Peace | Abundant~Life~Initiative

Image courtesy of “Planet With Stars” by artist xedos4. From http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Whew! What a difference 24 hours makes! Saturday, I was fired up, disgusted, and angry at yet another Trump rant, and ready to fight. Today, I am choosing to embody love, light, and forgiveness – because radical, unapologetic, unrelenting love is what will transform everything that needs to change.

We celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life today and I realized that we all have inherited the radical love and light he possessed. We sometimes forget this beautiful inheritance, when we see an out picturing of hate coming our way or when we, ourselves are acting out. But, as Dr. King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

If I want things to change, things cannot change with the same energy that it already is. It has to change from the opposite of what it embodies. In this case, when someone is acting like an ass, I need not act an ass along with them. I show them the love that I wish to see and be.

What brought on this change? Two things – exhaustion and my loving Healing Reike Circle. I was mentally exhausted from all the news reports of a certain president elect acting un-presidential – yet again. All of this negative energy caused me to forget my own inheritance of peace and love. I was frustrated, hurt and felt like I was trapped in a country that is hell-bent on self-destructing.

Reike is a healing modality that combines beautiful intention, love, and healing hands to another. Each person gets a turn at having loving, healing hands sending healing love energy and the person on the table gets a chance to receive love. In giving love to my healing circle friends, I realized that just as I can give love to these lovely people, I can give love to others who may not like me or agree with my views. Love will boomerang back to me, because that is the Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Attraction (like attracts like). What I put out into the world will boomerang back to me and what is attracted to me.

Here are a few tips on being the light and love of the world:

Before responding to a negativity, ask yourself if this is even worthy of your energy. If it is, then ask how can love be infused into the situation.
Pray for (or meditate on) the person or situation that is causing angst in your heart and life. The power of prayer transforms from near and far, and moves hearts closer.
Remember and hold the vision of a peaceful, cooperative, and loving world. You may not be able to do this in the heat of the moment of a debate or rant, but when you have a chance (each day), take some time to envision all that you want to experience. We spend so much time focusing on what we don’t want, that little time or energy is directed towards what we actually do want.

By no means am I condoning suppressing your beliefs to make someone else feel more comfortable or less threatened by different views. But, I am saying to take a moment to ask yourself if you could benefit from hearing someone else’s point of view or at least empathize from where they are coming from. Perhaps once they feel they are heard, they will then be ready to listen. The only way we can move forward is through MUTUAL respect.

No matter what, we still have to keep our inheritance of peace and love close and near, especially because that’s what most of want to have in our experience. Brotherly, universal love was here before the election, and it will be here well beyond four years. We cannot lose sight of the big picture, based on others’ immaturity and ill-will. Even when we have to navigate into and through the negativity, we should remember our birthright and not be so fast to toss our love aside when it is that very thing that will save us all. Our aim should always be to fly through and above the negativity, not to wallow and roll around in it.

I will try to follow my own advice, especially next time I see or hear something that is not in alignment with what I want to experience. I will ask – how can I be the love and light in this situation?

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Monday, February 10, 2014 Shout Outs:

I have just sat down with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and my husband snapped a picture of me pre-dive-in.

My Shout Outs go to: Me! I exercised patience, persistence and peace when my plans for a birthday lunch fell through. I found a way to stay in the flow of life and to remain in alignment with my Greater Self, which is a birthday gift in and of itself. I did not allow my present circumstances to knock me off course or take my peace and happiness away.

I planned a birthday lunch for myself at one of my favorite crab eateries with my parents, sister, niece, daughter, son, husband and a couple of girl friends.
A rain storm blew in, so my husband and daughter stayed home.
My dad called in sick and my mom wasn’t going to get out in the storm.
My sister wanted to still go, but no sense in having her drive 30 minutes to the south side of town.
I went on my own to church and fantasized about crab all through the sermon. I left church and headed to The Boiling Crab, for a take out order.
I got to the counter, and realized my wallet was not with me.
I forgot my wallet when I changed purses (wondered why my purse was so light!).
The cashier and the manager refused to have my son text me a picture of my driver’s license or to call in an order over the phone – something to do with a lot of fraud in the area, etc.
I had my mouth and heart set on some crab. The old, younger me, would have raised holy hell. The newer, wiser, older me, was determined not to get out of my flow.
I went home, regrouped, ate a delicious sandwich, loaded up my iPod with my favorite radio host’s podcast and headed back to Boiling Crab.
I got my spicy sauced crab and shrimp (the Whole Shebang-mild flavor is to die for!).
I headed home, but first dropped off some crab to my dad’s and swung by the grocery store for a bottle of wine.
I set up my collection of crab eating utensils and toasted the occasion.
I ate until I burst.
I watched the season premier of Walking Dead. I fell asleep a happy woman.
With the exception of the blue and black crab cutters from The Boiling Crab, the rest of my utensils are from Crate and Barrel.