It's Just That Simple

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." ~ Melody Beattie

I so love aha moments! What I am finding is that as I am more emotionally connected and living to just enjoy the journey my heart and mind is open and I am finding solace in my own beliefs without judgement of others. It doesn't mean that you could ever define me as Molly but for sure you would find that I no longer resent nor find any kind of emotion in the "Molly" way of living anymore. This came to me as I was driving down to Lethbridge to spend some time with my W and finish getting the rest of his stuff up to Calgary.

I got a new car, which, by the way, I love. It came with XM radio and I just happened to find the "Rosie O'Donnell" show. She had a weird guest on, of all people, Mike Huckabee, the Governor of Arkansas and a devout evangelical Christian. She had called him up because she had heard an interview that he had had with a gay rights activist wherein he had said that homosexuals should not be given the right to adopt and he was going to make that a law in his state, or at least try to. Now, please, don't even get me started on this argument, I think I would get called into the Bishop's office but what I listened to for about an hour was one of the most engaging, honest and respectful discussion by two people are polar opposite ends of the equation. For the first time I felt that where I came from, what I truly believed about the world and how if people could just understand the concept of acceptance, we really could have a better world and who would have ever thought that Mike Huckabee and Rosie O'Donnell would be, for me, endearing examples.

Rosie didn't let up and yet she heard and accepted Mike's assertions about his choices, his beliefs. She gave him the respect of listening and allowing him to further explain his position and then, because she did, and because he understood she did, she was able to then give her point a view. In the end, they agreed to disagree. GO FIGURE! This world has so many different opinions and for MEN, because it is the men to go to war because one group of people disagree is LUDICROUS!

Come on, do you really need to put a death sentence on someone because they depict a certain thing and for that matter, is it really necessary to push the buttons to insight anger? Think of how many people that have walked away from organised religion because of few of the overzealous hyper religious ones that speak louder and profess to represent a religion, most religions, that are generally just peaceful, accepting places to worship. Does Obama Bin Landen speak for all Muslims, does Warren Jeffs represent all Mormons and really, can those depictable Catholic Priests really be representative all the Catholic Church? Maybe, if we were to see the bigger picture and try to understand what is that GOD intended for us here on earth we could find a way to be peaceful and non judgemental.

Here's a quote I like;

"There is something that has been the quest of every civilization on the face of this earth. The thirst for peace. The thirst for peace lies within you, and peace is also within you. Begin with yourself. Begin with respecting what today means to you, instead of trading it for tomorrow. What does this moment that you are alive mean to you? Your life is like a necklace—one moment, another moment, another moment, another moment." ~ Prem Rawat (Maharaji)

It wasn't until I stopped trying to find answers everywhere else and truly looked within that i could come to a resolution in my life. I make no expectation of anyone but myself. Oh, for sure, I get frustrated and sometime life overwhelms me but when I lay my issues on my soul I become self-perspective and find the anwsers there with the help of my God and those that I trust in my life who are honest enough to speak truth. In the end, peace is found.

So what am I on about.

It really is that simple. Change yourself. Find yourself and once you do, everything else seems to fall into place. Never lose the gratitude for the journey. As our most revered Prophet said;

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family." Thomas Monson

I was at conference when President Monson said this. These very words altered my entire life. It changes me from being a victim to being an advocate. I am today because of these words. I have such a strong testimony of finding yourself, measuring the world as you are in it from a personal and accepting point of view and by truly living and breathing the JOY of the journey. If you do this, you will begin a process of peace that will reside within the walls of your very home and then permeate outwards. Peace will never come from world leaders sitting at a round table defending points of view, but it will begin with each of us finding the basic goodness within all of us and respecting each other, no matter what differences we have.