Focus on the Positive

I used to suffer from SAD, seasonal affective disorder.  When the gloomy winter days appeared, with days and weeks of smog and snow, I felt depressed, exhausted, and miserable.  As I focused on the grey skies, the cold weather, and the snow-covered streets, I was sad and unhappy.

Then I discovered the power of meditation and gratitude.

As I learned how to meditate, I recognized that I was choosing negative thoughts that caused me to feel unhappy.  I also realized that I was overlooking the beauty around me and focusing on things that I perceived to be negative. 

Now, I realize that some are medically depressed during winter and need light therapy and sometimes they need medication to help.  But others, like me, become unhappy because of the thoughts they choose to rerun in their minds. 

Today, I am as happy in the winter as in the summer.  I rejoice in the gift of snow and in its exquisite beauty.  I savor each cold day, as I enjoy hot soups, a warm fireplace, and central heat.  I thank God continually for these blessings. 

I rejoice when I see the coral clouds and the slivers of iridescent golden light of our desert sunsets.  I appreciate the blessings of living in a place with changing four seasons which delight the senses.  I enjoy the winter blizzards as much as the first blooms of spring, the explosion of flowers during the summer, and the amazing beauty of autumn leaves. I am richly blessed.

We all have winter seasons in our life that require us to focus on the positive if we are to be happy.  Illness, financial reverses, loss, and other trials can distract us from remembering how truly blessed we are.  As we release negative thoughts and notice the good things in life, we can find peace, even when life is difficult.

May you find peace today and always as you focus you the blessings and beauties of life.

&copy Carol Brown

The Peace of God's Infinite Love

God loves us so much that He gave His only beloved Son to die for you and for me. His gift is more priceless that we can imagine. God's love gives us hope that we can live with Him again. Christ's love conquered both spiritual and physical death. His love allows us to become like Him if we chose to follow and obey Him. His love heals our broken hearts when we give Him our pain, sorrows, fears, disappointments, and worries. His love is the most powerful force in the universe.

The following actions allow us to access God's infinite love, a love that fills our hearts with peace and happiness:

Prayer When we communicate with God, we can cast our burdens on Him, experience the healing power of His spirit, and find solutions to our problems and concerns. He is the supreme Counselor and the best Friend we could ever have. As we talk and listen to Him, He surrounds us in the arms of His perfect love.

Scripture study The scriptures are God's love letters to us, and when we read them, we discover who God is, who we are, and how deeply he loves us. Consider how John describes God's love: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Trust in God As we communicate with God and study His words, we discover that we can trust completely in Him as our Counselor, Creator, and Companion. When we trust in Him, he carries us every day of our lives and directs our journey in life, leading us back into his presence. In Psalm 36, we read, "Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed."

Follow Him God wants to give us all that He has. He asks for very little in return. He asks us to give Him our hearts. When he listen to him and obey him, he immediately blesses us and fills our hearts with peace and our spirits with love. He gives our lives with purpose and direction. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

The world is filled with darkness, disappointment and despair. Christ gave his life for us that that we can walk with courage, compassion, and comfort amid the sorrows of life. He is the Life, Light, and the Truth. He knows you and loves you so much that he died for you so you can live eternally with him. Isn't that wonderful news?

© Carol Brown

Peace and Perfectionism

Some of us are trying too hard to do too much. We are weary and don't find the peace we are seeking. If you are an over-achiever, you may need to slow down to find peace. You may need to say "no" to some less essential things so that you can embrace the simple joys of living.

God knows you better than you know yourself. He wants you to be happy. He wants to enfold you in the arms of His love. To experience that bliss, we need to tune out the world with its worries and fears and tune into the comfort of God's infinite compassion for each one of us.

When God asked us to become "perfect," as the Bible suggests, the Greek origin of that word is "whole" and "complete". God wants us to develop our talents and gifts in a joyful manner. He wants us to learn to love and forgive completely and without reservation. He wants heal us with His grace and unimaginable power, but He does not want us to wear ourselves out chasing unrealistic goals.

Yesterday I attended my brother-in-law Ray's funeral. During the past year, two brothers and two of my dearest friends have died. Most of my extended family have passed away, and I've grieved at the loss of many of my closest friends. These dear people have taught me many lessons about finding peace. Here are a few:

Don't sweat the small stuff. People who are dying treasure time with loved ones. They don't care about the material possessions they have accumulated but value precious moments spent with close friends and family members. People who don't sweat the small stuff experience greater peace than those who do.

Live in the moment. The past is gone. Don't fret about it. The future is ahead. Don't worry about events that may never occur. Plan wisely and then enjoy the beauties of life. Listen to the birds chirping outside your window. Notice the leaves blooming on the trees. Watch the sparkle in the eyes of your loved ones. Breathe deeply and reflect on the blessings which God has given you.

Celebrate life. My dear brother-in-law Terry has buried two wives, two sons, and his beloved granddaughter is currently fighting brain cancer.His life has been very difficult, yet his trials have taught him that God lives and loves Him. Terry shares God's love with others by sending them an inspirational text each morning that he has composed. He reaches out to those who are grieving and invites family members to lunch each week. He loves life and has become a hero to those of us who are fortunate to know and love him.

Remember that ideals are not sticks to beat ourselves with but stars to steer by. Only one man ever walked the earth, and Jesus was and is God incarnate. As we learn from His example, we realize that God Himself took times to go into the mountains and commune with His Father. He took time to meditate and rest. Our Sabbaths offer us a day of spiritual renewal, and we can take time each day to refresh our spirits as we pray, read the Scriptures, and bask in God's love.

I like the story of the little cracked pot. A waterbearer in India had two large pots. One hung on each end of a pole, which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the mistress's house. The cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, but the cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream: "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

The pot replied, "I have been able for these past two years to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your mistress's house. Because of my flaws, you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer replied, "As we return to the mistress's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

As they went up the hill, the cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some, but at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so it again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.

“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my mistress's table. Without you being just the way you are, she would not have this beauty to grace her house."

May we remember that each of us can become instruments in God's hands as we give our hearts--and our weaknesses--to Him and and allow Him to make our weak things strong according to I will and perfect timing.

© Carol Brown

Happy for No Reason

Marci Shimoff in her book Happy for No Reason, writes:

"One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside of people. He said, 'My son, the battle is between the two 'wolves' that live inside us all. One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment, and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth, and compassion.'

"The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, 'Which wolf wins?'

"The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'"

According to scientists we have about 60,000 thoughts a day, 95 percent of which are the same thought you had yesterday. For the average person, 80 percent of those habitual thoughts are negative. That means that every day we think 45,000 negative thoughts!

The good news is, we can retrain our brains! Here are a few ways we do this:

• We can focus on positive images, thoughts, and sounds instead of negative ones.

• We can condition our minds to celebrate the beauty around us.

• We can journal about the good things in our lives.

[Ms. Shimoff says that Dr. Robert Emmons at the University of Southern California found that those who wrote about things they were grateful for on a weekly basis enjoyed better health and were happier than a control group who did not keep journals.]

• We can remember positive statements. Here are a few of my favorites:

This, too, will pass.

With God all things are possible.

I am a beloved child of God who loves me infinitely.


I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.

We can rewire our brains by consciously changing our thinking patterns. Our brains our very plastic, and we can train them to think thoughts that bring us happiness. Ms Shimoff says, "When you're happy for no reason, you bring happiness to your outer experiences rather than trying to extract happiness from them. You don't need to manipulate the world around you to try to make yourself happy. You live from happiness, rather than for happiness."


© Carol Brown

Positive Living

Researchers have found that two simple things can increase our sense of well-being and our peace of mind. First, they found that writing about your thoughts and feelings 20 minutes each day enhances our happiness. They also discovered that either writing in a gratitude journal, where we record five things you appreciate each day, or expressing gratitude to others on a daily basis increases our joy. Such simple acts with such big results!

Dr. Martin Seligman began the empirical study of happiness in 1998 and has written a best-selling book, Learned Optimism, that discusses the qualities and behaviors that create or enhance happiness in our lives. He also provides free tests, newsletters, and information on his website that provides simple ways to find peace of mind.

Professor Ed Diener’s research on positive psychology shows that three things increase one’s happiness. The first component is having a network of family and friends in your life. Second, a happy person has meaning in life, whether it derives from one’s religion, spirituality, or philosophy of life. The third element is having meaningful goals that you enjoy and that you are working toward.

With the negative tone of much media, politics and society, these tools help us find happiness amid the stress of daily living. Such as simple thing as daily journaling and expressing gratitude can help us enjoy the journey. It's good to know that scientists are turning their attention to not only treating disease but treating misery as well. Although these tools may not transform a cranky person into a compassionate one, they can help us find peace amid sorrow.


© Carol Brown

Dejunking Your Life

I love to watch shows where organizers help families dejunk their homes. It's fun to see professionals help their clients decide which of their possessions they should keep, donate, or discard. How healing it would be if we extended this process to our daily lives.

Which of our activities need to be kept? Which of our actions and thoughts empower us and help us to enjoy everyday life? What activities bring you joy and help you fulfill your life's purpose?

Which of our activities need to be donated? Could we give up some activities and replace them with those that truly enhances our lives? Is there something we can do to better nurture ourselves and those we love? Do we need to give myself permission to relax and have more fun?

What activities can we discard? Is there some clutter in our mind or life that is keeping us from enjoying our lives? Are there some activities that we need to say "no"to? Can we turn off the cell phone, computer, or cd player for a while so we can better hear the still small voice of the Spirit? Are some negative thoughts keeping us from enjoying everyday living? If so, which ones can we discard today?

Confucius said, "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." As we simplify our lives, we have more time and energy to spend with people with love doing things we enjoy. Time spent communing with God, meditating or journaling, or enjoying the beauties of nature is invaluable but costs nothing. As we remove the clutter from our lives, we find that we feel happier and more peaceful.

© Carol Brown

Enjoy the Journey

This has been a magical summer. I’ve savored the beauty of each flower, blue sky, and shrub. Why? Because last summer I had major knee surgery and spent the summer months in excruciating pain. I didn’t get out much, and when I did, it was usually to my physical therapist’s office. Because of complications from knee surgery, I spent most of the summer on my bed with my knee elevated and iced. Oh, how I missed the beauty of nature then, and, oh, how I’m enjoying it now!

This summer I celebrate every flower and plant I see. I am ecstatic when I drive to the bank and see the petunias, marigolds, and tiger lilies that adorn the entrance. I am enthralled when I drive by neighbors’ yards and see roses, poppies, and sunflowers lighting up the world.

When my father was battling cancer, he was euphoric when the crocuses, daffodils, and tulips appeared. We did not realize that would be our last spring together as we celebrated the awakening of new life, but I when I see spring flowers appear, I remember my dad.

When my mom was dying, the leaves were falling from the trees. She pointed towards a majestic mountain and said, “Some day I’ll be climbing that,”and I know she has. As I spent the days with her that fall, I watching the beautiful autumn leaves and wondered if they would all fall from our tree before mom passed away. They did, and mom left soon after. Since autumn was her favorite season, whenever I see the gorgeous array of leaves, I remember her courage and her strength through adversity.

I’m away from home right now, and I’m enchanted by the desert landscapes, the flowering shrubs, and the swaying palms. It’s been a great week! I’m headed home tonight, and I will appreciate even more the green grass, pines, and the majestic mountain landscapes that are part of my world.

Imagine today if this were your last day to see—or walk—or live. What would you appreciate more? What things would annoy you less?

I love Liv’s blog “One Year of Beauty.” Liv finds such beauty on the commonplace and the ordinary, and with her keen eye, makes the everyday things around us appear extraordinary. Thanks, Liv, for helping me to better celebrate life.

Today, enjoy the journey. Savor the beauty around you. (And don’t sweat the small stuff—it really isn’t worth the energy.)

© Carol Brown

Conscious Living

When we savor the present moment, we find peace. As we express gratitude for the past and trust that God for future, we can enjoy the journey. As children of God, we have the power to live happily even when we are experiencing trials. Remember Christ’s amazing promise, “These things I have spoken to you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye will have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.”

For years I lived unconsciously. I brooded about past problems and worried about future ones (most of which never happened.) I was anxious and depressed a lot of the time because I wasn’t allowing myself to enjoy present happiness. Now, I’m not blaming myself. I did not know about the power of conscious living, but I do now, and my life is so much better.

Since I tend to be an over-achiever, in the past I took on way too many projects. I wanted to be the perfect wife, mother, daughter, homemaker, teacher, and volunteer and wore myself out trying to do everything perfectly. Today I try to be good rather than perfect—it’s such a big difference. I focus on loving relationships, which begins with loving myself. Some put themselves last on their to-do lists, yet if we aren’t nurturing and loving ourselves, we may lack the energy to love thers well.

Gay Hendricks in his book Conscious Living says we must answer two questions if we are to make the most of our gift of life: How do I live at peace with myself? And, how do I live in harmony with people around me? I’ve just started reading the book so I don’t know his conclusions, but know that living in peace with ourselves and in harmony with others creates personal power. God uses us in amazing ways when we align ourselves with His Spirit and His love.

Last week my friend who is on our city council asked me to speak at a large meeting in behalf of the children and taxpayers in our community. I did a lot of research and signed up to speak at the Truth in Taxation meeting. Since over two hundred people signed up to speak, I assumed my comments would go unnoticed. Not so! I appeared on the news, radio, Internet, and newspaper for days. My picture and words were all over the place. My friends say they heard my comments over and over on television and radio news reports for several days.

Now, I’m just an ordinary woman, but I was speaking up for children, teachers, parents, those on fixed incomes, and those who have lost jobs or are underemployed. Our school board was proposing a 40% tax increase, and I discovered that most of the money was going to a bloated bureaucracy. I spoke up respectfully but firmly, and people listened.

When we live in the present moment, God can use us to help others in the most unexpected ways. I care deeply about children and the poor, and God used me to speak up for both that night. The tax increase has been cut in half, and although that is still too high, my friends have thanked me for speaking up for them, and I am amazed that such a small speech made such a big difference.

As children of God, each of us can do great things by small acts of kindness and service. When we live in the present moment, we become instruments of peace and love, and God uses us to bless others. Conscious living allows us to make the most of our gift of life, to savor the moment, and to serve others well. It allows us to be still, and know that God loves us, that He is in control of the universe, and that He will make weak things become strong as we trust in Him.

© Carol Brown

The Secrets to a Happy Life

There are many self-help books, talk shows, and magazine articles that tell us how to find happiness. Some are helpful. Some are not. Some say if we get nipped and tucked, have a complete make-over, win the lottery, or make our first million dollars, we will be happy. Some say that if we indulge ourselves, buy more stuff, and seek immediate gratification for our personal desires, we’ll be happy.

The best self-help book written shows us the secret to happiness. It explains it simply and beautifully. It says: “…anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

How do we lose our lives for Christ’s sake? We love Him. We serve others. We seek to walk in His footsteps. We yoke ourselves with our Savior, so that He can help us carry our burdens of pain, sorrow, or suffering. God does not ask us to carry our crosses alone. He waits to help us.
One of the heaviest crosses that we can bear is feeling unworthy of God’s love or of the love of others. Remind yourself each day that you are beautifully and wonderfully made, that you are a child of God created in His image. Remember that He loves you infinitely and that you have infinite potential. You are loved!

As we seek to lose our lives for Christ’ sake, He will help us accomplish miracles. When I try to give my life to Him, He gives me power to do things that I could not naturally do. I can now speak comfortably before hundreds of people, trusting that God will give me the right words to say. Because I have given my life to God, He has used me in countless unexpected and wonderful ways.

I am a simple person with many weaknesses, but God has used my strengths as I serve others and has turned some of my weaknesses into strengths. I’m still learning and still growing, but I know I’m most happy when I lose my life it serving others. That is pure bliss!

Losing our life for Christ does not have to be difficult. Last week I took some fresh cherries to some shut-ins. They were thrilled! They hugged me, thanked me, and then called to thank me again a few days later. I expected nothing for my service, but was blessed with pure happiness for such a simple act.

Now, I’m not saying to become a martyr or a slave to other’s demands. We need to love ourselves as much as we love others, and we need to take good care of ourselves. And, we need to be grateful. Remember the words of the hymn:

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings; ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

In the Psalms, we read, “…happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.” ““Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” “Whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.”

Gratitude, service, and love promote peace and happiness. A prayer of thanksgiving, an act of service, remembering God’s love for us—these simple acts can produce profound results. They are the secrets to a happy life.

© Carol Brown

Enjoying Everyday Living

When we’re worried about the future or anxious because of the past, we don’t enjoy the present. It’s so easy to remember our past mistakes or offenses we’ve experienced, but when we focus of them, we can’t enjoy everyday living.

We need to move outside of our thoughts and evaluate how peaceful they are. Sometimes we stay stuck in the past. Our thoughts reveal if this is happening. We live in the past when we're consumed with thought such as “Why didn’t I__________?” “How could they have done that?” “Why was I so stupid?” “How could I have done that?”Of course, we need to learn from our past mistakes and avoid dangerous people, but if we continually rehearse past failures, we cannot enjoy present happiness. If we use all of our energy to berate ourselves and others for bad behavior, we are too tired to live peacefully in the now.

We can turn away from bad choices and turn towards good ones without condemning ourselves as worthless human beings. When we catch ourselves remembering past problems, we can choose to focus on present blessings and defeat the enemy. Gratitude and guilt cannot dwell in the human heart at the same time.

It’s great to plan for the future, to have a rainy day fund, to set goals, and to pray for ourselves and our loved. However, when we fear the future, we cannot enjoy present happiness. Doomsday thinking is destructive. When we worry about future calamities, trials, or problems, we can’t live joyfully today.

Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

""And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

So today, celebrate the beauties of everyday living. Savor the beauty of flowers, clouds, birds, children, the elderly, and yourself. Remember, you are a priceless child of God. He loves you more than you can imagine. Experience His love so that you can more fully enjoy the journey.
© Carol Brown

Results of the Negative Thought Fast

Okay, I’ve completed over 24 hours of the negative thought fast. Here’s what I've learned from doing it consciously:

• I’ve prayed wherever I started to worry or engage a negative thought. It worked! I’ve been very concerned about my son, who is really ill right now. Instead of stewing about his health, I’ve prayed for him every time I was tempted to worry about him. What a better use of my energy.

• I’ve turned off music and television wherever anything negative appeared, including commercials. I feel much more peaceful.

• I’ve spent more time pondering the scriptures. Oh, it feels so good.

• I’ve called a friend whose husband has cancer. We had a wonderful visit. I feel more compassionate today.

• I have been very selective about anything I’ve read online or in print.

• I’ve thought more about God and have been more grateful for His blessings.

• I’ve listened to some uplifting talks on CD. Oh, it’s been like heaven. I need to do this more.

• I’ve listened to some beautiful music.

• I’ve felt happier and calmer.

• I had a wonderful day.

• I slept peacefully last night, and I tend to have sleep issues.

Did you try the negative thought fast? Any comments?

© Carol Brown

What Really Matters

In 100 years, it won't matter how much money you made, how big your house was, how prestigious your job was, or how famous you were. It won't matter if you if you were stylish, wealthy, or popular.

In 100 years, it will matter if you made a difference in the life of a child, if you helped those in need, and if you learned to love and forgive. It will matter if you learned to be kind and caring, if you lived with integrity and virtue, and if you if you loved God and others more than you loved worldly things.

I've attended a lot of funerals, and I've noticed that the only things that really matter after a person dies is the example they set, the people they loved, and they values they cherished. I've looked in a lot of coffins and haven't seen a person take a single possession with them. Not one.

Our culture lies to us. It teaches us that in order to be happy we need to wear the latest styles, redecorate our homes, and have power and wealth. It tells us that pride, deceit, immorality, and greed foster personal peace when, in fact, they destroy our peace.

I've loved and lost a lot of my friends and family, and I know how precious memories are of loving moments shared, kind words remembered, and lessons taught. Thank you, Dad, for showing me that you can find peace amid sorrow and for always keeping your promises. Thanks, Mom, for loving me unconditionally and for teaching me that true joy is found in serving others. You both taught me that even though life can be very difficult, we can still find happiness during the hard times as we place our trust in God.
© Carol Brown

A Simpler Life

When we choose to live a simpler life by cutting back and slowing down, we experience greater peace of mind. We can reduce the unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves: wanting a perfect house, body, life, career, family. Instead of wanting a perfect life, we can seek for a good life. Simple changes in our expectations of ourselves and others can make a big difference.

Dejunking our rooms, apartments, or homes creates a more peaceful environment. More important is dejunking our minds. Eliminating junk thoughts such as "should have," "must have," and "would have" fosters peace. As we declutter our surroundings and our minds, we create greater harmony in our hearts and homes.

Next, we can seek to declutter our lives. When we remove toxic activities from our lives, we are happier. We need to set healthy boundaries and say "no" to those things that steal our peace. We also need to say "yes" to activities that heal our spirits--meditation, nature walks, reading inspirational literature, and nurturing friendships.

As we accept and love ourselves just as we are, we allow the healing power of God's love to fill the empty spaces of your heart and life. We can learn to live joyfully and mindfully in each moment. It may take practice and perserverence, but we can seek after peace.

I have tried to live the perfect live, to be everything to everyone, and to say "yes" to everything asked of me. Trust me, this is not a good idea. Do not, I repeat, do not try this at home!

My mom and dad grew up when there was no electricity in homes, indoor plumbing, phones, or cars, and both commented that life was happier back then. Now, I'm not suggesting we all need to live in a tent and cook over an open fire. I'm a big fan of washers and dryers, refrigerators, and warm showers--to name a few conveniences that I love. However, sometimes our fast-paced world can steal our peace. I have learned from personal experience that as we live a simpler life--one filled with goodness, mercy, and gentleness--we feel much happier.
© Carol Brown