Begin your day with
Love in your heart
Express yourself with kind words
Share goodness
Shine the Divine light from within
Inspire others
Never forget to ask for Divine Guidance
God is with you always
Simply Live and Act in Love
With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
When our hearts see only from the desire of our own eyes, we cannot see God’s perspective and are blind to his blessings. When you find yourself in the center of a really difficult situation it can seem impossible to understand how the situation could be a blessing in any way, shape, or form. It is then, when you realize that quite possibly YOU are the one THROUGH which the blessing is to COME to the situation. It is within our willingness to become the “bringer” of the blessing that gives us a clear vision of how miraculously difficult situations can be transformed.
I am so grateful for the many people in my life who have allowed themselves to become the “bringer of blessings” over the years, and I pray that my life and actions are lead by and open to divine guidance so that without question or hesitation I respond to His lead with Truth Wisdom and Love in order to become the “bringer of blessing” to others in need.
As the driver of your own soul, it is only you that can control where and when you arrive at contentment. By following the path of self desire and believing your own wisdom is greater then your peers, the only place it will lead you to is stuck in mean and angry gear. It is only when you realize and accept the fact that every life matters and deserves to be treated with the same love and respect you apply to your own life, you will then be able to feel true contentment and peace. When your eyes are open to the clarity that love, peace and contentment provides you will no longer want to return to the selfish desire gear you were once stuck within.
It is difficult to watch the angry mean behavior people live in daily and often become stuck living in for many years. It can take over many many years of peoples lives if you allow it to.
Like an addiction to a a drug, if you are not willing to take ownership of your part in allowing the nasty ways to continue you will never find peace and contentment. It is not the fault of the ….. situation your in….. the other people around you…. or circumstances out of your control. It takes hard work to look in the mirror and be willing to expose your imperfect qualities. The places in your life where you made mistakes, the times in your life where you were NOT a victim. The times in your life when YOUR actions victimized or caused sadness and hurt to others.
I have spent the majority of my life working as a caregiver to others. I love the work that I do and have always found a special place in my heart for the challenging behaviors that many individuals present. I have heard the phrase “they have the personality of a snake” used when being prepped on an assignment. I am not above saying that I also have lived through days like this as well…… anyone alive and honest should be willing to admit that there are days in our lives when frustration is high and patience low and all you want to do is off load the hurt and frustration onto someone else….. anyone else…. you just hurt and are stuck in mean gear.
It takes work to get out of mean gear. Life is so much more beautiful than what is experienced stuck in this gear. My prayers are that those who find themselves here be willing to look within and make changes to themselves and stop complaining and placing the blame on everyone else.
Many people who are seriously unhappy do not realize that only they have the ability to improve things. Note to Self… “Do not blame anyone else for the life you are leading, you are in the driver seat of your own soul.
Being honest with yourself and your own actions is the only way to finding genuine clarity and peace. For some reason many people find it much easier to complain and point a finger at another rather than looking inward and developing truth, honesty, and humility. Learn to never take your blessings for granted, there will always be someone who is praying for the very thing you are taking for granted. Even when your life is at its most difficult there are always many others in the world who are in the midst of suffering as well.
Pray for clarity, look in the mirror, be brave enough to see your own faults, examine them and take steps to improve yourself instead of blaming others. Doing these things will lead you toward inner peace and true contentment. The only control a person should ever be attempting to gain is self control. Worrying about, blaming and controlling everyone-else only causes problems, suffering and pain.
I am including link to a song below.
Need You Now is one of my new favorites. I also am including an interview with the writer where she explains that this song was written as her prayer. She is very honest in sharing struggles that she dealt with in her life and how she was able to overcome them and find true contentment.
Tiffany Arbuckle Lee, known as Plumb, suffered from painful anxiety and panic attacks in high school. She thought of those days of hiding in the bathroom, crying out to God as she wrote the title track of her album, Need You Now. Recently, the song had renewed relevance as her marriage crumbled and she faced divorce. She discusses her career, her music and her reconciliation with her husband. She sings “Need You Now” at 11:47.
“I wanted there to be a song that said, out loud, it’s OK to cry for help, it’s OK to just scream it at the top of your lungs.”
-Tiffany Arbuckle Lee (a.k.a Plumb)
Follow Mimi on Twitter: @MimiGeerges
With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
I am beginning to believe that developing a good sense of humor as a child just might be one of the most important puzzle pieces to a successful and healthy future.
Even though we attempt to plan for our future, life has a way of dealing out unpredictable surprises. In the midst of the most sad and serious moments I have had to endure, I like to believe God is the one sending me a silly moment that makes me chuckle to lighten the burden.
As a parent and grandparent I believe It is so important to encourage a child’s sense of humor. Be silly, read silly books with your child, make humor and laughter a part of each day. It is never to late to teach a child to develop a healthy sense of humor. I heard someone say once that a good sense of humor in life, is like shock absorbers are to vehicles. It can take away some of those nasty, unpleasant bumps. It truly is as Bill Cosby puts it, once you find laughter, know matter how painful your situation might be you can survive it. Be sure to make many fun and silly memories, so your child has many to select from when experiencing a difficult time!
As a caregiver I have seen the positive effects of humor. It can diffuse aggression and anger, as well as turn tears into a smile. It also has a calming effect when someone feels nervous or embarrassed. Small children respond to “Oh no, You must have forgot to put your smile on this morning!” Causing the child to stop and think about getting dressed and physically putting a smile on, just might be enough to redirect the unhappy thought and mood and engage them in a playful imaginary hunt for their lost smile.
A very important thing to remember is humor must never be hurtful or disrespectful. It is possible to recognize funny situations or find humor in a funny story without making fun of a person. I really believe that our “bullying” situations in our schools are simply misguided children, attempting to get people to like them or get noticed by making others laugh, at the expense of another person. I have seen adults with low self-esteem attempt to make themselves look better by tearing another person down and then boasting about their own abilities. Sadly many times they are not at all aware of what they are doing. This is simply what they have felt they needed to do and have been doing it their entire lives.
I found a beautiful blog: Sending Hope by: Tracy Hodge That speaks of this very issue. She puts it so perfectly that I am feeling the need to share her words. This is how she put it… Great people, truly great people, are not afraid of the greatness of others. They are not intimidated nor are they threatened when others around them succeed or even surpass them. Great people enjoy lifting others up and never mind showing others the way. On the other hand, small people like to be surrounded by other small people. Small people tear others down in laughter and seldom offer a kind word unless it is to flatter someone in their favor. Small people gossip out of jealousy and have no concept of loyalty. (You can read the entire blog by clicking here)
Mother Teresa once said: The fruit of Love is service, The fruit of service is peace, And peace begins with a smile
Two very important things to remember….. Always remember before you put on a frown, make absolutely certain there are no smiles available. and…..If you meet someone without a smile, give them one of yours. You may never know what a positive affect that may bring to the person who has none.
With respect, hope, joy and love, Carmela
There is nothing more enjoyable then being with someone who is just simply fun to be with. Someone who refuses to be pulled down by the negatives of the world. Someone who takes on the challenge of lifting the spirits of a group of people who are heavyhearted.
Like the photo above, they simply seem to be filled with a natural Joy and they cannot contain the positive energy. With the lightheartedness of a hummingbird they seem to buzz, zoom, zing and zip around with an urgency that is mesmerizing and can’t help but bring a smile of admiration to others.
Some days we are not able to escapes dealing with challenging moments during a lifetime. I like to believe God introduces us to people who we need to help us get through life’s journey. When our spirits are low and a person who has overflowing energy and joy enters into our path, perhaps it is not simply a random joyful encounter but quite possibly an intentional Divine Blessing placed along the path of a difficult day.
Enjoy each smile that enters your day. Be grateful for each encounter of overflowing Joy, and return the favor to others on days when your Joy cannot be contained.
See
Miracles
In
Life
Everyday
With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
My heart hurts today. There are children living each precious day of this life with challenges that they bear with so much grace, elegance and strength that is nothing short of miraculous!
Thank Goodness for the Innocence of a child that shines through with a Light that is so profound and filled with the Infinite Wisdom Of Divine Love, Being Sent To Them Directly From Heaven.
As adults we can learn from their examples of limitless strength and innocent wisdom.
We are born with a heart of Innocence and Love. Somewhere along the way growing up we are taught or begin to question and develop fear.
When we fail to trust and look outside our limited human self for wisdom, we begin to live a life of selfish limitations. We become negative, we criticize and set ourselves apart from others. We see only through eyes of fear. Once we fail to trust Divine Guidance we begin to fret and become selfish.
When we attempt to survive on human wisdom alone, we invite in fear and limitations. A person living in fear and survival mindset will always have a “what about me” mantra, and an animal like response to survive.
When we surrender to Divine Guidance our lives gain clarity. We begin to recognize how much we need each other to survive. Our hearts develop Genuine Love for other humans and recognize our likenesses instead of our differences.
Genuine Human Elegance is a Heart shining from within filled with Divine Love.
~ as Luciano De Crescenzo stated……. ~ We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another. ~
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. II Tim. 1:7
It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:32
Angels shine from without because their spirits are lit from within by the light of God. ~Quoted in The Angels’ Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994
Never give into to fear. Always remain hopeful and invite the Holy Spirit to take the lead and learn to trust with your whole heart.
Learn to be happy for no reason, like a child.
There is no amount of elegance as sweet as the beauty, innocence and precious wisdom of a child.
With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
With the quiet ticking of the Grandfather clock in the background as I sit here and contemplate the Daily Post Word prompt of the day, it brings a bit of a smile to my lips. I am not sure when I first heard the phrase “Curiosity killed the cat”, but I do know that it was something that my dad said to me often.
I wonder now if he was saying it as a caution to me. It seems that I have a very natural personality trait of unending curiosity as well as a fearless unstoppable urge to stop at nothing when it comes to advocating or improving a situation for those in need.
In reminiscing on the many life lessons I have lived through and learned from. I must admit that the “obligatory response trigger” my heart seems to have, has been known to disturb the calm in my life at times. When I cause my own life disturbance because of reaching out to improve things for others, after the dust settles I am always glad I did.
So I suppose knowing my inner instincts and personal history, if my Dr. had psychic abilities and could foresee my future “I am sorry, it’s curiosity” may very well be a diagnosis I could one day hear as well.
I could think of worse ways for a life to end though. If I say goodbye to this world helping another soul, or learning or teaching a positive lesson of Love, I choose to believe it would be a good thing.
So I am with the cat on this one!! Keep looking for answers. “Be Positive”,”Be Brave” (as Wyatt would say) and never stop asking questions, making improvements and being curious. 🙂
With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
This is an interesting blog post from MakeItUltra blog that I thought is worth sharing. Everyday life interactions can often be difficult. The more wisdom we gain helps us in our daily interactions with others. Feel free to share if you find the information helpful.
With respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” ~Joyce Meyer
1. Recognize and accept their toxicity
First and foremost, it is important to identify and accept that someone we know is a negative person. This can be difficult, especially when the person is someone we care about. Either way, we must be careful not to allow their negativity to transfer onto us. We need to accept that negativity is toxic and will only breed more negativity. It is especially important to avoid complainers. People who complain have given up hope that their actions can make any difference. We must be careful not to enable complainers by always listening to their woes.
2. Stop playing savior and/or problem solver
As human beings, we are wired to connect. For most of us, it is in our nature to lend a compassionate ear to someone who is in need. We must be careful not to let ourselves fall into the…
View original post 319 more words
Ghosts that haunt are not always scary, sometimes they are best described as disappointments. In our lives as we live through the challenges and encounters that life throws our way, we will meet people who can leave us totally heartbroken with disappointment.
As a person who is a constant seeker of spiritual beauty and truth, I get great joy, contentment and peace offering kindness and genuine love to others. In my adventures I have met several people who I have extended great kindness and support to who have deeply hurt me with dishonest habits.
When we find ourselves confronted with conflict that we cannot change or be supportive of, the best option for our life is to continue our life with the same integrity we have always lived and part ways with those who wish to live in a different manner.
This does not mean however, that the memories of these encounters does not live on. They often surface bringing with them a very sad feelings of disappointment.
There are times in our life when we will meet people who think differently and live differently than we are used to. Many of these encounters will enrich our lives and give us personal growth.
It is when an encounter with someone begins to change and our normality of life and integrity are challenged and belittled by another that we need to separate ourselves from the situation.
Even though the person may be blaming you and belittling you as a person, this has nothing to do with you or anything you have done. The other person has a true inner weakness of blame. Because he or she is feeling small they wish you to feel smaller so they attack to pull you down with them.
For whatever reason deep inside if the person does not get their own way, or is not believed to be right, an inner switch is flipped on and the blame game begins. They will be right and everyone else wrong. Tensions rise and the name calling aggression starts.
I have no idea what is truly going on in their heads, and I do not know if there is a diagnosis or proper name for these actions. What I do know is that I have seen this happen many times and the people that are doing this are not happy people. They are mislead in believing that what they are doing will gain them happiness.
Remove yourself from the chaos. Do whatever you need to do to reconnect with your inner peace.
Prayer is my choice of action against chaos, aggression and uncertainty.
The Holy Spirit Provides us with Endless Strength, Courage and Wisdom.
……………… Intimidators and Bullies Change your ways ……………….
If you are a person who has an inner weakness of blame. When you feel angry and out of control. Re-examine your thoughts and feelings. Look deep inside yourself for the answers before you unleash blame on everyone other than yourself.
Invite the Holy Spirit into your life, and pray daily for assistance in managing the monster from within that unleashes the blaming defense on others as soon as your confidence feels shaken.
Allow the beauty of the Holy Spirit to take over and lead you.
Learning to Live in Love will bring you unending Peace from Within.
Never let anyone attack your integrity, belittle you, intimidate you or manipulate a situation with dishonest bullying tactics. Remove yourself from the situation and continue your journey of seeking and sharing spiritual beauty and truth with others.
Dishonesty will never win over Truth and Love. Follow the Light and walk away from Darkness.
With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
Everyone on earth will encounter some sort of burden to carry. Weather it is a difficulty we were born with or one that has met us somewhere along the way on our journey in life, either is no worse than the other.
It is how we tackle managing the load that makes all of the difference in the world. As humans we often look through eyes of comparison. When we loose focus on our own journey and purpose we cause ourselves troubles.
If we cannot see, we learn to survive with the senses that we have. If we cannot hear we can learn to thrive as well with the senses we do have. We cannot compare our life with no site with that of a person who has site.
We must be grateful for the gifts we are given. Learn to use them to the best of our abilities and support others and their God given gifts as well. It is in showing this level of respect for others that we honor our own selves and learn to thrive in the contentment that life is meant to bring us.
When we give thanks for the gifts that are present and learn to honor and respect the gifts of our peers it is then that any burden we are asked to carry is lighted for both. In sharing and supporting we find peace and contentment.
When attempting to disguise our difficulties and compete with others our struggles will only increase. We can only shine in honesty and truth. God Loves us exactly the way we are, and we need to learn to loves ourselves that way as well.
Never try to be a person that you were not meant to be. Simply be you. Be truthful. Be kind. Be loving.
With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
Life is not easy…….But it doesn’t have to be so confusing
Focus on what is important
Always view your glass (or bucket) as half FULL and not half empty
Think Positive
Find solutions that are available to you
Pray for wisdom and positive loving solutions and act on what you feel is right
This post was inspired from the daily prompt challenge confused
ONE COOL DOG
When you don’t have a pool and it’s hot
You make due with what you’ve got
Two front paws are cool, while the back one’s will dual
For equal time at a shot
I cannot dive in, and immerse myself
Like those with lakes or ponds
The flip side of this, that I should not dismiss
is of fish and mud, I’m not fond
This day in review, is a blessing, it’s true
for I’m safe and cannot drown
So I keep my chin up, and tell those who snicker
I choose to only see the blessings in life that abound
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/confused/
With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela
Carmela Snelbaker 