We have been asked time and time again Dear One:

• Does religion matter?
• Does politics matter?
• Does the news matter?
• Does art matter?
• Does their criticism matter? (or their praise)
• Does a lie matter?

And every time we are asked our answer is always the same – we have absolutely no idea at all what so ever.   It is not for us to say.

But what we can say to you with absolute certainty is this:

• Your opinions matter
• Your ideas matter
• Your beliefs matter
• Your actions matter
• Your feelings matter
• Your heart matters
• You matter

There are no second chances Dear One.

And there are no third or fourth chances either.

There are only opportunities, and choices to be made.

And you will never run out of either.

We promise you that.

So don’t sweat it.

There are times Dear One, when the help that you so desperately need can only by found by helping someone else.

This may be one of those times.

Connect with someone in need, help them as best as you can, forget about yourself for a while, and find out.

You may be surprised to discover that sometimes the best solution to a problem,  is to simply allow yourself to forget that it exists at all.

Why would you ever want to concern yourself with subject such as punishment Dear One?

It really is not necessary you know.

Universal laws exist in perfect balance.  Your point of attraction, what you project, what you put out there, what you focus your attention on, is what you get back.

That is true for everyone Dear One, you as well as them.

What you put out there, you will get back, and what they put out there, they will get back.

Why would you ever want to intentionally invite something as purely negative as punishment in your experience?  And yet, that is exactly what you are doing when set out to punish another.

You are inviting/attracting/asking for punishment in return, as certainly as if you were inflicting it upon yourself.

Never mind about trying to punish them Dear One.  Their actions will take care of that nicely, all on their own.

You are the one who determines what your point of attraction is, so might we suggest focusing your attention on something a little bit more pleasing to you instead.

And to touch on the subject of children and punishment for a moment – let us remind you that children learn by example.  They are watching what you do and learning from what they see.  Is punishment really the lesson that you want to be teaching them?

Consequences are not the same as punishment.  You can teach a child that their actions have consequences without teaching them how to punish.

If you are still feeling fearful Dear One, then you do not yet fully trust.

You can trust or you can be afraid.

But you can not do both at once.

If we were you Dear One, we would not think about, talk about, or focus our attention on any of the things in the universe that displeased us, frustrated us, angered us, upset us, caused us discomfort, or pissed us off.

We would instead focus all of our attention on those things that pleased us, that felt good, that brought us joy, pleasure, and happiness, that inspired us and helped us to feel loved, useful, connected and grateful.

You can choose to focus your attention on that which makes you feel badly if you want to Dear One, but you should know that that would not be our choice, if we were you.

Freedom is a state of mind Dear One.  It is an attitude, a feeling, a way of life.

It is not something that you have to wait to be granted, work to achieve, or receive permission to be.

You are free Dear One.

• Free to make up your mind about anything, anyway that you want.
• Free to change your mind about anything, anytime that you want.
• Free to experience the world from any perspective that you choose.

We implore you to remember that freedom is a state of mind, an emotion, a lens through which you view your life.

Freedom is not something that is granted by anyone else.

It is something that you claim for yourself.

You and you alone decide when you are going to choose to believe this, to embrace it, to live it, and to be free.

•  You know you don’t have to wait until you are sick to take time to heal Dear One.
• You know you don’t have to wait until you are in trouble to ask for help.
• You know you don’t have to wait until you are lonely or afraid to invite someone to keep you company.
• You know you don’t have to wait until you are perfect to be worthy of love.
• You know you don’t have to wait until the end to decide to begin again.

Don’t you?

Do you feel good about the decisions that you made for yourself yesterday Dear One?

Are you satisfied with your choices?

• Did you choose to spend time with people that you love?
• Did you choose to do things that you enjoyed, that made you happy?
• Did you choose to care for, honor and respect yourself?

We hope so. They were your choices to make.  No one else did or could have made them for you.

If don’t feel good about the choices that you made yesterday Dear One, then we ask you, what do you plan on doing about it today?

Will you decide to choose differently?

Your response will determine how you will be able to answer this question tomorrow.

You want perform a great service for the world today Dear One?

Take really, really, really, good care of yourself.