How To: KEEP THE FAITH

Keeping The Faith

Morning comes gently... sshh, everyone still sleeping, coffee poured! It's morning and soon we'll be headed to Disney... sssshhh... they'll wake soon with such energy, PASSION, EXCITEMENT... but for now, I'm all alone with my morning, my thoughts and my gratitude...
Oh what time we have together, thank you Creator for all the many blessings and for this day. I am so richly blessed to have this day, this very moment.
Keeping The Faith will sustain, feed nourish, and heal us always... I'm thinking of a dear heart named Andrea Gasse this morning. It's the death date of her beloved Jaren 07-07... Jaren died in a horrific car crash on a day she kissed her Mom Andrea and told her what a great day it was, a lucky day and set off with friends to have the best day. She was tragically killed en route to that best day. I'm sure her beloved Grandmother took her quickly so that she felt no pain; now dancing on the other side, recently joined by two young men, suddenly and tragically also...
Most recently joined by a Police officer in New England a life long friend of the family who knew Jaren since her birth... Now all on the other side; Officer Weddleton joining the Thin Blue Line that our own TPD officers Curtis and Kocab recently joined as well. I'm sure Jaren was there to welcome all... she still meets Andrea more times than not at Honeymoon Island showing herself as a dolphin coming oh so close to Andrea each and everytime! Assuring her that she is awesome; dancing through the galaxies and keeping a watchful eye on the family ~ only a breath away. Andrea knows... ya gotta find the path, you gotta KEEP THE FAITH, you gotta find the way to HOPE in HEALING... You have to want to find your way to the light and emerge from the darkness...
KEEP THE FAITH AND CHOOSE TO FIND YOUR WAY into the LIGHT of HEALING AND HOPE...



When bad things happen to good people, when we are devasted and in pain, when we are saddened by the world around us, it can be hard to keep the light shining.
Staying positive is a choice.

 I know how important it is to acknowledge the feeling of sadness, loss, grief, worry, angst.
We allow the feelings, sit with the sadness, work through the grief and contemplate the sorrow.
What we must not do is allow these moments, these days of recent past, days of now to engulf us.
To be who we are.
                      We are positive people.
 Strong people, capable of giving the hard times, the emotional turmoil it’s due, and then regroup.
Pick ourselves up and push through the pain to re-center ourselves.
Find the self nurturing warmth in our own hearts and embrace the choice to move beyond the moment.
 To stand with those who are hurting UNITED in spirit, in faith to close the gap that they are feeling across the wind...

Sometimes this requires us to pull out the old tool kit and drag ourselves kicking and screaming back to the place we choose to be.
 We STOMP out our misery, while feeling the sacredness of Mother Earth beneath our feet, feeling grounded by that security and foundation.

 We cry and frail and wallow in it, but limit the power of these thoughts and feelings.
 Give them some time, but not all our focus.
 We must shift our focus to the gratitude that also shares the same heart in our chest.
We must force ourselves to turn away from the pain, quietly close the door on it and re-engage.
WE ARE WARRIORS ~ PUT ON THE WARPAINT ~
S    T    O   M     P


It may not be an easy task, but it is necessary.
Music is always a ready tool for me.
A stroll on the beach or a mindful walk in the woods. Coffee with a friend.
Whatever it takes.
My mind may tell me to veg out with mindless TV, or a nap, anything to turn off the feelings.

 We all fall into this trap.
The better, more effective plan is to create the energy we need to pick ourselves up and turn our backs on the blues.
 Take control of the moment.
Don’t wait for it to pass. Get busy. Physically move. Make some noise. Do something purposeful.
I repeat this theme often because we all walk on feet of clay.
When we feel overwhelmed we must dig down and refuse to give in to prolonged suffering.
We have the capacity to change our state of mind.
It takes practice to do this on command.
Our brain wants to follow but it operates with consistency... it likes consistency...
It not only is possible, but it is necessary.


The blues, the sadness that pulls at us is disabling and I refuse to linger there one moment long than is necessary. Sadness can be self-indulgent.
I fully support self-indulgence in many ways, but will not willingly crawl into that dark pit and stay there very long.
Dwelling on sadness has a very real physical effect on us. It feeds itself until a full emotional buffet is laid before us. Do we need to conjure up every bad feeling we have quietly nurtured in our mind to drag ourselves deeper into that hole?
Not me. I refuse to magnify the current momentary dose of the blues by painting everything with a black brush.
I find it more healing to use the brush to sweep myself into action.
And yes, sometimes it takes sheer force of action to move out of that place and regain my sunny disposition.


I trust that if I shift my focus, set myself in motion, I can shake the blues.
Life is short, each moment precious.
 I can feel better, lighter, but I must first make the choice to give less time and energy to the negative.
 I will not perseverate on that which I cannot change. I will be mindful of my thoughts. I will always recognize that I have the ability, the personal power, to make the shift.
 And shift I will.
I will welcome the sunshine. I will focus on the flower not the thorn.
I will sing you comfort and empathy, but only because I trust that you will feel the love, the caring, and then you will turn that support into the nugget of energy that will lift you up.
Hold you up until you too declare your own desire to let the sadness pass.

Take this moment to do an emotional inventory. Are you dwelling on the worst?
Feeding a dark moment, or just pausing to acknowledge that life gives us much to feel bad about, but so much more to feel good about.
If that is not true in your life, you must indeed work toward claiming better emotional choices for yourself. Your life is what you make it. Make it good. Really good. Fill it with good choices. Friends, family, love, gifts you give and gifts of yourself that you offer. It’s all about ATTITUDE.
We need a little FAITH~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5-QesTt0OA

How’s yours?


We continue here to be about healing the heartaches and celebrating the moments we have to live fully. This moment is yours. How will you spend it?
As for me... gotta run, "Wait, I seee Mickey"...

The fire is burning, its embers are hot, sending healing thoughts, prayers on the wind to those that are in pain, those that are devastated by the recent events in our lives, our world, our Gulf waters and our very souls. We are UNITED in healing ways, we are here, along with some powerful angels... LOOK UP, it is only by looking up you will hold the faith and see the Eagle when she soars...



Sending healing thoughts of strength, humor, and light to you and yours on this beautiful morning...

WE are together in prayer, in thoughts of all that is needed to remind you out there, we are WARRIORS... we are with you, along with some powerful angels... May you find comfort in knowing we are with you always:


FOR: TAMPA BAY, Mayor Iorio, The Tampa Police Department Chief Jane Castor, those serving in Blue, their families, friends, the families of the fallen,


The Kacob Family, The Curtis Family, Chief Jane Castor, The Weddleton Family, Trish, Barb, Anastasia, Chris, Jill, Randy, Winnie in NM recovering from surgery of her neck, Joseph, Cathy Madden and her family, Vicki and Matthew, Cindy in NC, Cindy C, Laura, Mitch and family, Liz, Lee, Molly, Joanie, Jude, COFA,Judi, Matthew, Matt, Mark's family and many friends , Andrea, Jimmy, Marie and family up in New England, Pat, Dorothy, Angela, Elijah, Ode, Linda M, "Southwest VA", Irene, Kevin, Dr D, Deb, Randy, Dr B , Charlie and family, Booker, Bernice, Jean, Julie, Rhonda, Victoria, Mildred, Andi and family, Irene, Faith, Denise, Jim, Tom, Joey, Shelby friends and family, Judi, Phylis, Joyce, Gina, Tonya, Beverly and Family, Janeth, Melissa, Pam, Virginia, Stacey, Kevin Edward Belevich and his Pops Jack Phelan, Our Black American Bears Lily and HOPE, their spirit, and , the folks at the NABCElizabeth, Nita, Gary Siegal, Adrienna,Brian Mawbey, Please hold the friends and family of these people in your hearts and prayers as they begin that long and uncertain journey through grief  and hope in healing... Keep the Faith ~

Walk In Beauty,
DRSES
http://www.healingheartaches.com/