Welcome to October folks! Fall is in the air, and we have three more months until we begin a new year. 2023 seems daunting but possibly welcome to some of us. This month we will discuss the letter C, the month we explore change and the courage it takes to make changes. I'm an expert on this particular subject, as I've made a few changes over the last two- and one-half years. It's not been easy, but it's worked for me, and I've learned so much about myself and others in ways I'd would never have known.
Change is constant, change is good. The reasons behind change may not always be positive but once we make those changes, the better our lives will be. Two and a half years ago, I decided to make a few changes in my life. As my readers know, I packed up my life and with a heavy heart left my home and friends of twenty years and moved to Boise. I still wonder where I found that courage, but deep in my heart I knew that this was going to be a positive change. It's been a bit of a rocky road these past two years. What seemed solid turned to dust, the constants changed but all and all, this change was worth it, and my life has moved forward.
Change takes courage. Ernst Holms wrote: "If we do not like our outer circumstances, conditions, or our personality, the place to change is right within our own mind." Those words of wisdom, written almost a hundred years ago, still apply to our lives today. We can change all our outer "stuff", but the real, profound, meaningful change will need to come from our hearts.
I changed my heart and I'm still making those changes today. The other day I woke up and realized that I was still living with a hardened heart. I'm trying to change that hard heart into acceptance and love. It's not been easy, and no one said it would be. The road to Oz may have been golden but Dorthey was still in Oz when she reached the Wizard's palace. I'm still in my Oz, but the sun is shining and there are many rainbows on the horizon.
I'm not alone with these sorts of feelings and living experiences. Therefore, I offer a few ideas to my friends as to how I have been able to find the other side of the rainbow and lighten my heart.
- Accept the What Is. We all have a story, use that chapter that didn't work out as a growing experience. I have and I'm moving forward. What seems easy is usually not but with courage and determination, there is a light at the end of that dark tunnel.
- Change is good, be creative when you're making those life changes. I wrote down five places where I could live, and Boise seemed to make the most sense to me. I wanted mild winters, sunshine, and good and decent people to get to know. God granted me all these things and I'm eternally grateful.
- Look deep in your heart and accept what was and begin the journey to start anew. What is now for me is a great life, two little terrorists that live in my house and a multitude of good friends who love and respect me for who I am, just I as love and respect them. There's been a few that have fallen by the wayside, but this is healthy as we sometimes need to weed through the negative to find the positive.
- Look for the Divine daily, find it in your heart and your heart will change. God lives in all of us. The Bible says we were made in the image and likeness of God. That is true and God's energy is embedded in each one of us.
- Finally, that blessing of courage and change can be one of our greatest experiences. If we don't change, we become stagnant. When I moved here it was with the clear intention of not becoming stagnant. I have far surpassed stagnant and almost wish for a few stagnant days. Our blessings are real, look within and they'll show themselves to you in the most obvious ways.
