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Five reasons why we are lucky and blessed
Published March 2, 2011 | 
We are lucky and blessed because:
1. We are alive.
2. We have people all around us who love us.
3. We are always learning something new.
4. There is beauty all around us if we look.
5. Life is interesting and something to be cherished.
P.S. did I mention we are alive? Everyday we are above the ground is a good day.
God bless,
and goodnight.
Debra : )
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Posted in Happiness, Love, Positive living, Prayers, Spirituality | 
blessings, god, life as a gift, we are alive, we are loved, we are lucky | 
Leave a commentA short morning prayer for this new day
Published March 2, 2011 | 
Dear God,
I welcome the new day.
May I not rush around so much that I miss the beauty that is all around me.
May I thank one person today.
May I smile more than I frown.
May I think loving thoughts more than self defeating thoughts.
Thank you for this day!
Amen
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Posted in Most Popular Posts, Positive living, Prayers, Spirituality | god, morning prayer, new day, prayer | 5 CommentsWrite For The Health Of It: Five reasons why writing is good for us
Published March 1, 2011 | 
Writing does the heart, spirit, and body a lot of good. How can we benefit from writing?
1. Alleviate stress: write down your worries. Or write a to do list and take action on something that is bothering you. Cross it off the list. This will greatly reduce stress and anxiety.
2. Get your creative juices going: being creative and getting in the flow is so good for our spirits. We are truly in the now and glad to be alive. Try it!
3. Writing nurtures our spiritual lives. I find at quiet times when I am feeling contemplative I write and feel very close to God.
4. Writing is great for our relationships. Write your sweetie a little love note. Write to a parent or friend a letter of appreciation. As a teacher I find it is very powerful to write notes to my students.
5. Writing helps make our dreams come true. Visualize what you want. Don’t just think about it though- write it down! There is something powerful about getting things down on paper that we want. It seems to get our intentions out there and sets the universe in motion.
I will stop here for now.
Have a beautiful day, write away!
Debra : )
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Two very little, but powerful words for peace and better sleep: JUST BE
Published December 6, 2010 | 
My last post I wrote about being less busy during this holiday season. I am finding it is really helping me to not get too caught up in all of the busy-ness that this season tempts us with. I say tempt for it is an offering off busy-ing ourselves that we can either accept or reject.
Aside from the holidays I have been experiencing high levels of stress as a public school teacher of late. I won’t go into the details, but it has been a challenging year so far.
Thoughts of not wanting to go to work, a constricted and tight chest, feeling very run down physically, and being emotionally drained have been symptoms of my letting the circumstances of my work life get to me. I hit a low point, and I prayed. The last few days I have been doing a lot of praying, writing in my journal, and reading wonderful spiritual books.
The message that life, God, the divine, etc. has given me is to JUST BE. That’s it. Simple.
Yes, I still have a busy job to go to and to do lists and goals I want to accomplish- but I also am being reminded of the delight and peace that comes with JUST BEING.
It is bliss. To just be. No agendas. No worrying about being productive. Just being.
One of my favorite business books about negotiating is entitled Negotiate This! By caring, But Not T-H-A-T much, by Herb Cohen.
I just love that idea: caring, just not that much. I am always someone who cares so much. I am an achiever and a people pleaser which is a great recipe for anxiety and stress. Perhaps some of you out there can relate. What if we, though, still continued to care (like the good people we are) but just not too much? Would that be so terrible?
I also like the statement “Let Go and Let God”. There is a certain amount of relief and peace that comes when we have just had enough, we feel we can’t do it all on our own, and we can choose to just turn it over to a higher power. That is peace. A wonderful book that expounds on this message of letting go and letting God is Kathy Cordova’s Let go let miracles happen The Art Of Spiritual Surrender. This is a great read to have on your bedside table.
The Beatles old classic song “Let It Be” comes to me as I write this, and…
I would like to end this post this evening with the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
–Reinhold Niebuhr
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Posted in anxiety, Happiness, Positive living, Prayers, Spirituality, stress | acceptance, being, bliss, god, Let it be, letting go, peace, praying, The Beatles, The Serenity Prayer | Leave a commentWhat brings you peace?
Published November 23, 2010 | 
Eleven things that bring me peace:
- Knowing I am loved
- Knowing I am doing my best so how can anybody (including God and myself expect more than that?)
- Accepting others unconditionally instead of wanting to change them.
- Knowing I am on a good path.
- Faith
- Love
- Forgiveness
- Friends and connecting with others
- Doing good work
- Having down time to take care of myself
- My home
Your turn: what brings you peace?
Debra : )
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Posted in anxiety, Happiness, Love, Self-empowerment, Spirituality, stress | faith, forgiveness, god, love, peace, trying your best | Leave a commentGod’s love: a meditation for tonight
Published November 17, 2010 | 
A meditation for you tonight:
Get in a relaxed position either sitting or lying down. Concentrate on your breathing. Clear your mind. Allow the day to drift away. You are relaxed.
Meditate on God or your idea of divine spirit. Repeat one word over and over again as you think of God. Depending on your faith it could be God, Jesus, Adonai, the Universe, etc.
As you breathe in and think of God think of how much you are loved. You have your faith. You are strong. There is nothing to be afraid of. You are taken care of. You have everything you need.
Continue to breathe in silence for a while. Give yourself a hug and squeeze muscles and relax them. Loving energy will flow into your body after this meditation. Enjoy the rest of your evening with the knowledge that God’s love fills the channels of your body and spirit.
Debra : )
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Posted in anxiety, Love, Meditations, Self-empowerment, Spirituality, stress | breathe, calm, god, love, loving energy, meditation, relaxed, safe, secure | Leave a commentGod, thank you for my day and life : An evening prayer
Published November 16, 2010 | 
A few months ago we talked about keeping a prayer journal. Part of taking care of ourselves is nurturing our spiritual lives. If your days are as filled as mine are it would probably do you some good to take a deep breath and think of all the goodness there is in your life.
Life is good.
My prayer for this evening:
Dearest God,
Thank you for this day. I pray I did some good work today. Perhaps some second graders I am entrusted with during the school day are enriched or inspired in some way because of this day we shared together.
Thank you for all of the love in my life. I am truly blessed. Thank you for the good food that my fiance is cooking for us downstairs as I write this. I know its nourishment will be good for my tired body.
Thank you for reminding me that although life is not always perfect or how I think I want it to be there truly is nothing better going than this very moment.
So God, on this evening, I want to thank you for my day and my life.
Baruch Ata Adonai, Thank you God!
~~~~~~~~~
Now Dear Warm Milk Journal Readers, it is your turn. Whatever your religious or spiritual beliefs may be, I invite you to write or think a prayer for the end of this day. The divine light is in all of us.
Have a very blessed evening.
Debra : )
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Posted in Benefits of Journal Writing, journal writing, Love, Prayers, Spirituality | divine light, evening prayer, god, God's love, Jewish, life, present moment, thanks | Leave a commentMorning journal writing session
Published September 28, 2010 | 
One gift we can give ourselves is the gift of being quiet and still. Just be. If we can get and stay in that peaceful place even for a few minutes, it will have a positive effect on our day.
This morning, before the busy-ness of the day begins, grant yourself this time. This is a great time to write in our journals. When we get quiet and listen: listen to our own hearts, our own intuition, God, the universe etc. – it can be amazing what surfaces.
Here are a few ideas for your journal writing this morning:
- Who in your life loves you and supports you unconditionally? Write their names down. As you write their names send love and gratitude their way.
- If there is someone in your life who is challenging you or you are worried about, write their names down. As you write their names send love and healing thoughts their way. These people need your blessings more than anybody.
- Think of people who are successful in their lives. What makes them successful? Write these names down and their successful qualities. Can one of these people serve as a mentor to you?
Be sure to breathe and set a positive intention for your day.
Have a great one!
Debra : )
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Three bedtime verses for tonight
Published September 15, 2010 | 
A fish cannot drown in water,
A bird does not fall in air.
In the fire of creation,
Gold doesn’t vanish:
The fire brightens.
Each creature God made
Must live in its own true nature;
How could I resist my nature,
That lives for oneness with God?
~ Mechthild of Magdeberg (1210-1297) from The Enlightened Heart, Edited by Stephen Mitchell
——————————————————————————————————————-
You are searching the world for treasure
but the real treasure is yourself
If you are tempted by bread
you will find only bread
What you seek for
you become
~ Rumi, from Rumi Hidden Magic , translated by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin
————————————————————————————————————-
The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness. I am the means God has appointed for the salvation of the world.
~ A Course in Miracles, Foundation For Inner Peace
Good night and sweet dreams. 
Debra : )
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Posted in Affirmations, anxiety, Meditations, poetry, Prayers, Spirituality | A Course in Miracles, god, God's love, Rumi, verses for bedtime | Leave a commentAnxiety is the space between the “now” and the “then” ~ Richard Abell Some verses on dealing with anxiety
Published September 6, 2010 | 
Louise Hay in her book, Heal Your Body, says that anxiety comes from not trusting the flow and the process of life. The affirmation she suggests we use to heal anxiety is:
” I love and approve of myself and I trust the process of life. I am safe”.
God speaks to us about anxiety in the book of Matthew: “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air : they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘ What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day”.
Source: The Reader’s Digest Bible, Pages 526-527
An affirmation from Sue Patton Thoele’s The Woman’s Book of Courage P. 71:
I am in charge of my mind.
I choose to think healing, loving,
and thankful thoughts.
I have the power to create peaceful thoughts
even in stressful situations.
May you find peace and have a blessed day this Labor Day, my friends.
Debra : )
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