THE OPTIMIST'S CREED-- Christian D. Larson

I PROMISE MYSELF:
to be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind. to talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person i meet. to make all my friends feel there is something worthwhile in them. to look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true. to think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best. to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as i am about my own. to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. to wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature i meet. to give so much time to improving myself that i have no time to criticize others. to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. to think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds. to live in the faith that the whole world in on my side, so long as i am true to the best that is in me.
AS I GO BACK TO WORK TOMORROW AFTER AN ABSENCE OF 4 MONTHS DUE TO A HEALTH CHALLENGE, THOUGHTS FLOAT TO THE SURFACE, DID I USE THIS TIME WELL? THIS HEALING AND RECOVERY THAT REALLY WAS PERFECT FOR ME, AM I STRONG ENOUGH NOW THAT I WILL NOT BE IN THE SAFE AND PROTECTIVE ENVIRONMENT OF MY COMFORTABLE HOME? THIS TIME OFF WAS A BEAUTIFUL GIFT FOR MUCH SELF-GROWTH, AND CAN I HOLD ONTO THE PEACE AND GROWTH? I STRUGGLED WITH LEARNING TO JUST BE, AND TO BE CONTENT WITH WHERE I WAS EACH DAY. MUCH OF THE TIME,

I COULD DO VERY LITTLE WITH MY HANDS AND SO I WAS FORCED TO RELY ON MY THOUGHTS TO HELP ME IN STAYING POSTIVE. THAT WAS NOT TOO HARD BUT NOW FACED WITH RETURNING TO THE " REALITY " OF MY DAILY LIFE OF WORKING AND BEING "IN LIFE WITH OTHERS" WELL, UNSETTLED THOUGHTS SEEM TO WANT TO SURFACE. I FIND MANY THOUGHTS RUSHING FORWARD OF WHAT THE HECK DID I DO WITH THE LAST 4 MONTHS? IT FELT VERY DREAM LIKE, SO UNREAL. RARELY DO I ALLOW THIS SIDE OF ME TO SHOW, FOR MANY I AM THE OPTIMIST, THE POSITIVE PERSON ALWAYS AND I AM THAT IN TRUTH BUT I GUESS I CAN ALLOW THE FEAR OUT, SO THAT I CAN LOOK AT IT, TRY TO SURROUND IT WITH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND KNOW THAT I AM RIGHT WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE AT THIS TIME IN MY LIFE AND IN FAITH I SAY " ALL WILL BE WELL ". I PROMISE MYSELF... TO BELIEVE THESE WORDS NOW MORE THAN EVER!

the feel better "i am " game.

i am awesome, i am beautiful, i am carefree, i am delightful, i am ever-changing, i am fun, i am grateful, i am happy, i am irresistable, i am jello in your arms, i am kind, i am love, i am magnificent, i am nifty, i am open, i am powerful, i am queen, i am radiant, i am spectacular, i am terrific, i am untamable, i am virtuous, i am wonderful, i am x-cited, i am you, i am zany!

LOVE'S BACK YARD

AWHILE BACK I SPOKE TO THE UNIVERSE AND SENT OUT AN INVITATION TO RECEIVE MORE LOVE IN MY LIFE. THIS MAY SEEM ODD FOR SOMEONE WHO WRITES OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AS FREQUENTLY AS I DO. I SHARE THAT I HAD BEEN HOLDING BACK, DECLARING A MOTHER'S LOVE FOR THE PLANET'S CHILDREN AND NOT INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS WAS WHAT I DESIRED. THE UNIVERSE DECIDED IT WAS HIGH TIME I RETHINK HOW I VIEWED MY LIFE AND THE LOVE I HAD IN IT. WORDS FROM A FRIEND MENTIONING HOW WHEN ONE OPENS TO AN AREA OF THEIR LIFE (ON A VIBRATIONAL LEVEL), THIS ACTION ALLOWS GROWTH IN ALL AREAS. THOSE FEW WORDS HIT MY HEART JUST PERFECTLY. SO, UPON DECLARING I WAS OPEN TO LOVE, THE UNIVERSE HAS COMPLETELY LIFTED ME UP AND SET ME DOWN IN LOVE'S BACK YARD. THE WORLD HAS MORE JOY, MORE LAUGHTER, MORE FUN, MORE BLESSINGS. I DRIVE AND SEE THE TEXTURES AND COLORS THAT NATURE PROVIDES SO BEAUTIFULLY AND WITH EASE NOW. SITUATIONS THAT ONCE BROUGHT FRUSTRATION NOW CLEARLY SHOW ME THE LESSONS THAT I CAN CHOOSE TO LEARN IN LOVE OR THROUGH PAIN. I APPRECIATE ME!I MORE FULLY LOVE WHO I AM. I APPRECIATE, LOVE AND SEE THE VALUE OF THE FACES IN MY

LIFE. EVERYDAY IS FILLED WITH PURE BEAUTY IN LOVE'S BACK YARD. I SENSE THE POSSIBILITIES WITH EVERY BREATH I TAKE. IF YOU NEED TO FIND ME, YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME.

in the moment

i work on staying in the moment. this is a wonderful home for my heart. there is no fear or doubt, just a sense of peace that all is well in my life. vying for my attention upon rising each morning; adventures, opportunities, joy all reach up gently kissing my cheeks to awaken me fully. this day is MINE! i choose to have the kind of day that takes my breath away with its' beauty, it fun, all the surprises through lessons that bring growth. my thoughts turn to the blessings in my life, every day is better than the last. there have been times when my focus strayed to unhappy moments from my past or worries concerning my future. it is during these moments, i can now see the grace that has always surrounded my life, the loving embrace of Our Creator during times of sorrow and pain. knowing i have been held in the arms of love safely allows me to return to this moment where my heart lives peacefully, in this moment.

LOVE

i find myself thinking of love often these days. for a person who for many years said i do not need or desire love, i now have changed my thoughts as well as the vibration that i am sending out about this 4 letter word. the process of allowing love into my heart starts with why i closed it down. many would agree the loss of a loving relationship that ended with feelings of complete devastation might just want them to put up the walls of armour for self-protection also. choosing to be a mother of all children and a source of divine love is what sounded right for so long and so i kept the focus on a more global love not fully understanding how much i was blocking out all life and love on an energetic level. i am sure this personal block affected my healing work. i had the gift of witnessing the color of my heart chakra during a session of reiki for self-healing about 3 years ago, it was not pretty. a rather dull olive color that indicated much to me. the pink center was there but both the pink and green edges were fuzzy and brought a sense of deep sadness to the surface. since that time i have worked on healing my heart chakra as well as restoring all of them to balance. a constant work in progress. i have come far from a few years ago. hearing from a shaman that i needed love for balance in my life did not convince me but rather a better understanding of our universe and how all of us are energy vibrating finally cracked my heart wide open. at a meeting recently, it was stated that when we allow ourselves to become open in an area of our life that has been blocked, we then allow in vibrational change in all areas of our life. well, that was a light bulb moment for me! it just made sense and why i understood it SO CLEARLY that day, i am not sure but am so very thankful. allowing myself to open a new door and say yes to love in all forms while i am in my physical form was dramatic to say the least. i see the light (love)

in others so much more easily because i can see it in myself all that much better. opening 1 door allowed the universe to open several doors for me so i could stretch and expand into who i had been fighting all along...a person who desires to give and receive love.

to my soul mate

i have loved you since we decided on our soul journey together. i appreciate how much you care for yourself. it allows you to care for me with love, wisdom, joy and compassion. i love that you came into my life when you did. it was perfect timing for the two of us, we were both ready for this love. i value the way you honor yourself so deeply that you desire that for me as well. i respect all that you have lived so far and have taught yourself how to flourish in such a graceful way. i love that you care for your body with good physical healthy habits. i love that the most important thing to you is living a joyfilled life and offering your gifts and talents in service to our planet. i love knowing that when we are together, we fully enjoy our time as well as our times of solitude. i love that you support any decison that i make knowing that you trust my ability to follow and honor the highest good in all situations. i love your generous nature, your calm, loving and kind

demeanor, your integrity and honesty in life. i appreciate that you love me just the way i am and know that i love you just as you are. i love that we have similar beliefs and that we complement and balance each other so beautifully as we move gently through our peaceful life together. i love you soul mate.