OUR LESSONS

                                       OUR LESSONS

Life gives us what we need when we need it.  Everyone we meet is there to teach us something as well as we are to teach.  Sometimes people teach us what we do not want to be others teach us what we do want.  We are a combination of everyone we have ever had relationships with.  That lst grade teacher to our present relationships are all teaching or have taught us to be who we are.  We pick and chose those qualities that we admire and incorporate it into our present personalities. 

If, perchance, you don't like who you are or wish you were different, then, it is your choice to change to be the person that you want to be.

Do you want to be more loving?  Be with people that ARE loving.  Chose wisely all that comes your way.  Some things are hurtful, some people are negative.  Others are loving and caring.  You are given "free will" to chose who and what you associate with or what you absorb into your personalities. 

Be the you,  you were meant to be.  If life starts to get to you in a negative way, it is your barometer telling you that you need to be MORE of who you are.  It is time to step it up a notch.

Make room for happiness.  Cut away the things that cause you negative feelings, do not continue to entertain thoughts that plague you.  Play music and play it loud.  Dance, call a friend, get out and mingle, do whatever you need to do to chase the negative away from your awareness.  You are the captain of your own ship (body), others may "think" that they have a right to make you feel less than, or to take from your life, but no one has the right unless you give them that right.  And once you give away yourself to another, you become a slave to their emotions.  You will begin to dance to their music. 

Take back what is yours and dance only to the beat of your own drum.  Be the person that you were meant to be and only you know who that is.

Life is full of lessons, you are both a teacher and a student, what you learn is what you teach and what you teach grows stronger.  If you want to see more love in this world, then be more loving, if you want to see more compassion show more compassion.  BE what you want to SEE, DO what you want to see.  Be active in your teaching of others because what you teach others is the very thing that is growing stronger within yourself.

Be aware of your surroundings and do whatever you can to be in a positive setting.  Watch your words and keep them sweet for you never know when you might have to eat them.

May all your dreams come true and all that you love finds your heart. 


Please leave your comments at my email address - cindalmiller@gmail.com

Life can be difficult or life can be sublime it is a matter of thought.

At times we allow our thoughts to take charge over our lives and those thoughts continue to plague us with negative "what if's."  We think of the worst case and then decide if we can live with it.  Why not think of the best case and decide that is what will happen?   Hold a positive thought instead of a negative one.

Our lives are bombarded with "if's" never really enjoying the "now's"  with every thought, we need to be aware, that we are in charge.  We can either make our lives a paradise, or we can make our lives a living hell.  And all it takes is, entertaining a thought.  Giving that thought life.

When you find yourself thinking upon the negative, make a conscience effort to dismiss the thought.  Do whatever you need to do, go for a walk, make a telephone call, visit with some friends, read a book or write an email to a friend.  Do not allow the negative to take root, instead be a good landscaper.  Keep your mind free of unwanted weeds that choke your happiness and your fun.  Worry will always choke out the positive and having a happy heart will bring you happy results.

Our bodies are here on loan.  We have so many years to do what we want.  Do we really want to use one moment thinking upon something that scares us?  Do we want to make our time here on planet Earth to be a time of tears and always preparing for dooms day? 

It would be a tribute to our

We have all heard it said "Love your neighbor as yourself"

Forgiveness is Huge

 Forgiveness is a huge word and it takes such courage to be a forgiving person, especially if you have been wronged.  When someone has totally betrayed your trust, or have lied ... etc. etc.

When you have been dealt with unfairly it is reasonable to believe that you have every right to hold a grudge or to speak unkindly to that person or about that person.    BUT, is it to your betterment to do so?

If you have ever been in one of those situations, you understand all too well the emotional turmoil that it causes.  You will go from shock, to tears, to anger and then back to shock and tears, bouncing from one emotion to another, believing that you will never be able to reach a point of forgiveness.

It may help to know that to forgive another person for their misconduct is not letting them off the hook.  They still have to deal with themselves.  To forgive is to help YOU get on with YOUR life.

When you come to the point where YOUR sanity and happiness is worth more than than your anger toward the other person, you will then be a self healer.  Let the other person carry their own burden, don't carry their negativity.  Create your world of happiness without them.  Create your world of peace and let them be in their own space of personal learning.

What you are learning, is how to LET GO and LET GOD.  Some things are just not in your domain to understand or to fix, it is something that has to run its course.

Direct your thoughts toward who you want to be and how you want to live your life.  Don't jump into the life of the person that has hurt you, that will make your life cramped.  There is only room for who you are and who you are can only be found within.  Stop looking at the pain and the sickness that was created and is felt and look toward your inner paradise where the Spirit of God resides.

Forgiveness (like was stated above) is a huge, huge word that only you can create.  No one can take the hurt away, no one can MAKE you happy, no one can change what happened or change the person that brought about your hurt feelings.  Only you are in charge of your emotional well being, only you can heal those wounds.

Be a healer, a healer of yourself and of the situation.  Do it for you.

As always, I encourage your comments at cindalmiller@gmail.com

What is spirituality?  Is it being able to quote scriptures?  Is it going to church on Sunday?  Praying and petitioning God?  Is it preaching to those that have no knowledge of the Bible?  Conducting Bible studies or keeping the Ten Commandments? 

It isn't what you know in your head, it's what you feel in your heart.  There are a lot of educated people, but that doesn't make them spiritual, that makes them book smart.  It would be like me being able to quote a tasty recipe, that doesn't make me a good cook.  Really good cooks, don't use a recipe they cook by sensing what is good and then doing it.  We might use the same format in thinking of our spirituality.  Sensing what is good and then doing it.

There is no end to the amount of reading material you can indulge in, but, those words are frozen.  You have to take what those words say and defrost them by placing them in your heart and then putting them into practical use.  If we do not apply what we've learn, it would be the same as studying the various aspects of water and suffering from dehydration.  Take the plunge, jump into the idea of being a more loving and a more caring person.

I know that most of us are busy making a living, so what kind of time does a person have to devote to becoming a more loving and caring person?  To be spiritual isn't a matter of setting time aside to think upon God, or to set time aside for prayer.  Spirituality is a way of life.  It is the way we conduct our lives on a daily basis.  It isn't a particular suit that you wear for special occasions, it is the way you carry yourself, it is the way that you express the love you have for your fellowman.

When you walk in love, you are the expression of your prayers, you are "showing" what you desire for yourself and for the world of mankind.  It is good to pray to God, but, it is just as meaningful, if not more,  to walk your prayer.  Give your words flesh, give your words life.

A spiritual person doesn't have to carry their Bible, they don't have to be a church goer.  A spiritual person lives their life in accordance with Love.  To represent God, we have to represent Love because God is Love, therefore Love is God.

Look for those that are in need of more love (which is everyone), take the time to tell them how much they are valued, how much you care about them, let them know how special they are to you and to our world. 

God is calling all of us to the banquet of Love, come and enjoy the feast.

Please leave your comment below or contact me at cindalmiller@gmail.com

Walking the Eternal Journey

If you think about walking an eternal journey, it may sound boring and tiring, however, I'm not referring to walking this journey in high heels to a particular destination, I'm referring to the eternal journey in our experiences.

In my estimation, there is no death.  When we release our last breath,  a new and different path comes into view, which is a new experience, that will give us new growth. 

We all fear the thought of death and the consequences.  Leaving our loved ones, leaving the life that we have grown accustomed to.

When we are young, the potentials are huge, we can see our lives going on forever.  As time ravages our bodies and the lines in the face mar the plumpness of our childhood, we know that time is passing and our days are numbered.

Even though we may see our present journey as coming to an end, the journey does not stop.  We are made of energy an essence that never dies, after all, it is the stuff that is God, God never dies and neither do we.

Since our journey is eternal, what kind of scenery do you want to experience?  Granted, there are always bumps in the road and many times we may fall and bruise our knees, but while we're down on our knees experiencing the scraps and bruises,  wouldn't it be a good time to pray?  Allow God to be with you as you travel.  Allow Him to help you get back on your feet.

I have experienced that that help can come in different forms, it might be having lunch with a good and close friend who can help pick you up and help you see your path again, after all, their eyes are not filled with tears, so they have a clearer view of where you are going.  God uses people to help His children. 

No one knows us better than our creator, no one understands the tearing of the heart like our Father/Mother. And no one knows who can provide the help that you need better than God. 

The bumps and the falls helps us to develop love and compassion.  If we never fell, if we never experienced life in it's fullness, we would never know how or when to extend our hand to help the person next to us.

Our eternal journey isn't just about the steps we take, it is a group journey.  We interconnect with those that we love, those that we don't love as much, and those that sometimes make us question our own sanity.  They all contribute to the person we are.

We walk together and learn together and with that connection we learn to love and we learn how to forgive.  We collect pearls of great wealth with each person we encounter, making our journey of great value.

It is interesting to note that the word life has the word "if" right in the middle (l if e).  We can make our life's journey pleasurable IF we take the time to see God in every aspect of our journey and hold the hand of someone who has lost sight of the path.
Together, as a people, with God leading the way, we can make our journey joyful and rewarding.


Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please feel free to express your thoughts in the comment box below. (If you can't see it, click on the word "comments"!)

Will You Wash My Feet?

It sounds like a strange request, yet that is what Jesus commanded his Apostles when they met in the upper room before they had the last supper.

We live in different times than that of Jesus.  Everyone wore sandals AND they lived in a desert, needless to say their feet got kinda dusty.

Jesus wanted to teach his Apostles a very important lesson, and nothing makes a person's eyes get big, than to say "take off your shoes and let me wash your feet."  I'm sure they were stunned at such a request.

I doubt that people of this generation has a basin of water for their guest.  Personally, it would be a welcome gesture especially if there was a foot massage added.

It seems that all the Apostles complied except for the Apostle Peter who wasn't so willing to shed his sandals, feeling that Jesus was too highly respected for him to wash his feet.  So, he declined vehemently against the invitation.

Jesus admonished Peter that if he didn't allow him to wash his feet, that Peter would not share with him in the Kingdom of God.  With that bit of information Peter quickly changed his mind and dunked his feet into the water to have them washed.

The lesson that Jesus was teaching was that of service.  To show kindness.

People of his time walked everywhere, they didn't jump on a camel to go to the market place.

With walking being their mode of transportation their feet got a work out.

So, even though we don't greet our guest with soap and water, there is still a lesson.  That lesson is one of SERVICE.  Doing what we can to make people feel loved and appreciated.

And before we can be of service to others, we have to have an attitude of humility.  To recognize that we are one in the spirit, one in our energy and what we do for another is adding to our Love nature.  

Jesus was their teacher, he was highly respected.  He could have told his Apostles to wash each others feet and they would have done so, he was in a position where he could have delegated what he wanted to have done but Jesus did not exclude himself, in fact this gesture was the last act of love that he gave to his Apostles before his death.  Showing acts of love was an important part of his ministry.

Do we sometimes feel that it is beneath us to do what needs to be done?  Or that we just don't have the time to take care of someone's needs, or to show a sense of caring for the other person's comfort?

On the other hand, are we more like Peter?  "Oh, please, don't bother, I can do this myself."  Having an attitude of being an "in charge" kind of person?  Not needing the help of a friend. 

In order to be a part of the Kingdom of God, we have to be willing to be both a giver AND a receiver.  If we are reluctant to take in the kindness of others we lose out on the joys that come from that kindness AND the person that wants to give is denied that honor.   It is an exchange that only two people can give to each other.

To share in an activity that up builds and encourages, an activity that makes the recipient feel good and in turn makes the giver feel good.  This is the lesson that Jesus was giving.  This simple act of kindness was remembered and recorded to teach us, even to our day. 

Why do we dismiss the kindnesses of others, not wanting them to put themselves out on our behalf?  Why do we have such a hard time in allowing ourselves to be loved?

If we put up barriers with our friends, how can we expect to feel God's loving kindness.

We all live on this tiny planet together, and instead of waring with one another we need to change our thoughts from war to peace, from killing one another to in a sense washing each others feet.

It isn't just a good idea, it is a commandment, it is the way for us to live within the Kingdom of God.

Let us play with our differences instead of fighting over our differences.

Not all flowers in a garden are roses, yet, all flowers are in need of water (love),  refresh on another with your smiles, with your caring and your sharing.  Be a light that shines in the darkness.

As always I encourage your comments at cindalmiller@gmail.com

Thank you for your kindness in reading this material.

Cinda