All is God - God is All

Everything is God
- don Miguel Ruiz

Don't seek God in temples.
He is close to you.
He is within you.
Only you should surrender to Him
and you will rise above happiness and unhappiness.
- Leo Tolstoy

You don't look out there for God, something in the sky,
you look in you.
- Alan Watts

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself,
and know that everything in life has purpose.
There are no mistakes, no coincidences,
all events are blessings given to us to learn from.
- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

To be at one with God is to be at peace...
peace is to be found only within,
and unless one finds it there
he will never find it at all.
Peace lies not in the external world.
It lies within one's own soul.
- Ralph W. Trine

Today's affirmation:
When I see Spirit in everything, Peace is at hand.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Surrender to a Higher Power is a central tenet of 12-step programs,
and is the key to recovering from depression, worry, and fear as well.

Further reading: How to Cope With Life

Breath by Breath

How to Forgive and Move On

Alcoholism in a Relationship - When to Stay, When to Leave
      

Dwell in Peace and Joy

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
- Vivian Greene

Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts,
cause your mind to dwell on peace and joy.
- Ernest Holmes

Find a place inside where there's joy,
and the joy will burn out the pain.
- Joseph Campbell

Have NO EXPECTATIONS.
Life will not meet your expectations.
Choose joy anyway.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: When It's Darkest

Choose Joy Anyway

Beyond Your Worries

Calm During Storms

Count Your Blessings - Not Your Troubles
     

Gratitude for the Smallest Blessings

The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.
- Neale Donald Walsch

The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.
- William Blake

Develop an attitude of gratitude,
and give thanks for everything that happens to you,
knowing that every step forward
is a step toward achieving something bigger
and better than your current situation.
- Brian Tracy

Have Gratitude for the Smallest Blessings,
for the crust of bread and the cool drink of water.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The way to happiness is what I call Zero-Based Gratitude.
Each day be happy and grateful for what you have,
independent of yesterday and of other people.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Read more about Zero-Based Gratitude

Further reading: Everyday Miracles

Comparisons are Odious

Believe in...

To be Fully Alive
     

When Things Look Dark...

Most people give up just when
they're about to achieve success.
They quit on the one yard line.
They give up at the last minute of the game,
one foot from a winning touch down.
- Ross Perot

The lessons of the past provide the path to the future.
- Anonymous

A little more persistence,
a little more effort, and
what seemed hopeless failure
may turn to glorious success.
- Elbert Hubbard

The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Our Light that Frightens Us

Dark Days

Rising Again

Again Tomorrow
     

Blessings Flow to Those Who Open Themselves

When we trust in the natural goodness around us,
we open ourselves for the blessings of life to flow toward us.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies;
but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and,
as the magnet finds the iron,
so it will find, in every hour,
some heavenly blessings!
- Henry Ward Beecher

The roots of all goodness lie
in the soil of appreciation for goodness.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

We return thanks to the Great Spirit,
in whom is embodied all goodness,
and who directs all things for the good of his children.
- Iroquois traditional

Blessings flow toward gratitude.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Creating the world that could be

Believe in People; Believe in Yourself

The Power of Your Intention

Know that You have been Blessed
    

Creating and Celebrating Today

Yesterday is history,
tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That is why it is called Present.
- Anonymous

Do not say, "It is morning,"
and dismiss it with a name of yesterday.
See it for the first time
as a newborn child that has no name.
- Rabindranath Tagore

If you aren't in the moment,
you are either looking forward to uncertainty,
or back to pain and regret.
- Jim Carrey

Today's affirmation:
I walk today's march with courage.
I create today as my celebration of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Celebrating Rainbows and Butterflies - the Small Miracles of Our Life

Life Lessons I Learned From My Cat

Simple is Marvelous

What If Every Day Were Your Day

Being Fully Present in TODAY

Today is for Living
    

Resentment is a Prison

Forgiveness is unlocking the door
to set someone free
and realizing you were the prisoner!
- Max Lucado

To err is human, to forgive divine.
- Alexander Pope

I can only have peace of mind
when I forgive rather than judge.
- Gerald Jampolsky

Forgiveness is an act of self-love.
- don Miguel Ruiz

Resentment is a Prison.
It is not easy to forgive,
but make the effort again and again.
Nothing else you can ever do in life
will repay you as richly as forgiving
and loving those you have called enemy.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Forgiveness Releases the Past

Are You a Prisoner?

Treat ALL with Goodness

The Futility of Regret

Beyond Understanding

God is not what you imagine
or what you think you understand.
If you understand you have failed.
- Saint Augustine

Who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.
- George Meredith

The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask from books,
but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching.
- Joseph Smith, Jr.

When the solution is simple, God is answering.
- Albert Einstein

Further reading: Have a Conversation With God, Today

Surrender

Many Religions, One God

Unanswered Prayers
   

Earth Day 2017 - Let Us Be Protectors Of Our Planet

Let us be protectors of creation,
protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature,
protectors of one another, and of the environment.
- Pope Francis

We need to think of the future and the planet we are
going to leave to our children and their children.
- Kofi Annan

To cherish what remains of the Earth
and to foster its renewal
is our only legitimate hope of survival.
- Wendell Berry

Consider seven generations in the future when making decisions that affect the people.
- Wilma Mankiller

The true meaning of life is to plant trees,
under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
- Nelson Henderson

Further reading: For Future Generations

Our Grandchildren's Planet

Reverence

Your Legacy - Making a Difference

For Our Children
     

What You Think, You Become

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
- Proverbs 23:7

Change your thoughts, change your life.
- James Allen

A man is but the product of his thoughts -
what he thinks, he becomes.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Your inner thoughts reveal your true nature.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
- Anonymous

Further reading: What We Are Made Of

Doing What You Know Is Right

Your Thoughts
    

Joyful Simplicity

It is of the small joys and little pleasures
that the greatest of our days are built.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
- Lao Tzu

Maybe life isn't really as complicated
as we make it out to be.
Perhaps a simple child-like attitude would create
a less stressful and happier life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today's project:
Meaningful and joyful lives are lived by adhering to one's personal value system - one's principles. Today, write your six to eight most important values on an index card, and refer to that card as you go about your life today.

Further reading: Ten Little Tips to Feel Happier Right Now

A Simple Life

The Secret of Happiness

What If Happiness...
     

Rejoice in Being Yourself

Always be a first-rate version of yourself,
instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
- Judy Garland

Be simply yourself and don't compare or compete.
- Lao Tzu

Really rejoice in being yourself.
Have your own drumbeat.
- Kim Cattrall

Believe in yourself, and trust your own wisdom
rather than being swayed by the opinions of others.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Think for Yourself

Believe in Yourself

Have Confidence in Yourself

Trust Your Own Advice
    

The Goal is to be Kind

Only those who have learned the power
of sincere and selfless contribution
experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.
- Tony Robbins

Kind words can be short and easy to speak,
but their echoes are truly endless.
- Mother Teresa

We are formed and molded by our thoughts.
Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts
give joy when they speak or act.
Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
- The Buddha

Kindness is the most sincere expression of being fully human.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: The Will to Help Others

Empathy

Offer Your Hand... Often

Do Good Now
     

Healing and Moving Forward

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and cheer
and give strength to the body and soul.
- John Muir

Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels,
simply by pouring out love.
Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.
- Sai Baba

Healing does not mean going back to the way things were before,
but rather allowing what is now to move us closer to God.
- Ram Dass

Healing yourself is connected with healing others.
- Yoko Ono

Further reading: Allow Healing

Forgiveness

A Tool for Healing Your Troubles
     

Easter 2017

Love one another.
- Jesus of Nazareth (John 13:34)

Guide our feet into the way of peace.
- Luke 1:79

Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection,
not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time.
- Martin Luther

This is what the Lord asks of you: only this,
to act justly, to love tenderly,
and to walk humbly with your God.
- Micah 6:8

On this day, let us affirm the core values of unconditional love of all humans and an uncompromising commitment to caring for all who are sick, infirm, or troubled - as expressed in the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. (Read more on Loving your enemies, the Golden Rule, and the parable of The Good Samaritan)

Further reading: Go and Do Likewise

Jesus own Words about Forgiveness and Unconditional Love

The Power of Unconditional Love
    

Beauty in Humble Places

Blessed are they who see beautiful things
in humble places where other people see nothing.
- Camille Pissarro

All who exalt themselves will be humbled,
and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
- Matthew 23:12

Real excellence and humility are
not incompatible one with the other,
on the contrary they are twin sisters.
- Jean Baptiste Lacordaire

We come nearest to the great
when we are great in humility.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Further reading: Living Simply

Humble Yet Confident

Simple Joys

Hate None, Forgive All

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
- St. Francis of Assisi

You have heard that it was said,
"Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth."
But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person.
If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
- Jesus (Matthew 5:38-39)

It is not enough to say we must not wage war.
It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray,
does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains
and go in search of the one that went astray?
And if he finds it, truly I tell you,
he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.
- Jesus (Matthew 18:12-13)

Know that all people are your brothers and sisters.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Where there is Great Love

Gaining Peace Through Peace

Being a Channel for God's Light

Doing God's Work
    

Frightened by Our Own Light

There is nothing with which every man is so afraid
as getting to know how enormously much
he is capable of doing and becoming.
- Soren Kierkegaard

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
- Marianne Williamson

When you find your path, you must not be afraid.
You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes.
Disappointment, defeat, and despair are
the tools God uses to show us the way.
- Paulo Coelho

Further reading: Rekindling the Light

Light for Others

Fulfill the promise that is within you

Self-Care

Do Your Best; Ignore Your Critics

Whatever anyone ever says about you, you have only yourself to answer to.
Trust yourself. If you feel you have done your best, ignore your critics.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
- Old Saying

Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention,
largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves.
- Bertrand Russell

Criticism is prejudice made plausible.
- H. L. Mencken

Further reading: The Price of Standing for Something Important

Blaze Your Own Trail

How to Stay Positive Around Negative People

Think for Yourself
     

New Day, New Strength

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.
- Winston Churchill

Every day brings new choices.
- Martha Beck

I live to experience something new each day -
to learn something new,
meet a new friend,
bring joy into someone's life,
feel the wind newly on my skin,
touch a new fear, a new anger,
and with focused intent and good fortune,
find an ample measure of my own joy.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Focus and Flexibility

When It's Darkest

The Rest of Your Life

Endings and Beginnings

Beyond Your Comfort Zone
     

Gratitude for the Small Miracles of Life

A coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous.
- Anonymous

Miracles happen everyday,
change your perception of what a miracle is
and you'll see them all around you.
- Jon Bon Jovi

The best portion of a good man's life
is his little, nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and of love.
- William Wordsworth

Our "Rainbows and Butterflies" are the small miracles of our life -
the little things that are so easy to overlook,
yet so awe inspiring when we take a moment
to notice and to pay attention.
Give thanks for the rainbows, for the butterflies,
for all God's creatures - large and small,
for the bright blue sky and the soft fog and the gentle rain,
for the tree veiled in the season's first frost,
for the baby's laugh,
for the touch of a hand and the whispered "I love you."
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Gratitude for All Life

Appreciating Our Blessings

Everything is a Miracle

Appreciating Today
    

Palm Sunday 2017

Judge not, that ye be not judged.
- Matthew 7:1

Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
- Jesus (Matthew 5:7,9)

Then came Peter to him, and said,
Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me,
and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee,
Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
- Matthew 18:21-22

Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite [religious leader], when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan [Samaritans and Jews generally disliked and were suspicious of each other] came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds ... and ... took him to an inn and took care of him. ...
Jesus [said] "Go and do likewise."
- Luke 10:25-37 (The Parable of the Good Samaritan)

The Christian gospel is a summons to peace,
calling for justice beyond anger,
mercy beyond justice,
forgiveness beyond mercy,
love beyond forgiveness.
- Wendell Berry

Further reading: Instrument of Peace

Tolerance, Not Judgement

Caring for the Least of These

Let Me Sow Love

Feeding the Hungry
     

Beyond Appearances

There is no truth.
There is only perception.
- Gustave Flaubert

Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.
- Wayne Dyer

Let mad beauty collect itself in your eyes.
- Jewel

A flower is a weed seen through joyful eyes.
The virtue of anyone or anything is solely in our perspective.
See gold, and there is gold; see lead and there is lead.
If you see this thistle as a thorny nuisance, then it is a weed.
If you appreciate its bright pink bloom, then it is a flower.
It becomes what you name it.
The power is in your choice, your perspective, your speaking.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Beauty is Everywhere

What One Emphasizes

Simply Marvelous
    

A Manner of Traveling

Happiness is not a state to arrive at,
but a manner of traveling.
- Margaret Lee Runbeck

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance;
the wise grows it under his feet.
- J. Robert Oppenheimer

Success is getting what you want;
happiness is wanting what you get.
- Dale Carnegie

Consistent happiness is found through
living in a state of constant gratitude.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Radiate Your Happiness to the World

Happiness Depends upon Ourselves

You Can't Escape Yourself

Choosing Your Destination
    

Service to Others

Life's most urgent question is:
what are you doing for others?
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

You can't live a perfect day without doing something
for someone who will never be able to repay you.
- John Wooden

Compassion is the universal standard of moral living.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Being of Service

Feeding the Children

The Least Of These

Material Possessions
   

Respecting Other Cultures and Backgrounds

You never really understand a person
until you consider things from his point of view.
- Harper Lee

Share our similarities, celebrate our differences.
- M. Scott Peck

As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect
the uniqueness of others.
- Robert H. Schuller

If you have some respect for people as they are,
you can be more effective in helping them
to become better than they are.
- John W. Gardner

The essence of compassion is accepting others as unique individuals,
without believing that they are less good for not being carbon copies of ourselves.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: What Compassion Looks Like

Opportunity for Kindness

Open Minds

Diversity

Tolerance
   

You Are Unlimited

The only limits in our life are those we impose on ourselves.
- Bob Proctor

May your mind whirl joyful cartwheels of creativity.
May your heart sing sweet lullabies of timelessness.
May your spirit soar throughout the vast cathedral of your being.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

There are no great limits to growth because there are
no limits of human intelligence,
imagination, and wonder.
- Ronald Reagan

There are no constraints on the human mind,
no walls around the human spirit,
no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.
- Ronald Reagan

Why settle for less?
If you do not yet feel your wings spreading,
look for the chains tethering you to your history.
You were born wild and free. What happened?
Are you willing to break free of your past?

Further reading: How to Regain Your Dreams

Soar Your Spirit

The Edge

Choose Your Life Purpose
     

Appreciating How Good Life Is

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves
to recognize how good things really are.
- Marianne Williamson

Resolve to keep happy, and your joy
and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
- Helen Keller

Happiness is when what you think, what you say,
and what you do are in harmony.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Look for joy in your life; it's not always easy to find.
- Charles Kuralt

Appreciation is the highest form of prayer,
for it acknowledges the presence of good
wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.
- Alan Cohen

Further reading: Life Lessons I Learned From My Cat

Life is Beautiful

How To Be Happy In Life

Is your glass of life half empty? Or half full?

What we enjoy constitutes our abundance
     

Peace Begins With Me

Let there be peace on earth.
And let it begin with me.
- Jill Jackson Miller

If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

No one can find inner peace except by working,
not in a self-centered way, but for the whole human family.
- Peace Pilgrim

Stop! Breathe deeply.
Begin bringing peace to the outer world
by regaining your own inner peace.
Choose love, choose gratitude,
choose forgiveness, choose peace.
Begin with your own inner peace.
Then use that inner peace
as a platform from which
to approach the outer world
with perspective, understanding, and patience.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Ending Hatred

Peace IS the Way

War

Doing God's Work
      

Better Foolish than Conceited

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.
- William Shakespeare

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
- e. e. cummings

The smaller the mind the greater the conceit.
- Aesop

Dare to wear the foolish clown face.
- Frank Sinatra

We can bear to be deprived of everything but our self-conceit.
- William Hazlitt

The burden of the self is lightened when I laugh at myself.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Life is short,
Break the Rules.
Forgive quickly,
Kiss SLOWLY.
Love truly.
Laugh uncontrollably
And never regret
ANYTHING
That makes you smile
- Mark Twain

Further reading: Never Let Anyone Get Your Goat

Power of Laughter

Life Is Not Meant to be Serious

As a Child Again

Sense of Humor