Hello Givers and Receivers,

We all give and receive continously.  HOW we give and receive makes all the difference. 

Do you receive gifts in your life with gratitude?  All of us, even in the midst of hard times, can find things to be grateful for.  Do you thank the people who serve you at places of business?  Do you sometimes call the people who serve you by name?  Do you give thanks in your heart to God/ Universe/ Higher Power/ Whatever Name for the gift to be able to live another day when you wake up in the morning?  Do you acknowledge with gratitude the small things your loved ones and friends do for you?  Can you remember some things to be thankful for each evening?

How do you give?  Do you give willingly, cheerfully, joyfully?  Do you give begrudgingly or out of a sense of duty?  How do you do the work you do each day?  Can you make your work a spiritual practice by doing it intentionally, and with excellence and gratitude?  Even if money is tight, can you be thankful for the bills you pay and the groceries you buy?  Even if you have difficult people in your life, can you be grateful for them and for the lessons you can learn?

The more positive energy we put out into the Universe, the more positive things come back to us.  How can we put these things into practice?  For gratitude, how about seeing how many people you can thank in one day or how many big and little things you can thank the Divine for in your heart.  (Thank you for reading my blog, by the way.  May it inspire you!)  For giving, what can you cheerfully give to someone each day?  Can you do that special thing that you've been putting off with your friend, relative, or child?  Can you anonomously give some money or supplies to someone who could use them?  Can you think of a way you can give a stranger an unexpected kindness?

Remember to give and receive with joy and gratitude, and watch the blessings continue to flow to you and from you!
With joy,
Patricia

Hi Committed Dreamers,

Do you know that everything that is created goes through three significant steps?  These steps apply no matter what the created thing is.  The people who invented computers followed the same process as those who created political campaigns or can openers or marriages.   First, there is an idea, a dream.  Second, intention is what moves that dream to the next step.  Finally, committed energy is put forth to make that dream a reality.  The intention only manifests by the work of physical effort, buoyed by emotional and mental effort.

One of my favorite quotes is by W. H. Murray, who wrote in the Scottish Himalayan Expedetion, "The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too." 

Our dreams are to share, for the good of the world.

If your dream is in line with the Universe, and if you are willing to put intention, committment and enegry behind it., your dream will happen.  That or something better!

In continual amazement,
Patricia

Hello Inspiration-Seekers,

As a poet, I enjoy metaphors.  Let's think about your life being like a garden.  Most of us, even if we are not gardeners, enjoy fresh, lush flowers and fruits.  If your life was a garden, wouldn't you want to grow awesome stuff in it?

The good news is that your life IS a garden.  What are you growing in it?  Everything you do, think, believe, feel, say, and envision bears fruit.   It's not a magic wand, whereby one thought (whether positive or negative) reaps a consequence.  But how you act and how you continue to think and feel and believe in regards to that thought will reap consequences.  Just like the seed that is intentionally planted or carelessly tossed onto the dirt will grow and bear fruit if the conditions are right.

Nurture the good stuff.  Feed and water the dreams and thoughts that you want to come to fruition.  Your mind circles around the words you say.  Watch your words.  Do you really want to say things like "That's killing me",  "I'm losing my mind", or "I'm a failure"?  Where you put your attention, that thing grows.  There is a way you can truthfully acknowledge where you are at without putting a negative spin on it.  But don't be stuck there.  Move forward in your vision and life.

This is where affirmations come in.  Saying "I hate my job" does not get you any closer to having a job that you love.  Saying "I am in the process of finding a job that I love" brings you a step closer to your goal.  Notice the power of present tense.  Don't say "I will find a job I love in the future."  That is better than saying you hate your current job, but it doesn't have the same power that will help in co-creating with Universe what you want to happen.

Happy planting, tending, observing, harvesting, and basking in the Sun shining on you,
Patricia :-)