Merry Christmas!

Thinking about the birth of Jesus and the spiritual path onto which he has led so many. He is the example of how I want to live my life. Giving to others every way that I can. Treating my enemies as friends. And teaching others to do the same. Love is the answer. Jesus showed us the way. It is up to us to follow.

Merry Christmas! May you be surrounded by love from family, friends and spirit.

miracles

While I do believe miracles are possible, we can't sit around waiting for them. We must take action to pursue our goals and desires. This way we can enjoy our days as they are and be pleasantly surprised when something seemingly magical happens.

From my book, Finding Our Light

no regrets

More TV inspired philosophy... I live with chronic illness. Some face terminal illnesses. With diagnosis comes planning and coping. I've been watching Chasing Life from ABC Family about a young woman with leukemia. She does plenty of planning and coping. But when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly, it's a totally different story.

While some of us are overwhelmed by illness, we also need to treasure the present. Living a life with no regrets is so important. If you died today, would you be able to say you've had a wonderful life? (I sure can!) If there's something missing, take action and pursue those goals as best you can!

Enjoy your present! If need be, make some changes, even if those changes are only in your attitude. Changing circumstances is often difficult or impossible. Do what you can with what you have. No regrets!

being in love

Did you fall in love when you were a teenager? I've been watching the TV show "The Fosters" from ABC Family [on Netflix]. It has reminded me of how important I thought my boyfriends were. I loved them. I thought about them all the time. It was fun.

Now that I'm 45 years old, being in love has changed. I love my husband. I think about him all the time. We have fun. But the feeling seems different.

I suppose it's just life experience that makes love different over time. Looking at the teenagers in love on TV, I'm surprised at how serious love is. Love seems exponentially more serious now, but those teenage feelings were strong, too.

I'm glad I don't have offspring to guide through falling in love. I hope that the young ones in my life will have fun, feel deeply and appreciate their relationships. The tricky part I remember as a teenager was giving equal importance to my education and other aspects of life besides boys.

Every experience helps us learn. Lessons of love can be complicated but hopefully joyful, also.

friendship

Through childhood, high school, college and travel, I made some life-long friends who are the best part of any experience.  I’m happy and proud that I have so many with whom to reminisce and laugh or cry about shared times.   I've earned and been blessed with an abundance and variety of friends.  I count my success in friends, not finances.

Friendship is a huge factor in my positive outlook.  I watched my mother and paternal grandmother bond with friends.  I learned from them that being a good friend requires the effort of communicating and spending time together.  Sharing love and support is a necessity.  My friends have been by my side through joy and struggle.  Their support keeps me going.

Still Life

Movie review..."Still Life" (2015)

Why did I watch this movie? A review I read said that if you were patient, you would see something good. Well, it was a very long wait and only a few minutes of something good. Since I watched it on Amazon Prime I was not able to fast-forward through it like I would for most movies that I'm curious about.

That said, the moral of the story was nice. No matter how small or alone you might be, what you do makes a difference to others. Let's always try to make our actions have a positive influence.

loved

So I've been reading about publishing books. The first bit of advice is to build an online presence and start talking about the book. So I'm going to share a little at a time and see what you think. Title: Finding Our Light.

"I was given a gift from the day I was born, throughout my childhood and continuing to the present day. I was given love. I have felt loved as far back as I can remember. I didn't realize what a gift it was."

Do you feel loved? I hope so. If you're alone, listen to your conscience – if you're quiet, it will tell you that you are special and important and lovable. Listen carefully.

thank someone

There is a song that goes:

Thank the moon, thank the sun
Most of all, thank someone
Thank the stars high above
One for everyone you love

It's from an album called "Free to Be A Family." The song is sung by Amy Grant and another singer can't remember.

Anyway, every day I thank God for the moment and my life. I thank my husband a multitude of times because of all the help I need due to my disability. I don't thank my friends enough for their love and support. The same goes for my family.

I think we take it for granted that our loved ones know how much we appreciate them. I think it's important to say it out loud once in a while.

I thank my personal care assistants throughout the day and before they leave. I thank my doctors and nurses after visits. I thank the staff who run our apartment building – they do lots of little things that make life nicer. Those are the ones off the top of my head.

Thank you for reading what I have to say.

Sometime soon, thank the ones you love. I'll bet it will make their day.

YOU

You are light and love. This is what I try to remember when I'm having a hard time.

I practice every day before I even get into a difficult spot. I'm reiterating some of what I have learned from Eckhart Tolle. I sit still. I sense what is around me: the way the air feels, the sounds that I hear. I usually need to keep my eyes closed because visual stimulus keeps my mind busy. I acknowledge that the world around me is created by the way I see it. I appreciate the good and the bad because I am learning from all of it.

Next is the most important part. I step outside my mind, outside of Liesl. I feel myself as part of the one being from which we all come. I picture myself as warm, white light without form. That light is loving energy. I let myself feel surrounded by my own light and love which is the same light and love that comes from God.

I practice that feeling every day for just a couple of minutes, so that when I'm feeling negatively about myself or my circumstances I can go to that place of light and love. Even if I don't feel better in that moment, I know that I will be okay eventually.

I encourage you to develop this feeling of light and love which is YOU. It is always there when you need it.

magic

Human beings are amazing. We start out as a tiny zygote growing inside our mother. We emerge vulnerable and adorable. Then, we grow without realizing it. We learn to speak, to walk, to read and so on. If all goes well, we become adults with a world full of opportunities depending on our actions.

This thought occurred to me, though it's nothing new, when my sister sent a video of my seven-year-old niece acting out and lip-synching to "It's A Hard Knock Life" from the musical "Annie."

I have watched her every step of the way, but it still amazes me that she is the same person as that 5 lb. 5 oz. infant born in 2007. Even more impressive is that she is a strong and confident young woman. She enjoys trying new activities and foods. She is very good at reading, writing, running and creating art. 

It seems like magic that the baby has turned into such an amazing person. Of course, it's not magic at all. It has to do with her genes, her nurturing parents and her spirit. 

I'm so glad I get to witness the growth of my nieces, nephew and children of my friends. One of whom just finished her first year of college where she is studying to be a biomedical researcher (I'm not sure if I chose the right term). How amazing is that?!

I hope you have equal joy in watching the young people in your lives. If you do, don't forget to tell them. Your encouragement helps them become confident, happy people.

Enlightened

I recently watched the HBO series "Enlightened" starring Laura Dern. I watched it on Amazon Prime, if you're interested.

The main character, Amy, works at a large corporation. Due to job stress and an affair gone bad she has a nervous breakdown and goes to Hawaii to heal.

It was a wonderful experience for her. She returned home with a new outlook on life. She could see all the good in the world. She would be "an agent for change," bringing light and love where it was needed.

She returns to her company where they have reassigned her to the data entry department after her meltdown. Instead of working, she spends hours on the computer researching all the terrible things the corporation does in the name of progress. She wants to create a job to help the company fix their bad habits and move in a new direction. The company had no interest in her idea. She goes on to compile evidence of all the polluting and corrupting policies to blow the whistle on the corporation.

Amy is seen as being a little crazy and not to be taken seriously. Well, a little crazy can be a good thing. I'm not brave enough to take on an organization, but I am enlightened and spreading good will far and wide. I encourage you to do the same.

childhood

Do you remember your childhood? Do you remember things that people told you or the way they made you feel?

The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.... Peggy O' Mara

It is important to tell everyone what makes them special and that they are appreciated. For children, it can help them become happy and confident people. I believe that kids want to know they are valued and safe and wonderful just the way they are. 

Please, take every chance you get to let the children in your lives know how much they mean to you. Point out their good qualities. Encourage their interests. Enjoy them!

Remind them also, that all people have good qualities and deserve our respect and kindness. Even greater than our words, let our actions be the example for others to follow. The way we treat our children, ourselves and each other will create the type of world we live in. Let us make it a kind and loving world.

health is wealth

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold or silver. ~Mahatma Gandhi

As a person with multiple sclerosis, I completely agree with this quote. Every day that I feel healthy is infinitely more valuable than any money I could save. Often, we take our health for granted. We are used to doing things as we please. Usually, it's not until we have a problem with our health that we realize what a gift it is.

How are you today? Feeling healthy? Take advantage and do something that makes you happy. The things you do today will create memories which will last throughout your life no matter what your finances or your health.

But don't let this worry you about health problems you don't have. You never know what the future holds. You have today. Do everything you can to enjoy it!