"Be always the first, do not wait for others to forgive, for by forgiving you become the master of fate, the fashioner of life, a doer of miracles. To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return you will receive untold peace and happiness...."-Robert Muller

When we have been wronged-it is easy to want someone to be punished or inflicted with bad karma.  It is hard to forgive.  It is much easier to have a grievance-to blame outside of ourselves.  But we really betray ourselves by choosing to not forgive because we fill ourselves with poison that eats away at us.  We damage ourselves and we chose that!  We can't control what others do but we can choose how we will respond.  By choosing to forgive we are giving ourselves a gift.  You have the power to stop blaming others.  You are not a helpless victim.  You are very capable of doing something that no one can do for you.  You can choose to forgive and give yourself peace.  And that feels so much better.  Peace my friend.

"But what if you learned how to stop the dramas and started to trust the flow of life and the goodness of Spirit? What if you began to expect the best from any situation? Isn't it possible that you could write new chapters in your life with happy endings?...Suspend your disbelief. Take a leap of faith. After all, what have you got to lose but misery and lack?"-Sarah Ban Breathnach

It is all about the choice that you make.  We don't choose the hard things that happen in life but we do choose how we handle those things.  Sometimes there are hills in the way and sometimes there are mountains.  We need to decide how we will go.  Going over those mountains demands much effort and will not be easy.  But the views are incredible.  Choose to see life as worth every single ache, pain, and tear.  Choose to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  I promise you it is worth the trip.  Peace.

"Move ahead in a positive way; don't allow yourself to become mired in a negative view. See things for what they really are. Don't let the little things get in the way. Do what you can, however you can, with the resources you have available to you. Don't sell yourself short; you have the power within you to change what needs changing. Face the situation with the resolve to remedy it; do what you need to do to put it behind you. Move ahead in the direction of happiness; go for your dreams and reach for your star." -Collin McCarty

Sometimes situations in life seem too hard.  We question if we are on the right path or where we are headed.  Sometimes no matter what we do it seems like nothing works.  But if we just hold on a little longer-a little tighter-it could all work out.  Maybe you have a lesson to learn like not quitting or trusting that it will be okay.  We can't quit because maybe if we keep going around the bend, where we can't see right now, will be the answers that we seek.  Maybe around the bend, we will accomplish our goals.  Maybe around the bend, it will get easier.  Just don't quit! You can do it because you are not alone.  And if He is for us-no one can be against us.  Now go around that bend! Peace my friend.

"Who knows, really, where dreams begin? Perhaps they first take shape in the unknown realms of sleep or in the far corners of our consciousness, gaining size and substance off in the distant wings of awareness, until one day, just out of the corner of your eye, you see it-the hazy shape of a new idea that is suddenly too big and insistent to ignore."-Katrina Kenison

I believe that we each have our own destinies.  What we are meant to do is imprinted on our heart.  Sometimes we listen.  Sometimes we need gentle nudges.  Sometimes we need shoves.  Writing this blog was an idea that I fought.  My heart practically screamed at me to do this and still I found every reason not to write.  Ideas would come up as I walked, as I slept, as I read...yet I balked.  Why?  Reasons galore.  Finally I gave in and decided I need to put my trust in what my heart told me to do.  I do not have an agenda-I just write with what moves me.  I always thought that when someone talked about living their dreams-it referred to their passions.  I do love to read, connect, and write in my journals but to share that with others scared me.  Then I read an article that told me to write as if I was talking to a dear friend.  So I am.  I have no expectations of this.  I am just trusting.  Peace dear friends.

"As I stand on the edge of this day, grant me the strength I need to move forward on this journey with grace....Grant me the wisdom to recognize stones on my path and to be able to distinguish between those I can move, those I can step over, and those I need to leave alone. Grant me the calmness to accept that I don't always have to be right, to face difficulties with serenity, and to find peace within myself. Grant me the skills and confidence to face whatever challenges and joys this day brings, and grant me the capacity to relish every moment."-Angela M. Churm

Every day I ask for strength and love for myself and for those that I care about.  I don't ask for a certain outcome because that would be all about me having controls.  All we really do need is the strength to carry out our destiny in the face of whatever adversity that comes our way.  And all people need to know that they are loved.  I ask for grace too.  Grace to know in which direction I should go, grace to forgive, and grace to help others.  Do I have wants and needs?  Sure but I trust that after I have asked for grace, strength, and love that I have what I need to take care of the rest.  Peace my friends.

"Look at each day as your very own garden. Decide what you want to accomplish. Then sow the right seeds, nuture them appropriately, and believe they'll grow and bloom into the most beautiful flowers you've ever seen. Don't waste time worrying. Just let your heart and mind lead you to act on your own best advice to yourself. Release the rest. You can only do your part and that's enough. Find something to enjoy in everything you do. If you give joyfully, you are making a deposit in your blessings account, the account that gives back to you what you've sown."-Donna Fargo

It always goes back to trust.  Trust what your heart tells you to do.  Trust that you are not alone.  Trust that someone has your back.. Trust that all will work out.  Sometimes fear makes us distrust.  Sometimes we want to control too much.  It is okay to let go of the wheel and enjoy the ride.  If you follow your heart you will be happier.  You are doing as you should do.  If you are happier, life acts like a mirror and will reflect that back at you.  You choose what is reflected back.  I choose to be at peace. Peace.

"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards:they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want."-Margaret Young

How do we really know what we need or really want?  We can see what others have but that isn't who we are.  We need to stop looking at what others have because most of the time that is not how happiness will come.  Happiness must come from inside you first.  Outside things won't make us happy even though we think they will.  Sometimes I take a peak in someone's backyard and think how come they have that and I don't-grass is always greener on other side.  But I never really wanted that before and in truth I don't want it now.  My own heart will tell me where I need to be and where my happiness lies.  I need to have the strength to be who I am because no one else has that job except me.  So accept who you are and find out where your happiness lies.  Peace.