There is a very distinct difference between abundance and excess Dear One.

Do you know what that difference is?

Intention.

• Abundance is what is generated when great quantities are amassed (allowed) as a result of actions motivated by joy, love, excitement, trust, generosity, passion and an open heart.
• Excess is what is generated when great quantities are amassed (allowed) as a result of actions motivated by fear, anger, shame, a desire to escape, compete, justify, prove a point, or win.

The actions taken to create both may very well be the same, but rest assured, that the outcomes generated as a result will most definitely not be.

Abundance will empower you, fuel you, lift you up, and excess will overwhelm you, drain you, and weigh you down.

So just in case you were wondering Dear One, while you are in the process of creating, yes, intention matters, a lot.

With one hand reaching out holding on to your past, and the other reaching out holding to your future, it is no wonder that you feel stretched so thin in the present Dear One.

That which is for your greatest good, is and will always be, in the present.

The tradition of joining both hands together at your heart for prayer, for meditation, for your daily practice, is meant to be a reminder to you Dear One.

Be. Here. Now.

Remember Dear One, whenever you feel scared, chaotic, lost, or out of control, that the trip back home to your center, your core, your sense of well-being, is always only one calm, slow, deep breath away.

Was I unhappy there, when i was in in spirit?

• No, you were loved here, Dear One.

Then why did I leave?

• To experience love there.

Beauty is not something that you see with your eyes Dear One, it is something that you feel with your heart.

So how do you know if what you are looking at, if what you are seeing is truly beautiful, or if it is simply an illusion, a judgment, a product of your imagination?

Close your eyes.

If it disappears, then you know.

You are stronger, more powerful, creative, and resilient than you think you are, Dear One.

Why not make today the day that you finally prove it to yourself?

You’re never going to be finished Dear One. You’re never going to get it all done.  So you might as well stop trying.  You might as well stop looking for the end.

Allow yourself to accept and be at peace with this reality.  Allow yourself to enjoy the fact that there is and always will be much for you to do – much for you to practice – much for you to learn – oh so very much for you to experience.

You can choose to allow your constantly expanding reality to be a source of stress in your life, or you can choose to embrace it, enjoy it, relax into it and be excited by the fact that change, growth and renewal are available to you in each and every moment.

You will never run out of choices.  You will never run out of options.  You will never run out of opportunities.  You will never get it all done Dear One.

You will never reach the end of what is possible for you.  Never.

If you want to see more tolerance in the world Dear One, be more tolerant.

It really is the only way.

Somedays you will be confident, and somedays you will be insecure. Somedays you will feel pretty and somedays you will feel plain.  Somedays you will be adored, and somedays you will be lonely.  Somedays you will be creative, and somedays you will be dull.  Somedays you will be kind, and somedays you will be cruel. Somedays you will do no wrong, and somedays you will do no right.

But know this Dear One, that in this life that is full of contradictions, full of realities that are true one minute and not true the next, one thing will never stop being true, and that is that you will never stop being powerful.

You can never stop being powerful.  It is who and what you are.

Now you can choose to use your power to create things that you want in this life, or you can choose to use your power to create things that you despise, or fear, or secretly think that you deserve.   But either way Dear One, no matter what, you can never stop being powerful, you can never give your power away, or run out of it, or lose it, or have it taken from you, ever.

You can be tricked into thinking it is gone, you can trick yourself into thinking it is gone too. But regardless of how you feel, what you have been told, or what you believe, you will still be powerful, you will still have the power that creates worlds running through you, at your fingertips, at all times, to do with as you please.  You will still be the one with the pen in your hand, writing your story, creating your world, with every thought that you think, word that you speak,  action that you take, and belief that you hold in your heart.

If you are looking for simple directions Dear One, that will help you get from where you are to where you want to be, here they are:

• Always look up more than you look down
• Always look forward more than you look back
• Always keep your attention focused more on where you want to be, and less on where you don’t
• Always follow your smile, heart, and intuition

And always do the best you can to allow yourself to enjoy the trip.

Now, get moving.