Tuesday 28 April 2015

The Stoppers in Our Life

Today I had an appointment and afterwards, to replenish my soul, I went to sit by the seaside to reflect and think things through!
Oh how beautiful it was!
There had been a couple of days of stormy weather so the sea was rough and wild - the waves were crashing and the wind howling a real breeze. 
What was so amazingly wonderful was the huge piles of seaweed washed up on the shore...
some still coming in and going out with the movement of the tide.
A number of the piles of seaweed had huge stumps on the bottom and tree-like 'trunks',
some with one, two and even three - emerging from them!
They looked like giant plugs at the base and...
emerging from the tree-like 'trunks' were an array of tangled, wild and rambling 'branches'...
some thick...
some thin and...
others so fine that they looked like filigrees of hand-made lace.
Walking amongst this amazing spectacle,
 whilst watching the waves crash onto the shore,
with the seagulls picking and scrambling amongst these washed-up giants,
I wondered!
I wondered where they had come from...
how majestically they must have looked in life with their forms floating upwards under the ocean and swaying in the currents! 
What fish...
what creatures must have passed them by...
how old were they and...
what had they seen?
If they could talk what could they tell us?
If they could hear what would they have heard?
But...
sadly...
I would get nothing out of them as they lay on the beach,
 their majesty and glory when in the water,
 dulled and dying now that they were out on dry land.
But...
they still had a magnificent beauty and
I saw that beauty still...
I saw that beauty in WHAT they REPRESENTED to me! 
What you might ask?
To me they represented the PLUGS...
the STOPPERS that we have within our lives!
The BASES upon where we often plant our feet and from there let our whole existence emerge and grow...
but, not in a healthy way!
For instead,
 these PLUGS...
these STOPPERS... 
bung-up and stunt who we really are...
they limit our being and deprive us of many things!
What are they you might ask?
sadness
anger
resentment
hatred
apathy and procrastination
regret
jealousy
even some people, and...
so many many more things.
BUT...
 these huge PLUGS or STOPPERS, with their tree-like 'trunks' and myriad of branches,
had been pulled up out of the seafloor,
 where they had been born, lived their life, been 'fed' and 'grew'...
seemingly there forever!
NOW...
they were just lying there devoid of life as,
 they had became lost in the wild and stormy sea,
just like we can be...!
Sometimes we get lost when we take a wrong turning,
we allow the PLUGS to bung-up all those good things open to us,
AND
we let them STOP our life from blossoming...

So my friends,
take a moment out of your busy life and look for those STOPPERS that keep YOU from growing into the most wonderful human being that you were meant to be!
Our life is a journey
and
 it is up to us which path we take
and
 what direction we move in.
We can be like a fern frond,
tightly rolled up and closed,
or...
we can open up to the good things in life.
Make up your mind...
you can DO IT!
 
regards Ruth


Saturday 18 April 2015

FORGIVENESS can be so very hard to do!

Forgiveness can be so very hard to do...!
Just read this quote by 'rawforbeauty.com':
'The first to apologize is the bravest.
The first to forgive is the strongest.
And, the first to forget is the happiest!'

What amazing words and oh so very true.....
Apologizing, forgiving and forgetting are PRECIOUS PRIVILEGES! 
This is so because...
in having the strength, grace and kindness to, blame no one and expect nothing but instead,
do something, is as a balm to your soul 
but to take on board the behavior of others will only add to the burdens within us.
APOLOGIZING is letting go of the grudge, hatred and resentment which are like a worms inside an apple - they will only eat you up inside! It is a brave step to say sorry (which does not mean that you are necessarily the one in the wrong or at fault only that... you are sorry about the misunderstanding, action or words having occurred!)  
FORGIVING and especially being the first to forgive, shows a wisdom and strength beyond compare (you do not have to forgive because you were either right or wrong that does not matter - you forgive to find a peace within and to heal the wound!) 
FORGETTING is the only real step for moving on in your life and only then can happiness be in reach (forgetting does not mean that you condone any action or words... but it means allowing you the freedom to carry on - a space without irons and chains to weigh you down)
so my friends... Apologize, forgive and forget!
________________________
FORGIVENESS, such an easy word to say but oh... such a hard thing to do!
Why is that so? I do not have the answers and I do not think that anyone else does either!
FORGIVENESS, such an easy word to say and oh... such a necessary thing to do!
Why is that so? I know it is so because without FORGIVENESS... either SELF-FORGIVENESS or FORGIVENESS of others... you cannot love!
As, one cannot truly FORGIVE unless they truly love and one, cannot truly love unless they truly FORGIVE!
It is necessary to not only forgive others but learn to forgive ourselves and yes, sometimes it can be a learning experience!
It is necessary to not only forgive ourselves for the wrong that we have done but also for what we have not done that was the right thing to do.
It is necessary to not only forgive ourselves for the words that we have spoken and also for those unspoken words that should have been said!
If the scarred mountain can forgive those who scarred her, and can cover up the scars with wild flowers, grass and tree should not you, who are worthy, be able to cover your own scars with fresh forgiveness, kindness and understanding too?
So, if I am worthy of FORGIVENESS are not my enemies worthy of FORGIVENESS TOO?
Forgiveness is like the pebble when thrown into the pond. Its ripples reach out in ever widening circles reaching things that we do not know about or even think exist! When you think of forgiving those who have hurt you it can seem an impossible thing to do, especially if the hurt that has been done to you has destroyed you or those that you love.
But, it must be done!
It must be done, if not for those who have hurt you it must be done for you!
You will ask, ‘How can this be done?’
When you think of those who harm others, either through words and actions of deceit or through words and actions of violence,
You will ask, ‘How can one FORGIVE?’
That is such a hard question to answer! And, I do not have any of the answers as they can only be found within your OWN SELF!
Yes, each of us has to find a way! Our OWN WAY of coping with and releasing personal hurt and pain and FORGIVE!
But,  to be able to release the hurt, pain and resentment a conscious choice must be made to FORGIVE and FORGIVE fully with sincerity and in all honesty!
"I forgive you"
Say these words, write them down and put the name of the person who has harmed you with it too… even if it is yourself!.
YES, write down ALL the hurts, pain and resentments that you have suffered and say OUT ALOUD, "I RELEASE YOU AND LET YOU GO.”
Then, burn the paper and let it go!
All I know is that resentment grows into hatred and hatred grows into vengeance and VENGEANCE DESTROYS so...
To all those who do, or have done, you harm or speak ill of you show FORGIVENESS:
To all those who wish, or have wished, you ill show COMPASSION:
As to the life and soul of those who FORGIVE, it is a BALM.
So, if FORGIVENESS is a BALM to OUR OWN life and soul, how do we know what FORGIVENESS does to the ONE WHO IS FORGIVEN!
Dear Friends
I know from personal experience what forgiveness does to the spirit and soul - the burden of hatred, resentment and vengeance eats up any humanity that exists within you and sadly grows heavier and heavier each day it survives. To forgive is not easy but forgiveness, if done, releases a soul, your OWN, and then... only then can you live a life that can move on, find contentment and happiness.
take care my friends and FORGIVE as it is the path to freedom...!
Ruth

My inspirational facebook page - www.facebook.com/ruthannecaukwell
World Wide Branding – VIP member -http://www.worldwidebranding.com/Ruth%20Anne-Caukwell

Tuesday 7 April 2015

We can ALL have Happiness so just go out and GRAB IT!

Happiness allows us to feel hope when we are in despair. 
Happiness gives us peace in a world of turmoil.
Happiness allows us to dream
and
Happiness gives us peace.
Happiness is one of the most beautiful feelings that we can have
so
go out and grab it with both hands!
Just go out and grab it
for
 you can attain it!
But...
what is this thing called happiness?
 
 
If you look in the dictionary (Oxford Complete wordfinder) happiness is defined as: pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, cheerfulness and exhilaration, but these words cannot fully explain just what it is! 
Yes...it is a feeling
and
Yes... these words describe part of what happiness is,
but...
it is so much more!
 
My mother's motto for each day is:
Today is a wonderful day... I CHOOSE to make it so!
 
Today is a PRESENT to enjoy, as each day can be good just because we are alive!
We each have a free choice -
 we can CHOOSE to be happy or we can CHOOSE not to be happy.
 
A man [woman] is happy
so long as
he  [she]chooses
to be happy and
nothing can stop him.
(Alexander Solzhenitsyn)
 
It is not what you own,
who you are...
how much money you have
instead...
it is being CONTENT with the person you are,
where you are
and...
what you possess
that can make you happy or unhappy.
 
Basically it is what, and how, you think about yourself and your life - that is the KEY!
If we seek to be happy by looking at others,
trying to be like others and
 not being true to ourselves...
If we keep looking over the fence at the rich man's possessions...
at the false beauty of others we see all around us...
at the fame and fortune that some people possess and we do not...
how dissatisfied will we become?
And the beauty of what we have will be tarnished and lost for ever!
But how do we know what the rich man's thoughts really are?
He can look at us and our contentment and wish that he had what we had!
How do we know what those with a false view of beauty feel?
How do we know what fame and fortune really do to a person,
maybe these people look at us and are envious of who we are and what we have?
 
We can travel the world searching for happiness and maybe we will find it in the end. But because the world is round we will eventually return to where we started and find our happiness right there at our own backdoor! Sometimes we think that a person, a particular place, having possessions and money will bring us happiness but often when we get the things that we desire we find flaws instead. This is when we must find within ourselves, tolerance, forgivesness and love to make happiness  attainable for all of us. There is only one person that can bring you happiness and THAT is YOU YOURSELF - no one else can do it for you!
SO
by changing your thoughts
YOU
can change your world!
 
So dear friends,
each morning say my mother's motto out aloud...
Today is a wonderful day... I CHOOSE to make it so!
 
THUS
my wish for you is to BE YOURSELF and BE HAPPY today and everyday!
 
love Ruth