Happy Birthday to Me -- Gifts from the Universe - I Work Miracles .com
Today is my 54th birthday. My sister just called and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Crying.”
Sheasked me what was wrong and I shared with her that I was reading abirthday card that my son had just brought by. Both my husband and songave me cards this morning that made me cry, not in sadness, but ingratitude and joy.
It was probably no accident that A Course in Miraclesarrived in my life at the same time that Bill and Bobby did – aboutnineteen years ago. While they are not into the Course, I am quitepositive that the unconditional love we share with each other and thehealing we each continue to experience, is a direct result of my ownwillingness to heal. I’ve seen that healing occurs within ourrelationships, and we are truly never healed alone.
AsI opened my email and read through all the Happy Birthday greetingsthis morning, I was again overwhelmed with all the love and appreciationin my heart.
Thank You for the gift that you are in my life.
So many of you who read this today will rejoice in the healing, love and friendship we’ve shared in one way or another.
Forthe first half of my life I didn’t like myself all that much andmostly, I felt not good enough and unlovable. Today I wonder just whatit was I felt not good enough for. Ever thought about that, what is itthat we think we're not good enough for? I have come to a place where Itruly love and enjoy my life, even though I too struggle with flaws andweaknesses just like everyone else. But finally I have learned toenjoy, and in fact, embrace the process of healing, which is a goodthing since I still have a long way to go in that department! Ha!
Peopletalk about the good ole days of youth, but as I recall, those “good oledays” weren’t all that great. What a good time it would be to be ableto go back to those days armed with the knowledge and wisdom gained over54 years! Ah…but that’s not how it works, and I suppose that’s theplan. Who would have thought while in our 20s and 30s that life reallydoes get better as we age!
Whilevisiting my mother years ago, we looked at some old photos. I cameacross one of a young woman with long blonde hair, a great figure,sporting a dark tan and a bikini. “Who’s that?” I asked my mother.
With a look of surprise she said, “That’s you.”
Huh!?I certainly don’t recall looking that hot. Yes it’s true; youth andbeauty are indeed wasted on the young. Here I sit over thirty yearslater – I’d like to lose more than a few pounds and zap a few wrinkles,but wow – it feels so good to have arrived at a place where I likemyself and am comfortable in my own skin. And let’s face it; at thisstage of the game if I still had long blonde hair, I’d probably looklike a hag!
Thismorning I read a post I had written last year on my birthday where Ireflected on my “birthday lessons”. As I did this, I was able to seemore clearly what I had learned this past year.
My birthday lesson in the Bible happens to be Hebrews 12:2 and I paraphrase:
Let me fix my eyes on Truth, and look away
from all distractions.
Thismirrors what I’ve been writing about frequently of late. I am learningto more consistently use my mind to focus on the truth of my being. Ihave been bringing increased awareness to the ways that I allow myselfto be distracted from knowing myself as Love created me, like when I getcaught up in focusing on my body, my business, the future…
Next I turned to my birthday lesson in NTI Hebrews 12:2:
Follow the beacon of the Heart. Persevere in its way, letting
go of dreams as the Heart lovingly shines its Light on them.
…Remain focused on the true desire of the Heart,
and listen to it in all things.
Thistoo mirrors what I have been learning, and what I wrote about two daysago in the post: “Leading From the Heart.” In that post I also wroteabout how I was discovering that areas of frustration and distractionare actually gifts I have given to myself as they have kept me on thehealing path and taken me deep within myself. Uncanny that this morningas I read this passage in NTI I also read this a few versus later:
“Remember that each circumstance is a gift given by you for your own healing, and you accept each gift graciously within the gratitude with which it was given.”
Wow, I’ve been giving myself some really great birthday gifts of late!
And now I come to my birthday lesson in A Course in Miracles, 336:
Forgiveness lets me know that minds are joined.
The lilies of forgiveness shine into the mind,
and call it to return and look within,
to find what it has vainly sought without.
Yes,I have vainly sought for happiness in the things of this world. I am sothankful to have learned to look for it where it is – within. With thevision of Love, which is forgiveness, I recognize my union with allliving things.
I cannot forget the calendar I’ve had on my desk for twenty-five years, reminding me every December 2nd to:
Do all things with Love.
Recently, when I asked myself, what do I really want? The first answer that came to me was, I want to do all things with Love.
AsI rest with my birthday lessons, I find it interesting and amazing howperfectly they mirror my inner work this past year. I felt to share themwith you because no matter what day of the year it is, I recognize themas gifts given to myself and you, reminding us of the way to reallyLive.
Perhapsthis year I will keep these gifts to myself in the forefront of mymind, which should make for some amazing reflections on December 2,2011.
Thank You. Hope you’re having a wonderful day! Much love.