A Morning of Pondering

This is something that has been on my mind for quite some time now.  Many of us struggle with fear of failure, lack of self-confidence, and lack of self-worth due to being rejected or emotionally abused during our childhoods or even as adults. The old saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is just that, a saying, because it is not true. 

Words can and do hurt and they lock people in a box. 

But we do not have to stay locked in that box. We can find a way out.


Person A has spent your entire life degrading and belittling you, telling you that you are worthless and will never amount to anything.

Person B sincerely loves you, tells you how wonderful you are, how you can do anything you set your heart and mind to. He or she believes in you, not just in words but in deed, deep down in his or her heart and soul, and does not shy away from telling and showing you so.

But, it is Person A whose words you take to heart. Their words have you locked in a cage, afraid to believe that anyone could possibly love you, holding you back from chasing the life you dream of. They keep you from going all in with your relationships, goals, and dreams.

Why do you listen to those that never cared about you, yet discard the love freely and fully offered to you by one who does?


You cannot and do not trust Person A, so why listen to them? If you cannot trust them, should their opinions matter to you and be controlling your life? That is all it is anyway, their opinion. Their negative thoughts of you are not based in fact or reality. The true root of their negative opinion of you is their own guilt, shame, insecurity, and jealousy. It is, in effect, their opinion of themselves being cast on you.

They are trying to force you to carry their baggage.  Why let their emotional baggage weigh you down and become yours?  

It is not yours to carry. 

Your worth was determined by Someone Who knew you even before you were conceived.  He loved you then and He loves you now.  Don't put the heartless words of a man or woman above the love of your Heavenly Father.

Whenever those old - or not so old - negative tapes start playing in your head, making you afraid to do what your heart craves for you to do, don't listen to them.  Remember Who gave you the passions, talents, and gifts that you have and go for it.

You CAN do this. You ARE of value. You ARE loved. 

Shake off the dust of those that want to keep you down and grab the hand of the One - and the one - Who loves you and believes in you.   

Don't look back.  Keep moving forward to the life you're dreaming of!

For all sad words of tongue and pen,
The saddest are these,
'It might have been'.

~John Greenleaf Whittier~

For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_greenleaf_whittier_385048

Image Source: Pixabay

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Press Release: A Mother’s Dying Wish – A Daughter’s Heartfelt Promise - Daughter gives her dying mother her wish and gets her writings published.

A Mother’s Dying Wish – A Daughter’s Heartfelt Promise

Daughter gives her dying mother her wish and gets her writings published.

New York, NY - Pauli Rose Libsohn made a promise to her mother before she died to get her writing published and she has delivered four times on that promise.

In her new book, What is Love, Pauli Rose Libsohn chronicles her parents 60 year love affair, the secret writings that made that love so strong, and the promise to tell the world their story.

The story behind What is Love had its beginnings in the 1930’s at the beach in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY. A true-life narrative of a love affair that encompasses over 60 years, beginning with a 12 year old girl named Mitzi, who fell in love at first sight with David, the handsome lifeguard, and her years pursuing him. It tells a captivating tale of emotions, desire, and a bond never broken between a man and a woman, a husband and wife, and a promise kept by a daughter.

A story of incredible odds, Mitzi and David succeed through inner strength and perseverance of a love so strong that it overcame all obstacles. The compelling story of their life-long passion and a love confirmed and reconfirmed throughout the years. A story of romance and commitment, which in today’s world is almost non-existent. The message of love and the question – What is love?

The author of What is Love is the daughter of Mitzi and David, Pauli Rose Libsohn, who has written an enthralling and fascinating biography about a fairytale that DID come true.

Pauli Rose has published 3 books, Immortal Kisses – Confessions of a Poet, Songs of You: A Postscript, Silhouettes: Literary Passageways, based on the poetry and writings of her talented mother Mitzi, that tells the story of their love, the bond that was never broken and Pauli Rose’s promise to tell the story of love to the world.


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Book Review: It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand by Megan Devine

It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand by Megan Devine

Wow! It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand by Megan Devine is an amazing book! It is one of the best books that I (Suzanne) have read on the topic of grief. It deals primarily with sudden, unexpected loss, but I believe it applies across the board. Losing a loved one is heart-wrenching, whether you know it is coming or not. But, when it happens unexpectedly, it puts it right in your face just how little control we have and how unpredictable life can be.

Reading this book was like meeting a new friend, one who understands how you feel because she has been there. She hasn’t been exactly where I’ve been, but she has had the rug pulled out from under her, too, and knows there’s no putting things back as they had been before.

Ms. Devine has helped me to not feel so alone in my unresolved grief. She knows it takes more than two weeks to grieve the loss of a loved one. Two weeks, two years, a lifetime, we don’t ever get over it. The loss becomes a part of who we are.

She has also taught me that how I have handled the grief of others, though my intentions were to try to comfort, did nothing but potentially cause more pain to the one suffering. I had no idea that when I shared my sorrow, in an effort to say “I understand,” it set up a grief competition of sorts and feelings of “This is about ME, not you. Why isn’t my grief important?”, and many other hurt feelings in the grieving person. I am working on changing the way that I deal with the grief of friends and acquaintances, in an effort to not cause further pain. I didn’t realize the effect my words were potentially having because I never took it as belittling my grief when others shared theirs.

This book is emotional, well-written, and the education in grief that we all need, most especially those in the mental health field.

If you have lost someone, if you have been expected to process it on their timeline instead of your own, you need this book, if for no other reason than to find someone else who truly understands your pain.

We give It’s OK That You’re Not OK five stars and then some. It is a great book and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to read it!

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.


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Book Review: Three of Cups by Kathy Wilson Florence

Three of Cups by Kathy Wilson Florence

I was a bit concerned about reading this book due to the use of tarot cards early on in it, but I am glad that I gave it a chance. It is a great book!

Three of Cups is the story of the lives of three women of two different generations. There is love, family, war, deceit, and tragedy. There is laughter and there are tears.

I (Suzanne) couldn’t put this book down. It had my mind going on hyper mode trying to put it all together, making connections between this person, this situation, and that one. It kept me wondering how the author would pull it all together for resolution at the end, and would it have a happy ending or would lives be ripped apart.

Kathy Wilson Florence is a great storyteller who weaves us in and out of the timelines and lives of the three main characters and support people along the way.

There is minimal use of profanity (and none of the major profane words) and there are no graphic intimate scenes. I give Three of Cups 5 stars and think that you will find it hard to put down, too!

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.  

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Three of Cups
By Kathy Wilson Florence
Available 1 July 2018 on Amazon.com
ISBN: 978-0998678122


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Please be sure to visit David over at Random Thoughts and Observations.

I respond to all comments on this blog, ideally within 24 hours.  Please check back here for a response to your comment.  Thank you!
 
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A to Z April Challenge: L is for Love

There are lots of Bible verses, poems, quotes and songs about love. I will share some with you today.









Bible verses about love (KJV unless otherwise marked):


For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.  Mark 12:31

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

We love him, because he first loved us.  1 John 4:19

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 NIV

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  1 John 4:9-11  
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Quotes about love:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  Jesus Christ (John 13:34, KJV)
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.  Aristotle
The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.  Mother Teresa
Who, being loved, is poor?  Oscar Wilde
You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.  Robert Louis Stevenson
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Song about love:


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Love poem:

Sonnets from the Portuguese 

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

#43

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

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What is the perfect expression of love in your opinion?

Day 14 – A Non-Fictional Book

I do not generally read non-fiction books, so none of the typical non-fiction books really stand out to me. However, the Holy Bible is a non-fiction book and it is loaded with the types of things that hold my interest. It has history, genealogy, geography, poetry/songs, family relationships (or lack thereof), culture...all things that I find very interesting.

The biggest part of the story there is that it is a story of the ultimate love - the love Our Heavenly Father has for us, His children, and how His Son died to save us from our sins.

It is well worth the read. Have a blessed day!

Writing Challenge: To My Love

Please visit this site to find all sorts of writing challenges:
Brennie's Dreamscape

The challenge that I am using for this post is:

Dreaming of You

The challenge was to write a letter to a missed loved one.

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Dear Sexy Eyes,

I wish that you were here with me as I write this. I sit and try to remember the great times that we used to have. It is a struggle. Those great times were so long ago and have gotten lost in the shuffle of hurt and life. And I can't remember.

I want to hold you, love you, like I used to. I want to know that you love me, too, warts and all. I want the happy, smiling, excited, passionate days of our youth. I want the fear to go away. I want to know what you know, and know that you will always be here.

I need you to love me, but even in my dreams, my nightmares, you are leaving me. My heart is aching and I can't express it without causing more pain, more anger.

I love you, through all the bad, through all the good; that has never changed. Even if I wanted to stop, I can't stop loving you.

Please love me.

With all my love,

Your S.