Good morning to all you enlightened beings! Thank you for stopping by, I hope my message speaks to your heart and warms your soul. I hope to create a discussion with this topic. I would love to hear your comments, beliefs, and experiences. Please feel free to share openly and honestly.
Today I want to discuss Hope. I know many like myself sometimes become disturbed when we flip on the news or even look around at all the insanity and wickedness of this world. Every other day I hear of a child missing, villages being slaughtered, innocent girls being raped, parents abusing their children, or children killing their parents and I become consumed with feelings of hopelessness. When you constantly hear these horrible things that go on in our world, you begin to lose hope for humanity. Can we change? Are we really just empty vessels of hatred and contempt? Do we have no souls? Do those who do wicked acts know the pain they’re inflicting on others and themselves? More importantly, do they give a damn?
I have hope for this world, for humanity. I believe one day there will be no racism. No one will look at someone with a different skin color and hate them because the pigment in their flesh is of another shade. I believe the horrible slaughters that occur in Somalia will cease and the children will be free and know unconditional love. I believe the ongoing religious battle in the Middle East will end, and both parties will unite in harmony. I believe young girls who are bought and sold like cattle for sexual deviances will be free from their bondage and men will no longer lust for their innocence. I believe that the man who injects himself with needles to numb the pain from his past will soon realize his inner beauty and love himself as his creator does. I believe the mother who is subjected to nightly beatings from her husband will acknowledge her worth and realize she does not have to be a victim any longer. I believe the young boy who is contemplating suicide will wake up from his hell and understand that he doesn’t have to give up; he can press on and move forward with more love for himself than he could ever imagine. I believe the young girl who was a victim of rape will stop subjecting herself to men who don’t love her, and know her worth is more than any amount of diamonds or gold; she will see her beauty and love it as her creator does and always has. I believe that the pedophile that lusts for young children can change, that he will let go of the abuse he suffered in the past and no longer subject innocent victims to his malice. I believe our governments around the world will realize that financial gain is nothing when compared to the lives and wellbeing of all citizens who are worth more than any product that can be bought and sold. I believe that the gang member who commits crimes of violence will stand up against these acts and show his fellow brothers the darkness of their ways and guide them towards the light where they show love for themselves and their community. I believe the twisted corporations who destroy our planet earth with pollution will realize the error of their ways and cease not because of penalties set upon them but because of a divine love that will consume them. I believe those who hate me and my beliefs will one day let go of the fears of this world and love me as a fellow being of divine love.
Some of you may laugh at my beliefs; some of you may hope for these very same occurrences, some of you may be so bound to the current circumstances you don’t know what to think. You may wonder how could any of these things possibly happen? It starts with You. We have every opportunity to show the world hope; to show the world love. It can start with something as simple as a smile to a stranger. It can starts with the kind gesture of opening the door for someone. It can start with helping an elderly lady put her groceries in her car. It starts with showing your children ways of love, understanding, patience and not fear, guilt, and criticism. It starts with you speaking from your heart when you hear someone speaking poorly about a fellow brother. It starts with opening yourself up to the idea of a world filled with love. Can you imagine it? Could you imagine living with no fear? If everyone were to love as children do, would there be any unnecessary pain? It starts with love for yourself and continues eternally with an omniscient love for all.
Let’s all do one thing a day to make someone else smile. One smile can manifest into beautiful friendships and unlimited possibilities. My new friends Gia and her kind mother Mrs. Nardini taught me a beautiful lesson. I was warmly invited into their home after a mutual friend shared one of my blogs with them both. The experience was so wonderful, so incredible, and absolutely humbling. The feast they both shared with the group of us was unbelievable. One of my favorite foods, shrimp ceviche started the evening’s menu along with spinach artichoke dip with tortilla chips, all homemade of course. I had never experienced an Italian family dinner, and the food just kept coming. The main course was Vegetable Ravioli Lasagna (A Signature item of Chef Gia) which was smothered in cheese and filled with spinach and asparagus. It was accompanied by a fresh salad and an enormous bowl of mouthwatering homemade garlic rolls. I had close to 8 by myself. Gia and her Mrs. Nardini topped the miraculous evening with Italian desserts, zeppole and truffles, both were delectable. We spent the evening sharing stories, celebrating multiple Graduations, and new friendships. Mrs. Nardini made a toast and shared with the table how my blog made her feel. It made her smile and she was so touched by it she passed the story along to a group she’s a part of who share things that make them smile. I was very touched that opening my heart on my blog had unknowingly made a stranger smile. By the blessing of her hospitable invitation she opened her heart to me and a new friendship was born. Do you see the power of a smile?
Believe in hope for this world. Share your belief by sharing a smile.
With All my Love,
Jen
Friday, August 19, 2011
A Lesson on Giving
Good afternoon everyone! I hope your day has been blessed and enlightening! I have a fun and interesting story to share with you that happened to me yesterday. Has anyone else experienced an encounter like this? Please feel free to leave any comments, thoughts and personal experiences.
Yesterday I witnessed a very valuable lesson in life. My friends and I were hanging out enjoying a beautiful South Florida summer afternoon having some drinks at this restaurant on the water. At some point I noticed this older man sitting by himself enjoying a cold beer. He was gazing out to the water and seemed to be in deep thought. I didn’t know what it was, but something intrigued me about this man and I had this notion come to me; I should buy him a drink. I’m not really sure what it was that motivated me to do so, but I asked my server to send him a drink and put it on my tab. I continued to carry on with my friends as we enjoyed our appetizers. When our server came to check on us she told me the man I had sent the drink to was very surprised and so happy. He hadn’t “had a drink bought for him in 50 years.” It pleased me that this man was tickled by the gesture. It had begun to rain and the man came out from the rain to underneath the patio where we were sitting. He approached our table and introduced himself as Teddy. He was an Irishman from Boston and had lived in Florida for the past 20 years. He thanked me for the drink and then like a wise guru he began to pour his wisdom and knowledge on me. I listened to him share his thoughts on philosophy, life, and his favorite books with great intrigue. I spoke very little, but absorbed every word like a small inquisitive child. I genuinely enjoyed our long exchange and was so happy that I made a new friend. As the evening came to an end our server brought us our check. My friends and I were getting out our money to pay when Teddy insisted on picking up our check. We politely refused his generous offer, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He handed our waitress and $100 dollar bill and told her it was on him. I couldn’t believe how kind this gentleman was. We all graciously thanked him, still in disbelief. He told us that money is essentially nothing because you can’t take it when you’re gone, so we should give as much as you can while you’re here on earth. We conversed for a few more minutes and then said our goodbyes. He thanked me again for sending him the drink and said it really made his day. He told me that fellowship and spending good times with your friends and loved ones is something to always treasure and to never take for granted, then he smiled as if to say he enjoyed the time we spent as much as I had. I went home very appreciative of the experience we just shared and the new friend I had made.
The lesson I learned in this experience was to give with love with no expectations of receiving. I had not expected to receive such great wisdom, let alone have our meal paid for. When you graciously give to the universe, the universe gives it back to you 10 fold. This world has trained us from a young age that there is scarcity and limited resources. This mindset creates an illusion of lack, deprivation, competition, and greed. We stop ourselves from giving sometimes because we feel we do not have enough to share. But you can only receive what you give away. The fear of lack and scarcity is what creates more lack and scarcity. When you’re constantly thinking “I don’t have enough,” “I’m deprived,” and other thoughts of deficiency you bring more scarcity into your life. We can never receive greatness if we fail to give it first. We can never receive abundance if we are constantly hoarding what we feel are valued possessions. Give, give, and give some more. We are not here on this earth to get as much as we can, we are here to share and give all of our love away.
Love unconditionally, give with a gracious heart, and never expect anything in return.
Sending out my love,
Jen
Yesterday I witnessed a very valuable lesson in life. My friends and I were hanging out enjoying a beautiful South Florida summer afternoon having some drinks at this restaurant on the water. At some point I noticed this older man sitting by himself enjoying a cold beer. He was gazing out to the water and seemed to be in deep thought. I didn’t know what it was, but something intrigued me about this man and I had this notion come to me; I should buy him a drink. I’m not really sure what it was that motivated me to do so, but I asked my server to send him a drink and put it on my tab. I continued to carry on with my friends as we enjoyed our appetizers. When our server came to check on us she told me the man I had sent the drink to was very surprised and so happy. He hadn’t “had a drink bought for him in 50 years.” It pleased me that this man was tickled by the gesture. It had begun to rain and the man came out from the rain to underneath the patio where we were sitting. He approached our table and introduced himself as Teddy. He was an Irishman from Boston and had lived in Florida for the past 20 years. He thanked me for the drink and then like a wise guru he began to pour his wisdom and knowledge on me. I listened to him share his thoughts on philosophy, life, and his favorite books with great intrigue. I spoke very little, but absorbed every word like a small inquisitive child. I genuinely enjoyed our long exchange and was so happy that I made a new friend. As the evening came to an end our server brought us our check. My friends and I were getting out our money to pay when Teddy insisted on picking up our check. We politely refused his generous offer, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He handed our waitress and $100 dollar bill and told her it was on him. I couldn’t believe how kind this gentleman was. We all graciously thanked him, still in disbelief. He told us that money is essentially nothing because you can’t take it when you’re gone, so we should give as much as you can while you’re here on earth. We conversed for a few more minutes and then said our goodbyes. He thanked me again for sending him the drink and said it really made his day. He told me that fellowship and spending good times with your friends and loved ones is something to always treasure and to never take for granted, then he smiled as if to say he enjoyed the time we spent as much as I had. I went home very appreciative of the experience we just shared and the new friend I had made.
The lesson I learned in this experience was to give with love with no expectations of receiving. I had not expected to receive such great wisdom, let alone have our meal paid for. When you graciously give to the universe, the universe gives it back to you 10 fold. This world has trained us from a young age that there is scarcity and limited resources. This mindset creates an illusion of lack, deprivation, competition, and greed. We stop ourselves from giving sometimes because we feel we do not have enough to share. But you can only receive what you give away. The fear of lack and scarcity is what creates more lack and scarcity. When you’re constantly thinking “I don’t have enough,” “I’m deprived,” and other thoughts of deficiency you bring more scarcity into your life. We can never receive greatness if we fail to give it first. We can never receive abundance if we are constantly hoarding what we feel are valued possessions. Give, give, and give some more. We are not here on this earth to get as much as we can, we are here to share and give all of our love away.
Love unconditionally, give with a gracious heart, and never expect anything in return.
Sending out my love,
Jen
The Journey of Self Discovery
Good morning all you beautiful souls! Welcome and thank you for taking some time out of your day to relax and open your mind and heart. Please feel free to share all of your comments and thoughts. I appreciate every word of encouragement and support that you all have given me thus far.
This has been a difficult process for me. This journey of self-discovery that I am traveling has its moments of sheer bliss and absolute terror. There are moments where I feel confident and utterly free, but then feelings of self-doubt and insecurity cast over me like a shadow of darkness. “Who are you to share these thoughts?” “No one wants to read this crap.” “Who really gives a damn how you feel, Jennifer?” All these questions and more consume my mind every time I begin to open my heart. I realize that this is the Ego making every attempt to save its life. For self-love and self-acceptance destroy the Ego. It only thrives when you think you’re nothing and worthless. It feeds off of your self-destructive thoughts and behaviors.
To clarify I have provided the definition of the Ego according to a Course in Miracles.
ego :
the belief in the reality of the separated or false self, made as substitute for the Self Which God created; the thought of separation that gives rise to sin, guilt, fear, and a thought system based on specialness to protect itself; the part of the mind that believes it is separate from the Mind of Christ; this split mind has two parts: wrong- and right-mindedness; almost always used to denote " wrong-mindedness," but can include the part of the split mind that can learn to choose right-mindedness.
(Note -- not to be equated with the "ego" of psychoanalysis, but can be roughly equated with the entire psyche, of which the psychoanalytic " ego" is a part.)
Your Ego is the voice in your head telling you that you’re not good enough, or that you’re superior to all other life forms. The Ego separates you from yourself, your fellow brothers and sisters, and God. It wants to put you in the small corner of solitude where you feel like you’re either too good or not good enough for anyone. We have to find balance, our center. The place where we love ourselves fully and love our brothers and sisters with equal unconditional love. A balance where we give our heart and accept our brothers and sisters hearts as well. Where we no longer judge another person by our own skewed perceptions, but love and accept them just how they are. Where were not fearful of being vulnerable, and we go into the world with an open heart. Where we don’t feel the need to put on a mask and hide our so-called imperfections, but we embrace them and love ourselves for our individual uniqueness.
The night before I posted my first blog my mind was racing with all these self-deprecating thoughts. I worried what others would think, how people would respond to it, and what people would think of me for thinking those thoughts. (Its ironic because my first blog was about eliminating the need for acceptance from others) I suppose posting it was my response to my Ego. After I posted it I had this short moment of complete self-love. It didn’t last long before the Ego starting firing its ammunition. These feelings of regret, self-doubt, and fear starting forming in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t know what would be worse, if everyone read it and ridiculed me, or if no one read it at all. Then a warm feeling came over me. I realized it didn’t really matter. If no one read it, I’m opening myself up and learning more and more about Jen, that’s a positive. If 100 people read it and laughed, but one person’s spirit was lifted that’s a miracle.
I thank you for allowing me to have this space to share my thoughts. It is very therapeutic to be able to express ourselves. Whether it is through art, photography, writing, playing sports, holding your child, preparing your love a home cooked meal, volunteering, singing in the choir, whatever you do, never hold yourself back and do it with love.
Sending my love with an open heart,
Jen
This has been a difficult process for me. This journey of self-discovery that I am traveling has its moments of sheer bliss and absolute terror. There are moments where I feel confident and utterly free, but then feelings of self-doubt and insecurity cast over me like a shadow of darkness. “Who are you to share these thoughts?” “No one wants to read this crap.” “Who really gives a damn how you feel, Jennifer?” All these questions and more consume my mind every time I begin to open my heart. I realize that this is the Ego making every attempt to save its life. For self-love and self-acceptance destroy the Ego. It only thrives when you think you’re nothing and worthless. It feeds off of your self-destructive thoughts and behaviors.
To clarify I have provided the definition of the Ego according to a Course in Miracles.
ego :
the belief in the reality of the separated or false self, made as substitute for the Self Which God created; the thought of separation that gives rise to sin, guilt, fear, and a thought system based on specialness to protect itself; the part of the mind that believes it is separate from the Mind of Christ; this split mind has two parts: wrong- and right-mindedness; almost always used to denote " wrong-mindedness," but can include the part of the split mind that can learn to choose right-mindedness.
(Note -- not to be equated with the "ego" of psychoanalysis, but can be roughly equated with the entire psyche, of which the psychoanalytic " ego" is a part.)
Your Ego is the voice in your head telling you that you’re not good enough, or that you’re superior to all other life forms. The Ego separates you from yourself, your fellow brothers and sisters, and God. It wants to put you in the small corner of solitude where you feel like you’re either too good or not good enough for anyone. We have to find balance, our center. The place where we love ourselves fully and love our brothers and sisters with equal unconditional love. A balance where we give our heart and accept our brothers and sisters hearts as well. Where we no longer judge another person by our own skewed perceptions, but love and accept them just how they are. Where were not fearful of being vulnerable, and we go into the world with an open heart. Where we don’t feel the need to put on a mask and hide our so-called imperfections, but we embrace them and love ourselves for our individual uniqueness.
The night before I posted my first blog my mind was racing with all these self-deprecating thoughts. I worried what others would think, how people would respond to it, and what people would think of me for thinking those thoughts. (Its ironic because my first blog was about eliminating the need for acceptance from others) I suppose posting it was my response to my Ego. After I posted it I had this short moment of complete self-love. It didn’t last long before the Ego starting firing its ammunition. These feelings of regret, self-doubt, and fear starting forming in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t know what would be worse, if everyone read it and ridiculed me, or if no one read it at all. Then a warm feeling came over me. I realized it didn’t really matter. If no one read it, I’m opening myself up and learning more and more about Jen, that’s a positive. If 100 people read it and laughed, but one person’s spirit was lifted that’s a miracle.
I thank you for allowing me to have this space to share my thoughts. It is very therapeutic to be able to express ourselves. Whether it is through art, photography, writing, playing sports, holding your child, preparing your love a home cooked meal, volunteering, singing in the choir, whatever you do, never hold yourself back and do it with love.
Sending my love with an open heart,
Jen
Forgiveness of Others vs Forgiveness of Self
Good day to you all! Thank you for being here. Please enter with an open mind and an open heart. Express yourself freely and genuinely. This is a place to clear your mind and cleanse your soul.
Today I choose to discuss forgiveness. Such a difficult act. The Act of Forgiveness is something I have personally struggled with myself many times. Why is it so difficult? No one likes to be upset with someone. No one enjoys the sickening pit in the middle of your stomach that keeps you in a dark place. Why do we put ourselves through it? Do we feel if we forgive that person it’s like were telling them, “It’s okay to do what you did. I accept it.” No, hell no in fact. Whatever that person did may have been wrong, but that person is a Child of God. YOU are a Child of God. You don’t have to accept what they did, forgiving someone isn’t giving them permission to hurt you again. It’s freeing yourself from that circumstance, that momentary instance of intense brutal pain. You are not a prisoner. Do not hold yourself hostage in the past. What’s done is done and OVER. If we’re still feeling it now, it’s because we brought it with us to our present. Let it go and free yourself from that hell.
It’s much easier to forgive someone else, than it is to forgive ourselves. We are so hard on ourselves. We beat ourselves down for everything. Nothing is ever good enough; we could have “always done better.” Stop it! Of course we can always look back and think, “I could have done it better, and I should have done it this way.” This is after the fact. You didn’t know then what you know now. That’s what growing is, that’s what life’s about. We start out taking the long road of bad choices and stupid mistakes. We have our loved ones on the side of the road saying, “Wrong way!” But we don’t listen! No, no, no, we know something they don’t! We will stubbornly ride this road all the way to the end, confident that we know what we’re doing. Till suddenly we get to the end of that road and crash. Once we lift ourselves up and look at the wreckage we think, “How stupid am I?! I should have known better.” Yeah, we probably should have, but we didn’t. All of our broken paths lead us to where we are now. When the possibilities are endless there is no such thing as perfection, to be perfect is an illusion. With endless possibilities we can do anything with time. But time, is something we don’t always have. So we make the best of what we have with the time allotted and the knowledge available. That’s all we can expect from ourselves, and everyone else in this world. Be easy on yourself, the world is hard enough on you already. Acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how big or small. Praise yourself for each small victory, whether its getting to work or class on time, passing through that stubborn stop light with ease, or even just getting out of bed. For each small victory leads to a greater more significant triumph. Look at what you have done and where you have came from. I promise if you look at yourself in the mirror and say “I forgive myself because I’m wonderful!” you can’t help but smile and feel good about yourself. Let whatever it is you did or didn’t do go. Learn from it, grow from it and Be Free of it.
I wish you a most blessed day full of spiritual richness and unconditional love.
With All my Heart,
Jen
Today I choose to discuss forgiveness. Such a difficult act. The Act of Forgiveness is something I have personally struggled with myself many times. Why is it so difficult? No one likes to be upset with someone. No one enjoys the sickening pit in the middle of your stomach that keeps you in a dark place. Why do we put ourselves through it? Do we feel if we forgive that person it’s like were telling them, “It’s okay to do what you did. I accept it.” No, hell no in fact. Whatever that person did may have been wrong, but that person is a Child of God. YOU are a Child of God. You don’t have to accept what they did, forgiving someone isn’t giving them permission to hurt you again. It’s freeing yourself from that circumstance, that momentary instance of intense brutal pain. You are not a prisoner. Do not hold yourself hostage in the past. What’s done is done and OVER. If we’re still feeling it now, it’s because we brought it with us to our present. Let it go and free yourself from that hell.
It’s much easier to forgive someone else, than it is to forgive ourselves. We are so hard on ourselves. We beat ourselves down for everything. Nothing is ever good enough; we could have “always done better.” Stop it! Of course we can always look back and think, “I could have done it better, and I should have done it this way.” This is after the fact. You didn’t know then what you know now. That’s what growing is, that’s what life’s about. We start out taking the long road of bad choices and stupid mistakes. We have our loved ones on the side of the road saying, “Wrong way!” But we don’t listen! No, no, no, we know something they don’t! We will stubbornly ride this road all the way to the end, confident that we know what we’re doing. Till suddenly we get to the end of that road and crash. Once we lift ourselves up and look at the wreckage we think, “How stupid am I?! I should have known better.” Yeah, we probably should have, but we didn’t. All of our broken paths lead us to where we are now. When the possibilities are endless there is no such thing as perfection, to be perfect is an illusion. With endless possibilities we can do anything with time. But time, is something we don’t always have. So we make the best of what we have with the time allotted and the knowledge available. That’s all we can expect from ourselves, and everyone else in this world. Be easy on yourself, the world is hard enough on you already. Acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how big or small. Praise yourself for each small victory, whether its getting to work or class on time, passing through that stubborn stop light with ease, or even just getting out of bed. For each small victory leads to a greater more significant triumph. Look at what you have done and where you have came from. I promise if you look at yourself in the mirror and say “I forgive myself because I’m wonderful!” you can’t help but smile and feel good about yourself. Let whatever it is you did or didn’t do go. Learn from it, grow from it and Be Free of it.
I wish you a most blessed day full of spiritual richness and unconditional love.
With All my Heart,
Jen
Expression of Love
Good morning family, friends, and those friends that I have yet to meet. I thank you for taking the time out of your day to share this moment with me. I’m creating this space for free flowing thought and expression. I want to openly express the deepest thoughts of my inner being and I invite you to do the same. I welcome all your thoughts, ideas, and comments whether or not we have the same perspective.
I have continued to look out to the world for answers to my questions, approval of my thoughts, and acceptance of my ideas. I have finally accepted that we will not and will never find those things externally. They must be felt within. Therefore I present to you my soul, open whole heartedly. I do not know where this journey will take us, but I pray that we will have some laughs, some happiness, and maybe even some enlightenment. I hope the words that flow from my heart will touch someone else’s in a way that opens their heart and mind to a new perspective. I pray that they share that new found perspective with a loved one who will then have a seed of enlightenment planted within them that spreads to the next open heart. I pray that my openness will allow another soul to open their heart.
A closed mind and a closed heart shut out the life source that keep all of us going, Love. We close our minds because we don’t understand something, or even fear it. We close our hearts because we recall a time that we opened it to someone and it was shattered. We rather not feel anything than feel that piercing, infectious, degenerating coma of pain and heartache. We must let that fear go. Yes it hurts, and yes it may happen again. But after you get knocked down and trampled on, You will rise again. You will become a stronger and wiser being that will continue to Love regardless how others accept that Love. There is no greater gift than that of Love, and if you don’t Love yourself how can you give that gift to others? LOVE YOURSELF. You are absolutely beautiful. You are the only You there is, ever was, and ever will be. There is no greater disgrace than to deny yourself. Be You. Only You. For Always.
Follow your heart, open your mind, and be true to yourself.
With an open heart I send out my Love,
Jen
I have continued to look out to the world for answers to my questions, approval of my thoughts, and acceptance of my ideas. I have finally accepted that we will not and will never find those things externally. They must be felt within. Therefore I present to you my soul, open whole heartedly. I do not know where this journey will take us, but I pray that we will have some laughs, some happiness, and maybe even some enlightenment. I hope the words that flow from my heart will touch someone else’s in a way that opens their heart and mind to a new perspective. I pray that they share that new found perspective with a loved one who will then have a seed of enlightenment planted within them that spreads to the next open heart. I pray that my openness will allow another soul to open their heart.
A closed mind and a closed heart shut out the life source that keep all of us going, Love. We close our minds because we don’t understand something, or even fear it. We close our hearts because we recall a time that we opened it to someone and it was shattered. We rather not feel anything than feel that piercing, infectious, degenerating coma of pain and heartache. We must let that fear go. Yes it hurts, and yes it may happen again. But after you get knocked down and trampled on, You will rise again. You will become a stronger and wiser being that will continue to Love regardless how others accept that Love. There is no greater gift than that of Love, and if you don’t Love yourself how can you give that gift to others? LOVE YOURSELF. You are absolutely beautiful. You are the only You there is, ever was, and ever will be. There is no greater disgrace than to deny yourself. Be You. Only You. For Always.
Follow your heart, open your mind, and be true to yourself.
With an open heart I send out my Love,
Jen
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