Mysorean

[via Boopesh]

Are you worrying about how something important to you will turn out? I know the answer. You’ve got to believe me.

I dreamed that a friend of mine had just gone through a painful breakup with her boyfriend. She felt devastated because she had thought for sure this fellow was the man of her dreams and they would be together for life. Now she was heartbroken and discouraged, and feared to face her future.

In the dream, I was telephoning my friend from two years forward in the future. From that vantage point, I knew what had happened since her breakup. Her future was already history to me. During that time she had met a wonderful man, they had married, and she was very happy. The breakup was of no consequence now; in fact, it put her in a position to meet this fine fellow.

On the telephone, I told her, “Please listen to me. I know this sounds crazy, but I am seeing your life from two years ahead of where you are now. I know what will happen because, from where I am standing, it has already happened. Within the next two years you will meet an awesome man and be happily married. You’ve got to believe me.”

I awoke from the dream feeling deep bliss and fulfillment. There are many levels and kinds of dreams; this one was an inspirational vision from a higher power. Beyond the message for my friend, I had received a universal lesson. God could call any of us up and say, “Please listen to me. I am standing in your future, and I can tell you with perfect assurance that the thing you are worrying about now is utterly meaningless. Everything is going to turn out all right, and you will have everything you want. You’ve got to believe me . . .”

One day when I had just begun to present seminars, I was driving to a program and I began to feel nervous. What if my presentation flopped? What if people did not like me? What if my anxiety undermined my skill? And on and on. Then another voice popped into my head with a profound statement that helps me even now. It noted, “You always get nervous before a program, and the program always turns out great. So why bother worrying?” Instantly I relaxed and let go of my fear. The program was a success, and since that time I have approached my presentations with a sense of knowing that all is well and everything will turn out fine.

At one seminar, a young Jewish woman tearfully told of a painful relationship conflict she was struggling with. She was in love with a Muslim man, but her father forbade her to see him. This created a deep quandary for her, since she could not reconcile her love for this man with her desire to honor her father’s wishes and keep harmony in her family. She went on to wrestle with this issue for a long time, and returned to another seminar a year later, still distraught.

Then, several months later, she mailed me a copy of a letter she had written to her father. The letter was a masterful communication filled with honesty, clarity, and compassion. She told her father that she loved him very much and appreciated all that he was to her, but she had to follow her heart and be with the man she loved. As I read the letter, I realized that this woman had finally claimed her power and made a loving stand for her truth.

A year later I received a beautiful photo of her wedding, and a few years later I received another photo of their newborn child. Meanwhile, her father came around to support her. This woman’s joyous resolution represents thousands of journeys I have been privy to in my seminars. I see so many people stuck, confused, or fearful about what will come next. Eventually they somehow handle their issues, and the universe gives them a hand with the details. I have seen this process so often in so many lives, including my own, that when I offer counseling, I can assure my clients that somehow things will work out. Their job is to get out of the way and let it be.

And not only do things somehow work out, but the process of getting to that point ultimately empowers them more than if the challenging event had not occurred. So every piece of the jigsaw puzzle fits.

A Course in Miracles tells us, “A happy outcome to all things is sure.” That’s a big chunk of truth to bite off if you are accustomed to fearing that if you do not control every detail of your life – and perhaps the lives of others – things will fall apart. But when you let go and trust the process, things usually fall together. The Course also tells us that it takes great learning to realize that all events, encounters, and experiences are helpful.

So here I am, two years into your future, telling you that that thing you are worried about will turn out fine, and every step in the journey will be an integral one. You’ve got to believe me.

[via Suma]

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That’s a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?” The young boy was apologetic.

“Please, mister…please, I’m sorry but I didn’t know what else to do,” He pleaded. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop…” With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. “It’s my brother, “he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.”

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless you,” the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: “Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!” God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It’s our choice to listen or not.

Got this extremely good forward on email.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about Grandfather,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor”. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinners together.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when you get old.” The four year old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

I’ve learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I’ve learned that children’s eyes observe more than there ears ever hear and the example we set for them determines their actions.

I’ve learned that make a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life”. I’ve learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

It’s so nice. Having a Father’s day is not going to help this change come across. If you value your father, then you will take care of him every moment of your existence. It’s such gift to have a father. And appa amma, to have parents like you is enough. I can’t think of anything to better to ask from God anytime.

From [Candy In Your Closet]

When you worry too much about losing something, you’ve already lost it. For your worry prevents you from receiving any value out of whatever you’re so worried about losing.

Things do change, and what is here today may well be gone tomorrow. You can worry and fret over that reality, or you can joyfully and lovingly make the most of all you have right now.

The joy that you fully experience, you will not lose. The love that you live and give, cannot be taken from your heart by any outside circumstance.

If you invest yourself too heavily in the fleeting, superficial things in life, you’ll be setting yourself up for a shattering disappointment when those things are no longer with you. Instead, learn to treasure those real, substantial, meaningful things that time and events cannot erase.

Get in the habit of fully living each day with meaning and purpose.
You’ll find yourself worrying less about what you have to lose, and focusing more on what you have to use.

Express gratitude for all you have by making the very most of it.
And you’ll always have plenty to be thankful for.