Reminiscent Holiday

As you sit in a room full of people and watch family and friends grow weary of indulging, your mind is enticed into memories by the smell of the food and the sound of the laughter...or maybe even the cry of a babe.  You begin to muddle through your mind's memoir of gatherings that were fun and wholesome...and others that weren't so fun.  Suddenly, you feel an onslaught of emotion...and you exit the room momentarily to collect yourself.  You think to yourself..."maybe I shouldn't have come", "maybe I should have stayed home", "I wasn't ready for all this", or "where is all this coming from?".  As weird as you may feel, you rejoin the festivities.

Despite the feelings of relief, happiness, sadness, pity, embarrassment, or anger you may feel about the past...there is always another chance.  You see that chance in the eyes of the children playing.  You hear that chance in the laughter that rings through the house.  You feel that chance in each hug you receive as family and friends come and go.  All you have to do is take it.

This or any holiday may be reminiscent of past pain, embarrassment, anger, or happiness and joy.  No matter the memory...create a new one.  Whether or not the past has been as full of love as you'd prefer or not...fashion a new custom.  Establish a new tradition...a legacy of your own.  From this day forward design a mental chronicle of peace-filled moments for your children, grandchildren, other family, and friends to cherish.

It's beautiful to be you...simply beautiful.

Awakening

At times you're awakened to birds chirping and the sound of the first movements of life outdoors....wind blowing, leaves rustling, creatures scurrying.  At other times you're awakened to the sound of your thoughts - the ones from which your rest has allowed you a sense of reprieve.  At desperate times, you're awakened by fear, the feeling of your heart pounding rapidly, the sound of vehicles crashing, horns blaring, or sirens sounding off.  Fear grips at the core of your very being...because you have no clue what has happened or what's going on.

Nevertheless, every once in awhile, you're awakened from a dream that you've been living with your eyes wide shut.  You do the things you think are right.  You act in a way that you think is proper and acceptable.  You even see things clearly through a cracked lens.  You haven't seen reality in quite some time.

Hearing what you don't want to hear and feeling the pain or embarrassment that results jars you into reality.  No more rosy colored glasses or auto-focus pictures.  Reality has become real to you and your eyes have been opened...you've been awakened.  You no longer see what you want to see or hear what you want to hear...you simply see and hear what is.

Don't be afraid.  Adjust to the light and move forward.

It's beautiful to be you...simply beautiful.

Loving

It's life that gets you loving.  It's liking that gets you loving.  It's moving that gets you loving.  It's happiness that gets you loving.  It's positivity that gets you loving.

It's hope that gets you loving.  It's motivation that gets you loving.  It's inspiration that gets you loving.  It's attitude that gets you loving.  It's love that gets you loving.

It's laughter that gets you loving.  Laughter in the heart, mind, and soul...is where love resides.  Love brings laughter.  Laughter spreads and shares love.  Let love in...it won't hurt.  It feels good!

It's beautiful to be you...simply beautiful.

Awaiting Enlightenment

In the still hush of the night; when all you hear is a plane overhead, you sit and think...and wait.
Your mind races like an anxious new father en route to the hospital to capture the birth of his first son on tape.
You can't find answers and your body harbors nervous energy...working energy...creative energy.
Anywhere but here,
   any thoughts but these,
      any choices but your own...

You've prayed, meditated, focused and re-focused your energy, but nothing seems to work.
No answers are arriving at the crossroad of your heart and your understanding...so you wait.
You wait for a sign, a symbol; a small, but firm, faint voice inside that will clue you into your next steps.
All the what ifs,
  all the could it be's,
    all the I don't knows...

You sit, you think, you sip, you watch, you munch, you talk, you write....and you wait for enlightenment.
You wait for a divine directive that is already within...that you're afraid to act upon.
You wait for new knowledge.
It's inside,
  deep within you know,
     there's nothing new under the sun...
        except the way the answers were crafted in your heart to fit your individual situation.

Enlightenment has come; it's been there all along.  You heard, but ignored it.  You felt, but quelled it.
Know it, feel it, own it, love it....live it.  Ignore the fear. Quiet the doubt.  Be who you were meant to be - wonderfully and fearfully made.

It's beautiful to be you...simply beautiful.

Be A Grown Up

I do not congratulate you for being a man or woman who does what you are suppose to do.  I do not give you kudos for being who you are suppose to be.  It is not considered special or different to be responsible and exhibit a smidgen of focus.  It isn't a wonderful thing to be a person who can follow directions.  You were put here for a reason...not to meander through life seeking praises and words of acknowledgement for your actions.

To move beyond the mundane, to perform outside of the boundaries of mediocrity, or to exceed the status quo...then you deserve congratulations, kudos, and words of acknowledgement.  However, the simple action is not enough.  You must carry out each action with sincerity and purpose.  Do something because it's in your heart; not because you seek praise.  Act out of purity of heart, love, and moral duty.

It is a communal obligation to lead by example.  It isn't always done during the present day; therefore, when most people perform in that manner accolades and acclaim are assigned.  A person with a rare quality doesn't make an action any more right than if every person displayed the same quality.  Societal absence of morale and character has lead some to believe that certain traits are no longer existent.  That's the farthest from the truth....they're just dormant due to their endangered status.

Be you.  Don't be afraid to share with the world who's inside.  Lead by example so our children will follow.  Give them a guide, a map, someone to emulate that walks the same streets.  Be a grown up.

It's beautiful to be you...simply beautiful.

Bigger

With a heart bigger than average, sometimes we do things beyond the limits of others' willingness.  Sometimes people see the goodness in you and try to grab and hold onto all they can...however they can.  At these times it's very important that you see the whole picture.  Is the situation best for you or them?  Is it something you want or something someone else wants?

Sometimes it's best to stand up and be the bigger person.  You may have to be the one to decide if it's time to walk away.  You may have to be the one to decide if it's time for a situation to change.  Don't be afraid of how it feels to make the decisions...someone has to do it.  Why not you?

Being the bigger person with the bigger heart doesn't always feel as if it will pay off in a bigger way...but it will.  Just be patient.  What is yours will be yours...it was created especially for you.  Whether it be a job, a car, a home, or a friendship.  The bigger the heart, the bigger the sacrifice...the bigger the blessing.  Hold on.

It's beautiful to be you...simply beautiful.

Now and Then

Things happen...you learn and move on.  Sometimes, things happen...you move on and forget.  Other times, things happen...you remember and get stuck.  Every now and then something lingers...keeps you attached to a specific moment, incident, or memory.  Then, it was okay to think about what was going on...now it's time to move forward.

Every occurrence in our lives isn't meant to be a positive one.  Nevertheless, overall (negative or positive) all things are meant for our good.  Some negative things come our way simply to reassure us of the strength and power we possess...at times we forget.  Some things come our way just to reaffirm or reassert our appreciation for our lives and what we have.  Even still...every now and then we just can not let go of what already took place.

Every now and then, you start a book that you don't finish.  You may eventually get around to finishing it, but you didn't go from cover-to-cover in one or a few sittings.  When you're reading your book, you place it face down to go grab a bite, answer the phone, use the bathroom, or even simply to take a little break from the words.  Sometimes that book may sit awhile longer before you get back to it.  That unfinished or abandoned book is your now...the distractions are your then.  

Don't become so preoccupied with your past that your present and future sit before you without you playing an active role in it.  Don't let life happen to you...live it.

It's beautiful to be you...simply beautiful.