This was so awsome Delma!! Thanks Syl "God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change the courage to change the person I can and the wisdom to know I am that person." ~Sylvia
----- Original Message ----- From: "delma bliss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 6:31 AM Subject: [RecipesAndMore] The Awakening > > > The Awakening > A time comes in your life when you finally get it... > When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you > stop dead in your tracks and somewhere, the voice > inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! > Enough fighting and crying, or struggling to hold on. And, like a child > quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you > shudder > once > or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes, > you > begin to look at the world through new eyes. > This is your awakening... > You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to > change, or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the > next horizon. > You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and you are > not Cinderella and that in the real world, there aren't always fairy tale > endings > (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever > after" must begin with you and in the process, a sense of serenity is born > of acceptance. > You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will > always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are ... and that's > OK. > (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the > importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process, a sense > of > new > found confidence is born of self-approval. > You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to > you > (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really > count > on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they > mean > or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you > and > that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to > take care of yourself and in the process, a sense of safety & security is > born > of self-reliance. > You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as > they > are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and in the > process, > a sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness. > You realize that much of the way you view yourself and the world around > you, > is a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into > your psyche. You begin to sift through all the junk you've been fed about > how you should behave, how you should look and how much you should weigh, > what > you should wear and where you should shop and what you should drive, how > and > where you should live and what you should do for a living, who you should > marry and what you should expect of a marriage, the importance of having > and > raising children or what you owe your parents. You learn to open up to new > worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining > who you are and what you really stand for. > You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to > discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have > bought into > to begin with and in the process, you learn to go with your instincts. > You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive and that there is > power > and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through > life > merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix. > You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the > outdated > ideals of a by gone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation > upon which you must build a life. > You learn that you don't know everything; it's not your job to save the > world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish > between guilt > and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning > to > say NO. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to > carry > and that martyrs get burned at the stake. > Then you learn about love. Romantic love and familial love. How to love, > how > much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn > not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship. You learn > that you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or > important > because of the man on your arm or the child that bears your name. > You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would > have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. > You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with love; and you > learn that you don't have the right to demand love on your terms, just to > make > you happy. > You learn that alone does not mean lonely. You look in the mirror and come > to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and > you > stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over > how you "stack up." > You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing > things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of > entitlement > are > perfectly OK and that it is your right, to want things and to ask for the > things that you want and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands. > You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, > kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less. You allow > only the > hands of a lover who cherishes you, to glorify you with his touch and in > the > process, you internalize the meaning of self-respect. > And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care > for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, > drinking > more > water and taking more time to exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes > the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. > Just > as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul; so you take more time to > laugh and to play. > You learn that for the most part in life, you get what you believe you > deserve and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. > You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that > wishing for something to happen, is different from working toward making > it > happen. > More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need > direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do > it > all alone > and that it's OK to risk asking for help. > You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber > baron > of all time; FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your > fears, > because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to > fear, is to give away the right to live life on your terms. > You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a > cloud > of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always > get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to > unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions, you learn not to > personalize > things. > You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers; > it's just life happening. > You learn to deal with evil in its most primal state; the ego. You learn > that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be > understood > and > redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the > universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to > build bridges > instead of walls. > You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things > we > take for granted; things that millions of people upon the earth can only > dream > about; a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long > hot > shower. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself, by yourself > and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever > settle for less than your heart's desire. You hang a wind chime outside > your > window so you can listen to the wind, and you make it a point to keep > smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful possibility. > Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side you take a > stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to > live > as best as you can. > > Delma > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
