Friday, November 21, 2008
My Gratitude List
I can't believe another Thanksgiving is upon us...and though I try to live in gratitude each and every day, this time of year serves as a special reminder to stop and give thanks for all of the wonderful blessings we have been given throughout the year. Here's my 2008 Gratitude List:

1. I am so very thankful for finding the motivation to finally finish my book. It was a long and sometimes trying process, but I felt God's presence throughout...and there is no blessing greater than that.

2. I give thanks over and over again for the incredible sense of purpose, passion, and inspiration that has flowed through me, and that has created the opportunity for me to begin a business doing all the things I love to do.

3. I give thanks each day for the wonderful, supportive people who surround my life with their enthusiasm, as well as for their support and patience - I am so blessed!!

4. I am awed by the number of loving, caring, giving people who have been brought into my life either through Heal With Hope, my projects, or daily life...it is gratifying to know that all the bad news you read and hear about is only a fraction of what really happens in this world...it really is full of the most amazing people who each day renew my faith in mankind!

5. There are no words to describe how blessed I feel to have been able to participate in the election of our country's next President...an historic moment in our history that reminds us all that everything is possible.

6. I give great thanks for the meaningful time I was able to spend with my mother before she passed away. Those special moments are forever embedded in my heart...I realize what a great gift I was given.

7. I am filled with appreciation for the great strides I have made in restoring my health...I am so thankful for all of the new ways I have found to be a healthier, happier, stronger person.

8. Always on my list is my wonderful family...I am full of love and appreciation for being able to experience life with them. I thank them for the lessons they teach me each day...and for allowing me to believe that I am a positive force in their life - even when they don't really mean it!! ;-)

9. As I sit here and look out the window at the beautiful area we have been blessed to live in, I am reminded of how truly lucky I am and give thanks for our beautiful home and our serene and peaceful surroundings.

10. There has been no greater blessing this year than the ever-growing closeness I feel to God...the awareness and enlightenment, the growth, and the transformation that has taken place and that has changed me and my life forever...thank you God for all of the great and many blessings you have provided to me and my family. I pray you will continue to guide me and reveal to me all that is mine to know, and all this is mine to do. ~Andrea xoxo
Written at 7:49 AM by Andrea.
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Friday, November 14, 2008
"If only..."
I am fascinated as I sit here and watch my sweet dog, Hailee, chase after her tail...round and round and round and round...why is it that it matters not at all to her that she never catches it - is it that she enjoys the mindlessness of running in circles, or is it that she can't let go of the hope that one day she will catch it??

I suppose I have done quite a bit of tail chasing myself...well that's how it feels when I think about all of the time, energy and wasted effort I have spent on chasing nirvana...that place of perfect health, complete happiness, and always being in a state of peace. And if you are anything like me you may have been doing a bit of tail chasing yourself...playing the "if only" game:

If only I had _____. If only I could find _____. If only I was able to _____. If only ____ would happen.

And on occasion the "if only" actually comes true - we get exactly what it is we were so sure we needed to make us happy, to bring us peace, to make life right. Unfortunately when you get that "if only" it is usually followed with a "but now if I could only..."

Well it's taken me a while, but I have finally discovered a truth that has transformed my life - there is no such thing as if only...because we, as is life, is fluid...constantly changing and evolving...so absolutely nothing is going to last forever, and there is no if only that is going to make everything all right forever. Sure there are moments when everything comes together and life does feel just right...but even then it is so easy to start thinking, "well if I only had ____ things would be even better..." or "if I could only _______ my life would be perfect." Well guess what...even if you get that, there is probably going to be another "but now if only" to follow...

So I do my best to live in this moment...right here, right now...with no "if onlys." Simply enjoying whatever I have in this moment and doing all I can to make the most of it. Not that I don't strive to improve, to do better and be better...but I have finally figured out that there is no one "if only" that will make everything perfect...I make the choice in each moment to be grateful for the place I am right now, with all that I have right now, with who I am right now...and I embrace the peace I have found by no longer needing to say, "if only..." ~ Andrea :-)
Written at 8:50 AM by Andrea.
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Friday, November 7, 2008
Replace Fear with Faith...
I recently received an email that is indicative of many that I get, and it started like this: "Today I stumbled across your site on the internet, don't know how but I did..."

This started me to think about how a few years ago my initial reaction to this would have been, "wow, what a coincidence!" But I have since come to know that there really are no accidents - that everything that happens does so because it is divinely intended, and therefore all that we need to know and all that we need to do is always available to us...is always presenting itself to us...as long as we are open to it and don't allow our fear to get in the way.

I am not a person of great religious faith, and for much of my life this was a source of great conflict for me. But I can't begin to tell you how much peace I now have simply because I followed some advice given to me a few years ago of "asking God to reveal Himself to you so that you never doubt his existence again." Whatever it is that you call the Higher Power you believe in - God, Spirit, Allah, Buddha -doesn't really matter. In my heart and mind what does matter is that you are acknowledging and connecting with this powerful force of energy that guides each of us as we travel the path of our individual destiny. Many try to make this relationship complicated by telling us that we have to follow certain rituals or traditions, but I like to think that God/Higher Power is more interested in the kind of life we live, and the kind of human we choose to be, rather than little details like that.

For some having a relationship with God is easy - but for others like me, it is not as easy, not as natural. What I discovered is that it does not have to complicated - it can be as simple as being a choice - just choosing to believe that this Power exists and is working within you to create all of the experiences you are meant to have...to accomplish all that you are intended to accomplish...and that you are evolving as only you are intended during this lifetime.

To find a place of peace in life I believe it is also important to accept that some of your experiences are going to be wonderful, happy, and fun. And other experiences will be difficult, challenging...and very hard. Remember that it is during these times that you achieve the greatest growth, gain the most knowledge, and become prepared for your next level of awareness and enlightenment.

Fear is a very powerful emotion that can manifest itself in physical as well as emotional ways. And all it needs to feed itself and become more powerful is for you to acknowledge it and focus on it. I am so very thankful that I was able to let go of the albatross of fear that at one time consumed my life...and was able to do so simply because I made the choice to stop living that kind of life. God has guided me to the awareness that we each have the power to choose - that we have the ability to choose our thoughts and where we focus our attention, and therefore have the power to influence what we attract to our lives. We can choose to know that no matter how far we stray or how deep our wounds, God/Higher Power will be there to light the way. I have made the choice to live in faith and to know that my future will be bright, simply because I choose to believe that it is possible...and you can make this choice, too.

Decide to replace your fears with faith...and know that everything is going to be ok. No matter how much turmoil there is in the world, no matter how bleak or dark our days...great and wonderful things are on the horizon if we choose to align ourselves with them. So let go of your fear...it isn't serving you, it's only harming you...and choose to fill yourself with the faith that the path you are walking is the right one for you...and there are many wonderful and amazing things ahead. ~ Andrea :-)
Written at 10:34 AM by Andrea.
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Sunday, November 2, 2008
Carry Hope In Your Heart...
"A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We've been living through some tough times, no doubt about it. People are losing their jobs, their investments & retirement savings, and there is turmoil around the world. These events have caused many to question their faith, and even lose hope for the future.

I know there has been an overwhelming current of uncertainy the last few months, and there may be more ahead. But I am going to make a prediction: I truly believe that brighter days are just around the corner. There are so many of us who now have an awareness of the connection between the energy we project and the energy we attract, and are continually making a focused, concentrated effort to align with positive thinking and positive expectation. And those collective forces are beginning to produce results...the air of negativity and fear is subsiding, and seeds of hope are growing and spreading.

We are human, and as such we seem to have a natural inclination to fear the unknow. But we have also been blessed with a free will and an ability to choose - we have the ability to decide how we react to the circumstances in our own lives, and how we react to the events that occur in the world around us. And so I have made the choice to align my thinking with the energy of hope and optimism...my heart is full with the knowing that brighter days are ahead for all of us. We will elect the right man as our President, the financial crisis will pass, we will create a more peaceful world, we will learn to better honor ourselves and each other...and I know many others who hold this belief as well.

I pray that you too will choose to fill your heart with hope - and that you will see brighter days ahead, for yourself and for the world. Let go of negativity and be willing to align yourself with all of the infinite positive energy that fills our universe. ~ Andrea :-)
Written at 2:07 PM by Andrea.
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