life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “Peace”

the greatest gift you can give, or get, is unconditional love

love doesn’t withhold, manipulate, play favorites, compete, hide, shut down, play games, or lie –

love simply gives. Then waits to receive with open heart and hands, it has no conditions or demands, but accepts, allows, supports, touches, tells the truth, commits, opens, and waits patiently.

Love simply loves, and, in so doing, love keeps growing – healthy and strong. Apply love to yourself first, and keep in mind – you can’t give someone something they don’t want. Which means sometimes you must remove people you love from your life. Loving people does not mean you allow yourself to be manipulated or mistreated…THAT’S NOT LOVE! As always, It is – what it is!!!

We are made up of our thoughts & choices – I am ______????

Christmas Newsletter: gifts

find the full newsletter on my website www.songsfromthevalley.com

Peace is Every Step

Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.

~Pamela Vaull Starr

Joy for everyone!

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

My Path to Finding Happiness

My journey has not been a particularly fun or easy one. It is full of brokeness, control, abuse and loss. The details are grim, in many respects. My life could have gone a different direction – but 21 years ago I started on a quest to find happiness – real happiness – that was my goal – no matter what it took! I was determined to find my way to a life full of peace, love, joy, kindness, gentleness, patience, hope. I took it very seriously.

I really wouldn’t wish anyone else in the world to find happiness, love and peace, by repeating the life-events I have gone through, but I believe the path is the same for everyone. Seeking. The most important thing to seek is goodness. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, face it with reality – then choose to seek goodness right there.

There are many things in this life which are so bad it is hard to even comprehend them. Face it with truth….it is what it is….your truth is all important. Then look for the good. (I know it’s hard – I’ve made that difficult choice – and, guess what? Every time I made the choice to look – I ALWAYS found goodness.) Take responsibility for your own actions. Look for what you need to do differently in your life to incorporate peace and happiness. Then begin to make the changes you know need to be made – one at a time. Any good you can find. Acknowledge it. Make it as important to find as gold. Every day, every minute seek good. Seek the lesson in all your circumstance right now. Determine to be in control of how you respond to any circumstance. Determine to learn the lessons you need, so you don’t repeat the same mistakes. You have a choice! Keep your hope alive by your choice of the goodness. Allow your worst moments to soften your heart and allow you to see the pain in others around you so you can help them. Show them the good you find.

This is my path to happiness. I have found so more than I ever thought possible! I cannot tell you I have not found it to be an easy thing to do – I can tell you I have found it to be the most valuable and worthwhile thing to do! I have found it an amazing way to live and I highly recommend it. I believe everything I have gone through is for a reason. Without living my faith this way, I do not believe I would not be here today, much less claiming and sharing happiness. It is a miracle to me and makes me a little giddy!!! hee

I want everyone to know that this is all about choice! Every day we are given is a new gift. A new chance to begin to make those choices!!!! wooo hooooo

You don’t have to be a star, baby, to be in my show…

I found this art/quote about ordinary people yesterday and didn’t think too much about it. As you can probably tell, I am a seeker of inspiration and am actively looking to find these types of things all the time. I liked it, and thought I could use it at some point, and so I went ahead with the process of saving it. As I tried to save it, my computer got ‘stuck’. So I, as I am prone to do, kept hitting the same button to ‘un-stick’ it – I finally got disgusted and ‘re-set’ moving on to other things. This morning, as I was looking through some pictures, I saw that I had saved it 18 times!!! hahaha Sometimes it takes seeing 18 images of the same quote to get my attention and to embrace the full impact of said quote! hee

Sometimes we look at others and say, ‘I could never do anything so amazing. They do extraordinary things because they are just extraordinary people – better than me.’ I believe each created person has the same value on this earth – each of us have the same potential to change the world. We are all called to be who we have been created to be. To use our time wisely. It is a very personal journey and living our lives faithfully, diligently, consistently and rightly is our purpose. (I want to clarify, there is no human, correct answer to ‘Rightly before God’ it simply means ‘actions done with unconditional love’).

Truth is, that everything in this world that is accomplished is done by ‘ordinary-extraordinary’ people who believed in their dreams, worked hard and wouldn’t give up. We are all ordinary…AND…we are all extraordinary. This is not about becoming famous, or becoming fabulously wealthy – this is about becoming our best, truest, highest selves and then manifesting that into the world in whatever way we feel we should – no matter what other people say. One act of true kindness changes the world for the better. We may never know how  even one kind word, or a well-timed recognition may change someone’s life.

This truth brings hope to me. This truth keeps me humble. This truth keeps me seeking consistency becoming my truest self. This truth keeps my heart open, and keeps me seeking to forgive myself, and others, for our imperfections. This truth gives me the courage to continue to pursue my dreams and step into my destiny. I hope it doesn’t take you reading this quote 18 times to feel the impact in your soul and in your every day life!  🙂

the easiest beauty secret…SMILE!!!!

Living Hopefully

What are your deepest, holiest hopes? Hopes for your life? For your family? Your community? Your world? The universe? Imagine those hopes fulfilled. Give your heart to your hopes. This is faith.

Don’t think that your hopes are too audacious. God’s hopes for the world are even more audacious than you can imagine. Mary thought it audacious that God should choose her to carry God’s hope for the world, but it was true. The same is true of us.

It might seem that your life is too messed up, the world too much in the grip of evil, for there to be much hope. But our hope doesn’t come from wishful thinking, or from the world or its condition. It comes from God. Hope rises from the love that is at the heart of all things. It comes from trust that the love that created the world can transform the world. Of course there is evil in the world, and failure in our own lives, but we don’t live under its spell. We choose to live by the light of God’s promise, not the world’s threats and disappointments. Exercise the muscles of hope, not despair, for despair holds the door open for evil, while hope holds the door open for God.

Attend to your hope. Listen to it. Bring it to mind. Envision the fulfillment of your hope. Let it be real. Live as if your trust it. Imagine it coming to pass. Live as if it is coming to pass even now. Live as if Christ is actually coming.

God moves this world not by force but by the Spirit. By participating in God’s hope for the world, like Mary did, we help it to come to fruition — no matter how many generations it takes. This Advent season, give voice to your hope, and live by its light. Be awake. Live hopefully.

________________

Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Even when it’s dark – you still shine!

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