Getting Past Yourself!

Have you looked at the faces of people lately?  I was in Costco today waiting for a family member and I got completely caught up watching people come and go (I suggest the next time you have a moment in public, look around).  I was sad to see how many people resembled the walking corpses in The Night of The Living Dead.  Their faces were lifeless and void of expression!  I wondered the price these people had to pay to be in their own presence. 

It was sad to watch and I wondered who or what had sucked the life out of these wonderful people!  Occasionally, there were human beings that emerged from the crowd that were glowing with radiance, but they were few, far and in between.   These wonderful souls reminded me of the rainbow that appears right after a dark and dreary storm!  These people possessed a countenance that radiated gratitude and happiness, their eyes were sparkling with the passion of life, and they all seemed to possess a powerful strength to counteract the frigid world around them.   

There were many obvious things about these content and happy people.  They were constantly looking for opportunities to make a difference in the space around them.   While others were suspended in a sleep state, these good people were eagerly engaging in a life that had value and their presence was powerful beyond measure.   They all seemed to possess the same attributes.  They were polite and kind to those around them, they were genuinely complimentary to others, and their spirits seemed to overflow with gratitude!   I wanted to jump out of my seat and follow these bright and shining people like an excited child would march after the Pied Piper.  

I was taken aback by the contrast of the two entities and I realized their was a tangible energy coming from those who had chosen to emulate a positive message.  The light and energy surrounding them was so visibly that I could almost reach out and touch its essence.  I blinked my eyes several times in amazement as I watched this unfold.   Strangers were intentionally gravitating toward them with the desire to interact.  It was incredible to witness this magnetic pull, but quite the opposite effect was happening for those individuals who resembling the walking dead; people were going out of the way to keep their distance.  I was amazed at the visible contrast between the two forces.  

I wondered what my spirit looks like from afar?  Was I wearing a dark and dreary armor of death and woe is me or was I shining in my own light?  At that moment I made a conscious decision to change the space surrounding me through my thoughts and actions and to be constantly aware of how I interact.  I am going to get past myself and remember the divine reasons I am here in this life!  

It takes a committed desire to change, but in reality how much time does it really take to see something incredibly wonderful about someone and let it be known?  I've been around long enough to see there is a lot of pain in the world and there are many people in need of a soft place to fall.  If we resolve to make a difference through a few simple changes, we can soften the world through our example.  We can perpetuate the brilliant light emulating from within; you know, that perfect light thats draws others into a more positive center of influence.  

I wanted to change the space around me, to start giving from the "inside out" and to be a constant contributor of love and well being.  After this experience, I came home and wrote down six positive affirmations to help me remember who I am and to assist me in staying focused on my new resolutions.  

Draw light and inspiration from the source of creation and constantly emulate it from within.  

Commit to genuine acts of kindness daily (great or small, they are precious gifts to be given)! 

Love others for who they are and do not judge or condemn them for who they are not.

In a world where I can be anything...  be a good one!

Live with a greater purpose in mind, (there's not an opportunity to pass this way again)!

Live an authentic life.

This year will fly by like the wind and there are no recalls, rebates, or redoes with "time gone by".  We all have the power to change the very elements that surround us and it will take a "higher level of consciousness" to raise the next generation, but everyone has a role to play!  Individually, start by getting past yourself to see what's on the other side of ho hum... it might be surprising to find out that it's a better you!  by, Linda sumner Urza, One Fine Day.  

"I Want To Buy A Miracle."

I Want To Buy A Miracle is one of my favorite stories that I've shared with my children over the years.  It was written anonymously and there was much controversy whether it was fact or fiction.  In my perspective that isn't important; rather, it's the message and the impact that it has on the reader.  The story is crystal clear; we are the miracles that happen in the lives of others.  No matter how great or small the gift... it still counts as a miracle to those in need.   

This Christmas my niece challenge everyone on facebook to give of themselves; pay it forward, so to speak.  I was looking for ways to emulate her request and had no idea the sweetness that I was about to experience. 

Later that day a friend of mine stopped by the house and she had been working out in the rain in a light weight jacket.  She was soaked to the bone!  I took off her jacket to throw it in my dryer and noticed she was shivering uncontrollably.   I went to my closet, pulled out my grey wool coat and asked her to please put it on.   It fit like a glove.  "I want you to have this coat."  I said as I buttoned the front snugly around her little frame.  The tears welled up in her eyes and at first she declined, but I assured her that it was meant to be and I would be honored if she would keep it.    

After she left my home that day, I was filled with the kind of warmth that a coat or warm fire cannot provide.  The feeling was much deeper and more glorious than the noon day sun.  I realized that I was the one that had received the greatest gift that day!

This story  is the perfect example of the difference one person made in the lives of many, through acts of kindness.  Each person can do their part according to their ability to give.   No matter how great or small the gift, it's magnificent to the receiver!  

'I Want To Buy A Miracle.'

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.  She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.  Three times, even.  The total had to be exactly perfect.  No chance here for mistakes, carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. 

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment.  Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise, nothing!  She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster, no good.  Finally, she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! 

"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.  I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question.  "Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,"  Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone.  "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy miracle."

"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist." His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now.  So how much does a miracle cost?"  "We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little.  "Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs." 

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man.  He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need?"  "I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up.  I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation, but my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."  "How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.  "One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly.  "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to."  "Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man.  "A dollar and eleven cents -- the exact price of a miracle for little brothers." 

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said, "Take me to where you live.  I want to see your brother and meet your parents.  Let's see if I have the miracle you need." 

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery.  The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. 

That surgery," her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?" Tess smiled.  She knew exactly how much a miracle cost...one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.

We may never know how many miracles are needed by those who surround us, but if we are intuitive to the needs of others, they will manifest.  A miracle is not the suspension of natural laws; rather, the actions of higher laws.  I challenge everyone who reads this post today to change the way you look at others.  The challenge is to use your eyes to see farther than the end of your nose, your hands to reach out in service, your arms to cradle the weary, your mind to be free from any judgements, and your heart to guide the way.  For are we not all one...  by Linda Urza, One Fine Day.

GIFTED

The gifts I would give to my friends and loved ones this New Year would come from the heart and be so genuine and impressionable that renewed life would spring forth from a weary soul.  My gifts would not come in a package with a bow, for they would need no presentation, but they would come sweetly from my heart to yours.  

The first gift I would give is my example of FAITH.  To "believe" in things that are not seen, yet are manifest in the pure in heart through faith.  For a believer no explanation is necessary and for a non believer no explanation is possible!  Faith is the foundation of eternal life.

The second gift I would give is that of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  "To truly love someone... not for what they have done in the past or for what they may become in the future, but for who they are today.”

The third gift I would give is that of CHARITY.  This precious gift can heal the gapping wounds of the broken hearted and change a world of pain and sorrow into heaven on earth. 

The fourth gift I would give is that of HOPE.  Hope builds dreams, and dreams are what make little boys want to grow up to become men and little girls believe in the miracles of tomorrow.  

The fifth gift I would give is that of GOODNESS.  When you do good, you get good, and you feel good!  The greatest counsel my parents ever gave me when I was a little girl was "to be good.”  Goodness produces “great” and the world is in need of great men and women!

The sixth gift that I would give is that of FORGIVENESS.  Those who truly understand the power of forgiveness are those who emulate peace and harmony throughout the world.  Forgiveness will melt a heart of ice and break down walls of stone.

The seventh gift I would give is that of PATIENCE.  Patience teaches that everything comes gradually and at it’s appointed hour.  Patience is the center of unconditional love.

The eighth gift that I would give is that of FRIENDSHIP.  There is no greater companion in this world than a true friend.  A true friend is one who wants the very best for you.   They want to see you succeed above your own expectations and strive to push you to the very top, only to celebrate your glory as though it were their own.

The ninth gift that I give is that of PEACE.  Those who have attained peace in the middle of the storm will usher in the millennium.  The peacemakers are the meek and mild who shall inherit the earth.  

The tenth gift that I would give is that of ETERNAL LIFE, but this gift was already given by the Messiah, who made it possible for all the other gifts to be given and to Him I am grateful!

May 2011 bring the blessings of Heaven. 

by, Linda Sumner Urza, One Fine Day