Good Morning Beloved!

On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple is involved in a fatal car accident. The couple found themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven.

While waiting, they began to wonder: Could they possibly get married in Heaven? When St. Peter showed up, they asked him. St. Peter said, “I don’t know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out,'” and he left. The couple sat and waited, and waited.

Two months passed and the couple were still waiting.

While waiting, they began to wonder what would happen if it didn’t work out; could you get a divorce in heaven?

After yet another month, St. Peter finally returned, looking somewhat bedraggled. “Yes,” he informed the couple, “You can get married in Heaven.”

“Great!” said the couple, “But we were just wondering, what if things don’t work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?”

St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slammed his clipboard onto the ground. “What’s wrong?” asked the frightened couple.

“OH, COME ON!” St. Peter shouted, “It took me three months to find a minister up here! Do you have any idea how long it’ll take me to find a lawyer?”

No Complaints!

What did you think of that song – ‘No Complaints’? I can’t say that I am at a place where I don’t have a complaint or two, even if it may be in my head, to myself. Can you say you are at the place where you have no complaints?

Most of us, I would think still have a complaint or two. Unfortunately, it seems to be part of the human condition. Our society certainly believes we ‘deserve’ it all…more money, more clothes, more importance, status; more shoes….I could never figure out the shoe thing!

Where does all this come from?

Eckhart Tolle said, “The basis for true change is freedom from negativity.”

How do we get that?

Everything comes to us in Divine Order, and for our highest good, the best for all concerned. This means that what we might feel is a “burden,” a problem, a challenge or an issue, is part of the divine plan of our lives. We are being called to a higher consciousness to experience [each] situation from a different point of view and to bring into spiritual activity our divine capabilities and powers.

The challenge, I’d rather call them ‘growth opportunities,’ is most often based upon a choice we made some where along our way and now we have the result of that choice. Cause and effect.

Or maybe we agreed to honor another soul on their journey by presenting this opportunity for their growth. I believe we make Sacred Contracts before incarnating, to give the other a growth opportunity, but that’s another lesson…

Wayne Dyer said, “With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”

And I remind you, it’s ALWAYS a choice.

It doesn’t matter what the situation is. If there is something not working and we can fix it, it is right to give it attention while we fix it, but to indulge the bad habit of looking for flaws and dwelling upon them when we cannot remedy them actually hurts us more than anyone else. Thinking about mistakes, troubles, disappointments, slights, and grudges opens the gates of our consciousness to negative results.

An entire sea of water can’t sink ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t bring us down unless we allow it to get inside.

We need to understand that life isn’t what we are given; it’s what we create, what we overcome, and what we achieve that makes it beautiful.

Or as Professor Dumbledore said in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, “It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

It is unfortunate how many people allow their negative, fear-ridden thoughts to control their lives and their reality. The truth is we all have the power to take back our minds and direct our energy in a positive way, serving both ourselves and those around us. Gratitude gets us there fastest. It’s a major step in unwinding our negative mental habits.

And it is really a habit. SO, how do we break a habit? Well, one minister from the Kansas City area asked himself that same question. And he came up with an idea to help to break the negative thought habit.

His idea turned into A Complaint Free World. Rev. Will Bowen researched the idea of habit breaking and complaining and found, as many of us know, that 21 days are required to break a habit.

So, for 21 days, he used a bracelet like this, (show purple bracelet), and every time he complained, gossiped or criticized, he moved it from one arm to the other arm. He did this for 21 days. In this way he ended his negative ‘talk’ about himself, about his family, his community, his world. He put Gandhi’s words to action – “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

I have a few of these purple bracelets for anyone who wishes to take these steps to better their world. They will be on the information table.

And what thoughts can we put in place of these negative words? How about gratitude? How about affirmations?

Anyone who lives their entire life without realizing how precious, miraculous, and unique this life experience is (or without understanding the value of getting present with a grateful heart) can never truly realize what this life truly means. When we live in fear for our future or sorrow for our past, we miss it. We walk past the miracle of the moment with a blind eye.

Through gratitude, however, we can access presence. We are able to receive the blessings of being alive. As we open our hearts, aligning our minds and our thoughts with feeling grateful, we are able to witness the true magic of life. This is an indescribable magic unique to each one of us.

On the other hand, when we are not aligned with gratitude—when we’re feeling like a victim, complaining about whatever is happening, or blaming others—we cloud our perspective and miss the whole miraculous Universe.

By learning to say, “Thank You” to every experience we have, we move from a place of resistance, where we feel like a victim, to a place of acceptance, where we can be okay with change and eventually even embrace it. This simple act allows us to move forward with our lives in leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, most of the time we’re so caught up in either avoiding pain or just getting through the day that we forget to say to ourselves, Wow! Nature is crazy beautiful. This food tastes delicious. I can be the person I want to be right now. What do I want to experience next?

Instead, we are too busy thinking; How will I ever pay my rent? I hope I don’t look stupid! I wonder if anybody will notice me today. Why do bad things always happen to me? I’m not good enough to have what I want. I don’t know what to do, so I’ll just do nothing. Life is boring.

What’s up with that? Isn’t it obvious that this moment, this experience we are having on this unique planet in the infinitely expanding Universe, is precious and will never happen again? And that there is no other you? By digging deep into ourselves and getting over what society wants us to believe is important and instead focusing our energy upon the blessings of simply being here now, we can live much happier, simpler, and more fulfilling lives. By doing this we bless the people we meet with our epically positive vibes.

This isn’t rocket science. It’s just being grateful! Remember, wealth is just a matter of perspective, and if you feel poor, chances are you are not taking enough time to bear witness to the miracle of right here, right now. Stop the crazy mental chatter for a moment and concentrate your thoughts on finding one or two things you can be grateful for—then look for more. This will lift the veil of fear clouding an ungrateful heart so you can see life for what it truly is: one amazing miracle.

A Course in Miracles tells us that perception is not a fact, but an interpretation. The world we see is determined by the kind of vision we use to observe it. When we view the world as unsafe and threatening, populated by ignorant, evil people, we will find plenty of evidence to prove our assumption. All belief systems are self-validating. If, on the other hand, we view the world as a place of kindness, filled with people willing and able to make life easier for each other that is the world we will experience. An infinite variety of realities exist simultaneously. The one we live in is the one we focus on.

You recall the story of a stranger coming up to a new town and asking a farmer working in the field near the road what kind of town it is? The farmer asks the traveler what kind of town he came from?

The traveler responded, “My old town was mean, the people were not friendly at all.”

And the farmer replied, “Well, then you won’t be happy here, the people are about the same.”

A short time later another traveler came by and asked the farmer the same question.

And the farmer asked him the same question, what was it like at your old town?

This traveler responded, “The people were great, very friendly. I hated to leave.”

The farmer smiled and said, “Welcome home, this town’s people are exactly the same.”

Perspective!

This is faith in what you believe- as in Philippians 4:11-13, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

That is how we move forward on your journey. We receive energy back according to how we put energy out – whether that energy is expressed as money or as love, appreciation or respect.

Dave Willis said, “Pray when you feel like worrying. Give thanks when you feel like complaining. Keep going when you feel like quitting.”

I have often said to my Mother, after she says how she worries about me…you cannot worry about me and love me at the same time…two completely different emotions. Think about it…

Here’s a thought to close with…

“A small trouble is like a pebble. Hold it too close to your eye and it fills the whole world and puts everything out of focus. Hold it at a proper distance and it can be examined and properly classified. Throw it at your feet and it can be seen in its true setting, just one more tiny bump on the pathway to life.”

— Celia Luce