Keys For Living

[bluidkiti]

KEYS FOR LIVING

1. The best way to get even is to forget...

2. Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death...

3. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts...

4. Some folks wear their halos much too tightly...

5. Some marriages are made in heaven, but they ALL have to be maintained on earth...

6. Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in 5 days, then perhaps giving "advice" to God isn't such a good idea!

7. Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up...

8. Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous. You will get knocked down by the traffic from both ways.

9. Words are windows to the heart.

10. A skeptic is a person who, when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it's a forgery.

11. It isn't difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill just add a little dirt.

12. The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.

13. Too many people offer God prayers, with claw marks all over them.

14. The tongue must be heavy indeed, because so few people can hold it.

15. To forgive is to set the prisoner free, and then discover the prisoner was you.

16. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

17. You'll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out its neck...

18. If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.

And last but not least -- God gave the angels Wings, and He gave humans CHOCOLATE.

"The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.

The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything."

You are richer today if you have laughed, given or forgiven.

-- Author Unknown

Received in Email

[MajestyJo]

If you open it, close it
If you turn it on, turn it off
If you unlock it, lock it up
If you said it, admit it
If you can't fix it, call someone who can
If you borrow it, return it
If you value it, take care of it
If you make a mess, clean it up
If you move it, put it back
If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone
If it's none of your business, don't ask questions
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
If it will brighten someone's day, say it
If it will tarnish someone's reputation, keep it to yourself

[MajestyJo]

You and I and everything in the universe exist as a part of the endless flow of God's Love.

Realizing this, we recognize that all creation is bound together with the same benevolence.

To harmonize with life is to come into accord with that part of God which flows through all things.

To foster and protect all life is both our mission and our prayer.

- Morehei Ueshibahtere

When you feel like lamenting anything, ask yourself, How am I likely to feel in a week? - a month? - a year? Sooner or later, surely, you'll stop feeling badly. So why waste all that time? Be happy now!

From Do It Now!, by J. Donald Walters

Please include a link back to The Antesian Road To Enlightenment in forwarded material, Thank you. antesianroadtoenlightenment-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

[MajestyJo]

Start Over



When you've trusted God and walked his way,
When you've felt his hand lead you day by day,
But your steps now take you another way...
Start Over

When you've made your plans and they've gone awry,
When you've tried your best and there's no more try,
When you've failed yourself and you don't know why...
Start Over

When you've told your friends what you plan to do,
When you've trusted them and they didn't come through;
And now you're all alone and it's up to you...
Start Over

When you've failed your kids and they're grown and gone,
When you've done your best but it's turned out wrong,
And now your grandchildren have come along...
Start Over

When you've prayed to God so you'll know his will,
When you've prayed and prayed and you don't know still,
When you want to stop cause you've had your fill...
Start Over

When you think you're finished and want to quit,
When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit,
When you've tried and tried to get out of it...
Start Over

When the year has been long and successes are few,
When December comes and you're feeling blue,
God gives a January just for you...
Start Over

Starting over means "Victories Won";
Starting over means "A Race well run";
Starting over means "God's Will Be Done";
Don't just sit there... START OVER.

Author : Unknown

[MajestyJo]

Today, I will just relax. I will recognize that it does me no good to try to manipulate outcomes.

Good things will happen when the time is right. We cannot always be the judge of when that time will occur. Stress is created in manipulation, peace occurs in relaxation.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Today, I will take care of myself and my own needs.

It's amazing what happens when we put ourselves first. Even just the recognition that we have needs is a positive step forward.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Today, I am able to honestly say what I feel with compassion for myself and others.

Often we say, "I am sorry" right after we have actually spoken up for ourselves, where, in fact, no apology is needed. It's just that it felt uncomfortable speaking up, so we felt that it was "wrong". There is no wrong or right. There is positive or negative. Choose positive!
__________________

-No one can predict to what heights you can soar.
Even you will not know until you spread your wings.

-A bump in the road is either an obstacle to be fought or
an opportunity to be enjoyed...it is all up to you.

-A bend in the road, is not the end of the road...
unless you fail to make the turn.

-There are many things in life that will catch your eye,
but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those.

-The greatest discovery of any generation is that
a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.

-Peace is found not in what surrounds us,
but in what we hold within.

[MajestyJo]

1. Slow down; God is still in heaven.
You are not responsible for doing
it all yourself, right now.

2. Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past.
Rest there. Each moment has richness
that takes a lifetime to savor.

3. Set your own pace.
When someone is pushing you,
it's OK to tell them they're pushing.

4. Take nothing for granted:
watch water flow, the corn grow,
the leaves blow, your neighbor mow.

5. Taste your food.
God gives it to delight
as well as to nourish.

6. Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set.
They are remarkable for their steady pattern
of movement, not their speed.

7. Quit planning how you're going to use
what you know, learn, or possess.
God's gifts just are; be grateful
and their purpose will be clear.

8. When you talk with someone,
don't think about what you'll say next.
Thoughts will spring up naturally
if you let them.

9. Talk and play with children.
It will bring out the unhurried
little person inside you.

10. Create a place in your home...
at your work...in your heart...
where you can go for quiet and recollection.
You deserve it.

11. Allow yourself time to be
lazy and unproductive.
Rest isn't luxury; it's a necessity.

12. Listen to the wind blow.
It carries a message of yesterday & tomorrow
- and now. NOW counts.

13. Rest on your laurels.
They bring comfort whatever their size,
age, or condition.

14. Talk slower. Talk less.
Don't talk.Communication isn't
measured by words.

15. Give yourself permission
to be late sometimes.
Life is for living, not scheduling.

16. Listen to the song of a bird;
the complete song.
Music and nature are gifts,
but only if you are willing to receive them.

17. Take time just to think.
Action is good and necessary,
but it's fruitful only if we
muse, ponder, and mull.

18. Make time for play -
the things you like to do.
Whatever your age, your inner child
needs re-creation.

19. Watch and listen to the night sky.
It speaks.

20. Listen to the words you speak,
especially in prayer.

21. Learn to stand back and let others
take their turn as leaders.
There will always be new opportunities
for you to step out in front again.

22. Divide big jobs into little jobs.
If God took six days to create the universe,
can you hope to do any better?

23. When you find yourself rushing
& anxious, stop. Ask yourself "WHY?"
you are rushing and anxious.
The reasons may improve
your self-understanding.

24. Take time to read.
Thoughtful reading
is enriching reading.

25. Direct your life with purposeful choices,
not with speed and efficiency.
The best musician is one who
plays with _expression and meaning,
not the one who finishes first.

26. Take a day off alone; make a retreat.
You can learn from monks and hermits
without becoming one.

27. Pet a furry friend.
You will give and get the gift of now.

28. Work with your hands.
It frees the mind.

29. Take time to wonder.
Without wonder,
life is merely existence.

30. Sit in the dark.
It will teach you to see
and hear, taste and smell.

31. Once in a while, turn down the lights,
the volume, the throttle, the invitations.
Less really can be more.

32. Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest
thing to do - but often it is the best.

33. Take a walk-but don't go anywhere.
If you walk just to get somewhere,
you sacrifice the walking.

34. Count your friends.
If you have one, you are lucky.
If you have more, you are blessed.
Bless them in return.

35. Count your blessings -
one at a time and slowly

~Author Unknown~

[MajestyJo]

Something wonderful is happening to me right now.
It is this thing called life.
Life is in my mind.
Life is in my body.
Life is in my affairs.
I receive it-I share it-I am it and I accept it.
Just the way that it is and just the way that it is not.
Thank you, life.

- Unknown

The things in your life will change for the better to the extent that you change for the better.

From The Angel of Health

[MajestyJo]

I am only as strong as the coffee I drink, the hairspray I use and the friends I have. To the cool men and women that have touched my life. Here is to you!

- An old e-mail posted on Jo's Kitchen

Not sure if these are repeats, they are posts from my sites that are no longer in existence, but posts that I made on other sites.

[MajestyJo]

Live life fully

“Time is life. It is irreversible and irreplaceable. To waste your time is to waste your life, but to master your time is to master your life and make the most of it.”

-- Alan Lakein

Refuse to feel USED by life! Make full use of it instead.

To do this, we initially need to take control of the time of our lives. Time management is life management, from the inside out. It’s an INSIDE job. You already have everything you need. You have the power to create a life of meaning, fulfillment and joy.



Your challenge is to find what works for you! Review the literature but make your own decisions. To do this, you’ll need to:

Get to know yourself -- your desires and passions, rhythms, styles, challenges, needs and habits.
Be aware that you always have choice. Claim your independence and power to choose what is right for your life, moment by moment.

“Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”

-- M. Scott Peck

From Higher Awarenes - used with permission

[MajestyJo]

We certainly get caught up in self and then I went the other extreme and didn't care, or so I told myself. It all boiled down to low self-esteem and self-worth.

I need to learn to value myself and put back the values that my disease had discarded along the way. I needed to be secure within myself, not look to outside things to make me feel better. I used make up, dangly earrings, different hairstyles and colors, all to try to improve upon the outside picture, when all I needed to do was go within, and fill up with spiritual things, then and only then, did my true beauty shine through.

Grapevine Quote from April 2004

"I THOUGHT GOD WOULD OPEN UP THE GATES OF HEAVEN AND LET ME IN. HE DIDN'T. HE OPENED UP THE GATES OF HELL AND LET ME OUT"

"IT IS EASIER TO STAY STRAIGHT THEN TO GET STRAIGHT"

This is the CA version of the same quote:

I'm not certain in mind or heart if our Good Lord through His mercy love and wisdom will open up the Gates of Heaven and allow ME in. But from what I realize of my horrid past, through the 12 steps and the adorned fellowship, He certainly opened up the gates of Hell and let me out.

[MajestyJo]

Warning Light
=============

Today I was driving in my truck up a busy street,
talking out loud to God, as I sometimes do.

I glanced down at my gas gauge for the 10th time only to see that I was still on empty, and the orange glow of the warning light was still very much glowing at me.

I had been telling God that I didn't know what to do and that I was in need of His wisdom.

My car insurance was due yesterday, my truck payment is 3 months overdue, my cell phone was turned off,
(I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks so that is a big one for me).

I am on medical disability for my anxiety, no job and very broke.

I explained to God that something really needed to change, and that I am at my end and can't do this anymore.

Now, let me explain something to you.

I believe in God. I attend an awesome church but not as
regularly as I should. I have a Bible but don't pick it up to read it as often as I should. I have so many opportunities to attend small group studies with my church and even get togethers, but I don't.

That's when it hit me.

I was running on empty.

My spiritual Warning Light has been glowing orange for months now, and I have just kept on going; filling up just enough to get me by, like I do with my gas tank, fill up with just $10.00 worth of gas to get me to the next week.

I didn't get the meaning of it until today. It hit me.

I was actually having a MountainWings moment, and I was excited.

I pulled over and thanked God for showing me what changes I needed to make, what I had to do to fill myself with spiritual fuel.

It was so simple that I had to laugh about it.

It's amazing how we talk to God, and yet sometimes never really open ourselves to listen for his reply.

~A MountainWings Original by Lisa Gizman, Lewiston, ID~

This was sent to me by a friend, and as they say, "God works through people, places and things."

It was because of a spiritual awareness like this that brought me to ***. I know that I can't just 'get by' and that I need spiritual food and I thank you all for being a part of my daily diet.

[MajestyJo]

Ten Choices You Will Regret in 10 Years

“If only…” These two words paired together create one of the saddest phrases in the English language.

depressed

Here are ten choices that ultimately lead to this phrase of regret, and how to elude them:

1. Wearing a mask to impress others. – If the face you always show the world is a mask, someday there will be nothing beneath it. Because when you spend too much time concentrating on everyone else’s perception of you, or who everyone else wants you to be, you eventually forget who you really are. So don’t fear the judgments of others; you know in your heart who you are and what’s true to you. You don’t have to be perfect to impress and inspire people. Let them be impressed and inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.

2. Letting someone else create your dreams for you. – The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are; the second greatest is being happy with what you find. A big part of this is your decision to stay true toyour own goals and dreams. Do you have people who disagree with you? Good. It means you’re standing your ground and walking your own path. Sometimes you’ll do things considered crazy by others, but when you catch yourself excitedly losing track of time, that’s when you’ll know you’re doing the right thing. Read The 4-Hour Workweek.

3. Keeping negative company. – Don’t let someone who has a bad attitude give it to you. Don’t let them get to you. They can’t pull the trigger if you don’t hand them the gun. When you remember that keeping the company of negative people is a choice, instead of an obligation, you free yourself to keep the company of compassion instead of anger, generosity instead of greed, and patience instead of anxiety.

4. Being selfish and egotistical. – A life filled with loving deeds and good character is the best tombstone. Those who you inspired and shared your love with will remember how you made them feel long after your time has expired. So carve your name on hearts, not stone. What you have done for yourself alone dies with you; what you have done for others and the world remains.

5. Avoiding change and growth. – If you want to know your past look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future look into your present actions. You must let go of the old to make way for the new; the old way is gone, never to come back. If you acknowledge this right now and take steps to address it, you will position yourself for lasting success. Read The Power of Habit.

6. Giving up when the going gets tough. – There are no failures, just results. Even if things don’t unfold the way you had expected, don’t be disheartened or give up. Learn what you can and move on. The one who continues to advance one step at a time will win in the end. Because the battle is always won far away and long before the final victory. It’s a process that occurs with small steps, decisions, and actions that gradually build upon each other and eventually lead to that glorious moment of triumph.

7. Trying to micromanage every little thing. – Life should be touched, not strangled. Sometimes you’ve got to relax and let life happen without incessant worry and micromanagement. Learn to let go a little before you squeeze too tight. Take a deep breath. When the dust settles and you can once again see the forest for the trees, take the next step forward. You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going to be headed somewhere great. Everything in life is in perfect order whether you understand it yet or not. It just takes some time to connect all the dots.

8. Settling for less than you deserve. – Be strong enough to let go and wise enough to wait for what you deserve. Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been to stand up taller than you ever were before. Sometimes your eyes need to be washed by your tears so you can see the possibilities in front of you with a clearer vision again. Don’t settle.

9. Endlessly waiting until tomorrow. – The trouble is, you always think you have more time than you do. But one day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to work on the things you’ve always wanted to do. And at that point you either will have achieved the goals you set for yourself, or you will have a list of excuses for why you haven’t. Read The Last Lecture.

10. Being lazy and wishy-washy. – The world doesn’t owe you anything, you owe the world something. So stop daydreaming and start DOING. Develop a backbone, not a wishbone. Take full responsibility for your life – take control. You are important and you are needed. It’s too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday. Someday is now; the somebody the world needs is YOU.

[MajestyJo]

“Prayer is an invitation to God to come to you.
It is a simple method of asking.
Many lessons have been given
on the power of prayer.
It is the power of asking that is the true message.
The means and method of prayer
open the links between man and God.
The angels become part of your energy
with this invitation.”
Barbara Mark and Trudy Griswold

AngelSpeake
"Our private thoughts are known only to God.
The secret thoughts of all of us
are not known by angels or demons or one another.
Every prayer, however,
is heard instantly by our guardian angel."
Janice T. Connell

“Since God often sends us inspirations
by means of His angels,
we should frequently return our aspirations to him
by means of the same messengers.”
St. Francis De Sales

“Balance, peace, and joy
are the fruit of a successful life.
It starts with recognizing your talents
and finding ways to serve others by using them.”
Thomas Kinkade

“If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure,
stop trying to balance them.
Instead make your work more pleasurable.”
Donald Trump

“Do not question your ability or worthiness.
God is a universe of purpose-driven balance.
If you have been called to action,
it is because you have it within you
to rise to the challenge of your calling.
Now, RISE to it!”
Steve Maraboli

[MajestyJo]

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

[MajestyJo]

I wish to live without hate, whim, jealousy, envy, and fear. I wish to be simple, honest, frank, natural, clean in mind and clean in body. . . to face any obstacle and meet every difficulty unabashed and unafraid.

--Elbert Hubbard

Growing up, we learned there were many places to make wishes: the first star, a well, candles on a birthday cake. We saw Dorothy return from Oz after she wished she were back home. Fairy tales taught us wishes can come true.

We don't have to stop wishing, even though many of our wishes never came true. We may have wished for the impossible when we said "I wish things would get better at home." But we may have gotten our way when we said, "I wish this pain would end." Our dreams came true with the program.

Our best wishes can be about ourselves and the lives we want to have. We can wish for riches and find friends with hearts of gold. We can wish for comfort and health, and get a night of uninterrupted sleep. Whatever we wish for, we can receive.

You are reading from the book:

Night Light by Amy E. Dean

This reminds me of what my spiritual adviser once told me, "God meets my needs, sometimes my wishes and my wants. As a dear friend of mind use to say, "Put it out to the Universe and see what you get back."

Remember it is in God`s Time. Don`t put your life on hold, when you are meant to receive, you will know it is there. Watch for the blessings, perhaps your God answered you by giving you what you want in a new form, be prepared to acknowledge and accept it. Sometimes our God just says `No` not right now.

Many times I wish my pain would go away, yet in reality, I need to do the do things to help myself. Most times I am guided by a thought as to what I need. A lot of times it is acceptance, and asking for the knowingness to do what I need to do to help myself. He gives me the strength, courage, and wisdom.