It's gotten to the point where I can't watch the news or read the paper...seems every day there is some new tragedy. This week is was the Fort Hood tragedy, then the shootings in Orlando. And the ongoing struggles: the health care debate, 10%+ unemployment, the wars...

There is a great deal of turmoil in the world today. It is troubling to know what the depths of desperation and hatred can do to people. It is heartbreaking to think that there are so many people, here and around the world, who will wake up this morning and not know where they will get their next meal. Or if they will have a roof over their head tomorrow. Or for those who live in place like Afghanistan and Iraq, who fear leaving their homes because they do not know when and where a bomb will explode, or what other kind of atrocities they will face.

There was a time when my thoughts would be focused on, "what is the world coming to" and "how are we ever going to be able to move past these times?" But here's what I've come to know: great change is almost always preceeded by great struggle and challenge. Whether it relates to personal growth, or matters of national or universal interest, change is not easy. I truly believe that we are moving through this difficult time to a much better, much more positive place. I think each and every one of us has learned lessons because of what has occurred and have come to appreciate life much more. And this is how positive energy grows...and spreads...and attracts more positive energy.

I know I discovered that I can do with less, especially "things." I have a greater appreciation for the blessings I do have. Time is more precious, so is the love of family and friends. I have been reminded how great a country we live in...a place where we can express our views, diagree, even get angry with one another...and someone find a way to work together. No doubt that times are tough right now. But I've personally come to know that beyond the darkness there is always hope... always opportunity...always a new beginning. ~ Andrea :-)

I'm am a true believer in the Law of Attraction - of focusing attention to what it is we want to attract rather than that we wish to move away from. Shifting the way I view the world has had a profound affect on my life. I went from seeing myself as a positive person, to actually being a positive person. Each day I attempt to focus my attention on my blessings instead of my troubles...to seek goodness, and to fill my heart with hope, no matter how dark the road ahead appears. This shift has been empowering, and the results far-reaching.

I've been asked how I always manage to maintain a positive and upbeat outlook. I can tell you, I don't. I have the same doubts, the same anxieties, the same fears as anyone. What I have been able to do is to view life's struggles, challenges, disappointments, and unpredictable circumstances as a part of the human condition and as an opportunity for growth, personal evolution, and worldly transformation.

There was a time when I would find myself in the midst of one of life's overwhelming moments and think, "How could this happen to someone who is so focused on the positive." Or I would experience feelings of guilt, "if I was as focused on the positive as I should be, this never would have happened." This is when I have to remind myself there is a divine plan for each of us, and that God's plan includes lessons, periods of enlightenment, and transformative experiences...and that this is not always an easy process.

Our life experiences - the good and the difficult - are part of the human experience we are intended to have. No matter what life throws our way we must attempt to keep our focus beyond the horizon - to what it is we want to attract and to where it is we want to be. Then we will pass through these experiences stronger, wiser, and richer. ~ Andrea :-)

Once upon a time we lived in a world where people had disagreements, and though there was conflict created from these differences in opinion and ideology, at the end of the day we would somehow find a way to recognize the vast similarities we shared, and would come together to find middle ground. And then there was progress, and growth, and a spirit of oneness.

It is difficult to be an observer of today's world. A world where so many minds are closed to compromise and hearts are so filled with fear, that there is no discourse and no search for common ground. It is troubling to see that many of our leaders and role models are filled with such a spirit of hate that it is seemingly impossible for them to see beyond their own agenda, to try to view things from an opposing perspective. They have lost sight of productive discourse and mutual respect, there is no such thing as middle ground.

How is it that so many among us have become fearful of change? Who are so filled with prejudice and have hearts that are so full of hate? I find it fascinating that so many of these same people also claim to be doing God's work, or at the least, hold themselves up as leaders to the path of rightegousness. Yet from where I sit, all I can see is spiritual disconnection. Because here is the truth as I know it:

God has created each and every one of us to be unique...to be individuals who may look a little different, think a little different, and view the world through different eyes. But the one thing we all share - the one common thread - is that we all come from this same Divine Spirit...the Spirit of love, of magnificence, of perfection. We are perfectly imperfect, our mission is to learn, to grow, and become enlightened through our differences. I wonder how God views those who are so filled with hate, so filled with the spirit of "my way or no way?" My heart tells me this is not what God wants for any of us.

And so I am choosing to not participate in the spreading spirit of hate and negativity. I will not read the emails filled with fear. I will change the channel when someone is spreading a message of intolerance. I will hit the off switch when people like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck put their personal desires above their love of country and fellow man. And I will offer all of these people something that seem to have forgotten how to give: I will choose to look for their goodness, for their true heart, that I know exists somewhere deep within them. I will search for common ground, and remind myself over and over again that we are more alike than we are different. ~ Andrea :-)

I have been so blessed to have come across so many wonderful books this Summer, and my luck has continued into the Fall as I just finished another wonderful book that I had to share with you. If you have not read The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlho, I highly recommend it.

More than 65 million copies of this book have been sold in 150 countries, and it has been translated into 60 languages. Why? Because the message of this story is universal - it is about the journey we each take in this lifetime...seeking our "personal legend." You may call it your purpose, or your passion...this fable touches each of us because Coelho understands that we all share the same desire to discover our personal calling.

As much as I loved Santiago's (the main character) story, actually my favorite part of the book is the author's introduction where he shares his thoughts about personal calling, which he defines as "...it is the path that God chose for you here on Earth. When we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend." He also shares his theory of the four obstacles to actually finding the courage to confront our own dreams:

1. We are told from childhood that everything we want to do is impossible...and eventually our personal calling is so deeply buried in our soul as to be invisible. But it is always there.

2. Love: we know what we want to do but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything in order to pursue our dreams.

3. Fear of defeat, fear of failure. Coelho has a wonderful explanation for the benefits of failing: "...once we overcome the defeats - and we always do - we are filled by a greater sense of euphoria and confidence. In the silence of our hearts, we know that we are proving ourselves worthy of the miracle of life. Each day, each hour, is part of the good fight."

4. Fear of realizing our dream for which we fought for all our lives...that the possibility of getting what we want fills the soul of the ordinary person with guilt. "But if you believe yourself worthy of the thing you fought so hard to get, then you become an instrument of God, you help the Soul of the World, and you understand why you are here."

Happy Reading! Andrea :-)

It is so easy to find yourself traveling in a direction that you didn't plan, and often don't want to be in. Maybe it starts when you take a job that sounds like a perfect opportunity, but winds up being one that requires you to work too much, or some of the people are difficult, or the work is boring...and you become frustrated and feel stressed, and eventually you notice you are always tired or unhappy, and before you realize it another area of your life shifts in a negative way... you develop health problems or a relationship suffers. Perhaps it's not a job that sparked this shift, but instead financial problems, or a toxic relationship, or there is a more personal and spiritual cause.

I have hear stories of illness and or emotional suffering from so many people, and the common thread is the sense of "how did I get to this place?" The fact is, for most of us getting to "this place" doesn't happen overnight, it is a gradual process. We are so busy living life, we don't notice it happening until, BOOM - we become ill or find oursleves in a place of despair or great challenge and struggle. And then we wonder, "how did I get here?" I've been in this place...and know how easy it is move in the wrong direction without even realizing it. The great thing is once it happens it becomes easier to recognize the patterns before they lead to negative results the next time.

Stuff happens. Life goes off course. We get sick....we lose a loved one...we have too much to do and not enough time to do it....we are disappointed...we are unsure. That's just the reality of life. But great stuff can come from finding yourself in a place you didn't expect...you can learn a lot from illness, and loss, and disappointment. You learn to be grateful. You find out you are stronger than you thought you were. You discover you can do things you never thought you could. You learn that the world is full of so many loving, caring, wise and wonderful people. And so you find that although life doesn't always go according to plan, that you can find your way by making the choice to learn the lessons, to grow and change and adapt...and to not worry about how you go to this place, but instead focus on the bright and beautiful horizon that awaits just ahead. ~ Andrea :-)

I have been so blessed to have discovered some great books this summer - I love to read, but don't have as much time for it as I used to, and therefore it is always special to find a great read. I've recommended a few books I've read recently, but I am just about to finish another that I think you might enjoy. Breakfast With Buddha by Roland Merullo is a fun story filled with lots of deep meaning and great lessons.

Otto Ringling's sister tricks him into taking a road trip with her spiritual guru, Rinpoche, a crimson -robed monk, who she is convinced can aid Otto's spiritual growth and enlightment. And so they set out to travel out west together, Otto determined to show the monk some "American fun," and winds up seeing his world and his life through someone else's eyes.

This is a well written, light-hearted, easy-to-read book that is particularly relevant to anyone going through a bit of a mid-life adjustment, is undergoing change that you find a bit uncomfortable, or want to read a good story sprinkled with deep meaning. As Otto slowly opens himself to Rinpoche's view of the world, his changes in the process.

Some of my favorite passages include:
"We are humans , and we have human minds, and we try, with those minds, to understand something that is very beyond us."

"...to me enlightenment is a big shift inside your eyes, a different way to use your mind so you can understand some of God, some of Jesus. But it is maybe not one shift, but many small shifts. You change your spiritual condition - by prayer, by meditation, by the way you live, the way you decide to think, by the lessons you learn in living this life with a good intention - and then, when this happens, after a long time(s) or short time(s,) the way you see the world changes."

"It seemed to me that Rinpoche was making the point: that I was in control of my spiritual situation, not God; that we have been given the tools for an expanded consciousness and it was up to us to use them, not simply wait around for death and salvation."

Enjoy what is left of summer - and Happy Reading!! ~ Andrea :-)

I've been blessed to have had several great dogs in my life, but none sweeter, smarter, or more loving than our pug/shitzu, Hailee. Hailee came to us about 7 years ago...my son had moved into his own apartment and decided he wanted to get a dog. He quickly realized that having a dog was more repsonsiblity than he could handle, and so Hailee came to live with us.