left the park feeling like you’ve exhausted yourself and you have no more energy to give to riding the roller coaster and all the yelling and laughing and jerking around?

Well, that’s been me on this ride for the last couple of months, to be honest. And honesty is what this blog is about. I promised when I started to write this blog that it would include the ups and downs, the laughs and screams.

Since just before Christmas things in my life have been up and then down, up and then down further, then up a bit, and down a bit, then up a lot, then down a lot. It has been a long ride. In fact I think that some of the ride had water features, because I’ve felt all wet too, at times! Oddly, I say that, but I’ve been experiencing quite the dry spell with all my writing, including my private journal writing.

I have prided myself with writing a couple of weeks or more a head on my blog so that when this sort of thing happened, or I got too busy to write, I would still be on top of the ride. But I ran out of steam over a month ago now.

Now I’m not telling you this to get sympathy. Sympathy is a useless tool. It doesn’t really help anything. The last couple of weeks I’ve been reading two books. One is called Make Miracles in Forty Days: Turning What you Have into What you Want by Melody Beattie, and The law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles by Marianne Williamson. Both are two of my favourite authors. Well I have many favs actually. But I was calling for a Miracle in my life, several actually, and Melody’s book was sitting on my Kindle for quite some time and I’d ‘forgotten’ to read it. Well I don’t believe in happenstance or coincidences. So I read it. I’m now working with a friend to create some miracles in both of our lives. I recommend it highly.

Then part way through that book I cam across another book that was on my wish list (mentioned above) and so I started reading it as well. They compliment each other amazingly. 

Miracles, it seems, are not about
creating changes in circumstances.
They are about changing
the way we view circumstances.

For me, the miracles are already starting. I am so grateful. Some may be a while yet, in coming. That’s okay too. The first one is that I actually feel like writing again. It may not be daily for a bit. But I am getting back to it.

How has your ride been lately? Feel free to comment below or write me privately. I promise to reply.

Great people are not those who have never fallen down. Great people are those who, when they do fall down, dig deep within themselves and find the strength to get back up. Sometimes that dark night of the soul teaches us some very important things about ourselves…

The law of Divine Compensation:
On Work, Money, and Miracles
by Marianne Williamson

Dry Spell

Teach Me, My Enemy

Teach Me, My Enemy

Practice The Presence: Practice Grabbing Hold

Carpe Diem! Seize the Moment! This was a ‘new’ saying that took hold a few years ago. Everywhere you went you saw it posted on walls, books, posters, bumper and even a few inappropriate places too. But nonetheless it was well used. But not well understood.

We get knocked about in life. That’s a fact! That’s just the way it is! We see all these people with perfect lives on the television and wonder “why can’t I have their life?” And then we are reminded that even the Superstars have pain to bear. This last year alone there have been a few deaths due to drug overdoses. And why do they overdose? On purpose? I don’t think so. They overdose by accident. They are trying to escape that lot that is theirs. And they slide down that dark tunnel alone and too deeply.

We can look at these lives and say, “But look at them! They are millionaires with mobs chasing them and people adoring them and people serving them and, and, and…” They are empty. Just like you feel at times. Just like I feel at times.

When I was younger I would often just throw my hands in the air in despair and just want to give up. I did give up on three different occasions in fact. But just when I threw my hands up, there was a hand there to pull me up.

Now in recognition of that and the gratitude I feel for the second chances I’ve been given I know that in the depths there is hope. I now can go to my quiet place. I can put my head on my pillow and say, “Tomorrow I’ll feel more rested. Tomorrow will feel different.” And if I don’t sleep or I get up feeling rotten, I just say, “Tomorrow I’ll feel more rested. Tomorrow will feel different.”

I go to my time of meditation and prayer (if you like that term) and journal. I fill the emptiness with ritual. I am kinder to myself and the Creator. I Practice The Presence: Practice Grabbing Hold.

What do I grab hold of? Sometimes just air (faith). Sometimes just a few sane words in the storm (hope). Sometimes a rest (peace). I grab hold of that hand that is always there for me.

I also, with this perspective of years, grab hold of my own strength. Faith, hope, peace, they build an inner calm; a place of strength. It’s all good and well to believe that your Higher Power will be there. But as my Mum used to say, God helps those who help themselves. She didn’t mean it in a trite or profane way. She knew that deep within all of us is the Creator, built right into our DNA. There is strength. There is fortitude.

MY TRUTH: This roller coaster ride I call my life, it’s been an interesting series of loops, bumps, drops and even stalls. But I know that deep within, when I go into my quiet place, there is the Presence. Carpe Diem!

 

 

We don’t just need to come to believe in God (Higher Power). We need to come to believe in ourselves. Let your I can’t turn into I can. Take all the time you need. Learn to enjoy the process of coming to believe you can. Accept where you are in your learning curve today (and always).

Melody Beattie,

More Language of Letting Go,  November 2

Brackets Mine

 

Practice The Presence: Practice Grabbing Hold

Safe Harbours

I really like this little jewel. Not only are the words so true, but the whole setting was beautiful I thought.

If you are into astrology, or even have fun with it like I do, you will know that our astrological signs give insight into our personalities supposedly. Well I’m a Cancerian in traditional astrology. And as one I am more emotionally and spiritually based in my living. I also do not really like a lot of change. The animal that represents Cancer is a crab. Kind of appropriate in a few ways. The emotions, yes. Although I do have much better control of them that I did as a younger person. But also when a crab feels threatened or it’s environment is suddenly changed it will retreat into its shell until it feels safe enough to come out and play again. Well for the most part that is me too. I like routine. I like sameness (although I also get bored easily, I have to admit). I like my shell (home). It is my sanctuary; and when my sanctuary is misaligned then you will see I will usually follow if not sooner than later.

But I’m also a Hare (Rabbit) in Chines Astrology. Funnily, the warm and cuddly rabbit is also emotionally and spiritually based. The Hare also like home and makes it a sanctuary.

But let’s stop there! Although I like these things, I have had more change in my life over the last 4 years than the average person sees in a decade or more. And actually when I survey my roller coaster ride over the last 40-some (memorable) years I have been in constant change a lot of the time.

There is still that side of me that loves a challenge; loves to create; loves to do a new project (creation) or several at a time. It is in my nature. So for me I can really relate to this jewel. I have been in safe harbour many times in my life. But not usually for very long. I was built for sailing (or coasting if we talk rails).

MY TRUTH: People often say that a life is a difficult or challenging life for so-and-so. But for me, I have to admit, even though I crave the safe harbour after so much change over the last few years, you just can’t keep me there for long. What a wonderful adventure life is!

Safe Harbours