Here is a soft place to land; a place where we can exchange ideas about health, wealth and everything between. There will be ideas, products, encouragement and techniques to help people enhance their lives.
We have a house guest with us for a few days. Our son, Andrew, lives in a group home with a couple of other fellows and there is Staff who looks after them. We thought it would be fun to give him a change of pace and bring him home with us for a few days' "vacation." His being here has changed the dynamic in the house and it's been interesting.
One of Andy's favorite questions to ask is, "What do you do tomorrow?" Sometimes he just wants to know what you DO.
He did not know how to respond when I answered that question with "5 things!"
You may not know, either. So I will tell you one of my habits.
It is my custom to write a To Do list at the end of every day so I can start each morning with focus and purpose. When that is done I list AT LEAST five items for which I am grateful. Numbers are not my forte` so I often make a list that's twice that long.
SIDEBAR: When I'm dead and gone and my kids find those notebooks filled with Mom's scribbly notations they will know for sure Mom was 'touched in the head!' Hopefully, they will find it at least mildly amusing. END SIDEBAR
My list may include the names of people who have touched my life that day or it may be physical things, like Mom's good dishes or new socks. Mostly it's details like colors and cloud formations and sunsets or having fresh tomatoes or crunchy garden carrots or a joke for a meeting.
I like to thank the Creator for favorite teachers from school and memories and picnics. I am fond of listing books I've read or foods I prepared or having a good hair day. It makes me feel good to list my good health, my warped sense of humor, a blog post I liked.
I enjoy thanking God for electricity and great laundry equipment, right down to the clothespins, and a line that was recently and lovingly adjusted by The Normanator so the sheets don't scrape the grass!
Whatever it is in your life that makes you feel grateful, keep a running list. You'll be delighted at the joy it gives you when you read the list later and remember how nice it was to have hot water after you mowed the yard or how great it is to have a coffeemaker that brews the stuff just the way you like it.
Our lists could fill an entire billboard. But we keep them private and add to them as the blessings pour into our lives.
One of the greatest assortment of blessings to come my way has been Dr. Alex Loyd; Dr. Ben Johnson; Ken Johnston; their informational conference calls and, of course, The Healing Codes.
There is no denying that we live in trying times. The economic picture is gloomy. People are losing their homes. Floods and fires and war and strife dominate the newscasts on every channel of the television. Some of us feel anxious and worried. We are so afraid it makes us sick. Literally.
There are three things we can do when we feel as if we are in crisis mode. In fact, things can be going swimmingly in the EXTERNAL environment but if we are INTERNALLY feeling stressed and critically upset, we ARE in that crisis mode. The reverse is also true: when things are bad outside ourselves, we can feel a peace inside ourselves if we keep our wits about us.
Here are the three things to keep in mind:
Remember who you are.
Keep to the fundamentals.
Give up the end result.
1. Whenever we feel so badly that it is a crisis, we have lost our identity. We have had thoughts of self rejection; someone has rejected us in some way; we might feel rejected by God. We feel shame or guilt. We feel we have been judged or unforgiven. We feel inadequate. We feel so bad that we are in a crisis mode. It is important to remember the truth about who we really are.
2. Keeping to the fundamentals means that we will live moment by moment in truth and love. If we remain in falsehoods and fear, we stay in crisis mode. Truth and love will deliver us into states of success, high energy, joy, peace and fun!
3. By giving up the end result, we relinquish expectations. Dr. Dan Gilbert of Harvard University and Dr. Joe Mercola have thoroughly researched the matter of expectations and have concluded that the expectations of future results are absolutely sure to kill happiness! The chronic state of feeling fight or flight produces internal crises that cannot produce joy or any good thing.
It's very important to focus on truth and love. Do you remember the song whose words said something like "Accent-uate the positive; eliminate the negative and don't mess with Mr. In Between?" That lyricist understood the critical nature of living in truth and love.
If shame, guilt, fear and all the rest of it are too much to tolerate, and you have grave difficulty finding truth and experiencing love you would benefit mightily from prayer and Energy Medicine. Prayer was probably the very first Energy Medicine "product" and it is highly effective. Energy Medicine is yet another tool in the tool kit of life. You can learn all about Energy Medicine by clicking here.
One of my favorite activities is reading. I just received a delightful offering and I want you to know how much I enjoyed it, so I am making this review available for your perusal here:
One must never, ever judge a book by its cover or by how thick or thin it is. This is particularly true for Camille Olivia Strate's new book titled, "Whispers."
Just observing the charming and inviting front cover of the book, you might imagine that this is a quick and easy read and that devouring the entire volume might be done over a lunch break.
You might be able to read it on your lunch break, but I could not have done it on mine. There were problems, you see. The author neglected to post a "Tissue Alert" in the front of the book, so I had to put down the book, hunt for a tissue box, dab at my eyes and find my place again. These things take time!
Another factor: There was all the time I spent just laughing out loud! I chose to read this book while I was home alone-sans adult supervision-and no doubt the neighbors, who were off at work, could hear me cackling and guffawing my way through the sweetly illustrated pages.
Ms Strate writes with candor about her own quantum life experiences. While I have not shared many of her life's events, I could certainly relate with her highs and lows. She has a way of expressing introspection and her epiphanies without seeming egocentric and narcissistic.
Camille Olivia Strate might well consider teaming up with the late night television comics, for her material lends itself to the one-line humor often utilized there. For example, even her FOOTNOTES are humorous. I do not recall ever being amused by any other author's footnotes!
The magic that has presented itself in Camille Olivia Strate's life is mysterious and delicious! It inspired me to reflect on the joy and mysteries of my own life!
"Whispers" is not a book that will be read and soon forgotten. As readers are immersed in the accounts Ms. Strate so vividly shares, they will be uplifted and inspired to order copies of the book for friends or coworkers; they will want relatives or neighbors to have their very own copy because there is a keen understanding that others will resonate with what this author so openly shares.
If this book appeals to you and you would like to have it on your very own shelf, please feel free to click on the Amazon link to the left of this post. Ordering online is a cinch and the speedy delivery of your book may surprise you! Mine came in only 4 days! Connie Baum
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Emotions, feelings and desires are the powers that push people to take action. --Remez Sasson
At our recent Toastmasters meeting of LibOrators our Table Topics Master asked me to discuss a matter with passion, which I was charmed to do.
Some people shy away from their emotions and do not express their feelings with passion. Maybe they think others will disagree with them; perhaps they fear that someone will show disdain for them for making any statement. It may be that they have not identified their feeling and because of that, they simply have not formed any opinion. Or they do not really admit-even to themselves- what it is they truly desire.
In any case, you can know with every fiber of your being that people-ALL PEOPLE-have been programmed from birth forward to believe something, even if that something is incorrect.
It's a matter of perception, really. The small child may PERCEIVE that his busy mother is ignoring him, so he misbehaves to draw her attention to him. This causes Mommy to focus on the child so the youngster PERCEIVES that he must be naughty to get Mommy's attention. I'll bet you have children like that on your block! I know guys like that who took a trip to prison!
We all do whatever it is we do because of what we believe. And what we THINK we believe may just well be a lot of bad programming! Dr. Alex Loyd refers to this as "heart junk" and when he refers to the heart, he means the 'I love you with all my heart' heart.
The truth lives in our I-love-you-with-all-my-heart heart. The unconscious mind sends messages to the brain, which is the image maker. We all have this; we think in pictures with our conscious minds.
King Solomon knew this centuries ago. Do you suppose that's how Solomon earned the reputation for being so wise?
Science has caught up to what Solomon knew. They agree that most illnesses are borne of stress.
When we live without truth, we also forfeit joy. First, we become stressed. It's our bodies' way of responding. The stress wears the body out until we become ill. All because of not living with truth and love! We cram more heart junk into our lives than our cells can process!
You have seen quotes on this blog by Dr. Bruce Lipton. Soon I will be publishing a book review about his book, "The Biology of Belief." I hope you will look forward to reading that.
Life was never meant to be stressful or joyless or without love and caring. We can all be well and happy if we understand ourselves with clarity and use the tools sent from Heaven to create the kinds of lives we dream. What might Energy Medicine do for YOU and those you love?
Many in this world feel sad today because Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. We who are left behind ask many blessings on the family and friends of Patrick as they mourn his passing.
Those of us who flocked to his movies and moved to the beat of the music while he strutted his stuff-the dance moves his mother taught him-are all wishing it were not so.
What could have saved this famous man? Goodness knows he must have had the means to treat the disease in any way he chose. He had radiation and chemotherapy, according to the news sources I heard.
All the fund raisers in the world did not help Patrick Swayze. Heaven only knows the research did not find a cure in time to save the man. Exercise alone did not save him from the ravages of cancer. Radiation only burned him. Chemo only poisoned him. The dollars people ran, biked, hiked, begged for the cancer coffers only produced nails for yet another coffin.
The so called 'war' on cancer is about like the quagmire we saw in the shoot-em-up war in VietNam. Lots of action, lots of dead bodies. No relief.
Somehow this nation of sheep has deluded themselves they must 'ask your doctor' and obediently follow the yellow brick road as laid out by Big Medicine and Big Pharma. Take your medicine, keep your appointments, make sure you have a positive attitude.
When do you think, if ever, the pendulum will swing and we will again think for ourselves? When will we listen to our bodies? When will we understand that traditional methods only serve a certain segment of the population and that segment does not necessarily include those with cancer? Nor does it seem to help anyone with any ailment.
What's the answer? We know folks get sick in spite of their diets, their routines, their supplements and even their beliefs! Is there NO relief from the draconian diagnoses with the heinous side effects and hideous outcomes?
There is a faction who believes and teaches that illness is borne of imbalance. The pH factors in-if a body is too acid, it becomes sick. If a body becomes dehydrated, it will be sick enough to expire.
So, what IS the answer? One way to deal with ANY ailment, no matter what the cause or what the name might be is-you guessed it-energy medicine.
Energy medicine is a tool for wellness. It's not the ONLY tool in the toolkit but it's a very good one. If you are interested to learn how this tool operates, it behooves you to visit The Healing Codes to learn exactly how Energy Medicine can help you and those you love.
Do you have an opinion to share about this or a comment about Patrick Swayze? We'd love to have you chime in. We do moderate the comments before they are published but we are interested to hear what you have to say. Thank you for stopping by and for your participation.
Dr. Bruce Lipton, Dr. Alex Loyd and Dr. Ben Johnson are all spokespersons for living in truth and love. Each of these good doctors understand implicitly the importance of expectations.
Your humble blogger makes every effort to keep this in mind as life happens. Joy is always the goal, but it's never a good idea to set yourself up for disappointment when you anticipate any event.
When we were invited to a concert on the Belle of Brownville Riverboat I imagined that it would be enjoyable. Beyond that, I held no high expectations.
I'm here to tell you that I can't imagine Heaven being any more joyous than that riverboat cruise!
There were about 50 members of the widely acclaimed Southeast Nebraska Community Band on board. They opened and closed the concert with their signature songs, "Star Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" and in between those were everything from rock n roll and polka music to marches, movie theme songs and big band sounds. We clapped and tapped our way up and down the Missouri River as we were treated to the stunning scenery.
It was interesting to note that on this bright and breezy mid September afternoon the greenery of the deciduous trees was marvelously, breathtakingly gorgeous! Those trees are not yet showing signs of fall the way the trees in our yard just West of there are!
We passed underneath the Missouri River bridge and saw cars slow down because they could hear the beautiful music floating up and then down the river. We watched with fascination the mud daubers nests on the supports for the bridge. We were mesmerized by the flow of the current as the big riverboat paddled along.
There was an announcement about food being served, so the crowd on the upper deck, where we were seated, snaked their way to the serving tables. The array of food displayed there gave a whole new meaning to the word 'smorgasbord' and I never in all my born days saw such a variety of delicious foods! As if they had not offered us ENOUGH hospitality, they also made sure we knew that second helpings were available! Oh, my stars and garters!
As we traveled, so did the sun and there were warm spots and shady places which changed the look of the landscape. It was fluid, it was alive, it seemed to evolving. Over the three hours or so we enjoyed the company of other music lovers on that boat the time seemed to evaporate! When it was over, and the time came for us to dock and walk to our vehicles, it felt as if we had been dreaming the whole afternoon.
In my wildest imagination, I would never have dreamed that an event, a day could be so perfect. We experienced JOY at its most JOYOUS!
Now we savor the memory of being together with precious friends, wonderful music, food for our bodies and our soul and we thank our Creator for giving us such a delicious time in our lives!
This looks exactly the way I feel when The Normanator goes to work and leaves me
at home, without benefit of adult supervision!
Truth be told, I am very easily amused.
When left to my own devices I can while away the hours daydreaming, eating chocolate, reading, or doing absolutely nothing.
I feel free to run through the house, singing as loudly as I can. I have license to jump on the beds, if I want to. SIDEBAR: I often don't really want to; I prefer to threaten that I might jump on the beds. After all, I'm the one who must tend to the beds! END SIDEBAR. I may choose to chat on the cordless phone and dust the furniture OR I can choose NOT to dust. Mealtime is whenever, not according to a clock. Paying attention to the desires-or lack thereof- of my appetite is to my discretion alone.
Common sense dictates that I would be wise to be concerned with the whereabouts of the Fun Police. If they are patrolling within earshot, there is every chance that they could threaten to take me to Kangaroo Kourt, to be judged by a panel of my peers.
That wouldn't be so bad, you see. They could round up other children in the neighborhood-I did say "PEERS" did I not?-and they would understand my ways.
I may talk with those children as soon as they come home from school. Maybe their moms will let them come for a tea party in the front yard today. I have lemon cookies and peach tea! I feel a party coming on!
We could all live our lives in "party mode" and experience the delightful joy that is ours by our birthright, if only we WOULD make that CHOICE!
If you aren't experiencing childlike joy in your life that could enhance your quality of life, maybe you need a dose of Energy Medicine.
In the meantime, I would highly suggest you burst into song right this minute and don't fret or even concern yourself about what other people think! Connie Baum
I felt sorry for The Normanator. It was a hot day and he called to tell me that on his way home from a painting job he had run out of gasoline in his aging pick-em-up truck. Of course, I grabbed my car keys to "rescue" him.
He looked mighty glum as I drove up. He slid into the passenger seat and told me, "I thought about getting the gas can from the Big Blue Building on the hill. But then, I thought I could chance it." And then he said, "I should have listened to my feelings."
SIDEBAR: Is it any wonder I adore this man? END SIDEBAR
Dr. Alex Loyd says that living by your FEELINGS is the secret to life! How powerful is THAT? Now, I want you to note that he said FEELINGS, not EMOTIONS.
Dr. Loyd explains it this way: Because we are humans, we have a conscious mind and an UN or SUB conscious mind. The "I love you with all my heart" heart is where our spirit or UNconscious business is. That's where the pictures live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The SOUL is in our SUBconscious mind and it is busy with our breathing, heartbeat, and digestion. What connects the two is OUR IMAGINATION. Both the UN and the SUB conscious mind uses imagination or pictures.
Bruce Lipton tells us that we have a million times more control in our un/sub conscious minds. That's why WILLPOWER often is not effective. Whenever there is a conflict between the conscious and sub/un conscious mind, THE UNCONSCIOUS ALWAYS WINS!
Our feelings in our hearts are NOT fickle the way the emotions of the UNconscious mind are. The feelings in our hearts are deep and abiding while the emotions that cause problems in our unconscious are fickle and fleeting.
Here is a prime example of how that works: A couple may have an opportunity to move from one state to another for the father to take a better job. But they do not know what the best choice for the family is. So, they pray about it; they discuss every option with their families and one another. DEEP DOWN, they feel they know what the better choice is...they make lists of all the reasons why and why not. In the end, both the husband and wife agree that THEY FEEL WAY DOWN DEEP, despite their lists and all, that they would be wise to choose one option over the other. They can't PROVE this in rational ways. There is no language to express why they have these strong feelings. They just FEEL a certain way.
The Normanator FELT he should put gas into his pick-em-up truck but his rational mind said, "Aw, shucks." He failed to follow his FEELINGS and regretted it.
Living with indescribable feelings of joy, hope, love, peace and gratitude are indications that you are living in your truth. This is where 99% of wisdom lies. If you are experiencing anger, fear, depression, sadness or anxiety this is an indication that there is what Dr. Loyd calls "heart junk" that is depriving you of your true birthright.
If you or someone you love is experiencing problems that willpower can't repair or they exhibit symptoms of unhappiness, there might be relief from using Energy Medicine. Dr. Alex Loyd and Dr. Ben Johnson have such interesting things to teach us about Energy Medicine. If you would like to learn how Energy Medicine might help you in YOUR life, please visit The Healing Codes. Connie Baum
Every hundred years or so, there ought to be a grand party just to celebrate BEING.
That's exactly what happened today in our little country church. The entire congregation has been planning, planting, painting and making nice for a wonderful Centennial Celebration. Today was our big, exciting day! It was a glorious, auspicious occasion!
We are commonly known as "Maple Grove Church." It's a sort of nickname, based on the precinct location in Johnson County. OFFICIALLY, we are St. Paul's United Church of Christ; unofficially we are "Maple Grovers." Our church home was established in 1909.
Worshippers came today from Steinhauer, our sister church- Salem United Church of Christ-located a few miles south of us. Some folks had traveled from all over the United States to partake in the festivities. They came because they had been confirmed in our church or they were married in our church. They came because they were ministers who formerly served our little congregation. They came to reconnect with former ministers. They came for the prayers and worship, the fellowship and music, and the bountiful plates of catered food!
We wore our finest clothes for this day and our church was properly dressed, as well. There was the new stencil in the entry and a new carpet. The quilt the Women's Fellowship designed, created and dedicated hung prominently in the Fellowship Hall. Even the choir loft had a fresh new look: a stencil, designating the area a place to "Sing and Rejoice!"
We were treated to hymns from the organ, piano, and keyboard. We heard singers who had grown up in our church and brought their guitars to celebrate the homecoming. We had a vocal duet from an aunt/nephew duo that made tears in my eyes. We sang familiar tunes with words former pastors had written; that gave us a taste of their presence even though they are gone.
One of the most loved ministers came from New York and had no idea what topic he should broach. So he just told us what it had meant to him to serve where the grass was brown when he arrived but became golden through the season because he had learned to love it so. He spoke of the genuine sincerity of the people and how he had learned from our parishioners to pray "Come Lord Jesus. Be thou our guest. And let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen." He told us how he had visited Germany and heard the same simple prayer. His voice broke when he shared with us that he loved his time of service to Maple Grove and he was grateful we had taught him so much.
Our rich history was shared: the fire that burned so much of the building but left the cross, which hangs above the altar, singe marks and all. Accounts were made about how the tornado took down the building but did not remove the Spirit of pulling together to rebuild and begin anew. There were such interesting descriptions of which couple married first in the old church structure and how their grandchildren were the last couple to be married there before the tornado mowed it down. There was a simple story about how we became linked with our Sister Church and what a lovely arrangement that has been for all, including our ministers.
One of our own church children grew up to be called into the ministry. She told about how that felt and how the pastor who baptized and confirmed her helped her on that journey. She also presented a skit to roast a group of ministers, including our most recent. It was a good thing our local newspaper photographer came to record the day in pictures; otherwise, no one would believe the things Reverend Renae trotted out for those men and woman of the cloth to wear and do!
God must have been paying close attention to this party. He provided delightful temperatures and cooling breezes, great food-including a cake that was a replica of the church building-and all the love our hearts could hold.
If you could see me now you would wonder how I will ever get this smile off my face.
Mother Connie is a loyal fan of The Healing Codes.
You have seen my rants, my raves and my blog posts about the Healing Codes for some time now. Today I want to share with you five reasons-there are jillions more-why you will benefit from using The Healing Codes:
You will take charge of your own health. In doing so, you'll feel healthier AND YOUNGER than ever before. SIDEBAR: How do you think I've stayed 33 all these years? Grin. END SIDEBAR
You will go far beyond the same tired, old advice you've heard your whole life. A very large number of "hopeless cases" were found to have delightful results with the refreshing approach of The Healing Codes.
Targeted solutions go directly to ameliorate the issues created from stress in the heart. The destructive pictures there are erased and replaced with images borne of love and truth.
You can lower your health care costs. Most times we are spending those hard earned dollars for Disease Mismanagement, anyway.
You will no longer deal with false findings, risky and invasive procedures, costly toxic drugs or needless surgeries because The Healing Codes will help you be radiantly, glowingly healthy in every aspect of your life.
