​“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
---Ann Frank
 
 
Whenever I am starting something new or making a major decision, I seek a sign to support my endeavor. Once I receive the guidance then I can move forward with confidence with a plan of action to achieve my goal.
 
I attended several workshops given by MaryJo McCabe on “Learn to See,” an approach to your inner voice through symbols. After she gave these workshops, she published her book using the title of the workshop. One of many comments about this book came from Dr. Laura Herission, psychologist, “In our busy world and our busy lives, we all need time to slow down and to connect with our higher power and inner light. Learn to See gives us a roadmap, a way to get there.”
 
The following quote is a powerful message from the first chapter of the book.
“Michelangelo once had been commissioned to carve a statue in a courtyard. A young boy came by and watched him begin to chisel the huge stone for a moment. Then the puzzled boy asked the great sculptor why he was hitting at the rock. Michelangelo replied, ‘Because there’s an angel inside, and it wants to come out.’ There is an angel inside you, pressing against the windowpane of your consciousness, wanting to get out and lead you in your quest for life. All we need is a method of releasing this angel from within. The use of symbols from your higher self is the key to unlocking this wealth of timeless information and awareness. This is a logical part of God’s plan. We were not put here to struggle in isolation.”
 
The following  was a powerful sign I received using the tools I learned from the workshops and this book. The other day my son sent me an email with an inspirational daily reflection. I responded with the comment. “Great focus for me today! Despite my efforts to let go of evaluating ‘success’ by the numbers I still find myself doing that very thing with the blog, eagerly checking the number of readers.” He replied immediately and said,  “Dad, it’s not whether 1000 people have read your message. It’s whether at least one person has read your message and changed their life because of it.”
 
The night of that email exchange I had a dream in which I heard very clearly the words Luke 15 vs: 4. I had no idea what that was telling me, so I looked up the Bible passage when I woke up. Here it is, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, doth not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after that (one) which is lost, until he finds it.”
 
The message in my dream was a confirmation of what my son said. If I am sharing my story on my blog  and it touches the life of one person, it is of value. The number one in symbols talked about in the book represents new beginnings, move forward. This lesson is one that is not easy for me to learn but I immediately accepted it because of the powerful sign I received.
 
You may want to pay attention to signs you are receiving this week to assist you in significant decision making. Once you receive these signs share your story with others. This may help them light their candle and this can  help change the world into a more positive focused place one person at a time.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
“If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations,
 you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.”
---Norman Vincent Peale

When our friend Roy who now lives in Tennessee retired from his teaching career, he started spending much of his free time capturing the beauty of flowers, wildlife and nature in beautiful still life photography. He does this as a hobby and has no interest in marketing his artwork. He generously offered me availability of his artwork for use on my blog postings. His work stirs in me the same positive feelings as when I walk in nature. In the beauty of nature I am assured that there is surely a God that connects me to the Universal God presence in all things. The title he gave to the photo above is, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. That says it all, doesn’t it?
 
When we are in a positive environment of nature it is easy to see everything in rose colored glasses. Many readers of my blog have mentioned that they are amazed that I can see the positive perspective of so many things when we are living in such challenging times.
 
I have already written about several of the things I do daily. As I reflect over past years,  there were many turning points that helped me achieve this state of mind. When I was in school, I had no interest in doing any more reading than what was absolutely required.
 
Once I started my career in marketing, one of the very first books I read and have kept on my bookshelf is The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. It was published in 1952 and remained on the New York’s Best Seller book list for 182 weeks. The message is as pertinent today as when the book was first published 67 years ago. It certainly whetted my appetite for inspirational reading and that has been a passion of mine since.
 
I am not going to go into detail about the book. I do want to say that it greatly influenced me to start thinking, acting, and reacting positively. It is the way I want to encourage our grandchildren to think and process situations in their lives. Every positive thought and action taken will make this world a better place for all of us!
 
Listed below are a few of the titles of the chapters in this powerful book. You may want to reflect on them to see if they offer something you have already implemented yesterday or plan to do so today or tomorrow.
 

• Believe in Yourself
• A peaceful Mind Generates Power
• Try Prayer Power
• Expect the Best and Get It
• How to Break the Worry Habit
• Inflow of New Thoughts Can Remake You

 
 

​“Alone, we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
-- Helen Keller
 
Making a positive shift in the way we approach life is not always easy. When challenges occur, they become the main focus and we cannot even think of moving forward. The disappointment totally absorbs our energy and discouragement sets in.
 
The force of negativity in the news that we read, and view is powerful. It often becomes an acceptable fact of life. Just a minute ago I turned on my computer to write and a message instantly popped up on my screen regarding, a  major explosion in another state in which several people were injured and one person was killed. These types of heart wrenching messages pop up on my iPhone throughout the day.
 
In order to prepare ourselves for these negative influences we need to spend some time focusing on positive possibilities. That is why I work at it daily. It helps me to surround myself with people who are also working on making positive changes in their lives. We have been blessed with many people in our lives that are doing that very thing.
 
Yesterday I read about the value of “community” in one of my daily resource readings and it said: “When I am open and vulnerable in community, I reap blessings beyond my imagination.” The power of this kind of support was also quoted in a scripture passage “When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
 
 When I retired twelve years ago, we were blessed to connect with a couple’s social group which has now have evolved into a positive community experience. In participating in and witnessing the support we have been to one another I can confidently say I know we are making a positive difference in the world.
 
Last week we attended the funeral of our good friend Carol. She had dealt with many adversities, but always amazed us with her positive attitude to affirm her faith in God and renew her determination to move forward. The evening of testimonies was about how she made such a positive influence on so many people’s lives.
 
Carol’s Memorial Service touched us deeply. At the Church the entire altar where the urn with her ashes was placed was covered with affirmation cards that she had written and placed throughout her home. She prepared her mind daily to think positive  wherever she was in her house.
 
The evening of testimonies was inspiring and uplifting. Her son-in-law shared beautifully on Carol’s ambitions in life which were always motivated by her desire to make other people’s lives better. The contractor that built her state-of-the-art day care center gave a beautiful testimony. He said when he met Carol, he was 45 and was already looking forward to the day he would retire. He was amazed that Carol was 60 and retirement was the farthest thing from her mind. She was tremendously excited about having a million-dollar building built to start a business that would house 350 children for her early learning development center.
 
Three weeks before she passed at the age of 86, she met with the pastor of her Church to lay out an entire program to get an early learning center established in the church community. At that time she was having challenges with her breathing and was dependent on portable oxygen. Once again, despite these health issues she volunteered to work with him to get it started.
 
Unfortunately any such  positive happenings will not pop up on our computer screens or iPhones, so it is important to have resources of support and encouragement to assist us in seeing the positive possibilities every day. Each day is a fresh start. Life is too short to get bogged down in negativity. Put yourself in those places and around those people who are pursuing life with a half-full cup. You will be amazed at the boost this will be to your energy and enthusiasm which will in turn affect your contacts and continue to change many lives!
 
 
 
 
 

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”
 --Meister Eckhart
  
My wife is my most faithful of my “out of box” thinking. She will often tell me, “Where did you come from? You seem to have an automatic positive response to situations regardless of the challenge they may present.”
 
I have always approached life with expectations of a positive outcomes. There have been occasions however when this belief was tested. I really didn’t think there was anything I couldn’t approach this way. But there came a time when responsibilities became overwhelming and solutions more complicated and I had real moments of doubt. There were not always immediate or obvious answers to difficult situations. The areas I was having a difficult time controlling were finances, ending of a six-year community experience, and the illness and death of my father.
 
During these times I sought guidance and advice from many professionals, a therapist, a spiritual director, and a financial planner. I developed resource materials to draw on and put them to use daily.
One of the tools I use daily is reflecting on the message and scripture passage from Daily Word. After reading the message I underscore a few sentences to use as a guidepost for my day. “With a new dawn comes a fresh start, an opportunity to choose again.” I have also been reminded that a positive outcome can be defined in many ways. It can be a hard lesson learned or an unpleasant task accomplished. It’s my approach that defines that experience as negative or positive.
 
Beginning a day with a fresh start gives me hope that regardless of yesterday’s challenges I can approach TODAY with a clear mind and positive approach..
 
I have posted below the Daily Word message from this Thursday.
  
Turning Point
I make wise decisions that lead me to my greatest good.
Thursday, 25, 2019
 
The warm yellow glow of a sunrise reminds me that each day holds the promise of a new beginning. With a new dawn comes a fresh start—an opportunity to choose again. Which thoughts will I choose today? What is important to me? Which actions will lead me to my greatest good?
Lessons learned yesterday help me make better decisions today. As I tune in to my inner wisdom, I am guided clearly by the intentions I set for my life. Limiting patterns of thought that held me back in the past have no power over me today. As I gain clarity, I make wise decisions that change the course of my life for the better. With this new awareness, I claim my good now!
  
I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?—Isaiah 43:
  
Each issue of Daily Word magazine includes two months of daily affirmative messages, feature articles, and spiritual poetry. Subscriptions are available in print and digital. http://www.dailyword.com/
 

“Good travels at a snail's pace. Those who want to do good are not selfish, they are not in a hurry, they know that to impregnate people with good requires a long time.”
Mahatma Gandhi

In addition to their day-to-day sleeping habits, snails also go into a deep sleep to avoid adverse weather conditions and periods when food is scarce. In colder climates they hibernate during the winter months, and in hotter climates they estivate during the summer months. When they go into hibernation or estivation, they seal themselves safely inside their shells with a layer of mucus that forms a hard cover over the opening.
Seems like the only excuse I can find for the recent lapse period of time that I was not motivated to write was I inadvertently became the snail. I needed to hibernate so I could make it for the journey ahead of me. Hopefully it will be a long journey because my eighth decade of life is rapidly approaching.
 
A few things awakened me from my rest period. I received a call from a friend wanting to know if his name was no longer on my mailing list of readers of Positive Pops. The second tap on my shell came from a friend that is a well-known spiritual teacher. She wanted me to know how much she enjoys my postings.
 
Being a success driven person I decided to check out on my website to see if anyone had read any of my previous postings. I was definitely surprised to learn that in one month 10,000 people had clicked on to my website. Finding this quote of Gandhi encouraged me to pick up my pen and start writing. As I have mentioned in previous posts, my initial motivation for writing a blog was to offer encouragement for our grandchildren who are bombarded with negative news. Hopefully that encouragement will come from my sharing positive things that are happening in my life and ideas that may open the doors for positive possibilities.
 
Once again reflecting on what has encouraged me to write, I realize it is the support from friends who see a value in the good that comes from ideas I share.
 
This week offers a good opportunity to think of someone you would like to encourage by sending a note or making a telephone call letting them know the positive difference they are making in the world. There are many things I observe that often do not get recognized for the value they contribute to making our world a better, more humane place. I have been deeply moved as I have observed the way in which several couples in our Good Timers group have cared for their ninety-plus year-old mothers affording them the respect and dignity they deserve as they approach the end of their lives.
 
This posting is to let you know I am back from hibernation. I will have a posting next week on experiences I have had that reassure me that we are indeed connected to members of our family even though they crossed over many years ago. They are definitely watching over us and making a positive influence in our lives.
 
 

“The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don't.”
                                                                                                                               
---Marie Kondō
 
 
It has always amazed me that some people will eagerly embrace new ideas to live a life of abundance. Whereas others will repeat the same patterns and continue to complain about how bad things are in the world. The world cannot change if we do not change OUR WORLD which must start in our own environment. Everything I share in my posts comes from what I have personally experienced and have had success in implementing in my life. I also eagerly seek insights from professionals who teach these principles who have witnessed their effectiveness time and again. It is very encouraging too when friends share ideas that are working for them.
 
Presently we have a huge number of people participating in making positive changes because of the Lent/Spring season. It is a season that encourages us to do something in our lives that will help us live life fully and experience more joy and abundance.
 
I want to share what a friend decided to do for Lent and then I will share an idea from the book in my tool box that supports what they are doing. A couple in our senior social group decided they would do something positive for Lent this season. Instead of “giving up something” they focused on positive action. Every day for 40 days they are going through their closets, attic and house seeking something they are no longer using. They then bring these items to a charity to be distributed to those in need.
 
I know they are doing this as a spiritual practice, but it is backed up with support that clearing clutter has life changing benefits. In the book that I have referenced in previous postings Feng Shui Your Life comes the following information:
“Clearing clutter and cleaning space are the first steps in creating awesome energy within yourself and your surroundings. If you start with a clean slate, your dreams and goals will manifest much faster and easier.”
 
On my dream board I have a picture of a chair for our living room I wanted to replace a chair that no longer fit after we purchased new living room furniture. It was still in great shape and had rarely been sat upon. We held on to this chair waiting until we found another that we liked. We could not find the perfect chair, so we finally decided to give away that chair to a local charity. Last week we decided to just browse around furniture stores with no pressure for an immediate purchase. As we were exiting the last store we intended to visit, we found the exact chair we wanted. Once the space was open, we found exactly what we wanted.
 
Whenever we make a positive change it is not easy when we are doing it alone and do not have support. Now is a great time to make a positive change by implementing a new practice because we do have the support. A large group of people are doing Spring Cleaning, and many are embracing “positive action” for Lent.
 
You may want to share your success story in the comment section. How is your Lenten options/Spring Cleaning progressing?

​“The way we experience the world around us is a
direct reflection of the world within us.”
                                                                                        ---Gabrielle Bernstein:
 
Today Lent is a much-anticipated day for those of us who live in New Orleans. As soon as the fireworks and New Year’s parties are over, we get ready for endless partying until midnight of Fat Tuesday. This year I participated in many of these activities. Some of the partying became public when a video was posted on Facebook of me line dancing on the street while waiting for a parade. I did have a great time!
 
I am excited about the upcoming 40 days because these six weeks offer me a quiet reflective time to select one or two things from my tool box to seriously practice daily. This discipline can assist me in making a major positive change in my life.
 
In the past I have written about a tool I use daily, writing and saying affirmations. Some people have said to me that this sounds like a New Age practice.
It may be that for some but for me it creates trust and faith that what I want to attract in my life will manifest if I truly believe it will happen.  One of my favorites affirmations is “I accept good graciously into my life. All of my needs are met abundantly for me now and always.”
 
I feel encouraged about the message I am sharing with others when I receive confirmation from people I hold in high regard. A few days ago in Fr. Richard Rohr’s daily reflection he talked about the importance of affirmations.
“We have been conditioned to focus on the negative in ourselves and others. Think of a negative phrase you have said aloud or thought to yourself that stems from a sense of shame rather than your inherent dignity. Turn it upside down and say, in the first person, present tense, an affirmation of your God-given value. For example:
 
I don’t have enough....I have everything I need.
I am alone....I am indwelled by God’s presence.
I am worthless...I am precious in God’s eyes, I am honored, and God loves me.
 
Repeat the positive statement aloud, slowly, with intention and trust, several times. Then rest silently in the awareness that you are already and forever, without any effort or achievement on your part, a beloved child of God.”
 
I believe the practice of daily affirmations during the 40 days of Lent can create unlimited possibilities and perhaps even create a habit that can certainly enrich your life.