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Each time you feel resentment when paying a bill, each time you have a doubt about your beliefs, each time you don’t believe in your own abundance, you are cutting off a steady flow of abundance. So…each time you send money with happiness and joy you are creating a vibration of the Universe bringing more to you…a nice steady flow of abundance.
Make one little shift. Shift from being worried, doubtful, what you don’t to trusting, in-joying life no matter what is in it, and being grateful for what you do have. That little shift will create a steady flow in your life. Every time you find resistance see the flow slowing down and when it happens, open your heart and feel the flow steadily moving and flowing. Shift and open over and over again until it becomes your natural state.
Do take a look at your negative feelings and thoughts. Those negatives have messages just for you about how your experience could be better. In anything in life there is always an opposite to show us the contrast of what we want or don’t want. When we have negative thoughts or feelings, it’s important to find how and where they come from. Are they just how you are? Are they feelings of insecurity or fear? No matter what, they are there to let you know that it could be better.
The great thing is, you have the choice to change your thoughts and work on your feelings through letting go, visualizing, focusing, and enjoying the moment. Work on those negative thoughts and see where they originate. You can always shift to a better feeling thought…always.
Have you ever been around one of those people where all they do is complain and point out all that is wrong in life? You’re driving along in the car and you point out the beautiful leaves falling. And she says, “Hope they don’t scratch my car.” You go farther along and make a comment about the beautiful landscaping that was done throughout the town and she says, “That? I could have done that with one hand tied behind my back.” Or she sees a bumper sticker that sets her on a tirade about what is the world coming to.
When you’re sitting in the car and can’t get out, focus (in your mind) on the positive. it can become a little game. If she says something negative then, within your mind, shift to the exact opposite. She’ll wonder why you aren’t saying anything and wonder why you’re grinning from ear to ear. Make a choice to shift to the positive until it just naturally becomes your state of mind in everything you do.
No matter what you are experiencing in life it all comes down to a pattern of a repetitive feeling and thought. Change the mental pattern, even just a little, and you will see life changing for the better. Just think what could happen if you changed it more and more. Now that’s something to envision!
It’s amazing how when we get stuck in a rut everything stays in the same in everything we do, but when you feel like you’re stuck and you change the way you do things just a little, movement starts up once again. Even a small change in thought will get things rolling.
Shift your focus a little to the left and a little to the right and move right around that negative thinking you may be experiencing. There is light beyond that negative. Look for it and find it even if it is small and you will being to see a difference. Keep walking in that direction and hold your head up high focusing on that wonderful shift of thought you are creating. Make it a little bigger and a little bigger until you have surpassed the repetitive thought cycle that was holding you in a place you didn’t want to be in. Does that feel better?!
When you feel resistance or reluctance to continue something, it is a message to you that you are not following your higher path. Your higher self gives you a sign that you are following your higher path through your feelings of joy, and your resistance is a message to go within and fine tune until you find the joy.
If the resistance is fear and you know deep down within that it is, then this is something to work on. But if the resistance feels like it is telling you ‘another path’ then feel within to find the feelings and thoughts of where you want to ‘be’ and then follow that path.
I remember back when I was costume designing and the director had a certain vision of what he wanted. “I see symmetrical lines for this show. Blocks of colors, futuristic themes in a big way.”
“Oh…” I remember thinking to myself. I had been hired for this job for my skills in historical designing and he was taking it right out of my expertise. I am a person that ‘lets things go’ unless I feel it isn’t part of my path. I checked ‘within’ and it felt wrong on many levels. I checked within to make sure it wasn’t fear that was feeling wrong. I mean it was something I had never done before but usually I was always up for learning new things. No, it was definitely not right for me.
I followed the director around as he was barking orders and changing his mind on everything. He was changing set designs that had already been created and literally taking over the whole show according to ‘his vision.’
I asked myself, “What felt right, what felt right?” What felt right was the original plan of jewel tones, detailed beading work, muted designs and backdrops. THAT is what excited me and made me happy. So now…was it mine to even ask? This was someone else’s idea, not mine. I was just about the costumes. So I took it to the producer. I explained what I had been hired for and what I had planned. I didn’t mention any of the other departments; just what affected my outcome. I explained quite calmly that I was not a futuristic costume designer but one of historical and whimsical backgrounds in costuming and that they would have to find someone that specialized in that form of costume. The producer thanked me for being honest and asked if I knew of anyone in that kind of genre. I did and gave him a name.
I went home feeling relieved but feeling as if it really wasn’t over. I felt within my heart I would be costuming the show somehow. I got a call three weeks later asking if I would return to the show. The director had been fired due to his taking it over as his own and not seeing the team effort it took to create a show. It was one of the best experiences in costuming and I had free rein of fabrics, beadings, and trims. I followed the path of least resistance but only after checking in within to be clear if it was fear or a nudge in a different direction.
Did you know that your life work may not exist at this very moment in a job that is in this world? It may actually be a job that you have to create. How great is that? To be able to create your own job of what you want and that makes your heart sing! Don’t get trapped in the thoughts of limited thinking when there is so much unlimited possibilities out there!
Lee and I knew what we wanted to do but there wasn’t exactly a niche at the time. We had so many wonderful ideas about how to implement what we wanted to do but were told that it just wasn’t possible from a business frame of mind. We knew we were on our own but it didn’t matter. We had the Universe and our focus on our side. Unlimited thoughts got us to where we are today. We thought beyond the normal and created our own normal that was perfect for us. No more limited thoughts for us…unlimited is the only way to go!
If you are walking a path that seems difficult and full of obstacles and you aren’t enjoying the process, then there is surely another path for you to follow that holds joy, excitement, and obstacles that you can step around in joy while learning all the way.
If it seems too difficult, know there is another path that is smoother, easier, and has a better flow that the Universe has in mind. Let the old go and be open to the new path that will show.
The Instigator…that was what my uncle was called by his brothers. He was the one who was first to get everyone else in trouble. He would start up the poker game while his dad was out and then when Dad would come walking in because he forgot something, the blame was always given to someone else. He was the friend that would cause many a heartbreak in his early days pitting girlfriend and boyfriend against one another just because he could.
He was someone who really liked to make a path hard. He thought he was being funny but really he had a mean streak a mile long. He would also be the one that let the goat go in the middle of church just to see all the reactions of everyone dressed in their Sunday best run around like madmen. He always had a cohort or two to do his bidding.
There was one person, though, that he couldn’t seem to rile and that was Minnie.
Minnie would watch his antics and just step aside. She wouldn’t take his road and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of having any kind of reaction to the things he did. She took the smooth and high road, stepping aside ever so slightly when a apple came rolling at her feet. Everyone else running, but Minnie just stepping aside.
As they got into their teens, it bothered my uncle that Minnie was so together so he really put on the heat. He dipped the tips of her braids in the inkwells, stuck a live frog on her chair but nothing fazed her. Ever choosing the smooth road, she brushed the frog off her chair and decided she’d like a short bob haircut this year. Then something happened…love.
My uncle kept teasing and taunting others but became civil with Minnie. Pulling out her chair for her to sit, not to make her fall this time. He began working and drinking pop after pop at the soda fountain where she worked. He had no reason to tease others now. His main mission was to be next to Minnie’s side.
Yes, they married and had four boys, and darned if there wasn’t another one just like my uncle…full of mischief until a little girl with pig tails (who now wears very short red hair) came into the picture who was as full of ease as Aunt Minnie.
If there is something you desire begin by giving something of yourself first. If you want others to be kind to you then begin by being kind to yourself and others. If it’s respect you want then give respect to yourself and others first. This kind of vibration creates a vibration that will come back to you in some shape or form, but it begins with you giving and ‘being’ what it is that you desire first.
Lee has two childhood friends who handle life differently.
One is a bit selfish and only talks about his life and is always about the next electronic gadget. He has a college degree. He’s rude to everyone he meets and is in a high paying job. Even though he is in that high paying job he never seems to have enough in anything in his life. His relationships, his finances, his general way of life is well…all full of lack.
Then Lee has this other friend. He works a nine to five job without a college degree. He volunteers his time, is the nicest guy and doesn’t say a bad word about anyone, and always has enough time to smile and give you a hug. He has a wonderful wife, two kids, and always seems to have more than enough in his life. Lucky Greene is what they call him because he just seems to be the one that has abundance fall out of the sky in ways no one would ever even think of. His relationship, his finances, his general way of life is well…all full of giving and abundance.
Interesting…two people, different lives, different thoughts, and different outcomes all because of how they live.
Every one of us is born with some kind of purpose. Don’t you realize that you have come here to fill a role that no one else can in this world? You are here for a reason even if you can’t quite put your finger on what it is. Just keep enjoying the process of ‘being’. That’s all you need to do right now. Your purpose will come clear and then it will change over and over again. You are here to experience and you have an amazing role to play in this world. Be aware of the opportunities and signs that come to you from the Universe to help guide you.
I have had many life purposes. You see, we don’t have just one. We begin going in a certain direction and that leads us to the path of a life purpose…for that moment. Then as we grow and expand our consciousness another one will come along and we head down that particular path. The essence of the purpose may be the same. Helping and guiding others in some way and it changes in how you use the vehicle of your life purpose. In-joy the ride. Look at the scenery and the ever changing experiences as you go along your path. You are right where you should be right at this very moment. You are making a difference no matter what you are doing right now. Everything you do affects your life and others even when you aren’t expecting it. Just know, that whatever you do, you are loved and encouraged by the Universe to follow your heart.
At this very moment trust that whatever you may be experiencing is perfect for your growth for right now. If you have asked for some kind of abundance and you are experiencing what feels like the exact opposite your trust can create the vibrations that you need to move to the next level of abundance.
The key to this is the trust.
When life seems as if it is throwing you lemons, it is up to you to keep the faith and not ‘buy into’ the fear or worry. This is the time to trust even though the opposite seems to be happening. When you keep your focus, live in joy, and know that this is an accelerated time of growth for you (bringing you what you have envisioned), you will step up to the level of abundance that you are envisioning.
You see, for things to change, your frame of mind has to change from your old ways of thinking. Sometimes they begin to change and it feels like the opposite, when it fact change is occurring and clearing out the old ways and bringing in the new.
It’s important to feel good about all that you do, and come from your truth within. Choose your truth and feeling good and honest about what you do instead of choosing illusions or others desires. Choose what you desire in life and not a copy of what someone else has.
This is a big one for most. They look at their life and then look at someone else’s life and says, “I want that. I want exactly what they have.” The funny thing is you may see what is their life on the outside, but by wanting exactly what they have you are asking for not only their strengths but their weaknesses as well.
Your vibration must come from you. You can look at what someone has and decide it would be wonderful to have something ‘like’ that, but to wish your life as theirs, you are vibrating all of who they are. We have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. Everyone has stuff to work on. Everyone is walking through life not knowing what the other is all about. Only you know yourself. You can’t possibly know what someone else has or is experiencing. Feel good about what YOU do. Get ideas from others but stick to your creation of your own life. Your vibration will then serve you well.
When you begin to find the direction of what your inner self says to you and you find the direction that makes you feel alive and excited, there might be others who may give you some resistance to what you want. Others around you may not like that you are changing, even if it is in a positive way. They may feel they will lose your love or feel threatened by your newfound power within. The best thing to do is to send them compassion instead of being frustrated with their resistance. Their resistance may be a catalyst to you feeling even stronger about your commitment to the wonderful path you are on.
I made one of my first path choices this way. When I was in my early twenties, I had three small children under the age of five. I was in a loveless marriage and we had decided to stay together for the kids. We were best friends more so than anything else. Something in me began to pull at me. “Go to Los Angeles.” I couldn’t believe it! Here I was in a small town that I had been raised in and I was hearing, “Go to Los Angeles?” I told my sister about it. She seemed a bit panicked. “Don’t listen. That’s not any voice you should be listening to.” At the time I valued her opinion. I mean, she was my big sister.
So I kept living life, not listening. Then my seven year old daughter really wanted to get into acting. We started her up in acting classes thinking that would appease her itch but as she kept it up, we were being told she was excellent. They suggested we take her to Los Angeles for some auditions to see how she would do.
So here I was with a seven-year-old daughter excited about the prospects and me wondering…Los Angeles? My sister stepped in again. “You don’t want to take her to Los Angeles. Do you know how many kids go there to be in movies?” That’s when I caught a bit of jealousy and insecurity in my sister’s eyes.
I talked it over with my then husband and we agreed that a few weeks in Los Angeles would be fun. My daughter and I got on a plane for some one-on-one time and when we got there I had never driven in that kind of traffic! We laughed, cried as we got lost, and we were…thrilled and the excitement in our hearts was almost too much.
She went on a couple of auditions with agents and immediately had three of them wanting to represent her. Now what? My sister said, “Are you kidding? Don’t do it! What about your family? What about…” She was threatened. She was threatened by the fact that I would be getting out of our little town and she was stuck there. She was insecure about me not being there for her. Having that space away from her made me realize the calling in my heart.
Her opinions made me go deeper ‘within’ and think. It made me feel even stronger about what I needed to do. She was one of the catalysts to finding my voice by her protests.
My then husband put the house up for sale and we moved to Los Angeles where we began a brand new life WITHOUT listening to all the people telling us not to leave. My sister being the loudest of them all. That is where I found my calling. That is where my then husband became my ex-husband and a good friend. That is where I met Lee. That is where I began to use my own wings and not lean on others to fly.
I learned to use my wings and couldn’t believe how wonderful it felt to fly once I released the opinions of others and what THEY were feeling about MY life. It’s such an amazing life to be able to soar!
Even if you are not working at that perfect job that you envision, go through your day with a positive attitude in your heart. As you feel positive you will begin to change your job situation. You will be creating a better situation in your job right now and opportunities will begin to show up.
Every situation is teaching another wonderful lesson and understanding through your experience. As you understand and move past your current situation then new and better experiences will come about. But if you continue to complain about your current experience and stay in the same kind of mindset, you will stay there until you change the mindset ever learning and understanding no matter what you choose.
Wouldn’t it be better to live life enjoying instead of worrying and complaining about it all? Change your attitude, change your life.
Dad has told me many stories about Pinkie and Chester. Aunt Pinkie and Uncle Chester were brother and sister and couldn’t have been more different. Aunt Pinkie gossiped, complained, and stayed at the same job as a hotel phone operator all her working life. She came home, complained about all the guests, talked about how much trouble her job was, and loved to talk about the staff as if she was the queen laying down every rule.
Uncle Chester on the other hand was a quiet get along with everyone kind of fellow. He had job after job and each seemed better than the next. He worked as a janitor, pool boy, lawn maintenance, butler, and then married. You see, Chester never had a bad thing to say about anyone. He kept his opinions to himself and smiled through every job he ever had, enjoying every minute of it all. Uncle Chester never lost a job. He was just offered a better paying one and he’d move on.
Aunt Pinkie thought that was terrible.
“Chester, why can’t you keep in one job? For goodness sake, you’ve become a handyman! You need a stable job.”
Uncle Chester smiled and patted his sister, never a bad word, and never a retort. He just kept living.
Oh…do you want to know who he married? The single sister where he worked as a butler. Come to find out she was just like Chester except with a trust fund to keep them both extremely happy. So what did Chester do from there? He didn’t stop working. He became the head of the community, making sure that the unemployed and homeless were fed, clothed, and had a place to sleep.
Aunt Pinkie still worked at the hotel grumbling and staying right where she was because…that is where her vibrations kept her.
Uncle Chester kept moving forward, kept his opinions to himself, and enjoyed life no matter where or what he was doing and he stayed right where he was because…that is where his vibrations kept him.
Are you letting others’ pictures of what you ought to be doing, create your life? You are the only one who knows your own path. Your life may be much different than what others think you should be doing. It’s important to follow your heart. Your higher self knows the direction. Just listen to it! That little voice ‘within.’
I was taught well. Growing up my family seemed to the perfect. My parents, upstanding citizens in the community owning their own business, being a part of the community through Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. My brother and I were the last two in the nest and we both had ideas of what was best for us which didn’t always agree with our parents. We were taught how to be good human beings but we weren’t given any kind of direction as to what to do with life.
Certain talents that we may have had weren’t cultivated or ‘bragged’ about, so when it came to life and what to do both my brother and I felt clueless UNTIL we started to find our voices. That is when the fireworks began.
My brother had ideas outside of my dad and like many young adults he wanted to be nothing like my father which is kind of funny now because, my brother, is EXACTLY like Dad. Dad had just expected that my brother and I would take over his business.
Me being the quiet child of the four observed and quietly went about my business and what I wanted to do. I didn’t really know what I wanted but I knew what I didn’t want. I found it was easier to be quiet and not get any kind of resistance to anything I had to say or do, but I diligently followed my plan and followed my heart…over and over again and every one of my decisions was based on how I felt from within. Mom had taught me this. Not by telling me, but by observing her.
Sure there were times it when I would ‘roll over’ and do my best to learn all about Dad’s business. He owned a nursery/florist business and it was quite funny…I did NOT have a green thumb. That was the Universe pointing me in a different direction and then one day I just had to use my outer voice from my inner voice. In tears, I told Dad that I just couldn’t do what he wanted. “I’m not interested, Dad.”
“Then what ARE you interested in?” I didn’t know, but I knew what I didn’t want.
“I don’t know but I do know it isn’t landscaping and designing flowers. I can’t be who you want me to be…I have to find, well…me.”
That took a lot for me to say it out loud to someone I wouldn’t hurt in a million years but I realized it was MY life and I had to go with my heart. We had some days of no talking and it was Mom that came to me and said, “I’m proud of you, Bethie. You’re following your heart.”
That one sentence, that one sentence has stuck with me all my life. “You’re following your heart.” As I fine-tuned and followed my heart, the path of what I wanted opened up.
How about Dad? He’s been there for me and loves me. He gives me wonderful advice and some not so wonderful advice but it is up to me to determine my path and he respects that. He now understands and knows that I am following my heart.
Any kind of down time you may have is always followed by an up time. The more you can get used to the cycle of ebb and flow in life, the less it will affect you and you will have a more steady flow of ease.
“Bethie, the tide always goes out and always comes in,” my grandma would say.
Being seven years old I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Bethie, the moon always grows small and always grow big.”
I still didn’t understand what she could possibly mean by that as I got a little older.
“Bethie, the trees will lose their leaves every fall and will grow back new ones every spring and be even more beautiful.”
“So? So? What does that mean to me?” I thought.
“Bethie, the sun will always set and always rise.”
“What was she saying?”
“Bethie, you can always depend on the Universe,” she told me one day.
“How do I know that, Grandma?” Then it hit me…the sun, the seasons, the tides, the moon they were all a part of the Universe and the Universe would never let me down. It had and always would be consistent. The flow of the Universe…
She recognized the realization in my eyes. “See, Bethie? It’s an ebb and flow and if you just know that the sun will always rise, you’ll be all right.”
Abundance doesn’t only come to certain people that have a particular talent or skill. Abundance doesn’t just come to people who may be special somehow. Within you is all the answers and skills you could ever need to create unlimited abundance for yourself. It’s all sitting right within you…use the key and open up your unlimited thoughts to abundance and it will surely come your way. Everyone deserves abundance…it’s right at your fingertips.
When Lee and I began to visualize the many unlimited ways abundance could come to us, we did one thing that may be a little different than most. Instead of focusing on those exact ways of the ‘how,’ we focused on letting the Universe create the best way. What that did is took the pressure off the ‘only’ normal way and created a complete unlimited palette for the Universe.
The state of mind of abundance is the Universe. It is always there and always will be. It is up to us to focus on the fact that the Universe can bring it to you in so many unconventional and conventional ways. All you have to do is realize the Universe is limitless in every way, shape, and form, and depend on it and not on the material things for abundance.
Are you making yourself do all the things according to your ‘shoulds’ list? “I should do exactly what others expect of me. I should listen to others about my life. I should do it that way because everyone thinks that is the best decision for me. I should get my list checked off even if it means I spend less time with my family.”
By listening to the shoulds, you are not listening to your higher self. Your higher self hardly ever says, “You should do this! You have to do that!” The higher self says, “Isn’t this wonderful? Aren’t you excited? Wouldn’t you like to do more of the same?”
My great grandpa loved to be in the outdoors. Being a quarter Cherokee he had the most amazing tracking skills and was the one everyone wanted to go hunting or fishing with. He was the one bending the rules a little. Catching over a hundred fish and hiding them under rocks so that he would look as if he had caught the limit. But he never went by what should be done…only what made him happy.
Great Grandma was the organized one. She got up at the crack of dawn to feed all the farmhands and go about her daily work. She had a list of chores that had to be done before the sun set and she stuck to the list come hell or high water. Five children and a husband, Great Grandma knew how to run a ship nice and smooth until Grandpa would get in the mix.
“Hey, Et. How about we take a picnic up in the hills today?” Grandpa saw time outdoors with his kids with a little fishing and some good food and breathing fresh air. Great Grandma saw three hours of frying children, packing up the kids jackets, packing up a picnic basket, extra gas for the ride, washing blankets when they came home because they would be dirty for sure after that, cleaning the fish and frying it up, and…it looked like a whole lot of extra work for her and it would add a lot more to her ‘should’ list of what was expected of her.
“Too much work, Harry. And I have so much to do around here.”
“You always have too much to do. One day isn’t going to do much.”
But Great Grandma thought she got her way. She went out to do some of those ‘shoulds’ while Grandpa and the kids devised a plan. They knew her routine so they worked backwards. The kids did all Great Grandma’s chores from the backend to the front and when she went to ‘finish’ her chores, they were done.
“What did you do?” Grandma asked.
“We did it all. The chicken may not be as good or the picnic packed as nicely but we did all your ‘shoulds.’ You have nothing to do so how about a picnic?”
She hemmed and hawed until one of her little boys brought her a list. He had titled it ‘Mommy’s Should List for Today.’
‘Mommy should take time off or she will get wrinkles.’
‘Mommy should let her family take care of her sometimes.’
‘Mommy should eat Daddy’s fried chicken even though it tastes kind of flat.’
‘Mommy should take her special blanket that I like to lay on.’
‘Mommy should sit still and do nothing so that she can watch how happy we are when we fish.’
That did it. Great Grandma had a should list now that called to her heart. She threw all her rules out the door for just that day and followed her new should list. The chicken wasn’t half bad and she did nothing but watch how happy her kids and husband were and how happy she felt. And that’s the way it should be!
Sometimes it’s just best to take your should list, throw it out the door for the day, and just follow your heart. It will do more for you than you’ll ever know.
When you don’t feel excited or enthused it is a way of your inner self guiding you to take another path. You can begin what you want to do minus the normal ways of doing things. There are many ways to find the end result of what you desire. Going to school or going through the normal ways of this world aren’t the only answers for what you want…there are so many unlimited ways to bring the end result into manifestation.
Here we are at ‘listening within’ once again. I can always tell what is best for me by the way something makes me feel and think. Now I’m not talking about fears, worries, and doubts that come from the logical mind; they try to scare me into a certain direction. I’m talking about that feeling within when everything ‘feels’ right even if everything isn’t going exactly as planned.
When I check in with my inner self on a direction I am taking, there is this feeling that comes from the stomach…a feeling of knowing, a feeling of excitement, maybe a little nerves too, but all in all it feels like ‘this is sooooo wonderful!’ This is how I tell if my direction is on track. If I don’t get that wonderful feeling then I begin to let go of what my logical mind is doing and listen to the inner me. Usually it’s a feeling. If it feels kind of muddy or icky then I know ‘go in a little bit different direction’ until it begins to feel positive once again.
There is a big difference between trust and hope. When you trust you know that what you want will come to you. Hope is when you want something but you’re on the fence if it will come to you or not. Trust…
Little Grandma…she was an amazing spirit. She was a tiny little thing but boy did she rule the roost! Full of intuition, good old fashioned stubbornness, and a strong disposition she was a force to be reckoned with.
Her sister was just as amazing. She was what they called a God fearing woman and she went to church three times a week. She used to say she’d go more if she could cuz there was a lot of people that needed praying for in the world. She ruled her roost by her beliefs …and so did Little Grandma.
The sisters loved one another and got along well except for one thing…their belief in their maker.
Little Grandma used herbs to heal, meditated in her little garden, and was able to raise her family in the belief that the Universe was always on her side. And it showed. Things seem to magically work for Little Grandma and her sister thought that as well and that is what worried her…magical Little Grandma.
One day they got into it, Little Grandma’s sister throwing scriptures out left and right and Little Grandma dodging every one staying as centered as she could while she was making her point and yelling.
“You need God!” Little Grandma’s sister yelled.
“I have God, Flora! I just don’t think of him like you do!”
“For goodness sake, do you want to go to hell?”
“Hell? Oh Flora, please! I’m not going to any hell.”
“You are if you keep up your little magic in the garden.”
“I got no magic…I just know how to think and trust.”
“Trust? You trust in God?”
“Not your God but my God…the one that doesn’t send me to hell for just being a human! And I don’t do all that hoping either!”
Flora began fanning herself. “Oh, Lord! Don’t listen to her! She doesn’t know what she’s saying! I have all the hope in the world, Lord.”
“That’s your problem,” Little Grandma smirked.
“MY PROBLEM IS HOPING?”
“Yep…hoping means you think that God MIGHT help you. ” Little Grandma continued. “But I know my God is always helping me…trust.”
“You need to be prayed for,” Flora said as she stomped out the door and slammed it behind her. Grandpa was standing there taking in the whole thing. Little Grandma felt horrible. Her only sister and she really made her mad.
“What if she doesn’t talk to me again?”
“Oh she will,” Grandpa said.
“How do you know?”
He pointed on the table. Flora had forgotten her keys and her Bible.
Little Grandma waited and waited. Flora didn’t come back in. Her car was still parked on the dirt road by the house. Flora had walked all the way back to town instead of going back in to her sister’s house. Flora’s husband drove her back that night.
“Oh I’m sorry, Flora. I don’t want to fight with you,” Little Grandma said.
Flora wanly smiled. “Me either…truce?”
“Truce. I knew you’d be back,” Little Grandma said confidently.
“Because I left my keys and bible?”
Little Grandma smiled. “Nah…cuz I used my magic!”
When you do something for yourself, whether it’s picking a small flower and putting it on your desk or relaxing with your favorite show, you are taking a step toward joy in your life. Treat yourself well…love you. There’s no one else like you and you are a wonderful spirit in this world. Pamper yourself to show how much you matter.
I love being surrounded by things that make me happy. Any time I feel as if there is something that I see that can be changed to make me feel even more positive, I do it. We all outgrow things that make us happy and replace them with other things. It’s part of who we are. One day I’ll surround myself with beautiful flowers from the garden or florists and another day I’ll light wonderful smelling candles to enhance my happiness. I do these things to pamper myself. I choose to in-joy myself as I work and play. Some days I have a small bowl of M&M’s at my desk while another day I might have my headphones on listening to the music that only I love.
Get into the habit of pampering you and treating yourself well. They’re not rewards for doing something good, they are ways of saying, “I love me and I in-joy enhancing my happiness.” Hmmm…I think I’ll go light a candle. 
Don’t ever let what others say about you especially the things that just aren’t true, stop you from being true to who you are…that goes for what you say about yourself as well.
I’m amazed at the amount of people worried about what others think of them. I’m even more amazed at the amount of people who listen to what someone says and takes it on as if it is true. What others think is what THEY think. You are not what they say you are. If someone tells you something that rings true about you then you can listen and learn from it, but if someone gives you their thoughts of how you should run your life or bring up your past as if it is today, it is THEIR opinion and problem to get over…not yours.
When you are true to who you are and realize that whatever they have to say, may or may not be who you are. YOU get to choose…
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