by Marie | Sep 30, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
We live in the world of the relative. What and whom we surround ourselves with, how we spend our waking hours, and the type of person we become is in direct relation to all that surrounds us. Many of our choices are conscious. They are the simple choices such as; “I prefer a black car to a green car, so I am buying the black car.” Many of our choices are unconscious. They represent those areas of our lives where we feel disenchanted, disappointed, empty, frustrated, and unfulfilled. Our heads may tell us one thing, such as: “I have to stay in this job to pay my bills” when in reality, we dread facing our workday each morning. Other areas of unconscious choices lie in the area of unfulfilled relationships. The kind of people we share our time with. The type of romantic relationships we have. There is only one way to tell if it is your conscious mind, or unconscious beliefs, that created these choices for you: Ask yourself how deeply fulfilled you feel with those people. Do you feel supported, nurtured, respected, valued, honored, cared for and loved? Or do you feel drained, taken for granted, hurt, depleted, disrespected and used? Your greatest truth lies in your heart. You KNOW the answer. That answer creates the dawn of your opportunity to
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by Marie | Sep 29, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
Once upon a time there was a rich king who had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest delicacies.He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the third wife very much and showed her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his second wife. She was his confidante and she was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the king faced a problem, he couldconfide in her to help him get through the difficult times. The king’s first wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife but although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her. One day, the King fell ill and he knew that his time was short. Thus, he asked the 4th wife, “I have loved you the most endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No way!” replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart. The sad
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by Marie | Sep 27, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, “I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would Love to spend some time with you.” The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my Mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. “I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment and then said, “I would like that very much.” That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had
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by Marie | Sep 26, 2025 | Archives
You likely consider yourself somewhere in the middle of these extremes. But, no matter your stance, you need to take control. Find out who you are and build on your gifts and talents of self. Have you adopted the attitude of an “egoist” or a “doormat?” Are you a “giver” or a “taker?” Are you one who “does” or one who “neglects?” Are you a “leader” or a “follower?” Listen to yourself. Reflect on what you say and do. Build on your experiences. Increase your knowledge through education and training. Grow from the adventures of others. Deep down, your convictions will be built on the opinion and beliefs of those you would emulate. Can you see or hear others in your thoughts, words, and emotions? Don’t resist those responses. Be aware and choose to say and do the things you want to say and do yourself. Know yourself. See that you are unique and special. No one else is exactly like you. Learn from your strengths and weaknesses. Trust yourself. Learn to rely on your abilities and desires. Let God work in your life. Your service is needed right where you are today. Love yourself. You must take care of yourself to be there for your loved ones and those you meet along life’s pathway. Give of self to those
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by Marie | Sep 25, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
I learned another harsh lesson this week about waiting for tomorrow, about life going by so very fast. When I was young, probably around six years old, we had a neighbor, David Juliano, who was restoring an old 40’s ford in his carport and I was a curious pain in the ass kid. So I would go across the street and haunt him as often as possible. This man had the patience of Jesus himself. He would explain and show me why he was doing certain things in a certain order; he was the first person to introduce me to Go-Jo hand soap which I thought was some nasty stuff. He and his wife occasionally had me over for supper; they introduced me to burgers with French dressing. Bottom line, he cared. he took the time to help me with my curiosity, and don’t get me wrong, I would get under his skin at times, but he would always handle me with a cool temperament. Eventually, he moved away, and life went on. I went my way and Dave went his way, both of us carving out our lives and careers, and I got married and had my child. Unexpectedly, some years ago, I ran into Dave again; we went to the same restaurant to have breakfast. Dave was much
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