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First Rays

4 Oct

During cold months, early in the morning when it’s still dark outside the air can be frigid. We feel the chill as our breath freezes and the cold creeps into us the longer we remain outside. But with the very first ray of sunshine everything begins to warm. The first bit of sun brings with it incredible warmth and before long everything is different. It takes only moments for the sun’s rays to begin to change the entire landscape. What was only visible in black and white before their arrival bursts forth in glorious color and the frost we experienced only moments ago disappears. The first rays of sunshine change everything. What was cold and bleak, and dark and dim, becomes warm and inviting and easy to see. It’s magical when you experience it and it seems impossible the whole world could change so quickly. The sun’s reach is amazing and constant, and we count on it every single morning.

In our lives there will be times that are dark and cold. We may face situations that feel impossible to navigate, where the answers are hard to find and everything seems cloudy and grey. We may feel frozen and anchored, unable to move. There is a chill deep inside and it’s hard to see the road ahead. When we feel isolated and alone, and there is no light, it may seem we will never find our way again. But time passes and as we cope with each step we eventually find an answer – something that opens a tiny crack in the door blocking our way. A small ray of light beams through giving us inspiration. We push forward a little more and as we do answers become available and we uncover the way ahead. Before we know it there is sunshine all around us and we have found our way through. Many problems we face don’t have sudden and quick answers. Often we need to work moment by moment until we find our way back into the light.

No problem is unsolvable. There is no situation we’ll face that will endure forever. Everything changes and nothing is constant. If we remember that when we’re in the dark and everything feels gray and cold, we’ll feel more hope that we’ll find our way. The first rays of sunshine are there for us just on the other side of the door blocking our path. We will get to it and the comfort it will bring. No night, no matter how dark, lasts forever. The sun will rise no matter how tempestuous the night has been. We can endure the darkness knowing the first rays of morning will warm us and light our way forward. We can work toward them, and wait for them patiently until they arrive. The light will surely come. Keeping our eyes focused on it will make the path easier and we’ll have more confidence as we navigate the way forward.

Today if you feel dark and troubled, if you’re in a difficult place that seems impossible to overcome, remember the light is just ahead. Keep moving forward. What is gray and cold now will soon be bright and warm. Everything will change and you’ll thrive going forward. Nothing can stop the sun from shining or from you prevailing. Soon everything will change. Keep your sights set on the road forward. Happiness is just ahead.

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3:00 a.m.

30 Sep

When things go wrong in our lives, people hurt us, we are disappointed or worried, or have pressing complications on our minds, it can be hard to relax. When we’re processing a lot and have much to ponder it may be hard to let it go long enough to rest. We may fall asleep only to wake in the wee hours with our minds reviewing everything we’re trying to resolve. As we lie in the dark and all our worries and concerns roll around inside, despite our fatigue we may search for answers. What will we do? How will we get through? What’s our next step? What will happen? These thoughts may consume us and instead of drifting back to restful repose we may find the hours ticking by wide awake. Sometimes the answers come but other times our sleepless night doesn’t resolve anything. While we’re lying there and everything is knocking around in our heads, it is helpful to remember times in our past when we’ve resolved difficult problems and faced hard challenges. We’ve survived hard times before, we found our way through and we’ll succeed in doing the same this time. We can find comfort in what we’ve already overcome, and know we’ll conquer this situation as well. This life is filled with all kinds of complications and unexpected problems. We are certainly capable of handling anything that comes to us, and if we’re awake at 3:00 a.m. facing an issue we must resolve, we can remember that. We can relax and be strong knowing we’ll find all the answers we need.

When we’re young we have ideas about how life works and how our lives will go. We imagine what we’ll do and who we’ll become, and dream of all the things we want to accomplish. We never think about all the problems we’ll face or consider all the trials we’ll endure. But the problems and trials will come and with each challenge we’ll learn something new about ourselves and about our world. As we grow and face our days we may realize that some of our ideas about what is real are a little different than what we’re experiencing. Our plans don’t always work out and our lives don’t always reflect the image we thought they would. But we learn to adapt as we go and if we’re wise, day by day we begin to create the lives we most want. Sometimes the life we want now isn’t anything like the plans we made before. Each experience and each problem helps us fine tune what we want and teaches us how to navigate the road ahead.

The only control we have in this life is over ourselves. We can’t control what other people do, or what comes to us. We can only control how we manage our experiences and what we take away from them. Deciding to learn as much as possible and take those lessons forward will help us forge a path that is strong and defined. Overcoming problems builds confidence. This life is a blessing. Everything we experience can bless us in some way. Understanding and accepting that will make the journey easier.

Today if you’re worried or upset, concerned about a situation in your life, be confident. You’ve been through difficult challenges before and you have prevailed. You will find your way through this as well. You have everything you need. Be strong. Keep your eyes focused on the road ahead and you will find your way.

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Pretty Packages

29 Sep

There is something alluring and exciting about a stack of beautifully wrapped packages waiting to be opened. Whatever the occasion, pretty wrapping paper, graceful bows and shiny boxes are captivating and draw us in with all the possibilities. Although we don’t know what’s inside, just looking at them can bring us excitement and wonder. What’s underneath may be the prize but the packaging is what pulls us close. The bright colors tantalize us, the shimmer enchants us and we may feel almost mesmerized by the sight. Wrapping things up in pretty packages is very effective. It’s a tool sometimes used in our everyday lives to captivate us and get our attention. If there is something we don’t want to face, or something someone wants to sell us, dressing it up in lovely illusion may bring us close. And the closer we get the harder it may be to see things objectively. If we get caught up in the beauty and fail to see what lies at the heart of the matter, we may get lost. Shiny boxes and beautiful paper may capture our attention, but what lies inside is what’s important. It may be something wonderful or something entirely different. Turning our focus away from the sheen and luster, and really seeing things as they are will help us find what’s real.

Personal beauty is a powerful force. If we see someone who is physically very attractive we may feel strongly drawn to them. Even before they say a word we may want to be close to them. The way they smile is enchanting, the way they move is hypnotic and we may feel unable to look away. But outward appearance tells nothing about who is inside. Are they honest, kind, loving, sensitive, and sincere? We may believe they are wonderful without any evidence simply because they are so appealing on the outside. But the wrapping only covers what lies beneath. Although the attraction may be great we must discover what is real before we can proceed with confidence. Sometimes outward beauty is all there is. Discovering the truth before traveling too far down the road will help us move forward more effectively.

Lies are an effective, if dishonest, way of dressing up distasteful or unpleasant situations. We can make things seem prettier by saying they are different than they really are. We can embellish the truth to make a situation more beautiful and more attractive, and we can use distraction to help get our message through. All lies are eventually uncovered and just like unwrapping a beautiful package and finding something unappealing or offensive inside, we will find the truth in every situation. If we can be perceptive enough to remember pretty words and shiny paper mean nothing and wise enough to see through the shimmer, we will find the truth more easily. We don’t need pretty packages to face our lives. We are capable of understanding and accepting things as they are and smart enough to find the truth.

Today if you’ve been fooled by something alluring and attractive, and now see things are different than you thought, accept the complete truth. You know what’s real and are strong enough to face it. You can understand everything. Move forward with confidence knowing the whole story and you’ll find great success.

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Moonlight

27 Sep

There is something magical about being outside under the moonlight at night. The darkness is softened by the subtle and soothing light emanating down and everything looks velvety and smooth. The edges aren’t as sharp, the landscape is luminous and the world looks gentler. It’s nice to experience and wonderful to see. But moonlight is only magical at night. During the day the moon is still there, shining down on us but the bright intensity of the sun takes first priority. We need the sun during the day when we’re busier and there is much to accomplish. We need to see all the fine lines and every detail, and the brightness and clarity the sun provides is exactly perfect. Each has its place and time, and provides what we need at precisely the right moment. If we had darkness and moonlight all the time it would be hard to accomplish everything easily. And if the sun were beaming throughout the night it would be difficult to rest. The perfect symmetry of each completes our days and brings order and structure to our existence. They are dependable, reliable, and helpful. We need them both but only at their designated times.

They say timing is everything. When we are able to plan well and organize our activities things often go more easily than when we let things happen on their own. We’ve all been in situations when something we’re trying to accomplish won’t work and we have to wait until things change and try again. Learning to wait for the timing to be right takes patience. If we’re trying to do something we want badly it’s hard to wait. We can try to push the ball forward and hope it will stick and sometimes that works but often no matter what we do we can’t make things move until the time is right. We can wait and as we do we can prepare for the moment when we’re ready to proceed so when it arrives we have everything set to go. Patience isn’t just waiting but taking the time to prepare as we wait. All things come in their appointed time. We can wait and be ready.

Sometimes because of uncertainty or fear we may wait beyond the point of return. The moment we need to act may come and go and because we did nothing we lose our opportunity. Some situations only come around once in a while or even only once in a lifetime, and if we are unsure and hesitant and let them pass us by our chance to grab them may be lost. If we have clearly identified our goals and know where we want to go, when the opportunity to step up arrives we’ll be ready to take it. But if we put off the preparation, are afraid of the challenges or aren’t sure where we want to end up those chances may be lost. If we want to be truly happy we must be ready to take the leap when it arrives. Our lives belong to us and we can do anything we want. We can plan and watch and be ready, and we can succeed.

Today if you’re waiting for a change so you can move forward, use the time to prepare. If you feel unsure, decide the best way forward and plan your future. There isn’t anything you can’t do. Your time is now and everything is waiting for you. Grab your dreams and make them come true.

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Restore Session

13 Sep

If we work with computers, and most of us do, there may be times when the system goes awry and there are glitches. Sometimes as those problems are worked out we may get a prompt asking if we want to restore the session. If we click on it the system will go back to its configuration before the issue started and we can continue on as though nothing happened. It’s great to be able to return to exactly where we were before the hiccup and go from there. When we have problems in our lives it seems it would be wonderful if we too had a “restore session” button we could push. If we did, all the things that went wrong could be forgotten and we could simply return to where we were before it all started. We wouldn’t have sorrows or scars to heal from and we could continue on without a second thought. Of course, that isn’t possible and whatever we experience we carry forward with us. If we got tangled up and entwined in a situation we have to change, we have to find our way out. And all the feelings and emotions we’ve experienced will color our pathway forward. There is no way to escape any experiences we have in life. They become part of us and even if we try to forget, there will always be something that has changed because of them.

After a bad experience we may desperately want to forget what’s happened. We may try to push every thought that reminds us out of our heads, and press forward with dogged determination. We might be successful in forgetting most of it but we will never be able to return to exactly how we were before things went wrong. We change with everything we encounter. Sometimes the changes are far reaching and affect us greatly going forward, and sometimes they are subtler. Everything impacts us in some way. How we manage that will often determine how happy we are. We can change anything but the past. It is there forever. If it’s a bad memory, we will carry it forward but we can find ways to navigate it successfully.

We can learn something of value from most of our experiences. There is generally at least one lesson we can take with us that will help us in the future. We might understand ourselves a little more deeply because of what’s happened. Or we might understand relationships better, or how to give and take more effectively, or we may see where we need to improve to find greater success. Every experience brings lessons to learn. Some of them will apply to us and if we are wise we will take the opportunity to evaluate them and learn from them. Learning from our past can help us prevent repeating old mistakes again and again, and bring us greater success and more happiness going forward. We can learn all we can when things go wrong and if we do we’ll find increased understanding in the future.

Today if you’re going through a difficult situation and wish it would just disappear, you have everything you need to prevail. There is value in struggle and you are learning new ways to cope. Learn all you can from this experience and take the lessons with you going forward. You will get closer to the person you most want to be and happiness will follow.

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