How did I live without you?

"Don't wait until the last moment to let God know you want to use your ticket to Heaven ... you never know when the train is leaving the station."

"How did I ever live without you?" is a question/statement often included in my daily prayers.  As a born-again Christian who found God later in life, I can't imagine life without my faith in God.  The courage, strength and hope that I find daily amazes me sometimes.

Surely I'm like most other people of faith . . . when times are good we tend to forget to pray and give thanks, yet in times of trouble, the question "where were you?" ultimately comes up.  As hard as I try not to, I do go there from time to time . . . I am human and situations in life happen when they are least expected.

As I go through the motions of life with so many things to do packed in a day, I have made an effort to consciously thank God for all those little things that bring me joy and happiness and it has become one of the most important parts of my day.   It is part of what I call the Simple Abundance lifestyle.  I used to write a grateful post to my blog every day . . . I've gotten away from that although I am still conscious of all those little things.  

Since many loved ones have passed on, I have really become aware of how fragile life is, how much every second of every day counts, how important it is to let those you love know how much you love and appreciate them in your life.  I write about this often . . . it is that important. 

Living with regrets can haunt you after it is too late.

Today I am grateful for waking up to a sweet, sleepy hug from The Captain, a love I thought I would never find . . . after being startled and annoyed by Willie the Wonder Cat in my face wanting attention.  

I am grateful for the little annoyance from the sweet little furry creature who just recently appeared in our lives, bringing us so much joy.  It occurred to me that a little over a year ago, I woke up to nothingness of being totally alone . . . now I have a sweet little family who loves and appreciates me.

The simplicity of hope and faith found when I became a Christian carried me through those awful years after JR died . . . where would I have been today without God in my life?  

Yes, I am definitely grateful and my Simple Abundance lifestyle helps me realize it.

What is a simple joy you are grateful for today?

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Intuition and red flags

~ Coming Around Again | Simon Webbe ~

Another new year has come and gone.

My intuition was correct about last year . . .
it was my year to finally get connected
with the real world!

Last year brought many changes to my life with

the biggest change being the ability to let go of my

fear of the unknown as it relates to my personal and

professional life as well.


Learning how to read the red flags and listen to that

inner voice called intuition has been instrumental in

guiding me to where I should be . . .

and having the faith in God to know that intuition

is the spiritual guidance that can be trusted.



It was a matter of putting one foot in front of the other,

taking baby steps rather than rushing into

anything . . . but nevertheless moving forward

without fear.

This post was originally written
December 8, 2008

Just as the universe wants to provide for our needs, it also seeks to protect us from dangerous situations, destructive relationships, and even minor inconveniences. Frequently in our lives, perhaps everyday, we encounter psychic red flags warning us of potential problems or accidents. We may not always recognize the signs. However, more often than not, we may choose to ignore our intuition when it tells us that "something just isn’t right."

Red flags often come in the form of feelings urging us to pause for a moment, listen to our intuition, and reconsider. We may even experience a "bad" feeling in our bellies. This is a red flag letting us know that there may be a problem. We may not even know what the red flag is about. All we know is that the universe is trying to wave us in a different direction. We just have to pay attention and go another way. We may even wonder whether we are paranoid or imagining things. However, when we look back at a situation or relationship where there were red flags, it becomes easy to understand exactly what those warning signs meant. More often than not, a red flag is not a false warning. Rather, it is the universe’s way of informing us, through our own innate guidance system, that our path best lies elsewhere.

We may try to ignore the red flags waving our way, dismissing our unease as illogical. Yet it is always in our best interest to pay attention to them. For example, we may meet someone who outwardly seems perfect. They are intelligent, attractive, and charming. Yet, for some reason, being around them makes us feel uneasy. Any interactions we have with them are awkward and leave us feeling like there is something "off" about the situation. This is not necessarily a bad person. But, for some reason, the universe is directing us away from them. Red flags are intended with our best interests at heart. No harm can ever come from stopping long enough to heed a red flag. Pay attention to any red flags that pop up. The universe is always looking out for you.
Source: DailyOM



There are times in my life that I only had a feeling that something was wrong, but had no proof. In every one of those instances, there WAS something wrong, very wrong. My intuition has never been wrong and I am learning to listen to it over and above anything else.

Lately I've been teetering on the edge of getting out into the real world and going to those places where you can meet someone special, but so fearful since we live in a very strange world and I've heard so many horror stories . . . including my very limited experience in recent past. But a friend reminded me that I need to rely on my intuition and instincts to weed out the bad and enjoy the company of the good people that still roam this earth. Not everyone is "out to get me" . . . and I could possibly gain some valued friendships.

This was my year of awakening and venturing out in the real world a bit . . . as this year comes to an end and the new year is around the corner, I need to think of the next year as my year of connecting with the real world . . . while on the lookout for those red flags . . .

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