path – Laugh your way to peace, love and joy

Thoughts to Ponder – October 21, 2015

“Listen to your heart. It knows all things,

because it came from the Soul of the World,

and it will one day return there.”

The Alchemist*

Listening to our hearts is often difficult. Some people do it instinctively. Regrettably, most of us tend to listen to outside voices, rather than our hearts and bodies.

Just watch a newborn and you will see that he knows what he needs. She cries when she is hungry and automatically turns to her mother’s breast. He cries when he is wet and we respond by changing his diaper. Of course, we’ve all experienced times when neither the bottle nor the diaper meet the baby’s needs and we pace the floor for hours trying to soothe her. The baby knows what he needs, but we are thinking in adult mode, so are unable to provide it.

As we grow we are taught to conform to expected norms. We sit still in school, do our homework, then sit in front of the television because our parents fear what lies outside. I’m not saying that the fear is unreasonable. It just doesn’t fit what our bodies and hearts need.

We continue to grow along those patterns and follow anticipated social norms. Then one day we are adults who don’t know what we want to do, just that what we are doing doesn’t feel right. We are unhappy and make those around us unhappy. Too many souls return to the Universe with sad hearts.

Some of us rebel and are considered learning disabled or socially unacceptable. Many people who contribute scientific discoveries or beauty to our world are slotted into that category.

Some of us don’t comprehend our path until we are older and have to dig down into our souls to find the courage to follow our hearts. The change can be difficult, but rewarding with old worries, heavy hearts and body pains fading away as we begin follow our new, but original paths.

A few of us are fortunate to understand our calling while still children and are encouraged by those around us to follow our hearts. What a joy to live that life!

If we as adults can learn to follow our hearts we will raise a whole generation of children who live according to their hearts. Can you imagine how wonderful that will be?

Spirit,

Please open our souls to hear to our hearts calling. We know they never stopped calling. We stopped listening. We choose to live according to our heart knowledge, realizing that we and everyone around us will be happier. We choose to return to the Universe with happy hearts.

And, so it is.

* The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo, pg. 132, HarperCollins Publishers

Sharon D. Dillon, energywriter@cox.net, http://energywriter.me “Laugh your way to peace, love and joy”

Chesapeake Bay Writers, Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop, Southern Humorists, National Society of Newspaper Columnists

Author of “Twins! Oh no!,” one of 14 stories in The Book of Mom: Reflections of Motherhood with Love, Hope and Faith, published by booksyoucantrust.com. Available in print and e-format at Amazon.com.

Thoughts to Ponder

“When your life is over,
how do you want the world to be different
– in larger ways or small –
because you have lived?”
Martha Beck

Message

This quote requires much thought and introspection. Most of us would say we’d like to know we made life better for our families and others who have crossed our path.
How do we do that?

We must walk the walk as well as talk the talk about our own personal truths. What our truth is does not matter so much as living that truth. For many of us that means sharing our faith, however, sharing our faith verbally, is less important that showing it in our actions.

We’ve all heard of televangelists who have strayed from the path, spending the congregation’s donations on luxury items or building a huge worship center rather than giving to charities as they claimed in their sermons. These people’s misdeeds are remembered long after their good deeds are forgotten.

We’ve also seen people who act saintly in public, yet mistreat their families. In this instance the families often go along with the act and praise the “saint” while fear churns in their bellies. Eventually, the truth becomes evident, leaving the do-gooder to sit in the ditch. Their home is no longer a refuge.

On the other hand, we’ve seen people who never mention their faith, yet live it every moment. They do good deeds and encourage others without caring for awards or praise. This person is the one who makes the world a better place.

One way to check which road you are traveling is to imagine what words will be engraved on your grave marker. Will it say, “____ ____” born ____, died ____? Or will it say, “____ ____ made the world a better place?” If your imaginary marker does not say what you would like it to say, you can make changes in your words and actions. It is never too late to walk a new path and correct your wrongs.

Moving ourselves onto a new path is not always easy. Sometimes the old habits do not want to leave. You and they were comfortable with the old way. We can make a list of things we want to do and check it daily. We can keep a journal and watch our progress. We’ll know we have made the change when we feel content more times than not.

Meditation

Creator Spirit, thank you for giving us reminders when we wander from our true path. We know that if we don’t respond to the small reminders, larger, painful ones will follow. We thank you that when we are on the correct path we feel peace, love and joy.
And so it is.

Sharon D. Dillon, energywriter@cox.net and Laugh your way to peace, love and joy at http://energywriter.me
Chesapeake Bay Writers, Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop, Southern Humorists, National Society of Newspaper Columnists
Author of one of 14 stories in The Book of Mom: Reflections of Motherhood with Love, Hope and Faith, published by booksyoucantrust.com. Available in print and e-format at Amazon.com

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