One of my favorite pieces of inspirational writing is this piece by Patrick Overton...

When you have come to the edge
Of all the light you know,
Into the darkness of the unknown,
Faith is knowing that
One of two things will happen,
There will be something solid to stand on,
Or you will be taught how to fly.

Too often in life the something solid to stand on seems to crumble away. People hurt each other, relationships fall apart, illnesses occur, loved ones die. There have been times in my life when I fell so far into hopelessness I never thought I'd make it. Those were the times the darkness of the unknown seemed just that...darkness. But those were also the times my guides nudged me and urged me to use my wings...the wings of spirit and hope.

It's not always easy to rise above the difficulties and tragedies of life. But by learning to fly above them we see these hardships for what they are; part of the valuable lessons of life. Lessons that teach us compassion, strength of spirit and a passion to create a better world...one that consists of love and peace.

I'm still learning to fly, but there is a great joy in learning. And I know that despite the struggles, this journey of mine is a truly beautiful one.

You can “dance” with the illusions of time and space, choosing your “steps” based upon things and events as they now are, or you can dance with your dreams, choosing your “steps” based upon things and events as they will be.

And I bet you can guess which steps will perpetuate today’s illusions, and which ones will change everything…

In some small way, dance with your dreams daily.

The Universe

Over the holidays a very dear friend of mine gave me the book Even More Notes from the Universe which is, I believe, the third in a series of Universe books. I'd heard of these books before but never read any of them, until now. That's just the way that life tends to unfold..nothing truly has meaning for us until we are ready and receptive.

Since reading through that book I keep seeking out more quotes from the Universe books and the one above is a favorite of mine. It makes me think of another book entitled Courageous Dreaming by Alberto Villaldo Ph.D. By the way that book was also given to me by the same dear friend. Anyway, this reminds each of us that we have an ability to bring our dreams and visions to life. That how we view ourselves and our lives creates a kind of imprint on how our lives will unfold.

For so many years of my life I was stuck in a self-defeating cycle of sorrow. The kind of sorrow where I viewed myself as not deserving to be here or take part in the basic joys of life. (Don't worry, I'm not going to give a long-winded testimony.) A lot of what I was feeling was understandable, but looking back on those times I realized that I was perpetuating that sorrow through how I visualized myself and the world. My dream was one of leaving this world so that's a scenario that kept unfolding. I was perpetuating the illusion that I was a victim, that I was worthless.

Imagine my complete and utter surprise when this illusion shattered. When the bud of truth and wisdom that was always there finally began to blossom.

Because you know what? We all have that truth and wisdom within us. We are creators, we are connected and we all have the ability to bring our dreams to life.

Bad days happen, difficulties happen, sorrow happens, and yes it hurts.

Sometimes my mind still falls into those once-familiar grooves of loss and grief. Sometimes I struggle just to get out bed in the morning.

But beyond that sorrow is the light of beauty, the light of belonging, the light of love...for all of us.

I dreamed that I was worthy and it is becoming so in my life. Remember to dance your dreams each and every day.