Faith & Trust: Ten Guidelines from G-d

My Mother and Father hung this on their fridge door a long time ago. I forget these things when I am caught up in the brunt of the rushing world and the race to achieve supremacy and the top of the heap, the front of the line, the first through the doors, and First Class.

My mother’s faith remained unshakable throughout her horrible illness and passing.

The people I meet wonder what they have done to deserve the trouble that befalls them and wonder if anyone is actually listening. They wonder if anyone really cares about the trials and challenges of their lives. They wonder how people can treat others so badly and behave as if they are “less than….” when they are just as human as the next person. They struggle mightily to ask for help.

Humanity, Empathy, and Compassion are as necessary to our world as Water, Oxygen and Sunlight.

No one goes through life unscathed and we do not go through it alone, untouched by others and their behaviors. Sometimes a moment to reflect, and feel some faith, along with words to remember, may help to heal.

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Effective Immediately
Please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be
completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you.
Please, follow these 10 guidelines.

1. QUIT WORRYING
Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST
Something needs to be done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can’t help you until you turn it over to Me and although my to-do-list is long, I am after all…. G-d. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME
Once you’ve given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems, and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE
Don’t wake up one morning and say, “Well, I’m feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here.” Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It’s simple. You gave me your burdens and I’m taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don’t you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started?
Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME
I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I’m in control. But there’s one thing I pray you never forget. Please don’t forget to talk to Me – OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH
I see a lot of things from up here that you can’t see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I am doing. Trust Me; you wouldn’t want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE
You were taught to share when you were only two year old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven’t heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT
I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it take Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone things I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND
Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you – it would be too boring if you were all identical. Please know that I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF
As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only – – to be loved, and to love in return. I am a G-d of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes my heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me.

Don’t ever forget………

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Thanks for stopping by! It means more than you know.
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As I Began to Love Myself – A Poem on Self Love by Charlie Chaplin

This is exceptional!! thank you so much Ambition in The City.
I have never reblogged a post but this bears repeating. Thank you for sharing!!
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Ambition In The City

As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering
are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth.
Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY”.

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody
As I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time
was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this
person was me. Today I call it “RESPECT”.

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life,
and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it “MATURITY”.

As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance,
I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens
at the exactly right moment. So I could be calm.

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No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted – Sharing a Loss

This is a see-saw life, not a balancing act. Each day is a new attempt to rise up to the challenges of daily living. Sometimes just putting one foot in front of the other is an act of brute strength.

There have been many challenges that tire me and have left their empty spaces and raw places in my heart. It would be wonderful if others could appreciate how hard it is to grieve for someone you love and that there is no time limit. For those who are grieving, and have, they do understand. For those who are most fortunate not to have to examine the most difficult part of the life cycle, do not take this time or another person for granted.

Losing my mother and grandmother four weeks apart was a double blow. Others just pretend it never happened or cannot understand the extent of the relationships I had with my mother and grandmother. Yet, I have been asked if I am all better. There are no parameters to the love I feel for my mother and grandmother, so how could I limit the grief and mourning to some preconceived notion of propriety? I had fifty years of experiences with my mother and grandmother, how could three months be enough time for grieving?

I think of my mother and grandmother every single day. A song, a photograph, a thought, a flower…… can suddenly bring tears to my eyes and I relive the loss again and again. This goodbye is permanent; my first instinct to call my mother or visit my grandmother means I have to remember that the door is closed, the bed is empty, the phone no longer rings.

The kindness of letting another cry, or acknowledge the depth of sorrow, is part of the elemental behavior that makes us human. We can extend it when we see someone like us, struggling to make it through the overwhelming losses. Pain recognizes pain.

When sadness threatens to overwhelm me, it is the conscious decision to commit an act of kindness that brings me back up again. Even in the simplicity of speaking to another, I am deciding to reveal myself. If he finds comfort in the telling of my own struggles, then it is a conscious listening and sharing on both of our parts. We welcome and make room for our stories with respect. Again, it is scary to take the first step, but if the other person responds, a weight is lifted.

Trying to instill ethics, values, courtesy and the awareness that we can alter another’s personal world, and the universe at large, is hoping that the germ of generosity and openness takes root in those whose lives we touch. Fear and mistrust is an unlearning of those ideals to which we hold dear. All it takes is one playground bully to push us to the ground and our fragile child-like strength shatters.

There is nothing random or small about an act of kindness. Empathy, and the desire to create a cycle of good and trust where hearts and minds have been broken, leaves the world a better place. We do not want to face the loss of someone we love, but the intention to comfort another is at the heart of a kindness we cannot repay. It is that intention that gives me hope through the highs and lows of the see-saw life.

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Daily Prompt: Mirror, Mirror ~ This Snow White is black, white and wants to be read all over

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall….
I am the dichotomy of Snow White and the Queen. My mother was the original “Snow White” dubbed by her friends for her striking blue black hair and porcelain Dutch skin. The lessons learned from her and the family she created weave through my writing. She combined beauty with brains and I hope that people look beyond my façade and see the intelligence and empathy within.

The combination of light and dark, good and not so good, are part of the Snow White story. Evil is an extreme judgment call when no one gets to know what really goes on inside of a Queen’s head. Besides, getting old is a b*tch. There is always some sweet young thing who has never needed eye cream in her life and thinks that Weight Watchers are the people waiting on the street for the new iPhone release. Beauty vs. Brains ~ G-d gives and G-d takes away. Just saying.

Age brings planning, life experience, strength, fortitude and knowledge of the unsavory aspects of our world. It also means that we don’t necessarily handle nonsense well. The Queen resides in me as well.

But, I digress. Unable to tan without burning, I don’t even try anymore. I just say that I am “embracing my inner Snow White.” Red lips have always suited me and red nails to match are gorgeous! Also, the dress with the wide, wide, wide bottom to cover the hips is a fabulous idea.

Waiting for my prince to come has been replaced with waiting for my paycheck. There are far younger, more beautiful members in my family who have inherited my mother’s striking Snow White coloring. We celebrate these princesses as well. My mother’s wonder at nature and desire to share her love of the world with us brought us many outdoor day trips as children. As corny as it sounds, she loved to look out at her garden to see the gift of nature and she truly enjoyed listening to the chirping of the birds, even to the end of her days.

Dad did not join in; besides too much work, there was no air conditioning. Being a Queen (or King) means making the hard choices.

There is deep empathy that wells within me and sensitivity to the sights, sounds, and energies of my surrounding. A genuine smile and desire to help is well-ingrained from childhood. Also, we are protective of those whom we love and the power of family. We respect our histories and responsibilities. The tears and sadness of goodbye and others’ struggles is part of who I am as well. My writing may be wry at times, but is always aware of the kindnesses needed to care for this world and those relegated to the outside and struggling to see through the forest for the trees. I fight for what I believe in.

My heart is on my sleeve and I express what I feel or think. Sometimes cruelty will silence me, as it is meant to do, and I want to avenge the wrongs done to others. My writing is personal, direct and opinionated. Add black hair, white skin and lipstick and we are looking into that Mirror.

Age and circumstance have also made me the Queen. Older, wiser and perceptive, the Queen can direct behind the scenes. Understanding the secrets within and others’ motivation, she rules her kingdom cautiously and fiercely protects her own territory. This is a necessary evil in our day to day interactions.

With stress, anxiety, family, and financial issues, I would also kill to get a deep solid sleep!

The Queen may not always be in the spotlight, but when she is, I adore her eye makeup! She looks like a MAC cosmetics makeover ready for the runway. Dramatic eyes always work, especially with those juicy red lips.

Lastly, I may be sweet but I don’t want any little ol’ men patronizing me. Apple, anyone?

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