I have spent the last week researching gratitude...in the spirit of Thanksgiving this month's news and information on Heal With Hope is about living in gratitude. I've always known that being grateful is important to having a happy life, but I learned some interesting things, too. Research indicates that being a grateful, appreciative person is acutally good for our overall health! So not only does being thankful draw more positive energy into your life, but it appears that it also is good for the heart and immune system. Evidently all those good thoughts release chemicals that strengthen our mind, and our bodies as well. And don't you think that gratitude can be contagious...have you ever noticed that when you are with a person who is focused on the blessing in their life that it is easier for you to find things to give thanks for in your life? How great it would be to start an epidemic of appreciation and thankfulness - just imagine how healthy and happy all of us would be!!

In my own life I have always been so very grateful for having had a wonderful father. He is no longer with us, but I always carry all of the life lessons and wisdom he shared with me. One of my favorite memories:

Every time I would start feeling sorry for myself, Dad would remind me, "One day a man sits down at a bar and starts complaining to the man next to him about the hole in his shoe...when he looks down he realizes that the man sitting next to him has no leg!" He would then proceed to remind me that no matter how bad things might seem, there is always someone who has it worse - so stop feeling sorry for yourself!

And so as I focus on counting the blessing in my life, I give thanks for having had such a wise, wonderful and loving dad!! ~ Andrea

The revelation that our thoughts hold great power over all aspects of our lives has transformed me and my life in many wonderful ways...I have learned to keep my focus on what I want to feel, on the direction I want to head in, and have a more positive expectation of what is coming my way. But I have found that in order for the power of positive thinking to work in my life I had to learn another important lessson: letting go.

It is great to see your life exactly the way you want it to be, and even better when you find those visions are becoming reality. But there are also times when life (God) may have plans for us that are bigger and better than anything we could possibly dream or imagine for ourselves...and in order for us to reach this place we must venture through circumstances and events that we did not plan for, see, or anticipate.

So hold on to the vision you have for your life, but if things suddenly turn in a direction you didn't expect, try letting go - to have faith - to place trust in the fact that you may not see the purpose of this detour, but there is one...let go and hold on to the knowing that things will not always go according to your plan or your timetable. Yes, you hold the power to influence and effect the events of your life...but there is also a Higher Power that sees the larger picture and may be guiding you to a wonderful end result that you may not be able to see in that moment.

Sometimes things happen...go with the flow instead of fighting it, trying to figure it out, or
change it...and you just may find yourself in a much better place than you ever thought was possible . ~Andrea :-)

Oh how I would love to be one of the "no-doubters"...you know, the people who have overcome great challenges or persevered through tremendous difficulties and when asked if they ever had any doubts about continuting on, or if things would turn out ok, they always answer "no, that thought never entered my mind".

I have always envied their complete confidence and unwavering belief. I sure do try, but it seems like it is just a part of my nature to question, to see all possible outcomes - good and bad.

I've recently undertaken the challenge of writing a book. 95% of the time I feel divinely inspired, sure of what I am doing, and where I will go with it. But truth be told, there are those moments when I ask myself, "what are you doing - do you really think you can do this?"

Some day when my book is on the bestseller list and I am asked if I ever had any doubts about writing it, I guess as much as I would like to say I am a "no-doubter", I suppose I'll have to tell the truth: "I had plenty of doubt, but persevered and did it anyway!!" ~Andrea :-)

I am sitting here enjoying the irony of this great morning...my usually brave (but always sweet) dog, Hailee, refuses to come back into the bedroom...she's afraid of all things, a mosquito!!

For some reason every time a mosquito gets into our house it likes to hang out in our bedroom...and it seems that as soon as we lay down to go to sleep it will start buzzing about, keeping us all awake. Even though my husband could sleep through just about anything, I've never been one to tolerate distraction, and so as soon as I hear the buzzing my mission to "seek and destroy" the little pest begins...and the whole process scares the heck out of Hailee, especially because the high ceiling requires use of a stool and broom!! So through the years every time she hears a mosquito buzzing she knows what is coming and gets really nervous, standing at the door and begging to be let out of the room while I go into attack mode!!!!

But today an amazing thing happened - I was laying in bed doing my morning meditation when I heard it...that distinct buzzing of a mosquito!! I know Hailee heard it too because she was sitting up in bed, in that high alert mode dogs get into. But instead of allowing the buzzing to "drive me crazy" I decided to not let it bother me. It was one of those, "this is ridiculous...I am not going to worry or think about this right now... things" and amazingly I was able to put the thought aside and refocus myself on getting back to that peaceful and quiet state of meditation. What is remarkable to me is that I have always been so easily distracted, and it is such a great feeling to find that after working hard at letting go of allowing little things to interfere with my peace of mind, that practice really can make "perfect".

Now I admit I have more work to do - Hailee has not yet achieved the same level of inner peace, and so she was still intent on getting out of the room...and after a while I found it impossible to stay in that peaceful place being distracted by the mosquito AND the dog..after all, I am a work-in-progress, but glad that I really am leaning to let go, learning how to redirect my thoughts, and to not be so bothered by the little stuff!!! :-) ~Andrea

I give thanks that this is not a bad day...it's just not one of my better days. Just feeling a bit "off", which is so contrary to how I have been feeling the last couple of weeks - full of energy, very harmonious and balanced. A few months ago feeling like this might have developed into a downward spiral, or at the very least great frustration and disappointment. But today I recognize this as just the natural ebb and flow of life...

Last year I was working with an alternative medicine healer who commented to me that I was too attached to feeling good. After I left I thought to myself, "well who doesn't want to feel good!?". But I think I finally understand what he meant - I judged life by one of two criteria: feeling good, or feeling bad. Feeling well meant all is right and good in the world, and when I am not, it was difficult for me to enjoy or appreciate anything else as my focus was totally on what I needed to do to get back that "good" feeling again.

What I have learned is that no one feels good all the time...that even the Universe has a cycle to it - things ebb and flow, the sun rises and sets...the tides change, the moon changes, the seasons change...our lives change. It's natural and normal, and how it was meant to be. Life is good, and then it's not...we are up and then sometimes down...everything fits into place, then it doesn't. Accepting and acknowledging this, especially when in the midst of a down cycle, can make moving through it easier and more peaceful. Always hold on to the knowing that although you may not be where you want to be at the moment, things will change...that you will feel good, things will be ok again...it is just part of the natural and normal balance of life.