Christmas Eve Visit from the Elf…

It’s definitely one of those “You’re not going to believe this” stories. I returned from a family function tonight expecting to see a package on the front porch. The tracking info said it was on or near my front porch and further investigation revealed it supposedly had been left there at 8:25 a.m. I searched and searched, but it was nowhere to be found. I suspected someone had stolen it.

About that time, I received a call on my cell phone from a “Private Number” and answered it. A police officer from the Hickory Police Department asked me to identify myself and my address. A thousand and one thoughts ran through my mind. He informed me that my package had been delivered to someone with the same house number and street, but a different section of town. She for some unknown reason had called the police department and reported what had happened.

Five short minutes later, Officer Sutton from the Hickory Police Department shows up, package in hand. He explained that the woman who had the package delivered to her home was legally blind and had accidentally opened it, only to discover it had been delivered to the wrong address. The officer said they don’t usually do this sort of thing, but given it was Christmas Eve, they wanted to make sure it got delivered on time.

So in a time where we sometimes can call into question our faith in humankind, tonight was a unique example of the fact there really are good and honest people left in this world. I thank the woman who I’ll likely never meet and Officer Sutton for going above and beyond on this cold winter’s night. Santa did indeed come a bit early.#youcantmakethisstuffup#ThereAreNoCoincidences

Emotions and Intelligence – A Balance

Emotions are a part of what makes us human. We also have been given intelligent minds to help us navigate life’s course. Keeping these two in their proper proportions can be the key to leading a meaningful, joyful life.

I seek to understand the importance of both emotions and intelligence in my own life. The key is to not let the size of one not override the other. I have to admit that my emotional self can at times take me to places I don’t need or want to be.

So as I face the different parts of my journey on this earth, I realize that my emotional self will always be present. But at the same time, I need to use my God-given intelligence for its proper purposes as well. Some would refer to them as the head and the heart. There are times that they seem to be indicating opposite directions. The key is to take each moment as it comes and practice the pause that helps me make use of both. And above all else, surrender it all to the God of my understanding.

Just a few random thoughts crossing my mind on this Christmas day.

David Lee

Getting Ready for December….

Today is the last day in November, another month that has seemed to fly by. And tomorrow is the first day of December, a month focused on the holiday season. While I haven’t put any Christmas decorations up as of yet, I know the mindset for the month ahead.

Thanksgiving wasn’t especially over-joyful, but it was nice to be off work for a while. I’m starting back to teaching tomorrow and will work each of the school days in December. After the first of the calendar year, I’ll be starting another assignment at another school that will last until the end of the school year, so I know that my days off in December will be important for rest and self-care.

So just for today, I’m taking some time to read and write and reflect on what this year has brought and look at what is in line for the year ahead. And while I don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future, I know that there may be many peaks and valleys, as any year will hold.

I will make a promise to myself to keep a positive focus and not let what goes on outside me dictate how I practice self-care and most importantly, love for myself. It is from following through with those things that I’m able to love and help others. Often in life I haven’t remembered that fact.

So this afternoon I’ll be cleaning my house in earnest. I’ve been putting it off long enough and my house isn’t that large, so it’s not like some monumental task. When you don’t have anyone visiting, you can get complacent and not care what your environment looks like. It’s been shown that unorganized surroundings do have an effect on your mental outlook, so I’ll be keeping this in mind as I work this afternoon. Definitely going to crank up some tunes to make the work go faster.

So that is where I’m at today. At least for now, the extreme sadness of the past week is gone and I can focus on making things brighter and more organized.

David Lee

Angel Card Reading – November 28, 2021

Today’s Angel Card Is…

Credits: “The Angel Tarot” card deck by Jayne Wallace

The Star: Angel of Hope

Oh the possibilities are endless when you wish upon a star. When was the last time you wholeheartedly had hope, optimism, and faith in your vision? Today’s card invites you into a space of abundant possibility. Take a deep breath and savor the moment; you’ve gone through a major transformation, and now it’s time to celebrate your success.

Creativity and beauty abound today. This nourishing energy intends to restore your spirit. The Angel of Hope brings you the opportunity for renewal, healing, and actualizing your dreams. You’ll notice stress melting away, as you sync into a more fluid state of being. Here, your emotions are feeling expressed and your insight is deeply valued and appreciated by those around you.

This is one of the most uplifting cards in the whole deck; a wonderful omen for the new opportunities that are coming to you. Your commitment to healing and growth is manifesting in the world now. Allow your heart to radiate the joy of receiving these many blessings.

As you emerge from this spiritual renewal, you’ll subtly be shifting the way you express yourself. Maybe you feel more creative, beautiful, or optimistic. You’ve successfully undergone the spiritual transformation, after a long period of wishing and hoping, and you can blissfully enjoy what you’ve brought to fruition.

Love & Blessings

angel oasis team

Shared Reading: “Letting Go of Outcomes”

January 10, 2021

Some of us get attached to outcomes. We think a project or a relationship has to go a certain way.

Sometimes we get so attached to the outcome of a thing, we don’t pay attention to how that thing feels. We may be so focused on marrying that person we’re dating, we forget to pay attention to whether we like him or her. We may be so interested in that book of photographs getting published and achieving fame that we can’t recollect if we have any passion for what we’re taking pictures of. We may be so focused on everyone congratulating us for a wonderful party that we forget to relax and have fun.

We’re putting in the effort. But we’re trying to control both the flow and the way the thing turns out.

“God is in the details,” a writing teacher once said.

What he was talking about was paying attention to each little detail in our writing: the color of the sky, the texture of the couch, the nuances of the feelings of the main character, the twinkle in her eye.

There’s another way to interpret this saying, though. And that’s to trust that God is present and interested in the details of our lives. Know what your dreams are and pay attention to what you want. But focus on the details of your life—how you feel each moment, the details of what you do. Don’t be so attached to outcomes that you forget how much fun it is to live.

Remember that God is in the details, especially in how things work out.

God, help me be clear with you and myself about what I want in life. Help me learn to be present for the details of each moment of each day, doing what I do with passion.

From the book: More Language of Letting Go

Card Pull – November 28th, 2021

SCARAB BEETLE SPIRIT

Magic works through you

Protection Message: Do you doubt your unique inner magic? Are you afraid that you have no originality or that creative juices don’t flow through you? Perhaps you mistakenly believe you’re not “the creative manifesting type.”

Scarab Beetle Spirit’s message is that creativity is a living force that comes to all of us from Spirit, who wants every person on the planet to manifest magic and co-create the world anew. You are as capable of resilience and innovation as anyone.

If you do what you’ve always done, you’re going to get what you’ve always got, so draw inspiration into your being and begin to playfully create something new— and do it without any judgment.

Creativity and magic are your legacy as an expression of the Creator, so let them flow through you.

Source: https://www.colettebaronreid.com/use-colettes-free-online-oracle-cards-app/

Letting Go of the Past…

I was recently told that I have a tendency to talk a lot about the past. Perhaps because of a lack of anything else to talk about, but it could go deeper. And after all my reading about living in the present moment, it could well be it’s time to put that into practice. The past cannot be changed and my thinking and analyzing about what’s transpired in the past days, weeks, months, years cannot be changed.

I don’t want to stay stuck in the past…

I want to enjoy all the present moments…

I want to consider a happy future….

The past needs to stay in the past and doesn’t need to be a part of my present moment…

Reliving the past , or even telling others about it, doesn’t change anything…regret, remorse, resentment are the sole outcomes of doing that…

So just for today, I will live in the present moment and all it has to offer.

David Lee

Let Go Of The Past. For something better! | by Laura Annabelle | Mental Health Superheros | Medium

More Thoughts on this Day

Today has been a long day. I’m still trying to sort through some things in my life and my mind is on overdrive most all day long. It would seem that the morning hours are those that go the smoothest, but around noon the not-so-happy mindset creeps back in for much of the rest of the day.

I don’t know often how to put it into words but will give it a try. I have made mistakes in the past that are affecting my present days. I accept responsibility for my actions and have created a space for things that are a part of my today. While I can be held accountable and make my amends, there are those who are less willing to forget the past. And that’s having a direct effect on the here and now.

A friend today reminded me of the serenity prayer….I need to find serenity in the things I cannot change. In this case, that’s the past and the mistakes that I made. I also know that I cannot change other people’s thinking and actions. This is perhaps where I’m falling short. I’m not in their shoes, so I can’t know exactly how they feel. If I was in the same situation, I might feel exactly the same. They don’t seem to be willing to forgive me for what I’ve done and there’s nothing I can do to change that.

The serenity prayer also says the courage to change the things that I can. And that’s exactly what I’ve been working on today. I got out and about instead of staying the house brooding all day. I did a lot of reading and writing and reflecting and talked with several friends about the situation at hand. I attempted to put on a brave face with those I interacted with, including my family. I’m writing this blog entry to get some of what’s going on out into the Universe.

I am hopeful that these feelings of sadness and despair will pass when their time is done. I know this can be a difficult season for those of us living by ourselves and I don’t need to be dwelling in the doldrums. I want to be of good spirits for the upcoming weeks and will continue to do what I can to achieve that goal.

I appreciate the fact that you’ve made it to this point in what I’ve had to share. If you have any words of encouragement, they would be much appreciated. You can leave them in the comments below or email them to: moedave5923@gmail.com

David Lee

Sadness is Upon Me….

Sadness is upon me,,,

I could tell you the reason why, but perhaps it’s not all that important.

Sadness because I’ve made mistakes in the past that have affected the present…

Sadness because I’m missing out on being with someone because of the wrong steps I took…

Sometimes in life, sadness will creep in like an unwanted visitor. And I’m finding you have to let it be and work its way through your mind.

If I try to push it away, it will only come back stronger.

So just for today, I’m feeling what I need to feel, extreme sadness. Sadness for what has passed away, never to be experienced again.

Sadness is upon me.

David Lee

Random Thoughts for Reflection

A lot has been going on in my life here of late. Quite a few changes and attempts to make life more enjoyable. In the midst of it all, a lot of confusion has ensued and it’s definitely been a time for some deep soul searching.

When things don’t turn out as we might wish, it can cause the volume on the mind chatter to ramp up to unbelievable levels. We are thinking that things should be some other way than what they are. But all the wishing in the world doesn’t change many things in life and such is the case presently with me.

Denial also found its way into the picture. Thinking things would be as I wanted them to be and ignoring the factors that said otherwise. But there reaches that point where the round peg just can’t be forced into the square hole and one has to surrender it all to the Universe.

It can take the most difficult of times and most uncomfortable of circumstances for us to be able to say, “I’ve done my best and my best just wasn’t good enough.” Divine providence whispers to remind us that some things just aren’t mean to be as we might want and that perhaps there is something much better on the horizon.

And so we move forward in quiet reflection, pondering what might have been and looking to the future with anticipation of what will be there to take the place of what we once wanted. Such is life as I see it on this day.

David Lee