Inspirational images

"There's just something so magical about capturing a moment in time..." (Robyn T. Lisone, p. 82, Creating Love and Joy

It's amazing how a photo can invoke so many emotions: joy, love, peace.... Sometimes, we can almost taste the salty spray of the sea on our lips as we gaze at a picture of the beach. We can hear the wind whistling through the leaves of a tree. We can smell the fresh scent of the flowers, grass, and trees. We image ourselves being in that beautiful place ... and we realize we are now calm, relaxed, and smiling. Share your favorite landscape photos here! Hugs--tc

"Creating Love and Joy: Uplifting affirmations to strengthen your spirit" is now available on Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/098186130X !!!

Each of us shapes our lives through our thoughts. When our thoughts are focused on positive relationships, abundance, love, patience, and all the key affirmations presented in this book, our life becomes rich with positive energy. By reading "Creating Love and Joy" each day, we can develop new mental habits to help us break out of the cycle of negative thoughts.

As we begin to focus our thoughts on the positive aspects of our situation, it becomes easier and easier to attract more positive opportunities. We no longer spend our time worrying; instead, we now experience all the abundance, vitality and joy we choose to create in our life.

Most people TRY to remove negative aspects of their life. To better understand how we get stuck in in this unproductive cycle, simply "try" to sit in your chair. You are neither standing or sitting, you are "trying" to sit. Your arms hold your body weight, your legs are bent, your backside is unsupported, and you find yourself uncomfortable in a short period of time. It is better to either sit or stand--and commit to it--than to "try" to sit down.

People who TRY to remove negativity from their life don't realize they simply create more hardship by focusing on what they don't want. Their own conscious and subconscious thoughts are blocking the way to the easier life that they desire.

The positive affirmations presented in "Creating Love and Joy" are extremely powerful tools to develop new mental habits and help us see and implement positive opportunities in our life. Suddenly, we are experiencing healthy relationships, abundance, and joy. Those who brought negative energy into our life seem to fall by the wayside, allowing us to enjoy the flow of positive experiences.

These powerful affirmations are accompanied by beautiful, inspiring photographs that take our mind to a place of relaxation and joy. The photos enhance our ability to visualize the life we choose to create.

This life-enhancing gift can be appreciated by anyone who is facing a challenge or looking to make positive changes. Order your copy today!

Trusting the Divine Plan

Recently, it seems that life is showing us many ways that we must accept and trust the Divine Plan. There are moments when life seems completely unfair and out of balance. Yet, it is precisely at these moments that life is teaching us something. It is up to us to protect ourselves with light, and have the courage to see and learn.

My cousin in Spain passed away a week ago--he was 48 with 2 children just out of high school. He had lived with a severe heart condition from the time he was a child. Imagine what life is like when you know, at any given moment, that your heart could just give out and--instantly--this life could come to an end? While many of us may intellectually accept that there is an end to this existence, it is quite another thing to be constantly reminded of it each and every day.

As a result, my cousin lived his life seeing the world with a unique perspective. He had witnessed many things he did not agree with during his years in Catholic schools, so he did not affiliate with any religion. Yet we shared long conversations about philosophy, the meaning of life, and whether or not a Divine intelligence, or energy, existed. By the end of my last visit, we had agreed there is a loving, intelligent source in the universe--and that we are all connected to this source.

This understanding has helped to counterbalance any thoughts of a loved one dying so young. His wife confirmed that he must have had a positive experience as he transitioned--she said he had a soft, peaceful smile on his face. It gave her comfort to know that he was in no pain, and seemed to go to the other side willingly. He is at peace with the light now. It is up to those of us here on Earth to support each other, and unite in our love and compassion for each other.

While we don't always know, or understand, why life unfolds the way it does, by holding on to our trust in the Divine Plan, we demonstrate our true faith. By trusting our connectedness to the universal light source, we find the strength and optimism to move forward and do the best we can at each and every moment of the now. tc

Moving toward the light

Recently, I spent the entire day with a friend who has a fatal brain tumor. I've read somewhere that we find our greatest harmony and peace when we allow things that seem to be opposites to lie side-by-side.

I found myself tested to allow that to happen during my visit. Every single ounce of my physical being was yearning to make her brain tumor go away. Like a small child, I felt like throwing a temper tantrum, stomping my feet, and crying out, "No, no, no! I don't want you to leave us yet!! You're not even 55 years old. Life has just come together for you. How can this be??!! NO, no, no!"
And, at the same time, something beyond me lead me to initiate a discussion about spirituality, when we had a moment alone. "I know that you have explored Buddhism," I began, hesitantly. "Have you thought about the spiritual side of what is happening right now?"

Her blue eyes sparkled with a light I had not seen earlier. She smiled gently and joyfully as she replied, "Yes." Her tumor would not allow her to express her complete thought, even though I could see in her eyes it was there, waiting to be released. I pressed on, a bit more bravely now, as I sought to help her express her spirituality without feeding her something that might not be true for her.

"I have also been exploring spirituality, " I told her. "I've been immersing myself in it for about 4 years now. I think I understand your journey of exploration. To me, there is a divine intelligence in our universe. Whether we call this divine light "God" or "Spirit" or "Buddha" or "Yahweh," we are referring to the same loving, divine intelligence in our own heart."

Her eyes grew large, her smile broadened, and the twinkle in her eyes grew brighter and more lively. "YES!" She exclaimed. "Oh, this is so wonderful. I haven't been able to talk with anybody about this."

"Have you given any thought to the moment of transition?" I asked gently.

"YES." Her eyes filled with tears of joy and her smile now went from ear to ear. She exuded peace, joy, and...longing. Longing? Yes. I could sense it. For the first time in my life, I met someone who was looking forward to the moment of transition from physicality to spirituality. Her inner peace and joy was contagious.

"Oh, Camille," I gushed. "How is it possible? How is it possible that, right now, what enters in my mind to say to you is that I am happy for you...?!!! I feel guilty even as I admit this to you. I mean...I don't want you to leave us physically. If I could wave a magic wand and make it all better, I would do it in a heartbeat. Yet, I sense your joy and inner peace and spiritual understanding..and, for that, I am extremely happy for you."

She smiled with a worldly, wise sense of knowing. She patted me on the leg as she said, "I'm glad you came to visit today."

What more could be said? Our spiritual connection said it all. "I'll see you later," I said, as I left that evening. "Yes," she smiled softly. And our spirits connected in a way that I had never before thought possible.

Yes, opposites can lie side by side. My heart was breaking at the same time as it was soaring with a renewed faith.

Hugs, love and light--tc

Inspiration at Work, Home, in Relationships

Have you ever noticed that sometimes life is just clicking away smoothly and everything seems to go just right? You're happy, you're smiling, life is good.

Then, there are other days when you wonder why you got up in the morning? Maybe you spill your coffee, or trip as you walk, or drop things consistently, or run into a lot of angry people. As the day goes on, your patience wears thin and you start snapping back and making snide remarks. It's enough to make you wish the next 24 hours would hurry up and pass quickly so you can start another day on a better note.

I'm no scientist or anything, but I've heard it said that "for every action, there is a reaction." Huummm.... Do you think it's possible that our own actions create a corresponding reaction from others? Yep, I'm a believer. I've seen it happen too many times to deny the fact that our own attitudes, actions, beliefs, and interactions with others create our experiences.

Just the other day, I ran into a new way that rental car agencies are selling upgrades in an effort to make more money. In the past, I had no patience with sales people. They were persistent and insistent and I just wanted them to go away and leave me alone. This time, I consciously chose to take a different approach. I decided to watch the salesman's technique and enjoy his sales pitch as if I were an audience member watching a live stage show. Instead of feeling imposed upon, I felt amused to see what he might come up with next. The whole thing turned out to be quite entertaining.

The young kid started out by establishing rapport as we walked out to the lot full of rental cars. He asked where I worked and whether or not we had a corporate account. I did all I could to dispel his delusions that the Community College where I work might enter into a long-term contract whereby we would use his rental company every time our employees traveled.

With that option out the window, he then proceeded to try to increase revenues by convincing me to upgrade to a higher category of car. I listened as he described all the power features of the upgrade and all the conveniences of a more spacious vehicle. Then I told him that I really didn't want a bigger car because they don't fit into most parking spots and I wasn't willing to hassle with parking during my 5-day stay in the area.

Okay, so now he only has the part about insurance to try to increase the revenue on this sales transaction. So, he starts his spiel about how much extra time it takes if I get into an accident and I'm only insured by my company, and I cut him off to let him know that I'm not interested in the extra insurance.

Then, I drop the bomb: Hey, I tell him, did you know that I teach Marketing and I've been observing your salesmanship technique? You did a pretty good job of soft-selling, and didn't piss me off by insisting when it was clear I had my mind made up. That's a great technique. Of course, your efforts are wasted on me, since I know the tricks of the trade, but I commend you for your efforts.

The guy ended up shaking my hand and walking off quite pleased with himself. I, too, was pleased that I didn't spend more money than necessary for a rental vehicle. It was truly a win-win situation, where both of us felt good about the whole interaction.

How was this possible? Because I made a very deliberate choice to take 5 minutes out of my life to give this young, ambitious salesperson the opportunity to give me his best pitch. I chose not to judge, blame or resent him for doing what his company encourages him to do. I just patiently observed him and didn't take anything personally. How hard is that?

Let's contrast this with what I used to do in the past: So, I'm peeved that the airlines only have flights that take off at ungodly hours and I've been up since 4am just to get to this place by 9:00am. I'm tired, I'm cranky, I'm feeling like one of many cattle being herded into the rigors and routine of travel. Now I've got this young punk who thinks he can squeeze another dollar out of me so he can look good to his boss. I know that salesmen need 3 no's before they will back off, so I anticipate the sale pitch and say, "No, no, no! There are your three no's and now just give me my car and let me get the heck out of here!" I'm cranky, the salesman's pissed, and everything starts spiraling downhill fast. Nice way to start a get-away from the usual routine. It sets the tone for the whole day.

Well, what do you think??? Do you have examples of specific instances where you turned around a potentially negative situation? I'd love to hear about it!!

Hugs, love, and light--tc