The Original You

I’m on vacation this week. It’s the first one since 2019. It feels good. On the first day we arrived it snowed. Big flakes. Sticking to the road. Sticking to the trees. It was beautiful. It is our home for a week. Vacation is something that my wife and I are used to. We have been around the world to many places in the ten years we have been married. This vacation is wonderful. It’s bringing us back to the area where we got engaged. There are lots of good memories here. When I look out on my porch as I’m writing this, I see little birds and squirrels sitting amongst the pine trees. These beautiful creatures remind me of the simplicity of life. They are totally in the moment. They are free to go from here to there. They are free to climb, to sing, to be the beautiful spirits they are. They are not worrying about tomorrow or having shame about their past. They are just there. Now. In the moment. This glorious moment. This is the power of nature. It’s that chance to reflect on ...

  Truth matters. How many times have you heard that lately? We want people in power to be honest, and we want those we love to be honest with us. How about ourselves? How honest are we? Fact check. I lie to myself daily. And, I do it more than I care to admit. Here are some of the most common ones. Maybe you can identify with one or more of these. Lie # 1- People don’t care what I have to say. Fact check- This is not true, because plenty of people tell me they love me daily, and I trust these people are telling me the truth.   Lie # 2- I’m not worthy of being loved. Fact check- This is not true. My God created me, and I cannot be anything other than love. My Creator is not capable of creating anything unlovable.   Lie # 3- I must do something that will earn me the love I need. Fact check- My life is already enough. Nothing else needs to happen.   Lie #4- If I weighed a little more or a little less, I would be more attractive. Fact check- T...

  You are a blessing. Take a breath and take that in for a minute. What does it mean that you are a blessing? How do you know that you are a blessing? What evidence would you need to prove to someone that you’re a blessing? I have struggled with this truth most of my life. Sometimes I’m aware that I add value to the lives of others, and on other days I’m not so sure. My ego tells me that what determines my worth is the opinions and feedback I receive from others about who I am. It’s in the mirroring and feedback I receive where I received the truth of who I am. Right? There is more to me than how others see me. Everyone I meet brings with them their own life experiences. From these life experiences, they will form their opinion of me. There is nothing I can do about that. The same is true for you. The people around you form their opinions of you through their own filters and experiences of life. You cannot change their filter, and you cannot change their opinion of you. N...