Here’s an  article* sure to warm your heart this holiday season. . .

The Whale… If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude. I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.

GRATITUDE! It’s the perfect season to start!

*Article by Colleen Ceton, posted on Glenda Feilen’s “Attraction in Action.”

Read the following message from www.tut.com and see if it doesn’t supercharge you with excitement on this the last day of 2009:

“I’ve got a feeling, Rosie, that 2010 is going to be your kind of year. That you’ll be happier than you’ve ever been, laughing harder, smiling wider, standing taller, walking lighter, dancing crazier, hugging longer, living grander, loving louder, and if you want, selling the pictures to a tabloid to raise money for your new charity.

Can you feel it, too?
    The Universe”

What do you think? Excited about the upcoming year? Maybe need boost to get things going?

A sure-fire way to get the new year off to a great start is to begin the new year by being grateful for all the things that happened in your life this past year.

A habit I developed many years ago was to create a “Gratitude List” on the last day of the year. It is an opportunity to get quiet and reflect back on all the wonderful things that happened over the course of the past year. Perhaps it is a time to remember some of those positive experiences that you have forgotten or taken for granted.

It might also serve you well to jot down the things that maybe didn’t go so well. Perhaps those circumstances provided growth and self development that will help to flower your garden in 2010.

The only regret I have is that I did not keep my lists until the most recent years. I recommend that you create a file titled “Gratitude List” and start saving your lists. One day in the future, your file will provide you (and your grandchildren) with a documentary on the events of your life. Your grandchildren and their children will love to get to know you through the words you record.

One final suggestion…include your family in the list-building exercise. Encourage your spouse, significant other, children, and grandchildren to help create the list.

What a positive energetic experience to usher in the exciting new year. Blessings to you and yours in 2010!

WOW, what a day, one filled with ceaseless, unbelievable, overwhelming challenges. Everyone has now gone to bed, and finally there is stillness all around. It is nice to sit and reflect on the hurricane of a day.

It seems the first place to start is with gratitude. What are all the blessings of the day? What went well? On the other hand, what about all the “contrast”? You know, those things that make you uncomfortable, those things that make you want to look for the nearest bridge to jump off of?

Ahh, the contrast is a blessing too.  Just imagine what it will be like once we overcome all of that? It certainly pushes us to look for the “better feeling place,” as Esther Hicks says.

Tonight as I count my blessings, I express gratitude for my health. Today I read the following quote:

“He who has health has hope,
and he who has hope has everything.”
                     — Arabian proverb

What, if anything, do we have if we do not have good health? Yesterday I received a message telling me a heartbreaking story about a person I know. A portion of the story went like this:

 “They don’t know what caused it all, just that his liver is failing as well as his kidneys. They will not do dialysis until they can get his liver stable. He was unresponsive yesterday, so they took him by ambulance to the medical center. They said that he has a lot of toxin build-up because the kidneys aren’t functioning. They are hoping to get him on a transplant list for his liver.”

I don’t know about your day, but my contrast piled all together is a thimble’s worth compared to what this poor man is going through. We have so much to be grateful for when we have our good health, and how long will we have good health if we don’t mind our mind and take care of ourselves?

Perhaps life-threatening contrast serves to wake us up so that we learn to do what the Budda teaches us:

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for
the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate
troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

Tonight I express gratitude for all the day’s events that went well and for all the things that didn’t go so well. The contrast is my teacher. Tonight I appreciate this present moment and vow to be more wise as I go about spending tomorrow’s moments.

Just as I was headed out the door this morning to have some routine lab work done, my husband said to me, “Rosie, you look sad. What’s wrong?”

Have you ever found yourself in the situation of trying to explain something that you can’t quite figure out yourself?

On the long drive to town, I acknowledged to myself, “I am sad.”  I reflected on the question, “Just what is happening inside of me?” It’s true, I am feeling totally overwhelmed with many pressing responsibilities…yet I had a sense of inner knowing, “That’s not it.” When I peeled down to the core of the issue, I discovered that what is really bothering me is a family member that I care deeply about but can’t seem to impact in a positive way. The negative energy surrounding this person is almost unbearable…and I continue to allow the energy to leak out to me.

I don’t know your philosophy, but every source I study teaches that we are responsible for everything in our life. If this is the case, the thing I have been turning over and over in my mind is, “How can I possibly be bringing something this bad into my life? What is the purpose, and how do I make it go away?”

Driving down the road, the first thing I did was a technique I learned from Doreen Virtue – “cutting the emotional cord.” The theory is we all have attachment cords to other people. This particular cord is draining me of my energy, so I mentally severed it, carefully placing love into both ends of the cord – love to me and love to the other person.

Next, my analytical mind began working hard to “figure it out.” Why is this scenario repeatedly happening? What is the purpose? Why am I creating this scenario in my life? Is it to teach me something? If so, what is it? What am I not learning? Surely this must be it. I am missing something. I am simply not getting it.

I arrived at the lab with these thoughts weighing heavily on my mind. I don’t like to be stuck, so just as she inserted the needle, I turned my head to the side and was stunned to read the following message on the framed wall hanging:

I asked for Strength

And I was given Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom

And was given Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity

And was given a Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage

And was given Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love

And was given Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors

And was given Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted.

I received everything I need.    

 I was stunned at the message. I asked the lab tech if she knew where I could get a copy of that verse. She said, “Oh, I’ll make a copy for you.” She took the frame off the wall and xeroxed a copy for me. Coincidence that I saw this message at that very moment?

 I had to hurry to leave the office because the tears were already forming. On the drive home I remembered, “That’s right. I forgot. We are to express gratitude for everything that happens in our life, for there are no accidents, and everything happens for a reason. I then expressed my gratitude for my long-standing situation and asked for guidance to learn whatever I am to learn and to do the right things going forward.

 I then called my husband on the cell phone, hoping he had not yet boarded the plane so I could explain what was wrong with me. I pulled off the side of the road and read the verse to him. He kindly listened and then told me about a program on a thumb drive at home that he thought would be helpful for me to listen to. Wonder what message is on it? There are no accidents, so I look forward to making time today to watch it.

 Upon returning home, I clicked through my emails wondering if I would find additional enlightening messages, as I have often found there to be in such situations. This morning was no exception. A friend forwarded an astounding message. Here are a couple of excerpts:

 “It’s easy to forget that while we cannot control what happens to us in every area of life, we can learn to control our response to what happens to us. Managing your response to life events is more determinative of your future well-being than the events themselves.” 

“Oh, by the way, the brother who sent me the humorous card and with whom I laughed on the phone…one minor detail: He’s waiting for the perfect time to get surgery for the return of basil cell melanoma. But since his recovery time will knock him out of commission for several weeks, he decided to wait. How come? Because two hours after learning that he needed to return for surgery he also learned that his wife has cancer, an aggressive breast cancer that has already begun to spread. So, he will wait three months so that he can give his undivided attention to caring for her. Want to know why I like talking to both of them? They are still laughing, still full of joy, still full of gratitude, still in love with life and each other, and still full of faith.

Committed to your success…and your responses to life,

Tom Barrett, Ph.D”.

Ahh, so much to be grateful for…

We humans are interesting beings. I wonder what an alien would say about us if they watched our motion picture show, such as the following 90 minute production?

 Driving to Jazzercise this morning I was thinking about financial abundance, envisioning the day when money would no longer be an issue, feeling how that would relieve the pressure I am experiencing. All of a sudden it occurred to me…so who made the rule that I must endure pressure now? Whose rule is that? Where does it come from? Why do I have to feel pressure now? Isn’t pressure something I create? And, while I am busy feeling pressure, is that going to attract financial relief? I don’t think so.

Driving home in a construction zone, I set my cruise to the posted 40 mph. A gentleman in a truck followed me for 2 miles attached to my bumper. I tried hard not to glance back and peek at his angry, irritated face.

 Shortly after arriving home, I received a phone call. The conversation was full of complaints. The caller forgot his deodorant and the hotel charged for deodorant instead of giving it free. The exercise room was too hot. Now the hotel restaurant no longer has a buffet, and ordering off the menu takes too long. The entire call was filled with complaints of what is not right with the world.

Just when I started to be judgmental, I recalled the irritation I experienced just 30 minutes prior when someone invaded my space at the exercise class.

Then as I was preparing breakfast, a second call came from someone who was complaining of how tired she was from being up late working on a part-time job to supplement her income. In the midst of a sentence, she exclaimed to the driver in front of her, “It’s the long pedal on the right, lady!”

Wow, aren’t we all a mess. I reflected back on the story I heard last week where three scientists, two men and a woman, left a hotel to meet their driver outside – only the driver wasn’t there. Panicked, the woman ran back to the door, but it had locked behind them. Very nervous and by this time pacing, she told the two men to not interfere if a man came up and flogged her/beat her, because in their country it was considered a disgrace for a woman to be in the presence of more than one man. She explained she could go to prison or be killed if they did not permit the flogging. Wow, and we are bothered because we have to follow slow drivers and pay for deodorant?

Might we all be better served if we turn the irritations into gratitude?

How wonderful it is that I am so free in this country to create wealth? The only thing in my way is me. Isn’t it great that the exercise room is so full of people who are wanting to improve their health? Oh, how fortunate that the hotel sells deodorant. What if I had to go through this long, high powered meeting and I had no deodorant? Oh how grateful I am that I woke up this morning with food available to me. And won’t this highway be fabulous once the construction is completed and an additional lane is added?

Just for today, help me to be aware of all I have to be grateful for. How lucky I am.

Yesterday’s message from tut.com got my attention:

“Too often, Rosie, the only difference between HAVE and HAVE NOT depends on whether or not the initial request was followed by a thank you, yee-haa, and action, rather than a question mark, timidity, and TV.

Don’t ask. Give thanks. Bust a move.

Yo -
    The Universe”

Give thanks…hmm.  Tut’s daily affirmation takes me back to my recent readings in The Attactor Factor, particularly the part about emotion, feeling, and gratitude.   Joe Vitale writes: “One of the most powerful energies you can ever experience is gratitude.  Feel gratefulness for anything, and you shift your entire outlook.  Feel thankful for your life, your lungs, your home, this book; it doesn’t matter.  Once you feel grateful, you are in an energy that can create miracles.”

Today someone sent me this cute little verse, filled with such wisdom.  It occurred to me to be grateful for all the little things and all the big things.  Big things, such as we are alive and have eyes with which to see this message…

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE

I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket

Walk softly and carry a big carrot

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears

There’s no such thing as too much candy

All work and no play can make you a basket case

A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits

Some body parts should be floppy

Keep your paws off other people’s jellybeans

Good things come in small sugar-coated packages

The grass is always greener in someone else’s basket

An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare

To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey

I hope your weekend is full of peace, love, and joy…and all things sweet and gooey.

HAPPY EASTER!

These past couple of weeks it seems that I am hearing the same message from various sources. So obvious is the message, I would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to miss it. It must be for this reason that this little book jumped off the shelf at me this weekend, as if saying, “You need to read me next.” Where did I get this book? I don’t even remember purchasing it, yet there it was on my shelf among the other unread books, sitting there waiting for their turn to be read.

Gratitude, Affirming the Good Things in Life by Melody Beattie is an amazing little book. Just 88 pages, it is a quick read. She opens her book with the following passages:

“Every day we face interruptions, delays, changes, and challenges. We face personality conflicts and disappointments. Often when we’re feeling overwhelmed, we can’t see the lessons in these experiences.

One simple concept can get us through the most stressful of times. It’s called gratitude. We learn to say thank you for these problems and feelings. Thank you for the way things are. I don’t like this experience, but thank you anyway.”

The concept she teaches is that gratitude turns all things into more. Gratitude turns negative energy into positive energy. All we have to do is start today and then “let it work its magic.”

Do we have the belief that there is enough, we are enough, and we are deserving? Beattie stresses that believing we deserve good things is as important as gratitude. Listen to your thoughts. What do you say when you look in the mirror or pay your bills or face a problem? A tool to embed positive messages into our subconscious are affirmations. “They’re the antidote to all the negative garbage we’ve been feeding ourselves for years. We change what we say so we can change what we see.”

The next section of her book speaks to the absolute need to nurture ourselves…unconditional love and acceptance. “If we ask ourselves what would help us feel better or what we need, then listen, we’ll hear the answer.”

Beattie speaks about having an attitude of self care. She addresses many responsibilities we have, and the one that jumped out at me said, “I am responsible for how much I enjoy life, for how much pleasure I find in daily activities.” Another strong message: “Quit abusing your mind. Worry and obsession constitute mental abuse. Stop doing those things.”

Her section on goal setting had a spin to it that I had not quite considered before:

“Once we begin to discover the good things in life, we naturally want to keep the momentum going. That’s where goal setting comes in. There is magic in setting goals. Things happen. Things change. Goals are gratitude in action. Turn everything into a goal. If you have a problem, make its solution your goal.

Do what you can, one day at a time. Do God’s will for that day. Do what you are inspired to do. Do what comes your way that needs to be done. Do it with gratitude.”

A good way to close today’s article is the way Beattie closed her book…

“Come back into today, the present moment. Do not obsess. Do not become fearful. Become excited. Live today fully, expressing gratitude for all you have been, all you are right now, and all you are becoming.

Say ‘thank you’ for all things – and expect good things.”

PS, after I closed my blog for today, I went to my inbox and found the following daily message from www.tut.com.  I had to go back and add a “PS”!  :  )

Just curious, Rosie, when was the last time you looked into a mirror and addressed yourself as “Gorgeous,” “Magnificent,” or “Sublime”?

Rosie, it matters.

Tallyho,
The Universe

Welcome to Awaken Blog and my first post!  As we approach the holiday season, I am reminded of just how much I have to be grateful.  In my Heart Yoga class this morning my Instructor, Lezlie, shared with us a strking statistic.  If you have money in your purse/billfold and in the bank, and if you have some loose change in your home, then you are among the top 8% of the wealthiest people in the world. 

Wow.  Despite how amazing that statistic is, there are even far greater things for which to be grateful…our health, family, happiness.  Today I am deeply grateful for my coach, Meagen, who taught me about blogging, allowing me to create this, my very first post.  Thank you, Meagen!  :  )

Gratitude is a powerful energy.  What you put out into the world comes back to you multiplied.  A wonderful technique I learned years ago may be of help to you too.  Every day in my planner I number 1 – 5.  Before my head hits the pillow tonight I must have recorded 5 unique things that occurred today for which I am deeply grateful.  Guess what one of my 5 are for today?  YOU!  Thank you for sharing this special moment with me.  What fun it will be to share millions of special moments with you as we travel down this road of awakening together!  :  )