This SO speaks to me ...!

I'm enjoying the miracle, AND trusting what's unfolding ...!

So, so, SOOOOO much joy!

SOOO much gratitude for ALL that it took!

SOOO much appreciation for ALL that I have!

SOOO much anticipatio for ALL that is coming!

YesyesyesyesyesyesyesYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Lovely Girl,

Look around at what exists in your life right now, beautiful friend. Look at the events that had to be orchestrated to get you to exactly where you are, doing exactly what you are doing, with exactly who you are with, learning exactly what you are learning and experiencing exactly what you are experiencing.

Look at all of this and know that it was meant just for you. If it feels like you are in a place that you would rather not be at this time, just know that you are in the middle....on the way from here to there....and that you will get through it...that it will last exactly as long as it's supposed to last and teach you exactly what you are meant to learn. And later, you will see how this time was one of your very greatest teachers.

If you are in a place that feels miraculous and wonderful...full of beauty and peace...be sure to marvel in it. Breathe it in, know that everything brought you to now...and that there's always a reason that will take your breath away.

Everything matters. Every decision matters, every experience matters, every relationship matters, every interaction matters, every lesson matters. Each piece creates a whole that is the life you are living in this moment.

What a miracle.

Have a beautiful weekend.
xoxo

Shalom & Namaste ~
Dena

Re-Evaluate ...

Dear Important Girl/Guy,

We often don't realize it...but sometimes we find ourselves giving all of our best energy to the very things that we don't want. We do this in lots of ways...by obsessing about things because we wish we could overcome them...by not forgiving things that have hurt us...by continuing to do things that we know are not right for us because of guilt or shame or expectations....or even fear. Sometimes we have just done the same thing for so long, that it has become a habit, and even though we don't want to give any more of our time or our life to it, we just keep doing it anyway. Sometimes we feel trapped, like there is not a better way, like our choices are gone. We always always always have the ability to choose.

There are lots of reasons that we waste minutes and hours of our precious day doing things that STEAL OUR TIME FROM THE THINGS THAT WE WANT THE MOST...from the places where we are truly needed...the places where we will find the most happiness...the places where we belong.

And that is how we must view it, sweet friend.....each minute we spend lending ourselves, our time or talents or energy or thoughts to something that we really want nothing to do with is time that is stolen from the things that really do matter to us. Each minute spent with the parts of our life that we want to be free from is a minute that we are not at peace....a minute that is spent feeling miserable instead of joyful.

PPlease evaluate your time, lovely. Evaluate where you are giving your very best self. Evaluate what it would will take to get back on track. It is worth the work, it is worth the scary steps that it may take to get there. You gotta be in charge of this....no one can do this for you.

You are so important...and you have such important things to do.
You are strong, capable and it is time.
xoxo

Shalom, Dena

The Choice of Change

So, so very timely...!

Dear Lovely Girl (and Magnificent Man) ~

It is going to be ok. Take a deep breath and then another, and just know that everything is going to be just fine.

That big thing you are fearing is so much bigger in your imagination than it is in real life...and it is all going to work out. You know from experience that not everything is easy, or comes easy....but that you have always made it through everything that has come along. You will make it through this too.

Please don't be afraid of change, dear friend, change has to happen for things to grow...for things to get better.....for things to become what they are meant to become. Change is good. Change is uncomfortable and scary and sometimes seems unnecessary....but change MUST happen for things to progress.

You have a choice in this moment and in the next....and the next and the next and the next. So, if it's too hard to choose peace in this moment....know that you have the choice to choose it in the next. You get as many chances as you need to choose to feel peace......and, you can do this. You can feel peace even inside of uncertainty.

Just be still, and listen very closely.

It really is going to be ok....and there really is a plan.

You are very very loved.

xoxo

Shalom & Namaste ~
Dena

Keep Dreaming ...

Y'know, I actually believe this ...! :)

Dear Fantastic Girl,

Someone's got to dream the big dreams...or the big stuff won't happen.....someone's got to fix the stuff that's wrong, or it will continue to get worse....someone's got to be wise and experienced...or there will be no one to turn to when the wisdom is needed. Who will it be?

If you're thinking, dear friend, that you are not nearly enough qualified, or deserving, or "right" to be the one with the big huge dreams....the ways to fix things...or the beautiful wisdom..........sweetheart, it's time to change your thinking.

The world needs those gorgeous ideas brewing in your mind, or who else will make them happen? The world needs all of that passion that goes along with the burning desire in your heart to make things better and to fix what is wrong...or who else is going to do it? And.....honey.....all of those hard things you are learning...those lessons, those trials.....ALL OF THEM....those are the things that will bring the wisdom and the experience that is so needed in the world....because, if not YOU...who else will have it?

Get ready, sister........there are big things planned for you. Keep dreaming, keep fixing, keep helping, keep learning, keep sharing.
Keep with it.

You are needed.
You are loved.
xoxo

Peace ...

A message to me, maybe for others as well..?

Dear Gorgeous Girl,

Peace is good. Peace is so so good. It is worth it to travel whatever lengths you need to go to feel peace. Often, peace is right in front of our face if we will just silence everything else out. Then sometimes we have to make really tough choices or go to great lengths to feel at peace. Whatever it takes, it is worth it. Always go where the peace is, especially the peace in your heart.

Peace is defined as in the dictionary as: freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, etc.; tranquility; serenity. But peace is also defined as the normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations, or the world (or within ourselves!).

Another definition of peace is silence; stillness.

Sometimes we are at war with our own selves, sometimes with an issue -- an addiction or an illness. Making peace with that part of ourselves is a huge step toward peace. Sometimes we just have to COME to peace with it. Some things are a lifetime struggle, a part of us that we just have to come to peace with -- and constantly seek peace inside of it -- and help that part of ourselves seek for peace.

When making tough decisions, you will never regret making the decision that brings the most peace to your heart. Sometimes it doesn't bring the most peace to your LIFE in the short term, but if it is what brings the most peace to your heart, that's the place to go. Always go where the peace is.

Seek peace, sweet girl.

You are loved.
xoxo

Hold Out For the Good Stuff ...

[Yet another wee bit of wisdom from the Brave Girls' Club...]

Dear Patient Girl,

There was probably a time in your life when you wanted nothing more than to have cookies for breakfast every single morning, when you didn't want to practice your reading or do any of your homework, when you were absolutely POSITIVE that you wanted to marry that boy down the street. But someone who knew better than you did made you eat your eggs and toast, made you read for 30 minutes a day -- and life happened in such a way that may have broken your heart when that 14 year old boy chose baseball over you.

-- and you ended up with the life you were SUPPOSED to have, not the one you thought you wanted before you knew what you know now.

Sweet friend, it still works that way, you know. We still think we know what is best for us..we think we know exactly what we want...and when it doesn't happen we want to lay down on the floor and kick and scream and throw fits like a toddler. Or, sometimes our heart just feels like it might break into too many pieces to ever come back together.

But then, the GOOD things happen. The things that were supposed to happen all along...the things that were so much better than what we thought we wanted...the things we didn't even know existed until they showed up in our life EXACTLY when they were supposed to, sometimes after waiting for a very very very long time.

So hold out for the eggs and toast, sister. Hold out, be patient -- the good stuff is coming.

There's a plan for you, and it's gonna be good.

xoxo

I believe this, and the believing feels delicious ...!

Shalom & Namaste ~
Dena

Nebulous Hope ...

[Another message from the Brave Girls' Club]

Dear Miraculous Girl,

We all have a beautiful, amazing and happy life that is meant for us, but we must do our part each day. We just have to.

When everything seems to be awry and we feel like we have nothing left to cling to, it is our responsibility, and in our power, to cling to HOPE.
We need to look for the things that will bring even tiny glimmers of hope, because hope grows when we focus on it -- and turns to faith, which turns to miracles.

It all starts with hope, though.

When all that you can do is HOPE, it is enough. But don't ever STOP hoping. Hope is the little seed that will help you find faith again, that will help you work toward all that is in your heart...hope is more important than we can ever imagine and we must do all that we can to hold on to it, to never let its light get blown out. W must always hold tightly onto hope -- protect it, take care of it, believe in it.

What is hope, exactly?

hope n.
1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

Keep your beautiful mind focused on hope...your heart is already there. Just keep hoping, then keep the faith, then expect miracles, and be willing to take those miracles in whatever form they come in even when you were expecting something different.

Brave girls have hope. -- yes, you have hope. Keep your hope alive. Spread hope to others.

You are so incredible, so very beautiful, and ohhhh so loved.
xoxo

Shalom & Namaste ~
Dena

In Other Words ...

From the files ...

It is in our nature to defy gravity, to transcend the limitations of the reasoning mind and connect with an inner realm of mystical truth. We have always been on the quest for this truth; we have always been seeking a way to defy the laws that weigh us down in ordinary thought. From a Renaissance of the mind, we are now coming full circle to a mystical Renaissance. It’s time to learn the truths that govern our interior soul.

~ Carolyn Myss

[oh, sing it, woman!!!]

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
~T.S. Elliot

[... and one day my soul just opened up ...!]

Mystical understanding is a ray of light, God’s kiss that transforms us back into who we truly are. Each of us can put down the burden of our false self and allow our truth to reemerge.
~ Marianne Williamson

[oooooooh, sensing a theme here -- yeah, baby!]

— Trust in yourself. This means hearing your soul speak in whatever way it does. Intuition is generally a reliable voice, in whatever form it expresses itself individually. Mahatma Gandhi explained his sense of it: “What is Truth? A difficult question; but I have solved it for myself by saying that it is what the ‘voice within’ tells you.”

— Trust in others. This means noninterference as much as possible. Everyone has the universe located in him or her; trusting others frees you from feeling obligated to interfere. In the words of Lao-tzu in the Tao Te Ching: “Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it? I do not believe it can be done.”

— Trust in the Source of being. This means trusting the mystery of creation. The universal Source of all creation, invisible though it may be, guides you just as it guided your development in the womb. When you trust in Divine intelligence, you cooperate and invite the shift to Meaning.
~Wayne Dyer

[yes-yes-yes-YES! sorry, I just get so danged excited. only, I'm really not sorry!]

How open is your heart? How available are you to love?

Fish don’t practice swimming—love is our water, and you are a natural swimmer…are you making love harder than it needs to be?

~ Wendy Robbins

[love is who we *are*... so be that.]

Because you will not be judged, you cannot be condemned.

Because you will never be condemned, you will know at last that love is unconditional.

~ Neal Donald Walsch (or, God)

The choices that others make cannot negatively impact your experience unless you include them in your experience through your attention to them. Things come to you only through your Vibrational invitation—and they remain only by your continuing attention to them.

Your Universe is based upon freedom. Freedom for everyone to choose what they give their attention to, and therefore what they choose to experience. And your interaction with one another provides a contrasting basis that assures continual expansion.

When others achieve Vibrational alignment with something they desire, they in no way deprive you of your desires. If your time-space reality has inspired a desire within you, it is certain that your desire can be fulfilled, for your Earth environment has the potential of satisfying the essence of all desires.
--- Abraham

[ok ... I confess ... I gasped outloud at this next one...!]

The path to enlightenment is not a path at all, Dena, it's actually a metaphor for the time it takes for you to allow yourself to be happy with who you already are - no matter what.

Just do it, The Universe

Synchronicity may appear random, but at closer look you will see that the universe is giving what you asked for.

When events appear to fit together perfectly in our lives it may seem at first that they are random occurrences, things that are the result of coincidence. These synchronous happenings, though, are much more than that, for, if we look at them more closely they can show us that the universe is listening to us and gently communicating with us. Learning to pay attention to and link the things that occur on a daily basis can be a way for us to become more attuned to the fact that most everything happens in our lives for a reason – even when that reason is not clear right away.

When we realize that things often go more smoothly than we can ever imagine, it allows us to take the time to reflect on the patterns in our lives. Even events that might not at first seem to be related to each other are indicators that the universe is working with, not against, us. This idea of synchronicity, then, means that we have to trust there is more to our lives than what we experience on a physical level. We need to be willing to look more closely at the bigger picture, accepting and having confidence in the fact that there is more to our experiences than immediately meets the eye. Being open to synchronicity also means that we have to understand that our lives are filled with both positive and negative events. Once we can recognize that one event is neither more desirable nor better than the other – they all have an overall purpose in our lives - then we are truly ready to listen to the messages the universe gives us.

While we may not be able to see everything in our lives as being synchronous, we can certainly use hindsight to be more aware of how the universe guides us. This sense of wonder at the mysteries of the universe and the interconnectedness present in our lives will help us see our overall ways of being and will in turn make it easier to work more consciously towards our spiritual evolution.

[I do adore the serendipitous nature of synchronicity -- and it's fun to type, too!)

[Just now, as I looked at the time, it shifted to 11:11 ...! :) ]

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."

~Robert F. Kennedy

[having "failed" ... only to discover that it was the very liberation that I desperately needed, I am learning to trust the inner Voice ... I am learning to walk on the edge of the cliff ... I am daring to believe that if I fall, I'll either be caught, or learn to fly ...]

Enjoy where you are and you'll be where you're going.

-- Bashar

[don't be thinking this quote is about geography ...!]

So at this moment, there is great awe and wonderment at the process again. How quickly we forget! How quickly we forget the grandness that we are. And how clearly this demonstrates what we refer to as the Great Remembrance. Remembering your true nature. Remembering that you are Source, first and foremost.

That you are eternal beings of light, of energy, of love. This is your true nature, you see. And any time you have a thought that is different from that, it is not a true thought. Any time you see yourself as smaller than your greatness, it is not a true thought, it is a lie.

We are the Beloved. And so are you.
~ Kenton David Bell

On this day of your life, Dena, I believe God wants you to know...
...that all problems can evaporate in the blink of an eye,
and that you are eternally abundant.

I know, I know...it sometimes doesn't seem that way, but the
truth is, you always have everything you need, right here, right now.

Do you know how I know?

You're still here. If you hadn't always been given everything you ever needed, you wouldn't be here.

Now all that is necessary is for you to understand this deeply.
Then, stop worrying. You'll be okay. Wait and see.
Or better yet, don't wait at all. Experience this right now.
And remember it when things don't look so good
(in your imagination).

[ok, I'm believing, I'm trusting, I'm receiving, I'm allowing, I'm letting myself fall into this ... I'll be ok -- I AM ok, right now]

There's a link between each and everything you've ever done and where you are now. It's all contributed to making the present the best possible place to be. In other words, do take time to thank all of your former incarnations, both in this life and in others.

[if any guys are reading this - and congrats to you for making it this far! - just apply what fits ... lol, or let your inner-female read this one! yes, you DO have one!]

Dear Unforgettable Girl,

It's one of the paradoxes of life, one of the most confusing and hard to take things; but it's one of the important truths that painful and difficult things often get worse before they get better.

For a wound to heal, often the infection must be cleaned out before you can stitch it up. When a baby is born, after hours and hours of painful labor, the worst pain of all comes just before the miraculous birth. When the sun goes down at night and leaves the sky dark, it gets very darkest right before the sun comes up.

This can teach us so much about holding on, about sticking with it, about bearing through it to see the other side of it, about doing the hard work of digging out the infection -- cleaning it thoroughly no matter how painful it is so that we can fully heal.

There is nothing like the feeling of holding a new baby in your arms after that horrific final pain, but somehow the pain you just endured made the experience a million times sweeter once it was over.

When the sun comes up, it is such a welcome beauty after such a dark night.

Would we be able to feel the incredible miracles, the beauty, the joy, the peace if we didn't know this pain just before the pain was over?

Stick with it, beautiful girl. You will be so glad that you did.

You are strong enough. You will be able to do it. Just keep breathing -- keep going. We are rooting for you every step of the way.
xoxo

Shalom & Namaste ~
Dena

For Those Who Know What I'm Talking About

I've shared so much of my life here ... including recent adventures, mis-adventures, and resulting heart-breaks. I've wallowed, and groused, and gushed, and belly-ached, and morosed and blathered, and generally foisted mine stuff all over tarnation, so it seems only right and fitting (despite not believing in right/wrong, and noting how not much fits), that I share an update ...

I know not everyone reads my meandering posts -- so I figure that those who need to, will find it.

It happened: I got over IT.

I didn't think it would happen ... there were dark, dark days in which I despaired of living, and honestly considered committing myself either to a nunnery or a lock-down. Days when I wanted to get in the car, drive 'til I couldn't drive any further, and just sit there. 'Til the thinking, then the breathing, stopped.

I heard all the (hollow-sounding) promises, that life would go on, that I'd find myself again (or perhaps for the first time?) ... that I'd feel again, that joy would return to me ... that I would wake up and smell life again. That I'd find mySelf (which, really, if you wanna know the truth, sounded like a second-rate consolation prize).

I didn't believe none of y'all ...! :P

Nope -- I figured I'd just end up turning my life into a monument for "gloom, despair, agony ... deep dark depression, excessive misery" ... (yes, I was forced to watch FAR too many "Hee-Haw" episodes as a child ... which may be the root of all my unresolved issues!).

But there's this irrepressible, indomitable, irresistible, inevitably-irreversible THING in me, that kept the spark of hope alive in my shattered heart ... I love life. I adore, appreciate, and absolutely APPLAUD this adventure called LIFE ...! All of it -- the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the paths, the detours, the calms, the frenzies, the peace, the passion, the valleys, the mountains, the glorious-messes, the CLIFFS! You get the idea.

And that THING kept burning ... that ember wouldn't die out ... and as I moved forward (often in circles, sometimes crawling an inch at a time), and as I worked my butt off (where did it go?!?), I started noticing that I was noticing ... life around me.

Phoenixes rise out of ashes ... and love emerges out of broken hearts ... geodes crack open to reveal the hidden-beauty within ... until we're broken, we don't know what lies dormant within us ... and I'm so SO glad that I now know...!

I have NO regrets -- I'm extraordinarily grateful for what I've experienced ... the joy, the adventure, the fun, the fear-facing, the revelations, the risks, the pain -- YES, even the pain. Especially the pain. Even knowing what I would suffer, I would do it again. I am that grateful.

I discovered that I can do the unthinkable, and survive.

I discovered that I can face some of my worst fears, and survive.

I discovered that I can lost most of my friends, and survive.

I discovered that I can lose my entire reputation, and survive.

I discovered that I can feel horrendously alone, misunderstood, judged -- and survive.

I discovered that I can be brave enough to seek out my soul's purpose -- and THRIVE...!

In the very thick of that stage of this journey ... and it's amazing.

And ... I've only just begun!

Last night, standing in the middle of my kitchen, I was so overcome with gratitude for ALL of this, that I had to grab the counter ... my hand flew involuntarily to my mouth ... and my knees got so weak, that I had to sit down, right in the middle of the not-yet-swept floor, crumbs and all, and just breeeeeeeathe ...

I could only say, outloud, in a hushed, intense whisper, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you ...!" To the Universe/God/Source, to mySelf, to the one who was a catalyst, to the ones who have assisted me, and to a friend who emerged just when I needed them most ... to show me what I most needed to see.

I sat there in reverential awe ... hugging myself, rocking, tears streaming down my face ... but these were tears of overwhelming joy. I knew I was back ... that I'm Me ... that none of this was a mistake, but a profound orchestration for my soul's purpose ... that I can trust ... that I can live in joy ... that I can love, more than ever before.

So, thank you -- to each of you. You know who you are. I love you.

Shalom & Namaste ~
Dena
(the same, and yet forever-altered)

Leap of Faith ...

Dear Beautiful Girl,

That thing that's been lingering on your mind, burning in your heart, that scary beautiful thing that you can't get out of your whole soul because it wants to be heard and acted upon. Guess what lovely? It's not going to go away.

It's not going to go away because it's the deepest wisdom and authenticity of you trying to get you on exactly the right track. It is your truth.

What would a leap of faith look like? What is it that is holding you back? Would it be so bad just to take that first step? Would it be so bad to stop and really honor yourself and at least listen to that longing?

This is where your choices will make every difference in the world. This is where the fork in the road just might lead to the place you've been praying to be.

Get quiet, dear friend. Listen closely. Then be brave when you know exactly what to do next but can't quite get the courage to do it. Be brave and go for it, then do it again. Live THAT ONE PRECIOUS LIFE OF YOURS - - really really live it.

It is time.
xoxo


[from the Brave Girl's Club]