So This Is Life

Guess what...this is your life.  You can do with it what you want...good or bad.  Although, doing what you want may not always be the best thing for every situation.  Sometimes you have to do what's right when you may not want to.  Sometimes sacrifice is necessary.

As children, we have big ideas and enormous dreams.  We have beliefs about the way the world works and the way it should work.  Then, we concoct a totally unrealistic plan to fix all that's wrong and make ourselves and loved ones wealthy beyond our imagination.  That's a child's mind, a child's thinking.  This is life.

We're adults now and see that things don't work exactly as we thought they would.  You have to pay for or cook food when you're hungry.  Everyone doesn't want to talk to and/or play with you.  No one offers or supplies you with anything simply because you need it.  This is life.

Nevertheless...never stop dreaming and trying.

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

Love Note 8

Dear Love,

What I want is to feel special in your presence and even when if seems you're nowhere to be found.  I want others to feel special in my presence...because they are.  I want to be wanted and cared for...loved beyond my imagination.  I want to be respected, not feared...because love doesn't produce fear.  I want to be an example of your greatness and strength.

I want someone's heart connected to mine, united as one, beating as one, living as one, learning and teaching as one, loving as one.  I want to experience what you have to offer on a higher plane.  I want to show others how to love without a thought of "what if".  I want to live without fear.  I want you and I want you to want me...always.

Yours Truly,
My Heart

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

I'll Make Ya Famous

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.  You can offer valuable information in any medium known to man, but you can't force people to learn.  There are some people who will always be their own biggest obstacle.  When you are confronted with those who display self-apathy, let them be and keep moving forward.

There are days that I would absolutely love to see everyone smiling and content, but that isn't realistic.  All one can do is to positively affect the lives you cross paths with the best way you know how.  What another person does with the positivity that you've shared is totally in their hands, not yours.  Be willing and able to share what you know despite the possibility that the recipient may take awhile to grasp, understand, or utilize the information.  You're charged with spreading positivity and sharing knowledge; not making sure it's used properly and shared further.

For every experience, there is a story.  For every story, there's more than likely a lesson.  If a person does nothing but give me a story to pass along because of their ignorance, stubbornness, or callous heart; don't worry, those who I encounter will know of it.  Welcome to my life; share what you know...I'll make ya famous.

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

Work, work, work

It's what fuels your fun and pays your bills.  It's what gives a lot of people purpose for their days and lives.  It's what makes some people smile and what makes others frown.  It's what makes you rush to be on time in the morning.  It keeps you busy, forces you to do your best, sets deadlines for you and holds you accountable to those around you...work.

While some people may not know what it feels like to do what they truly enjoy, others actually do.  Nevertheless, everyone has a day that they'd love to lounge a bit.  You'd love to lay in bed a bit longer without having to be anywhere by a set time.  It would probably feel wonderful to accomplish all that you do through your work from the comfort of your own home, but that isn't possible for all types of work.  Work, work, work...someone's got to do it.

Once in awhile you'll have a lazy moment.  A lazy moment may be merely a few minutes when you can breathe and take a small break to have a mental escape from your responsibility.  It may be a day when you can stop all that you do to simply lay around with no goal other than relaxation.  No matter what type of work you do or when your lazy moment may come...enjoy them both while they're here to enjoy.  No one can do everything all the time.

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

What Remains

There are moments in your life when you wonder "What on earth did I gain from that experience?".  At these moments, it's almost always best to simply sit still for awhile and reflect.  You don't have to dwell on whatever the experience has been; although you already know it wasn't an enjoyable one.  Pray or meditate and reflect on your role in the situation...what you did or didn't do to affect the situation and outcome.  Try to see things as clearly as possible, accepting full responsibility for your actions.  Forgive others involved and forgive yourself.

Forgiveness may take time if you've been hurt or if you're grieving.  Likewise, your emotions can cloud your ability to see things clearly; therefore not allowing you to truly understand your role in a situation.  If this is the case, don't rush...growth takes time.  When the picture is clear and forgiveness has taken place, then you must face what remains.  Whether it's residual feelings, mental/emotional/physical scars, or tangible items...there is always a lesson to be learned.

Regardless of what you can add to the list, the lesson which remains is the most valuable good from any situation you experience.  The lesson usually takes the longest to learn because you must first forgive and understand your role.  When you find, understand, and internalize that which remains (your lesson), move forward with purpose in each step.  Celebrate what remains as a part of life that has made you smarter, wiser,  stronger...better.

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

More Than Enough

Sometimes it's hard to accept who you are.  You may wish to be taller, shorter, lighter, darker, to have longer or thicker hair...but you are just who you were designed to be.  All that you are is so much more than what you see on the outside.  Don't spend your time or waste your energy comparing yourself to others or wishing to be those things which you are not.  Make the most of your time by learning yourself, your talents, your gifts, and your purpose.

Within you lies the ability to make someone else better, stronger, wiser, and more of themselves.  We all have a purpose...and you've been created with more than enough gifts and talents to fulfill your purpose.

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

I'll Try

More often than not, people get upset or disappointed when they've been let down.  A let down can happen because an expectation wasn't met, a promise wasn't kept, or simply because no effort was put forth at all.

When someone vows to try to do something for you, appreciate it for what it is...effort.  Trying doesn't mean anything is promised or sure to happen except effort.  You know too well how it feels to hope for something only to be hurt or disappointed.  Don't hurt or disappoint yourself by hoping for far more than the effort to which someone may avow themselves.

Continue to hope and wish for everything.  The sky is the limit.  Simply set a boundary for your disappointing experiences by knowing when not to hope beyond someone else's abilities or word.  A small effort is better than no effort at all.

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