On this day...

On this day of your life, Tracy, we believe God wants you to know ... that letting go makes you wealthier~

Wealth is never measured by what you have, but by what you can give away. You are rich with money when you can afford to donate. You are rich with love when you can give love freely. You are rich with God when you can behold your enemy with compassion.

An incident occurred earlier in the school year that shook my very soul, rocked my world (read here) to say the very least. Being verbally raped by a colleague disturbed me beyond belief and it skewed my views of my entire world, more than ever my teaching that was once my sacred domain; that encounter robbed me of every ounce of confidence and assuredness I possessed replaced by fearfulness, deep sadness, and self-loathing. I entered a world of hiding, avoidance and self-destruction. (another writing)

Fast forward to today…my bags packed with a plethora of healing gear; my writing, reading, support of cherished friends and my loving husband, self-scrutinizing, etc…I’ve been blanketed with forgiveness. I am now able to talk with this individual. My heart no longer soars into my throat when I spot her in the vicinity, I can acknowledge her with a shadowed salutation and even engage in conversation at a more comfortable level linking eyes.

She’s no longer dressed with the veil of evil spirit she wore months ago and regardless of how she may view the connection between us, I for one, am wealthy beyond gold. Forgiving is not forgetting, but the truest gift I could bestow upon myself is regarding my enemy with compassion. Merry Christmas to me!

What wealth will you seek out this day, this week before Christmas?



On this day....

Yesterday nature displayed the first snowfall of the season dressing the outdoors with the beautiful delicacy that only snow can impart. What is strange about this occurrence is I live in North Carolina; therefore snow in NC in early December just doesn’t equivocate.


Nonetheless my eyes flitted from one entity to the next in an attempt to recharge my dehydration of the beauty in my world…there is nothing more exquisite than the pure unique flecks that gently descend and disguise the terrain. My child-like perception of the snowfall maintains it is God’s intention to quiet the busy-ness of the world by limiting travel and demanding we stop and take notice of the superb loveliness. At times, the inconvenience provides spontaneous time with family and time with self.

In light of this happening and the current pursuit for the elusive Christmas spirit, I was presented with a delightful surprise upon awakening to read my message from God that I receive daily via Face Book: On this day, God wants you to know that the voice of God is best heard in silence. All too often loud events and daily busyness cloud your vision of God. Take some time to slow down; let there be silence, let there be peace. Calm your mind and let your inner voice re-emerge from the silence. Allow yourself to see visions, allow yourself to dream dreams; and you may hear the voice of God reaching out to you.

While I don’t actively share in these messages on a day to day basis, the meaning today was welcomed and clear; busy lives mandate quiet and often we don’t provide or afford it for ourselves or for our family. Perhaps in my quest to find that mysterious gaily mood of the season the snow was my invitation.

To commence this inspiration, I will become sparing in allotting my time to insignificant things and activities. I will ignite the fire and calm my mind, allow my inner voice to re-emerge from the silence.

Today my family is attending a Christmas concert of the Trans Siberian Orchestra; something my eleven year old son has been requesting since early November. Our initial hesitancy was to dismiss this opportunity because of finances; in light of the economy, do we really need to spend the money? However, in honor of the season, we are attending; a gift we as a family desire and not because we ‘have’ to but because we ‘want’ to. A blessed Sunday to all…

Do you have the Holiday Spirit?

It is with enormous sadness that I momentary look out my window at all the merriment displayed; strands of evergreen and wreaths draped on doorways and windows, illumination glistening on eaves, trees and roof tops and music serenading in stores as a steady reminder of the upcoming Christmas season.


It is a time when I recognize and am reminded what a particularly difficult time of year this is for countless individuals in our world. People are unemployed, money is sparse as benefits have run dry; compounding the decision of whether to buy gifts or groceries. There is a remarkable sadness that has blanketed the world as individuals are grieving for lost loved ones, fatal illness have been diagnosed and tragedies have abounded.

Yet, we struggle with who is on our shopping list, how much shall we spend on each individual and is it enough? Do I have an abundance of decorations? Who will attend my party? We frantically search for the illusive gift with the purpose to make that special someone content and pleased. We attempt to out-shine our neighbors with lights, glitter and glitz packaging with it insurmountable stress.

Is this what the Lord, our God had in mind with the birth of Jesus Christ? It is during these hectic frantic times that I am reminded that the season is more than the gaily decorated gifts, or the amount of presents under the tree. It is more beautiful than that of the elucidation of our decorations dressing our homes and the sweet smells of cookies baking.

I personally rummage around for the Christmas spirit each season only to fall short, so while I continue to try to find the false delight I pray for the fortitude to seek it only within my heart.

And in closing, where do you find yours and does it go missing in action this time of year?