A message for you from God

"I know you are human. Humans are not perfect. I made you that way. And I love you anyway. In fact, that's why I love you - because you are not perfect. I already had perfection before I created you. What I want from creation is an imperfect world that strives to improve, filled with human beings that fail, get up, and move ahead. By being imperfect but persevering nevertheless, you have fulfilled the purpose of your creation. You have achieved the one thing that I can't do without you - you have brought the perfect God into an imperfect world.

Thanks.

With love,
God"

I'm not sure who the first person was to receive this message to pass along to the rest of us, but thank you!
Thank you to user DSee at Morguefile.com for the amazing photo

worse than murder?

YIKES!!!

Smoke anyone?

Time for a Change

Seasons are changing no matter which side of the equator you're on. Time for change. You get to choose, once again, what you want in your life.

How do you do an inventory of yourself? Have a look at how you spend your time. Look at the people you spend time with. Look at your environment. What is all that reflecting about you? When you look around in your life, what do you see reflected back at you?

If you want change in your life, make some changes! Get rid of some old things in your home that you don't need or want or love. Add something beautiful to your environment, a plant, a picture, a pet (a gold fish is easy!).

Sometimes change comes when we didn't want things to change. Sometimes we need to grieve for things we've lost. Sometimes we need to take a deep breath and take the next step with courage. Sometimes we celebrate the changes. Either way, rest is a part of change too.

The thing is, no matter what you're facing in your life right now, you have also been given the resources to face the changes in front of you. Really!

So dear reader, take yourself a deep breath and know that what ever good changes you want for yourself, you can create them. One step at a time, just keep taking that next step. Then the next. Before you know it, you've got a different perspective because you're higher up that mountain path.

Stay tuned!
Love,
Aunt Laya

Thank you to Scott M. Liddle (scott.liddell.com) and Morguefile.com for the great photo, again!

Suicide

II regularly visit a blog called PostSecret (www.postsecret.blogspot.com). I'm often touched by this international art project where people tell their secrets. Maybe people find hope that they are not alone. Sometimes people feel so alone, like they're the only one dealing with something. Sometimes people just have some funny secret to share. The post card above is one that I found especially hopeful and touching and so I wanted to share it with you. Below is the email comment that was received about that card. I really wanted to share that too.

-----Email Message-----
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 9:58 PM
Subject: july suicide

five years ago i tried killing myself
since then my view of life has changed so much
i've learned to embrace every moment
thinking, "and i would have missed out on this"

Blessing of the day: May you find moments in each and every day that you can be grateful.

Love,
Aunt Laya

Can you do the impossible?

Did you know that scientists have not figured out how bees fly? There's a rumor that engineers have apparently "proven" that according to the laws of aerodynamics (the natural laws of flying) it is impossible for bees to fly! How can that be? Bees fly. Well, engineers have not said that it's impossible for bees to fly, because, well, bees fly. But it's true that no one has figure out HOW! Can you believe it? There are actually things in this world that we do not understand!

Isn't that exciting? We don't know it all.

So, stay open minded because there is so much to discover in this world.

And, stay hopeful. Just because you haven't figured out how to "fly" in your own life, does not mean it won't happen. If a bee can do the impossible, you can too! Hold fast to your dreams. Take one small step every day in the direction of your dreams. And if you don't know what your dreams even are, that's okay too. Start by doing acts of kindness for others (like passing on a little honey). You'd be amazed how doing acts of kindness will help you blossom!

Stay sweet!
Love,
Aunt Laya

Thank you to Scott M. Liddle (scott.liddell.com) and Morguefile.com for the great photo, again!

Your Heart's Desires

Sometimes we just ache for something so much. We have a desire for something in our lives and it just always seems to be out of reach. A lot of people talk to me about wanting to find a life partner, for example. They date and date. They've met lots of people. Sometimes they thought they were with "the right one" only to be disappointed or heartbroken when the relationship ended.

Sometimes teenagers crave to be in a relationship. But the timing is just not right. The time is not yet ripe and the outcome is either forced or painful.

I'm here to tell you that when something doesn't work out for you RIGHT NOW, it's because there is something BETTER around the corner. Do not become down hearted.

You can imagine that the thing you desire is already a part of your life, because on some level that really is true. Does that sound weird? There are many aspects to this life and our physical world is part of it, but not the whole thing. There are many forces at work in this world, from the magnetic pull of the earth and moon to the invisible rays of the sun. Now if you can just imagine, there is a force that regulates the sun and moon, and that same force moves you and your dreams.

On the other hand, you need to make sure you're doing your part in the equation--to be able to recognize your dream when it's staring you in the face, and take action! Are you sure you're out of your own way? In Buddhism there's a term called "monkey mind" that blabs on just to fill you up with self doubt. In Hebrew it's called the "yetzer ha-rah". I think the Native Americans use the coyote as the Trickster in stories. What ever your culture or background, beware the Trickster: thoughts, people, roadblocks, self doubt, and so on.

If you have a dream in your heart, it's because there is something for you, some treasure, some gift of life and living, that you will find on that path. Sometimes, the thing you think you want isn't really meant to be. And that will always be because there is something BETTER, yes, better, waiting for you.

Plan, put your effort into moving in the direction of your heart's desire. Trust. Express gratitude, because gratitude will always keep the flow going.

What is of great value is not thrown around, it's earned through some combination of time, intention, and action. Ask for guidance. Study those who have accomplished similar goals. (Like if you want to be a body builder, learn from someone who's mastered that. If you want a good marriage, ask the couples you know what makes their marriage work. If you want to be an actor, study and practice.)

Here's to dreams come true... in the perfect timing, even when it's not the timing we thought we wanted or hoped for.

Love,
Aunt Laya

Thank you to Scott M. Liddle (scott.liddell.com) and Morguefile.com for the great photo

One woman's story of love for the teen in her life

I met a woman who told me the story of her nephew. He was a good kid but started getting involved with some gang activity. She loved him enough to do some homework and make some phone calls. She loved him enough to step out of her "comfort zone" and take him along on a field trip to a funeral home just before the burial of another teen who had been shot and killed. It was a tough field trip for a young teenager. But guess what? Her dear nephew turned around when he saw the reality and consequences of life around gangs.

It took a lot of courage for this woman to do what she did, it was a risk she took for the love of her nephew. It took a lot of courage for that young man to look a dark outcome in the face and choose life.

Maybe you know a teenager (or anyone really) who could use some guidance or direction. Maybe you're the teen who wishes someone would take your hand like that. Don't wait. Offer your hand. Or ask for a hand. Reach out. Touch someone who needs you.

We're in this life together and together we will get through the challenges. Together we'll celebrate the victories. Together.

With love and blessings,
Aunt Laya

Thanks for sharing your story with me E.
If you want to add anything, please feel free to add any comment.

Thank you to Scott M. Liddle (scott.liddell.com) and Morguefile.com for the great photo, again!

Stay smart--Stop cough medicine abuse

The more we know, the more powerful we are to be safe, to keep other people safe.

http://stopmedicineabuse.org/2007/index.php

is a link to a website that will educate you on the dangers of cough medicine abuse. If you are a teen or a parent of a teen, check this out. There are videos of young people telling their stories and experiences with this drug. It's over the counter and easy to get.

DEX makes you dumb
it makes you sick
it makes you look stupid
it could even kill you.

Stay smart, stay safe, help your friends and loved ones stay safe.
If you need help, ASK! It's SO okay to ask for help!

Love,
Aunt Laya

Pennies from Heaven

While taking a walk with a friend, she decided to stop in to a popular coffee house and buy a cup of coffee. She told me that when ever she goes there, she finds some coins on the floor. It always happens. Sure enough, she found some coins. Then she shared with me that she sends her nephew the coins and he puts them in a jar he calls "Pennies from Heaven". She doesn't only find pennies, she finds other coins and they all go into the jar at her nephew's house. When the jar is full, they donate all the money to charity.

I told my friend a story I once heard about a rich man who stopped to pick up pennies when ever he saw them. Someone asked him why he did it when he was so rich. He answered that since pennies have "In God We Trust" on them, it was a reminder to him about how blessed he is and where his wealth comes from.

There are other stories about pennies. Mostly I wanted to share these stories with you because we sometimes forget to pay attention to the blessings in life. Sometimes we forget to see the miracles in the ordinary.

EXERCISE OF THE DAY: Keep your eyes open for the simple surprises and whispers of heavenly love that come your way each day.

With love and blesings,
Aunt Laya

photo from Morguefile.com by Cohdra

News from the road

Dear Readers,

I've been on the road traveling. I was in New York for the Book Expo America, the largest publishing industry event in the US and second in the world to Frankfurt, Germany. I went hoping to take my book to the next level and made some connections there that hold some potential promise.

I've also been busy at work updating "You Don't Have to Learn Everything the Hard Way." The book will come out this fall with a new look on the inside and outside. The cover will be the same basic design but different colors that people have said really make it "pop". The inside will have a larger font (so the letters are bigger) to make reading more comfortable on the eye. Of course as soon as it's ready and on the market, I'll announce it here right away.

I've got a new laptop, I've gone Mac now and am still not familiar with it. Since I'm a slow learner, I have to wait until I see the nephew who can help me with it. Then I'll be back online with regular posts and thoughts. More coming soon.

In the meantime, remember that you are blessed and loved.

Love,
Aunt Laya

A Little Comfort

Funny thing about this life. It's not really meant to be comfortable. We can find comfort--a comfortable chair, or pillow. We can find a comfortable friend. There are delicious moments of deep comfort. Then things change. You can count on it. So one of the life skills we all need is to understand about going with the flow of change. Sometimes it means we have to create the change we want to happen. Sometimes it means you have to work with what is happening, be patient with the process the way it is.

If you plan a picnic and the weather turns to rain what are your choices? You can be bummed. You can be bummed and then make new plans. You can decide to play in the rain. You can reschedule the picnic. There are always choices if you don't limit yourself. That's a choice too, isn't it, to limit yourself into thinking that you don't have a choice.

The things that matter most in this world come with a price tag. It might be that the thing you desire will take time, so you have to wait. Sometimes what matters will take effort and energy to accomplish. Sometimes we are required to change and that's scary because when we change we are heading into uncharted territory.

Being uncomfortable is a part of life. Sometimes we just need to observe it, notice it, and then move on anyway. Sometimes it comes with a lesson. Sometimes discomfort comes as a call to action or sometimes as a message not to move. This is where listening to your inner voice (some people call it intuition, some call it your "guts") comes in. Pay attention to it, listen to your inner sense of knowing or seek advice from someone you trust who has experience and wisdom. Know that the hard times pass.

In the process of growing and change, be kind to yourself--this will be a comfort. Be kind to others too, because you never know what's happening in their life.

You can become familiar with these cycles so when you're comfortable you can be grateful for the pleasure. And when you're not comfortable, you can be grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow.

With hugs and blessings as always,
Aunt Laya

What's on your mind? What do you choose?

What do you think about? How do you spend your time?

Where you put your attention increases.

You always have a choice about how to direct your thoughts and actions. Everything you do will swim around and process even in your sleep.

Choosing 'on purpose' what you want to think about, do, act on, pay attention to, will be the building blocks of where you go in life and what you co-create for yourself and those you influence.

So, what do you want? What do you need to read, spend time around, eliminate, invite, promote to create the life YOU want to live?

We don't get to chose every detail, but we do get to chose how we want to deal with things.

You've got the power of choice!

Love,
Aunt Laya

Thanks to richard_b at Morguefile.com for the great photo!

How to de-stress!

Here are some things you can do RIGHT NOW to reduce stress and get yourself in balance:

~When you're feeling stressed, take nice, slow deep breaths. You can put your hand on your belly and feel it expand before your chest gets full of air. That will be a nice deep breath (watch a baby sleeping and you'll see their bellies go up and down with their breath, it's natural).

~Take a break from the thing that's stressing you out. Read a good book. Get some art supplies and express yourself. Or enjoy what ever makes you feel safe and comfortable: Some people like a bath with candles, others like to get active, take a run or play a sport. Imagine you are resting some place beautiful (like the photo above in Okinawa). Even just imagining changes your body chemistry!

~Keep a journal. Write what ever comes to your mind, just let it go. No one else has to read this, you won't be graded, and you can tear it up afterwards if you want to. Just write and keep writing. You'll surprise yourself with what will come out if you keep the pen moving (even if you write nonsense for part of it, that's okay).

~Make sure you're giving yourself good nourishment. Drink plenty of water and take a good vitamin B complex which will be good for your nerves. Drink plenty of fresh water too.

~If you want, you can go to a health food store and try out a product called "Rescue Remedy". It's a simple combination of flower essences that you can take either on your tongue or in water. I have friends who are afraid to fly when they travel and it really helps.

~Can you find someone to talk with? Do you have someone in your life that you trust? Sometimes talking things out gives you a new perspective. You do not have to go it alone. Ask for help if you need it. It's okay to ask for help!

~Ask for hugs too. You're never too old to need or want a hug.

Quote for the day: "Growing is not a comfortable thing. That's why we hear about 'growing pains.' Getting familiar with the discomfort of growth can help you move through it more smoothly. All this does not mean that you sit passively as hard times hit. you need to participate: make the choices that are right for you, shift the way you look at things, and move on when when it's time."

--from You Don't Have to Learn Everything the Hard Way by Laya Saul

Here's a cyber (((((hug))))) for you for any time you need it.

Remember: You'll get through what ever is going on that makes you feel stressed, you really will. Hang in there! Many blessings.

Love,
Aunt Laya

Thank you to chamomile at www.MorgueFile.com for the great photo!

ASK!

How are you?
How are you doing in the different areas of your life?
Physical/material—your body, finances, environment etc
Emotional—relationships and feelings
Mental—how do you think about yourself and others?
Spiritual—do you have a relationship with your own sense of Spirit or God?
Do you know what you really want out of life?
Do you know what you want out of this day?

If you have the courage to ask yourself these kinds of questions, you'll have a place to begin planning what's next in your life. You can go "where ever the wind blows you" or you can choose a direction and take the steps to create the life you want for yourself.

We're all given the same number of hours a day. There's nothing anyone can to do change that. From there though, you have all kinds of opportunities to be creative and resourceful about building a life that will have meaning, purpose, value, and pleasure for you. The way to know what's important is to sit down with yourself--and you can do this with a buddy too--and ask yourself what you want out of life.

ASK!
Ask for help
Ask for guidance
Ask for your dreams
Ask the hard questions of yourself
Ask the people you trust in life how they do it

ASK and keep asking until you find the answers that are meaningful for you. Ask until you find the qualities or tools or resources you need to decide what's next.

There is magic in asking. Even if you don't get the answers you want, you'll be no worse off than you are now. So ASK. People who have the information you want usually want to tell, but they don't want to throw it out to someone who's not interested. They wait for people to ASK. So, ask!

Love,
Aunt Laya

You don't have to do anything you don't want to!

Recently someone asked for advice about a mistake that resulted in an embarrassing situation. She was pressured by some friends to do something she really didn't want to do.

Life is full of choices. When you make a poor choice about something, then you get another chance right away to make a choice about how you want to handle what happened. I always recommend learning from our mistakes (and the mistakes of others!). So, here's my answer:

First, you do not HAVE to do what other kids say. Got that? It doesn't matter if you were playing truth or dare; you don't have to do it. If an adult is asking you to do something and you're not clear about it, you can say you need to think about it and ask other trusted adults. It's true that I write for teens, but I know there are adults reading this too and the same goes for you! If someone tries to coax you or tries to pressure you into doing something you don't want to do, you get to say, "No." No, nope, not gonna, never, no way! What ever way works for you, don't cross a line that's not comfortable for you. Second, life has a way of "testing" us. You'll get to see if you learned this lesson on boundaries because you'll get tested again. It's just how life works. Practice. (Something like, "what part of 'no' don't you understand?" or "Is there a reason you’re not respecting my answer?") If someone doesn't take "no" for an answer, they are trying to manipulate you and you don't have to go there.

Second, when you do make a mistake, learn from it, but don't beat yourself up about it. That means, when the "test" comes around again, you can rise to it and respond in the way you really mean to. But do not waste your time feeling stupid. If a coach gives an athlete feedback on how to improve, the smart athelete takes the information, visualizes it over and over, and then does his best the next time. He keeps moving forward, not crying over the lost race or the bumbled what ever. Sure, it's natural to feel disappointment, but don't wallow in it. Move on and step up. Rise. One more time. Move yourself forward now because the lesson you learned means you have more life experience and you can make wiser choices. Even if you make the same mistake a hundred times, keep tweaking what you do until you get the results you want, whether it's in relationships, jobs or what ever. You learned to walk and tie your shoes; you can learn to say no when you need to.

Keep shining!

Love,
Aunt Laya

Photo by Mary R. Vogt from MorgueFile.com, thank you!

The Truth

Here's where I've been writing

I've been busy writing, but not here, so I thought I'd give you a link to some of the things I've been writing about. http://tinyurl.com/24cdps will take you to my profile at Yahoo Answers. Yahoo Answers is a web site where real people ask questions, some smart, some not so smart. I've been picking questions that I think I can answer in a helpful way. If you click on the link, you can scroll down and see a list of the questions I've answered. If there are any of interest to you, just click to see what I wrote. See you there! :-)

More soon.

Love,
Aunt Laya