Peace

Peace is the absence of war.  Peace is the absence of chaos.  Peace is the absence of turmoil.  Peace is the absence of confusion.  Peace is the absence of disorder.  Peace is the absence of discord.  Peace is the absence of discontent.

Peace is the presence of harmony.  Peace is the presence of tranquility.  Peace is the presence of contentment.  Peace is the presence of serenity.  Peace is the presence of concord.  Peace is the presence of calm.  Peace is the presence of happiness.

You can't have peace of mind if you don't make peace with others.  Peace must occur within before it can occur on the outside.  You must be at peace with your past in order to move forward.  It's more important than your realize.  Peace is co-dependent with forgiveness...you can't truly have one without the other.

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

Deserving

There are some things in life that are earned, things that once you work hard enough for, you deserve.  Love, however, isn't one of those things. 

Love isn't for sale.  You can't buy it.  There is no thing or amount of work you can do to earn it.  There isn't a limit of what you could do for someone to deserve it.  Love is a gift...it's free.

Love was placed (by God) into the hearts of men (and women) to share and give freely to one another.  There is no prerequisite or criteria to be met in order to receive love.  The only criteria is for the giver - to love others as you love yourself.  Think again before you think/say a person isn't deserving of your love...if you are, then so are they.

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

Feelings

Sometimes, as humans, we get emotional.  We cry.  We smile.  We yell.  We hurt.  We get sad.  We laugh.  We get happy.  We share those feelings with those around us or closest to us.  At times, those feelings are expressed in a way that others don't understand.

It isn't anyone else's responsibility to decipher or decode any puzzles or hidden meanings.  It's our responsibility, as rational beings, to be clear in what we say and do.  It isn't our responsibility to manage anyone's feelings about, or response to, what we say.  We must constantly strive to improve in all we do...including communication.  Say what you mean and mean what you say. 

Feelings and emotions have a great impact on how we communicate.  Think first and choose your words wisely...they can be used as weapons of destruction or as tools for building.

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

Backwash

You wouldn't let someone sip from your drink and give you their backwash...you'd protect your drink.  So why wouldn't you protect your life and heart the same way?

People have all kinds of troubling experiences.  Likewise, it takes time and effort to heal holistically.  When you try to move forward to have new experiences without healing wholly, you make a conscious choice to allow emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual backwash to enter your life. 

You are your own gatekeeper.  You are the bottle cap.  Not everyone deserves a sip.  Be weary of who you allow access to your life and dreams.  Work on your holistic healing...don't be the cause of anyone else's backwash.

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

A Risk

Sometimes love brings pain.  To love doesn't mean you have to hurt or that you will.  To love means you're willing to risk being hurt.  Just because there's a risk involved doesn't mean you shouldn't love.  Love is worth the risk of pain.

Love in spite of the possibility of pain.  Love because of the possibility of bliss...pure happiness.  Be strong.  Love always.

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

When To Go

Every once in awhile, you run across speed bumps a bit too fast.  They do their job by slowing you down.  You may scrape the bottom of your car...or crack your bumper, if you're going fast enough.  You may even hit the bump in a crazy way and have an accident.  All of this could happen...if you're going too fast.

We all have our proverbial speed bumps that call our attention to just how fast we're moving through life.  They make us take notice of the things we neglect, the things we consider priorities, and things that need to change.  When driving, we slow down as we approach a speed bump, slowly go over it, and pick up speed to continue our journey once crossing it.  That's life...approach situations with caution, slowly assess your surroundings and the particulars, and know when it's time to go.  Never hang around in any situation longer than your heart tells you to. 

If you don't move, you'll hold up traffic.  Others' lives also depend on your movement.  Be wise and be aware.

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

Larger

You have to be larger than your circumstances or problems.  You have to see yourself as having already achieved your desired outcome.  You have to know, from within, that you won't always deal with the same problem(s).  You must understand that, ultimately, everything will work out to your benefit.  You have to be optimistic...you must have faith.

The more you think negatively, the more you will speak negatively.  The more you speak negatively, the more you will act negatively.  Don't quit on yourself before you give yourself a fighting chance.  Don't give up on what could be if you just hang in there.  Stay focused.

Be strong and have faith.  The end is near and you'll be rewarded for your dedication.

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