Day 4~Keep Your Fork

There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. One of her requests was to be buried with her favorite Bible.

Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very important," the woman continued.. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.

The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say,"keep your fork." It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming, like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: "Keep Your Fork. The best is yet to come"

The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come.

May God Bless you and keep you safe!

Author Unknown

Lent Day 3~The Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. 

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" "You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said..... "Then I thank you from my heart." 

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit. 

Year's later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly ! was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to room. Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won. 

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words..... "Paid in full with one glass of milk" 

Signed Dr. Howard Kelly. Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."

Day 1~I AM surrounded by love and encouragement.

I am surrounded by love and encouragement.


Everywhere I go, I feel love radiating toward me. I make choices that I am proud of. And if I ever feel uncertain about myself or my decisions, I remember that all the love I need is there for me. I am surrounded by love and encouragement.


If I ever feel down, I remind myself that I am a valuable person and that my actions have positive effects. I call to mind all of my past successes. And I make sure to extend to myself the same love and encouragement that I endeavor to give to others. After all, love is a verb - an action. 


To really care for others, I have to first love myself.


Today, I know that I am surrounded by love and encouragement. Everywhere I turn, I see signs that I am valued. These signs inspire me each day to rededicate myself to acting lovingly toward myself.

40 Day Love Feast Challenge

Greetings Friends!  Today marks the first day of the 40 Day Love Feast for Lent.  During this period of time, I am asking people to join me as we fast from negative attitudes, behaviors, and limiting ideas and beliefs.  During this time we will feast on love messages.

Each day there will be an uplifting story, an affirmation or meditation that will give us the opportunity to see how love increases in our lives and share with one another the ripple effect it has created in our community.  To join in please visit http://www.facebook.com/lovefeast40.
I hope to see you there!

The "I DID IT!' List

This is a time for slowing down and contemplation for me.  To that end, there have been no newsletters mailings, blogposts or even status updates.  I just need this time to reflect and renew and most of all rest. 

I did have the pleasure of reading from one of my favorite bloggers and fellow goddess Jo Crawford.  She has a wonderful blog and in it she shared her I did it list for 2011 and that inspired me to do one of my own.  I encourage you to reflect on what worked for you in the past year and bring the joy of accomplishment into the present to create more of that for 2012.

I created the Wise Woman's Guide to Soulful Success.  It started out as a free 7 day ecourse and evolved into a workbook and planner.

 I rebuilt my website to reflect a lighter more inspiring tone.  You can check it out here.

 I joined the gym and started going consistently.

 I completed 13 days of a 21 day community juice feast. I met some wonderful encouraging women through that process that I still communicate with today and there are still a great source of inspiration.  One in particular is Roni who helps me get my local fresh food on.

 I met a wonderful soul sister and fellow coach Naila at the Girls Rock Columbus program.  Although we became facebook friends first, when we met in person I felt instantly drawn to her beautiful energy.

 I met one of my favorite authors, Iyanla Vanzant and had my picture taken with her! Teehee!(Pic coming soon)

 I began making jewelry again, this time with the focus on bracelets of intention.  Which happen to be beautiful in my humble opinion.(pic coming soon)

 In my quest to become a true Warrior of the Light, I started a pilot program and asked women to join me on a 12 week quest to conquer our adversarial thoughts and move ahead to play a bigger game in life.

 I joined the Goddess Guidebook Circle and met some wonderful women.  Oh my gosh! That is one inspiring place to be. Oh, and I created my first ebook for that Circle entitled,Permission Granted.  A mini course in saying yes to your greatness.

 I helped one client end limited thinking which kept her from playing a bigger game in her relationships and her business.  She is now married and poised to take her business to the next level.

 I was able to help another client remove some of her fears related to job loss and creating a sustainable income.

 I kareoke'd, I Zumba'd.

 I laughed alot, I cried some, I practiced radical appreciation daily, even to the dismay of some.

 I loved more openly, I reconnected with my creativity.  I was more truthful about my feelings and practiced forgiveness on a deeper, more soulful level.

 I also learned to connect with Source through writing with a wonderful author by the name of Janet Conner and soul writing.

 I took the leap and worked with a wonderful business consultant.  She helped me create products, she listened to me whine when I was too afraid to move foward and after all of that, she is still my friend! Thank you Jo for inspiring to reflect on what was good. 

Now that was momentum that I didn't realize that I had! It kicks me in the pants and gets me going into the next year strong and confident that my path is filled with passion.

 Happy New Year!!!!!

If You're Happy and You Know It...

Are you still waiting for your circumstances to change before you’ll allow yourself to be happy?  Most of us have preconceived ideas of what would make us happy, and we refuse to be satisfied until those things happen.
The problem is that even once specific things happen in our lives, we’re rarely satisfied with them!  Instead, we shift our focus to something even bigger and better, believing “it” will make us happy (or happier).  We never allow ourselves to reach a point of contentment.  Have you done the same thing to yourself?

The good news is that you can decide to be happy NOW – even if not everything in your life is perfect.  Below you’ll find 3 easy ways to do so:

1) Be grateful. (This just happens to be my favorite.  You can often find me in a Rampage of Gratitude!)  Gratitude is one of the most powerful states of mind that you can adopt.  Not only does it make you feel good, it shifts your focus from what you don’t have to what you DO have, and keeps it there!  As you focus more on what you are grateful to have in your life (even the really small blessings!), you worry less      about anything that may be lacking.  The result? 

A more pervasive sense of happiness!

2) Take time to smell the roses.  If you spend most of your days feeling rushed and scattered, it’s hard to feel happy and content.  In order to be truly happy, you need to make time for yourself to relax, dream, and take pleasure in life’s simpler moments.  Beginning today, make sure to spend time doing things you love on a regular basis.  Read books that stimulate your imagination; listen to great music like this song here; take long walks, and generally make an effort to enjoy your life as it is right now.

3) Love the journey.  Many of us make the mistake of pinning all of our expectations on some vague, far-off result, like the completion of goals.  We believe that once we “get there” everything will be perfect and we’ll finally be happy.  However, there is much to be gained from enjoying the journey TO your destination!  Make it your mission to revel in every moment that you’re working toward higher goals.  Enjoy the sense of self-mastery and accomplishment you gain with every goal you achieve.  Make it a worthwhile journey and you’ll savor the end result that much more!
The most important thing to understand about happiness is that it is largely a CHOICE you make from moment to moment.  Though certain serious situations make it difficult to feel happy at times, most often we allow the little things to bother us and block any happiness we would otherwise feel.  Embrace happiness, and it will grow to monstrous proportions in your life!

Ready to work one on one with me to increase your happiness factor?  I have a few spots available for one on one coaching.
To find out more, please visit The Light of Inspiration Company or schedule your 20 minute Inspiration Appointment today!

Just finished an inspiration mini-coaching session with the talented @HeySharonda - she had me laughing, facing fears & dreaming big!less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyJo Crawford
sacredcraft

Design vs. Default

Do you tend to let your outer circumstances set the tone for each day?  Do you allow other people and events to trigger feelings of anger, frustration, impatience and more?
When you do this, you are not using the power you have available to you!  By using the Law of Attraction, you can turn every day into a great day.  One way to do that is by using intentions and visualization to create your day.
When you first wake up in the morning, spend 10 minutes or so thinking about the types of things you’d like to experience that day.  How would you like your workday to go?  What kind of people would you like to meet?  Would you like to receive some great opportunities to advance your career or financial situation?  How would you like to feel for the majority of your day?
Grab a blank journal or notebook and jot these details down!  Once you’ve gotten all the details written down, spend a few minutes vividly imagining each scenario in your mind, exactly as you would like it to happen.  Pretend you’re watching a movie in your mind, seeing it all play out exactly as you’d like it to.
Most importantly, allow yourself to feel as if they were actually happening now.  Immerse yourself in feelings of excitement, joy, happiness and gratitude as you enjoy one great experience after another.  Use this same process for every experience you’d like to have that day.
By the time you’re finished you should be feeling fantastic; buzzing with good spirits and high expectations!
Then continue with your normal routine, taking special care not to be “attached” to any specific events or experiences, just simply staying open to whatever comes.  Keep affirming that great things are going to happen to you that day, and you feel great about all of the blessings and abundance in your life.
At the same time, avoid getting entangled in feelings of worry, anxiety, frustration, and anger as much as possible throughout the day because those feelings will interfere with the positive energy you’ve already put out.
As often as you can remember, call to mind images of the things you visualized earlier and allow good feelings to flow over you again.  Affirm and know that wonderful things are happening, even if you don’t see them quite yet.
By using this process on a daily basis, you’ll eventually start to notice that good things are starting to happen.  You’ll find yourself being in the “right place at the right time” and generally enjoying greater opportunities and abundance.
 

Have You Heard Yourself Lately??

Did you know that you talk to yourself all day long?  No, not the mental chatter about activities and chores that you need to remember throughout the day.  That’s a form of self-talk too, but I’m referring more to the things you say to yourself on a regular basis; and more importantly, the tone in which you say them.

When you make a mistake, do you berate yourself angrily?  Do you put yourself down or call yourself derogatory names?  When you have a hard time making positive changes in your life, do you bemoan what a “worthless” person you are and conclude that you’ll never do anything right?

Negative self-talk can be incredibly damaging to your self-esteem, especially if it’s a big part of your daily life.  When you keep saying things like that to yourself, eventually you begin to believe them!

Most often these messages begin as statements uttered by the adults in your life when you were a child.  They may have said something negative about you when your actions displeased them, or perhaps they had a habit of saying unkind things even when you didn’t deserve it.  As painful as these experiences can be, even worse is when you pick up where they left off and keep repeating the same negative messages to yourself over and over!

The good news is that you can change your self-talk any time you want.  You just have to know how to become aware of the tone of your messages and consciously replace them with more encouraging ones.

Try these simple steps for starters:

1) Develop awareness of your self-talk.  It may take practice, but if you keep “listening” in to your inner voice, you’ll begin to notice when you talk negatively to yourself.

2) Challenge the negative messages.  When you notice yourself saying something negative such as, “You’re such a screw-up, you can’t do anything right” – stop yourself and challenge that belief.  Is that really true?  Maybe you mess up sometimes, but do you ALWAYS mess up?  Probably not.

3) Replace the negative messages with positive messages.  When you realize you’re saying unkind and untrue things to yourself, simply turn it around in your mind.  Using the above example, you might say, “Wow, that’s not true at all!  I do plenty of things right.  It’s true I make mistakes, but so does everyone.  I’m a good person and I try my best.  That’s good enough for me.”

Over time, your efforts will pay off in the form of stronger self-esteem and respect for yourself and your capabilities.  It probably won’t happen overnight, but the more you work at turning your self-talk in a more positive direction, the better you’ll feel about yourself.


 

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The Unfolding

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.  Here is the first step in stripping it all away.  No editing, no filters or trying to find the politically correct way of stating it.  This is who I AM.  In the Spirit and Love of the Creator.  I have discovered my path, my purpose, my vision and some understanding.  I invite you to go to the depths along with me and when we meet fear we can hold on to each other.

Launching...

Hello Everyone,
Coming soon to this blog will be a great place to get inspiration and encouragement for living a full life of passion and purpose.  I look forward to working out the details and bringing you awesome information.
Stay tuned and thank you for your contiued support as always,
Sharonda