The Road to Lifestyle

"Will you at least consider this: when all you can see is your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?" - William P. Young, The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity ---- " Faith --Faith is required when you are in a state of suffering. Nothing is more convincing than pain, and when it is present, words can't make it go away. Pain is too physical and too present. But despite its intensity, pain is only temporary. Evil depends on our forgetting this fact. If it couldn't inflict pain, evil would have no power at all. Therefore, when caught in the throes of any pain, keep faith. Realize that there is a reality beyond our present misery. You are that reality, and you will return to it as your suffering lessens." - Deepak Chopra, The Third Jesus: The Chris We Cannot Ignore

Rafiki : Look down there. Simba : [looks into a pond of water] That's not my father. That's just my reflection. Rafiki : No, look harder. [he touches the water; as it ripples, Simba's reflection changes to that of Mufasa] Rafiki : You see? He lives in you. Mufasa : [from above] Simba. Simba : Father? [Simba sees his father's spirit in the sky] Mufasa : Simba, you have forgotten me. Simba : No. How could I? Mufasa : You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life. Simba : How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be. Mufasa : Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true King. Remember who you are. From The Lion King ---- "...[Edgar] Cayce was asked how individuals could become aware of their soul history and their records through space and time. His response was straightforward:...

"I Am Lost" as read by Wayne Dyer in The Secrets to Manifesting Your Destiny A woman is dying of AIDS. A priest is summoned. He attempts to comfort her, but to no avail. “I am lost,” she said. “I have ruined my life and every life around me. Now I’m going painfully to hell. There’s no hope for me.” The priest saw a framed picture of a pretty girl on the dresser. “Who is this?” he asked. The woman brightened. “She is my daughter, the one beautiful thing in my life.” “And would you help her if she was in trouble or made a mistake? Would you forgive her? Would you still love her?” “Of course I would!” cried the woman. “I would do anything for her. Why do you ask such a question?” “Because I want you to know…” said the priest.  “That God has a picture of you on his dresser.”

I have been feeling a little lost lately... a friend is going to send me a Bible verse to read everyday. Yesterday's was: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."  - Philippians 4:13 Today's is: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  - Jeremiah 29:11 Make it a great day everyone!

I came across a sundial that said: "The Time to Be Happy is Now. The Place to Be Happy is Here." Simple, yet this saying is at the heart of so much unrest for so many. I struggle with this one myself! Most people say, if only I had "X," things would be better. If only I had "X" amount of money I would start saving. If only I had "X" opportunity I would really be successful. If only I had the--fill in the blank--health, wealth, skills etc. life would be so much different! What is your X Factor? Unfortunately we build our whole lives around our X Factor. We "if only" ourselves to the grave... when our lives are spent we finally look back and say, " Tomorrow never came." We then realize, when it is too late, that our time to shine was at our very fingertips. It was always ours for the taking. As Thoreau says, "Heaven is under our feet, as well as over our heads." And not just some days... everyday! A few years ago I ha...

From A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course In Miracles , by Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Last year I wanted a belt. Not just any belt. A black belt with a silver, rectangular buckle that would work with my business attire. I didn't have a belt but I was in business... so I needed a business belt. I thought about the belt, I imagined how it would look on me, and then I went out in search of the belt! As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." And so I did... I went straight to my local Goodwill store and there it was. A black belt with a silver, rectangular belt buckle just my size! And perfect for business attire! 10 March 2008 I wrote in my diary, "My belt is a gift from God... it is exactly what I had envisioned before going to buy it @ the Goodwill store..." I asked and the universe delivered! But the key is I didn't just ask... I created a vision of what I wanted and I took action . Ladies and gentlemen, "We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains ...