B4Peace | Carmela Snelbaker

Tag: B4Peace

I’ll Be Brave

Posted at 9:47 AM by carmelasnelbaker

May 21st
Brave…… Spunky, Strong, Unafraid, Undaunted, Lionhearted, Herolike, Indomitable, Spirited, these are synonyms for the word BRAVE.

How does one become brave? Is it something that we actually contemplate and then act upon? This makes me think of my beautiful grandson Wyatt who was meeting the challenge of living with Mitochondrial Disease. He would often state before having to endure one of the many painful pokes or procedures required for that day “I’ll be brave”.

It is my belief that Bravery comes from within. It is also my Belief that we obtain it from Above. In my opinion as human beings we have limited abilities, knowledge and strength. When we rely on only what our human mind can plan for us we limit ourselves to small minded solutions.

By reaching outside of ourselves and inviting in Divine Solutions, Bravery will come forth from within.

This doesn’t mean we will function as the Incredible Hulk with a visible strength busting out of our clothing and a relentless hardhearted attitude. Boasting and singing our theme song and successes.

You may not know, but as we pray for Divine Support to fill our hearts and Guide us through difficult times, The Divine Spirit within your heart fills you with an endless wealth of Patience, Peace, Joy, Wisdom and Love.

True Bravery is not boastful and loudly visible it is more noticeable as a beautiful, quiet, gentle, nonthreatening calm, peace and comfort that we are able to function with through whatever daily life sends our way. A Brave person filled with the Divine Spirit is someone you want to draw near to, someone who you can tangibly feel their strength and wisdom. Someone you want to be with and get to know and share their secrets from within.

It does not mean though that we will be void of emotions. Even the toughest and bravest individuals even though they live with the assurance that they will have adequate courage to survive the challenges life sometimes deals us will experience sadness and tears from the life struggles we and others witness here on earth.

Pray for those in need, that they may be filled with the Strength and Peace for Above. Pray that the many humans struggling in “human survival mode” reach out for Divine Wisdom, open their hearts to “Be Brave” (as Wyatt so perfectly and simply said it.)

With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
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Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged #blog4peace, B4Peace, be brave, beauty, bravery, Carmela Snelbaker, challenges, Child, Christianity, compassion, courage, daily post challenge, dignity, divine guidance, DPchallenge, family, God, grandchildren, gratitude, hope, hospice, inspiration, joy, kindness, love, Mental health, peace, positivity, Prayer, respect, spirit, Unconditional love, wisdom
Don’t Look Back

Posted at 2:13 PM by carmelasnelbaker

May 9th
No matter how Faithful we are and how much Hope fills our hearts there are always moments that just don’t feel right or make sense after navigating through any major life change.

When changes come about suddenly the events that are happening may seem chaotic, random and senseless. Our mind and body seem as though they are functioning in a fog. Both movements and thoughts feel robotic and mechanical.

As the Spirit in us continues to lead us forward, our body sometimes stumbles with unbalanced emotions.

As we maneuver through the confusion, a random or chance meeting or event in our day can set off that Whisper from God that lets you know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be and doing exactly what you should be doing.

Along with the realization that you are where God wants you to be comes with a renewed amazement of the majestic unfolding of event that can only be explained as Divine Guidance.

By keeping our focus on moving forward and hanging on to at least a thread of Hope miracles eventually begin to unfold. Sometimes it is difficult to put into words the awesome beauty of that “Whisper from God” moment but you will know it for sure when you experience it.

It is the most amazing peaceful moment. You know from the bottom of your heart that all is well and this is where you are supposed to be at that very moment in time. In this moment there is a complete level of understanding within your heart that comprehends the importance of all of the events in your life that lead up to this unspoken level of compassion.

It is as if your heart is communicating without words with an absolute non-threatening level of understanding. The total peace that surpasses all understanding. We are more alike than different. When we quiet our thoughts and attempt to communicate with our heart this is the point when heavenly love reaches earth.

Pray that as a world we focus on moving forward and learn to quiet our minds and communicate more with our hearts to allow Heavenly Love to reach earth.

With Respect, Joy, Peace and Love, Carmela

We may not always see eye to eye but we can walk hand in hand and promote peace
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Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged #blog4peace, B4Peace, compassion, courage, daily post challenge, dignity, divine guidance, DPchallenge, God, gratitude, hope, inspiration, joy, kindness, peace, respect

Love is What We Are Born With Find your Inner Truth

Posted at 7:58 PM by carmelasnelbaker

Apr 27th

We are not held back by the Love that we didn’t receive in our past, but by the Love that we are not extending in the present. ~Marianne Williams~

Do you mask your emotions? Do you get up and go through your day living as a character in a play? Fulfilling obligations, taking care of responsibilities and making every attempt to live a reputable life? When you fall short of perfection and life’s unavoidable annoyances get in the way of your achieving your goals how do you respond? Are you truthful with others when you explain an unmet deadline? Are you honest with yourself, or angry, annoyed and stressed?

Individuals often allow their true identity to be masked in ways that may not be obvious to themselves or others. It is possible for an individual to be living and functioning as only a “character” of their true self. When you live each day attempting to survive at a superficial level, depending only on limited human wisdom, you may never reach your greatest potential.

It is not easy to search deep within oneself to uncover who we are and what has made us this way.

“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.” ~ Marianne Williamson Quote

It is not until we surrender our hearts and minds to a power greater than ourselves that enables us to witness a level of wisdom and truth that surpasses all understanding.

Genuine inner truth is a Divine Whisper from God. A truth that envelops us in Divine Love and changes us forever.

The Unconditional Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control that you are both comforted by and you acquire from Divine Love, will fill your life and be impossible to keep to yourself.

There are many different explanations or interpretations of Divine Love. There are also many different levels of maturity or understanding. In our journey through life we will meet many people who will influence our lives in many different ways.

Each time we experience a whisper from God and share that experience with another individual it can provide an amazing chance for God to touch someone with “His Love” by reaching out through you.

“We are not held back by the Love we didn’t receive in the past, but by the Love we are not extending in the present.” ~ Marianne Williamson Quote

Invite Divine Love into your heart. Live your Life in His Love. Reach out to others and follow Divine Guidance. It is not until you experience Divine Love that you can truly share complete empathy, compassion and understanding with others and begin living in Love and not Fear.

With Respect, Joy, Peace, and Love. Carmela

Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged #blog4peace, B4Peace, Carmela Snelbaker, Christian, compassion, confronting Fear, daily post challenge, Divine Love, emotions, Fear, God, Honesty, Inner Truth, inspiration, joy, kindness, Live in Love, Living in Love, love, Mask, peace, positivity, respect

Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace

Posted at 1:02 PM by carmelasnelbaker

Jul 15th
Someone shared this with me a few days ago and I am feeling the need to share it with you.

With Respect,Hope,Joy and Love, Carmela

We may not always see eye to eye but we can walk hand in hand and promote peace
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Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged #blog4peace, B4Peace, beauty, Blessing, Carmela Snelbaker, childhood bullying, joy, love, peace
How many times do YOU say no?

Posted at 3:31 PM by carmelasnelbaker

Aug 8th
I love when I read a post and it brings up a past experience that relates to the situation but in a very different way. I recently read a very good blog post by candidkay about clearing out the negative in our lives and making room for more positive influences. The link to her post is here. Please be sure to read it, I am sure you will be glad you did!

I am always both so amazed and fascinated at how alike and yet totally different our lives can be. No two people are ever exactly alike. Just like Dr. Seuss says, “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.

I must tell you of an individual who I am very grateful to have met. I will refer to him here as Phillip. When I first met Phillip I was told “You must never use the word no when you talk to Phillip”. Phillip had a lot of energy. He was about 6 foot tall. When happy he would sing, clap his hands, cheer and had a beautiful smile and laugh. When he was angry he was very strong. When agitated he would put his pointer finger out as a child does to resemble a gun, and begin shooting pshhhhh, pshhhhh, pshhhhh. If not calmed down fairly quickly and redirected from the cause of his anger, it could escalate into physical attacks on others as well as major property damage. He had a diagnosis of explosive disorder. Minor agitations could quickly grow into a major outburst without proper intervention.

Some memories of my first week with Phillip went a bit like this. Phillip talked in broken sentences. “Orange Juice?” he asked. “sure” I walk to the refrigerator to get him some. I very calmly realize we are out of orange juice and in a happy light hearted way I reply “Oh no, we are out of orange juice. How about some grape?” I don’t think I even realized that the word “no” flowed out of my mouth. “Why you pshhhh, pshhhh, pshhhhh, Thank heavens a veteran staff was training me. I look over at them questioningly “whats wrong?” I asked. “You said no” she said as she very calmly cracks a smile. So what do I do but respond all nervously “oh no, now what do we do?” I knew this would be a bit of a challenge but good Lord it had only been one minute and I had him upset and already used the word no twice! Being trained to work at this home was both extremely funny and stressful at the same time!

Believe it or not, this very quickly became one of my favorite places to work. Although it is not easy getting used to seeing someone rushing toward a housemate to grab them and 90% of the “usual” statements used to respond to a situation like this were off limits. I learned to adapt very quickly with positive reinforcements and redirection. The “game plan” was when he is agitated simply offer him a choice to do something that he enjoys doing, like saying the word Ghostbusters (one of his favorite movies) and then getting it and putting it on for him to watch.

I worked with him for a number of years and very quickly learned what things made him happy, calmed him and redirected his mood. One of my most successful calming plans for Phillip was singing He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands. Running in between two angry individuals grabbing the “attackers” hands looking directly into his eyes and breaking into a song became my #1 go to plan for keeping Peace. 🙂 Phillip loved going to church and he loved when you put his name into a verse….” He’s got ______ _________, in his hands”. It was a perfect example of the Lords peace in action.

He is such a shining example of how positive energy can fill our lives with hope and peace. As candidkay put it we are all responsible for the energy we bring. Are you the screaming meanie in your family, berating those around you for not serving your every need? Own it. Start where you are. Make it better. Also take care not to let others suck you into a their negative vortex.

Although Phillip’s thought process was very childlike I truly believe he understood there is no room for negative energy in our lives. We need to weed out the negative! Like bad weeds in a garden, negative people and thoughts prevent a person from growing, blossoming and being productive.

We should all take a lesson from Phillip, get creative, be more positive, say no less and look to Jesus to bring you peace 🙂

Luke 24:36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them “Peace be with you”

With respect, hope, joy and love, Carmela
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Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged B4Peace, Carmela Snelbaker, Christianity, family, God, Healing, hope, inspiration, Jesus, kindness, love, Mental health, negative energy, peace, positive energy
If Courage Is A Flower Desire Is The Water That Helps It Grow

Posted at 11:08 PM by carmelasnelbaker

Mar 14th
“Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.” – Aristotle

Courage

Being courageous is not allowing our limiting beliefs stop us from accomplishing what we want. It’s about following through with difficult procedures, tasks or dreams when everyone and everything around us says it’s impossible to do.

If Courage is a flower desire is the water that helps it to grow.

One cannot have courage apart from desire. The fire fighter rushes into the building to rescue someone with great courage only because he has the desire to help others. The desire to help is the very thing that gives him such great courage. The teenager that tries out for a role in the high school musical has the desire to entertain others. The student that studies medicine has the desire to heal people. Might this be an example of the awesome universal connection that is available to every living being? One apart from the other will fail.

Is the humble willingness of a person to open their heart to accept and ask for assistance from God what gives a Hero the amazing sometimes super human strength and desire to both endure and react heroically?

There are many places within the Bible that state “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

What if a very simple silent prayer for Divine help is all we need to fill our heart with both desire and courage.

The Immenseness of our universe is both unimaginable and magical. Simply take a moment to admire the stars on a clear night. Quiet your thoughts and simply be still in the moment. One persons’ physical presence seems so incredibly small and insignificant under the vast sky.

However if a person opens their heart and mind and asks for wisdom and guidance from the very maker of the stars the significance and potential increase immensely as a beautiful Divine light of desire and courage will glow from within. Might it be this connection, the companionship of human and divine that leads us to an unimaginable coexistence filled with joy, love, wisdom and peace?

Every day we are faced with situations that require courage. Some may be mild and others can be devastatingly harsh. Planning ahead and thinking through how we can possibly respond may be helpful in reducing stress and increasing courage, but most importantly always keeping your heart and mind open to and listening for the whisper of Divine guidance from within will give us the courage we need to stand up for what is right and just and possess the confidence to respond in a brave and compassionate manner.

With respect, hope, joy, and love,

Carmela

Join together for Peace
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Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged B4Peace, blogs for peace, Carmela Snelbaker, courage, God, hope, If Courage is a Flower, inspiration, inspiring, joy, love, teaching respect
A greater education than any textbook or classroom

Posted at 11:00 PM by carmelasnelbaker

Aug 4th
In my travels as a caregiver, I have met many amazingly courageous and beautiful people. Each person, who I was fortunate enough to meet and take care of, I carry in my heart. They truly have changed my life and taught me many beautiful things. These experiences I believe to be a greater education than any textbook or classroom education that I have had in the past.

I have a plaque that hangs by my door. I can’t remember where, or even when, I came across it however, I treasure it. I see it daily, and try to live up to the words. It goes as follows:

                                     A teacher’s prayer……

                                    One day I would like to teach,

                                     just a few people,

                                     many and beautiful things,

                                     that would help them

                                     when they will one day teach-a few people

I have 5 beautiful grandchildren. One of my grandsons faced many difficult chronic medical issues each day. My heart breaks each day because of the many challenging situations he and other children in similar situations endure. He was an amazingly strong person. The dignity with which he embraced life and all the challenges each day brings, leaves an unforgettable and remarkable imprint on my life.

Often times the chronic sorrow that one lives with, makes us truly grateful with heightened awareness every moment of every day. It is because of this awareness of how precious each moment is, that makes me strive to want to teach children from a very young age awareness and gratitude for life. If we have our eyes opened to gratitude and are taught from a young age to recognize the positive characteristics, and contributions that surround us the outcome will be one of respect for all humankind and animal-kind as well.

I truly believe that Peace and Respect for all living creation is a very attainable goal. Every person can be a teacher. When you practice respect, you are teaching respect.

Perhaps the answer to attaining this is as the Teacher’s Prayer states. If each one of us starts with teaching just a few people, many and beautiful things, so they can one day teach a few people. As this continues on and on we can make Gratitude, Hope, Joyfulness, and love abound.

With respect, hope, joy and love,

Carmela



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Posted in About the Author, Meditative Writings | Tagged B4Peace, beauty, caregiver, Carmela Snelbaker, challenges, courage, dignity, Education, grandchildren, gratitude, Prayer, Sheep!, Teacher, Thank You For Your Service

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Tag: B4Peace

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