Finding Your Way

Some years ago, a colleague of mine suggested I write a message each week and send it out to my congregation. It seemed like a great idea and so I began. This was so powerful for me personally and for others, that it became the basis for this book. When I first started writing these messages I thought it was going to be difficult but soon realized it was a wonderful opportunity to write about some of the principles I have experienced and used in my life to change my life from one of quiet desperation – and sometimes not so quiet – to a life that I love! The path of my life has not been a smooth one but I have learned to be grateful for each step of the way, as they have taught me many lessons. This book is not an autobiography nor is it a self-help book. It is a book of ideas and principles, which I have applied to my life. I hope these pages will help the reader to find some peace in their life and give them some inspiration to change if they do not have the peace they would love to experience. I have experienced many twists and turns, which I never would have imagined when I was young. I have battled with addictions, debt, loss of family, depression, despair, and times when I thought that life was not worth living. My road from the darkness to a life that is beyond anything I could have imagined has been rocky at times, bumpy at others, and not always a direct path. But I have continued to “trudge the road to happy destiny” one step at a time, one day at a time, and one year at a time. I have been blessed with many teachers and guides without whom I could never had made the journey. Some are no longer in this physical world but they are always with me and I would not be who I am without them – Teri, Dot, Bob, Shoreen, and Nike were my guides. These amazing teachers taught me a new way to live and I am forever grateful to them. I hope this book will become just one of the many tools that you might acquire to help you in your journey we call life. This is my only wish – that I may be of service to others the way others have been to me. Arlene Week One Living in the realm of possibilities is the best way to live life to the fullest. It is being open to new and wonderful opportunities that are often all around us. Why can’t we see these opportunities? Because we are stuck in an old mind set that tells us that we are not good enough, smart enough, have enough money or that we do not deserve to be happy. When we live life with an open mind, when we become conscious of all the wonder, beauty and awe of the world around us, when we sit in times of silence, we can begin to understand how much more there is available to us. We stop looking through the small hole and look at the bigger picture. When we do that, we can truly realize the unique potential that is within each of us. There is an old story of several people who were asked to look through a wall with a lot of small holes and tell what they saw. Everyone saw something different. One person saw a trunk of a tree, the other saw an immovable wall, another saw a snake, etc. When they came around the wall they saw that what they were looking at was an elephant. This week, make your intention to not look at life through a small hole, but take the steps to walk around the wall to see what is truly there. I think you will be amazed at the possibilities you will find. Quote of the Week Expect the best and your positive outlook opens the door to opportunity. John Templeton Affirmation Today I will look for the possibilities in everything I do and everywhere I am.