#HaveCourage to Love

#HaveCourage to Love

I know this #HaveCourage is cliche but it is so true. Over the course of time, many times (or maybe one bad experience) made us afraid to love others. We have been hurt or have seen others hurt from giving themselves in love and decided not to Love. But I want you to know that you will never experience love if you don't allow yourself to #HaveCourage to Love. 

Loving others requires sacrifice. It will require being selfless. It will demand that you leave offense at the door. So, yes, it takes Courage to Love. There is a vulnerability you experience when you make up your mind to Love someone.  But nothing is worth winning if you don't risk losing. 

I have loved and lost. I was afraid to love again because the pain of other losses changed my perception of love and relationship. But after a period of time, I made up in my mind that I would #HaveCourage to love again. It didn't work out but I was proud of myself for attempting to love again. 

So #HaveCourage to Love. It will be worth it.

Blessings,

Aurellia

#HaveCourage to want New

#HaveCourage

Hi Everyone! As you may remember, December is the month I have dedicated my blog to encourage readers to #HaveCourage. Courage is not the absence of fear or absence of obstacles, but it is the "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty" (Merriam-Webster). Our actions are only courageous when there is a presence of fear or an obstacle.  

I have a list of various actions, behaviors, and feelings I want to encourage you to #HaveCourage for and I don’t know where to begin. I feel like the items should be in some kind of order but, if you know me, you know I am very indecisive. So I think this series of #HaveCourage blogs will not be in any particular order but as I am led by the voice of God and the cry of the people…

Today, I want to encourage you to #HaveCourage to want something NEW. That’s the thing about the ending of one calendar year. At the stroke of Midnight, it is the ending of the old and hopefully a step into what is new. But truth be told, we cling on to what has been and what is practically worn out and old instead of getting excited for what is new that lies ahead. It takes Courage to actually desire to have something new because the old is so comfortable and so familiar. We know what to expect with the old; the New is foreign territory and may be inhabited by lions, tigers, and bears…oh my!

This December, I want you to #HaveCourage to want something new in your life. This new may be finally looking for a new job or a new place to live (because you know that you really are tired of the job you currently have). New for you may be a new romantic relationship because the relationship you are in is going nowhere fast. Ask yourself, What do I want to be NEW in my life? Whatever answer you admit to yourself, let that be your priority in the New Year to achieve.

Blessings,

Aurellia

#HaveCourage



 Happy Day Bloggers!

I'm excited about this month. I'm always excited about December. Yes, it is the Christmas season that is marked by angels and baby Jesus and trees and decorations and family and gift-giving. But it is also significant because it is the symbol of one year lived ending and preparation for a new year full of hope and expectations. I love having the option of starting over and getting a chance to get it right. (lol) But none of this "change" will occur if COURAGE is not present.

Courage.

Definition of COURAGE (Merriam-Webster) : mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty

Origin of COURAGE: Middle English corage, from Anglo-French curage, from quer, coer heart, from Latin cor — more at heart

If we were to unpack the definition of Courage, it would take more than just one inspirational blog post. It would take a book (hmm). But this month, I would like to encourage you (along with myself) to #HaveCourage to risk some things, live some ways, address some situations.

The world is filled with victory stories of new treatments and possible cures for diseases and new companies beginning creating jobs for many. On your block, there are dances and tears of joy for new wedding engagements, babies being born, books written, college acceptances. The present moment for some is great and will require us to #HaveCourage to do what's necessary to see it through.

This world is also filled with so many controversial situations these days. At present, America is talking about falling off imaginary cliffs and NFL players are committing homicide-suicide. Down your street, there is worry and fear, loss and grief about jobs, finances, family, relationships. The present moment for many of us is not all that great and will require us to #HaveCourage to take the next step into our forevers.

Over the month, follow the FromMe2U blog posts and be inspired to #HaveCourage to walk into a new year ready to see the Greatness that is God.

Blessings,
Aurellia

Photo (c) by Jennifer Enright

Thankful I'm No Longer a Basket Case!

Thankful I am no longer a Basket Case

Happy Thanksgiving All! I am reading on Social media all the things people are most grateful for and I am delighted to read them. It is heart warming that people realize the bountiful blessings they have in their lives. So I decided I better post what I'm most thankful for before it looks like I'm not into the Gratitude Circle. So I started to think. I mean really think. I cant post just any ol' feel good thing. i gotta be real if I'm going to talk about gratitude! I had to be  honest with myself (and the world I serve): I am most grateful that I am not an emotional basket case. I am emotionally stable and at peace with the way life is for me. 

See, there was a time not too long ago where I couldn't deal with the losses in my life. I had a sense of prolonged grief. And for those of you who don't know, prolonged grief turns into serious depression and can affect not only your mood but your physical health. I literally was a closet and functioning emotional wreck!  I could work life publicly but went home miserable. I can joke about it now, but living it was painful (and for my closest friends and loved ones). But I can say today that I am no longer a basket case. 

Yes, I have my moments when I pout, when I cry, when I vent, but the losses are not the definition of my existence. I have had to deal with rejection and losses since the BIG loss but it doesn't consume me to the point of no return. 

So that is what I am most grateful for this Thanksgiving Season. That is what I can shout about and say I have victory over! 

Blessings on this Thanksgiving Day 2012,

Aurellia

What Do You Know For Sure?

Proceed in the direction of what you know for sure. I remember when Oprah Winfrey came out with her Magazine "O". In the back of each edition she wrote a personal page titled, "What I know For Sure." This always intrigued me because a woman as successful as she had to know many things for sure. But the title spoke volumes in that it pointed out the fact that while we may "know" many things, there are those things that we know "for sure".

I myself know many things about my life but there are few things that I know "for sure". Those truths that we know for sure have to be what guides every step and the direction we take in our life. I know for sure that the school I chose for my son to attend is the right one for him (and us) and our life choices will be made around his school. See how what I know for sure should guide every decision? Simple concept but hard to follow, I know.

But we should make life that simple. We have to know for sure some things and allow it to be our truth regardless of what the hens in the coup say.

So I ask you, "What do you know for sure about your life?" Proceed in that direction.

Blessings,
Aurellia

Life Support

I am a hospital chaplain. I love my job but I will admit that it has some really tough days. Some of the toughest days are the ones where I see hope ceased. There will be a family who is hoping for the miraculous turn-around of a family member who is on a ventilator, or life support. They have hoped that the patient would be able to breath on their own but after many unsuccessful attempts, the patient is not able to be weaned, or come off of the life support machine. They then have to make the decision to have a tracheotomy placed in the patient (permanent life support) or allow the patient to die a natural death and remove the life support. Those days are tough because it has such a spiritual component that we all can relate to.

While we may not all have to make a decision to sustain one's life by hope and artificial means, we all can relate to holding on to hope of a situation in our lives turning around for the better. We have experienced a relationship (personal or professional) that is essentially dying (or even dead) and we hold on hoping for it to "live" or "live again". And then eventually, we will have to decide to remove the life support-all those things we are doing to sustain the "alive-ness" of the relationship and allow for it to die. Unfortunately, like some families, we decide to keep relationship "alive" by artificial means until eventually it dies on its own. For example, a job that we know has died but we will continue to put all our energy into it with no seemingly beneficial results. Same goes for a friendship, romantic relationship or business. Sometimes, we must discontinue the life support in order for their to be comfort and peace.

The Death of a thing is not easy. It requires true assessment of the situation and understanding of the purpose and goals of whatever it is we are holding on to. Sometimes something will die on its own, but more likely than not we are given the opportunity to discontinue life support. Ask yourself, am I continuing unnecessary suffering because I have reasonable hope or is it because I fear the outcome removable of the "life support" will bring? Whatever the answer you receive allow it become real in your life and I pray you have the strength that I didn't have to remove the "life support". 

Blessings,
Aurellia

Photograph by Jennifer Enright (c)

Eye of the Tiger

Hi Bloggers! I have a dear sweet sister-friend named Jen. Jen is a competitive horse rider (or shall I say equestrian) who took the time a while back to teach me to ride. I loved it! I new I was a nature girl but I didn't realize how much I was until I got on her horse, Dolly. Dolly was so patient with me. She handled my newness with ease. I never fell off of Dolly but there sure were times when I thought I was going to fall. But she steadied herself which in turn held me on.

Over the past few days I have felt the steadying of life when I was sure I was going to fall off. The bumps and the rough ride of life can have us thinking that we are going to fall off. But we won't if we just trust that we are not going to fall. Our thoughts will determine our behaviors...

In that same time, I began to get distracted by the bump and the seeming change of a new season or a different course my life was going to take. The hurt of the change or the pain of the withdraw of a constant can distract us from our goals. We must have the eye of a tiger and not get distracted when the seasons change...

Change can be the hardest thing we have to deal with in life. I know for me I don't do change very well. I like consistency. I like knowing what to expect with the two that matter is things change. Seasons to change. And change they must...

The atmosphere has a way of letting the weather know how to behave in a particular season. This season has to change so that growth can continue. Our lives are just like this season. Our lives change: people come, people go, jobs come, jobs go, experiences come, experiences go...

We must embrace the changing of seasons. Yes, our hearts may be heavy and tears may well open our eyes but also there may be those who are excited that the season is changing. Embrace the season that you're in with expectation that it will change. You may not know when it will change but it will change.  So let your hearts be lifted.

Blessings,

Aurellia

(c) Photos by Jennifer Enright