A week ago I returned from St. Louis for the 2015 Saint Louis Marian Conference, Jan 9 – 11. The conference was entitled after my debut novel, A Hunger in the Heart. Amazing! In fact, the entire conference, where I gave a presentation to over 800 people of all ages at the Hilton St. Louis at The Ball Park Hotel, was amazing. If you’d told me a few years ago that I could speak to that many people without fear, I wouldn’t have believed it.
But my talk was very well received and I sold plenty of books, both A Hunger in the Heart and Birds of a Feather. I was surprised, too, at how many people who’d already read A Hunger in the Heart wanted to know when/if a sequel will be out, including Father James Kubicki, S.J, of the Apostleship of Prayer who’d read it on Kindle! So, I’m working hard on getting out the sequel.
My table was set up between Fr. Kubicki and Dale Ahlquist,President of the American Chesterton Society, creator and host of the EWTN series “G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense,” and Publisher of Gilbert Magazine. Both, very nice men as were all the other presenters. Father Charles Becker, Archdiocese of Chicago and the conference MC, was quite complimentary in his address to the audience after I left the podium. All this was so gratifying!
The Marian Conference was begun sixteen years ago by Elinor Finneran who had visited Medjugorje, and while there, felt called to initiate a conference in honor of The Blessed Virgin. The conference has been attended over the years by thousands of people. Many are families who repeat their visits to St. Louis year after year. And the presenters are always wonderful priests, bishops, and lay people. One of my favorites was Annie Karto, a singer songwriter, who for the conference had composed and then sang a lovely, new song: A Hungry Heart. Can you imagine how touched I was when she dedicated it to Elinor–and me! Maybe the song will soon be on her page. http://www.amazon.com/Annie-Karto/e/B001LH0T48
You might wonder how the whole thing came about. I believe God lead me to it. Last year, I gave a Mother’s Retreat at Christ the King Cathedral in Atlanta, and the day after had a book signing at Eagle Eye Books in Decatur. A friend of mine brought Elinor’s daughter, Denise to the signing. At that time, I was giving away little phosphorescent statues of Mary since the little statue is somewhat of a main character in my novel. So I gave one of them to Denise. She mentioned it to her mother, Elinor. When her mother wrote to ask me not only if I would talk at the conference, but also asked if she might use the title of my book as the title of the conference–well, I knew that God had a hand in it all.
But isn’t this the way God works? He surprises us with good things, and often we don’t even notice or give Him any credit at all. Maybe we should re-examine all the surprising good things that have happened in our lives to see a divine hand in them, and then give God the credit. He truly overshadows anything we can do on our own!
Do you feel your life is in ruins? Do you want to rebuild it?
This is a column by Luminita D. Saviuc, Purpose Fairy. One of my daughters sent it to me and I found it very valuable for starting a new year.
How to Begin Rebuilding Your Life and Make it Ridiculously Amazing
“Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.” ~ Joseph Addison
What if one day you woke up and decided that you were tired of feeling tired and that you had enough of everything? Enough of stress and anxiety, enough of anger and resentment, enough of struggle, lack, pain and poverty, enough of tears, heartbreaks, self destructive thoughts, behaviors and relationships and enough of all that is negative and toxic? What if you decided that you wanted to change yourself and your life but didn’t know where exactly to start, what then?
There are many things you can do to begin rebuilding your life and make it ridiculously amazing and today I will share with you 12 things that are meant to help you do just that. Are you ready? Let’s begin:
1. Make a commitment to yourself
I (name),
Make a commitment to myself,
To spend so much time improving myself and my life that I have no time for worry, judgement, criticism, whining and complaining;
To forgive, release and let go of my attachment to any past struggles and allow every challenge life sends my way to make me better not bitter.
Starting now, I make a commitment to let go of what’s behind me and start appreciating what’s in front of me;
To let go of all the pointless drama, all the toxic relationships, thoughts and behaviors that are present in my life and to constantly shift my focus from the bad on to the good;
To make room in my heart for love, happiness, peace and tranquility and to create my life from a place of infinite choices and possibilities – the present moment, and no longer from a place of limitations – the past.
I commit to staying true to myself at all times and to never betray myself just so I can please other people.
I commit myself to give up on toxic thought, behaviors and relationships but never on myself and my dreams.
Starting now and starting today, I will begin rebuilding my life and to make it ridiculously amazing.
Sincerely,
(name)
Once you truly commit to rebuilding your life and making it ridiculously amazing, nothing and no one will be able to stand in your way.
2. Forgive, release and let go of past hurts and resentments
Fill your heart with love. Forgive, release and let go. Not necessary because those who mistreated you deserve it, but because you do. Let forgiveness liberate you from your past. Allow it to take away all the resentment you kept in heart for all this time and allow yourself to fill in that empty space with love, inner peace and compassion.
If others mistreated you in the past it doesn’t mean you have to continue their work. Look how beautiful Mark Twain talks about this: “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
Release and let go of all the negativity from your life. Start small and trust that as you work on letting go of all the extra baggage that is weighting you down, you will begin to feel lighter and you will gain a lot more clarity over your life. You will feel happier and more at peace with yourself and the world around you.
3. Embrace with grace all that you face
Shift your focus from the bad on to the good, from the pain on to the gain, from resentment on to the forgiveness, gratitude and appreciation. Learn to embrace with grace all that you face.
Appreciate everything life sends your way, whether good or bad and know that “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie
4. Visualize your achievements and create your destiny
Ask yourself the same question I asked myself a few years ago when I decided to let go of my attachment to my past and begin rebuild my whole life: “If there were no limits to what I can do, be and have, how would my life look like?”
Let your imagination run wild. Dare to dream big. Don’t settle for less than you are worth.
The richer your imagination, the more beautiful your life will be.
“The power of imagination is incredible. Often we see athletes achieving unbelievable results and wonder how they did it. One of the tools they use is visualization or mental imagery… they made the choice to create their destinies and visualized their achievements before they ultimately succeeded.” ~ George Kohlrieser
See in your mind’s eye the life you would love to live, the person you would love to become and the relationships you would want to have. Live your life from the end and act as if all of the things you need and desire are already present in your life. Feel the feelings that come from having all those wonderful things happen to you and allow those feelings to be with you at all times.
5. Dreams won’t work unless you do
Act upon your heart’s desire. Do the things you need to do in order to get where you want to get. Read the books you need to read, contact the people you need to contact, build the skills you need to build.
Find a mentor. Dare to ask questions. Do whatever it takes to move yourself closer to making your dreams come true.
Trust that with every step you take, your life situation will improve and you will become even more happier than you already are.
6. Take one step at a time
Because of the many years of past conditioning and the intense training you have in holding on to toxic thoughts, behaviors and unhealthy relationships, giving up on all that is toxic in your life won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight. Chances are that you won’t see major improvements in your life immediately, and that’s okay. Be patient and gentle with yourself while working on rebuilding your life and remember to enjoy the journey.
“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~ Greg Anderson
Take one step at a time and keep in mind that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.
7. Develop a deep trust in life
You have to have faith. You have to have trust… Trust in yourself, trust in the people you interact with and trust in life.
Put your fears aside. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Develop a deep trust in the wisdom of life. “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ~ Matthew 17:20
8. Give yourself permission to “fail”
Give yourself permission to “fail” and make “mistakes”.
Trust me when I tell you that in every “mistake” there is a lesson to learn, lesson that will be very beneficial to you as you continue walking on your life’s chosen path.
“There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they’re necessary to reach the places we’ve chosen to go.” ~ Richard Bach
9. Be good to yourself
Love yourself and be good to yourself because if you do, the world around you will start mirroring your behavior. Take good care of your mind, body, heart and soul. Exercise, drink plenty of water, eat healthy and delicious food.
Nurture good thoughts. Act in compassionate and loving ways, towards yourself and the world around you. Spend time alone, spending at least 5 to 10 minutes per day in silence will help make you feel refreshed, rejuvenated and renewed.
Go outside. Spend some time in nature. Look at the plants, the sky, the stars, the moon and the trees. Celebrate the miracle of life.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein
10. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations
Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.
Never get your sense of worth from outside yourself. Your worth comes from inside yourself and not from forces outside yourself – people, events, material possessions. Don’t ever let other people tell you how much you’re worth, decide for yourself. It’s called self worth not others worth.
You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.
11. Discipline your mind to stay present in the NOW
Learn to be present and engaged in the present moment. Be happy with what you have, what you know and who you are right now. Don’t allow your mind to trick you into thinking that you won’t be happy until you get where you want to get.
Appreciate what’s in front of you. If you learn how to be present and engaged in the NOW, you will live a very happy and content life and no matter how many challenges life will send your way, you will become a better not bitter person.
“As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action.” ~ Eckhart Tolle,
12. Surround yourself with loving and supportive people
Surround yourself with positive, cheerful, supportive and loving people. People who can lift you up when you are feeling down; people who will turn on the light for you when you are in the dark; people who can see you for what you truly are and who you can truly become. Take the advice of Mark Twain and “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
You need positive and loving friends who will support you in your new way of life…
Commit yourself to making the best of everything life sends your way. Be soft and flexible. Go with the flow of life and no longer against it.
Enjoy the ride and no matter what happens to you and no matter how many challenges and difficult people life might send your way, know that they are all there to help you grow and evolve into the beautiful being you so much want and deserve to be.
You only have one life to live. Make it a memorable one.
Give up on all the toxicity present in your life but never on yourself and your dreams, ok?
“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” ~ Don Williams Jr.
How do you envision your ideal self? What about your ideal life? What steps could you take this week to move yourself closer to building your ideal self and living your ideal life? I really want to know what are your thoughts on this. You can share your insights by joining the conversation in the comment section below 🙂
MARY’S MOUNTAIN is BREATHING FIRE ON KINDLE!! The story of a teacher turned famous author–Paul Dunaway– and his struggle to re-shape his affluent but joyless life, while opposing forces in the out-of-control, politically correct America he helped to create, literally take him down.
Mary’s Mountain is a story of Tolerance taken to the extreme.
Click on the book cover to order.
Reading Sample:
After sex, as she always did, she took a black pen from the bedside table and made a few notes on a new pad of starlight-colored paper–until her eyes lit unexpectedly, as if a lightning bolt had struck inside her head.”Fallacies need to be exposed, don’t they? You and I can expose the God fallacy, Paul! I’ll come up with a proposal and you’ll make it credible. Together, we’ll re-write history to show that America is based on hedonism, not the laws of a trumped-up God. Personal happiness, which is avoidance of pain, should be the only standard for right or wrong.”
But over a decade ago, in his first thesis required for graduation–the one he’d actually turned in, he cautioned about the error of hedonism, asserting that pleasure and pain could not constitute the standard for right or wrong, because pleasure is different for each individual. “Where’s your proof that happiness is the guideline?” he asked her.
She grinned. “The U.S. Constitution, of course. Doesn’t it guarantee each of us the right to pursue our own happiness? And happiness is obtained only by pursuing pleasure; not pain–like your guilty conscience impels you to do.”
He didn’t agree. His intellect told him she was wrong, but a burgeoning sense of arrogance urged him to give it a try.
“Well?” Irene coiled beside him on the bed, ready to strike if he gave the wrong answer. “What do you think?”
“People will resist,” he said, but he wasn’t positive of that anymore.
“Our persuasiveness will break down any resistance. We’ll remold American minds to see that any stirring in the so-called soul is not from God, but simply one’s craving for pleasure. Will you do it?”
He thought briefly about his home, where heaven seemed close enough to touch from anywhere on the mountain, and a person’s dignity was treated as a gift from God. Because of it, no neighbor locked a door, no person went hungry if anyone knew about it, and no enemy remained unforgiveable for long. How could he denigrate his roots again; this time, without the excuse of immaturity?
But Irene was salivating beside him. “Oh, it would make us famous, Paul, even wealthy! The public is primed to swallow it. Who wouldn’t want to be rid of religiously imposed guilt, and its link to accountability?”
He had to admit he’d relish not having to account for the things he’d done. He looked at Irene beside him, knowing she was aware that his desire for her was far greater than his desire for his wife. And she’d been around him long enough to know that becoming famous and wealthy would be hard for him to ignore. She handed him the black pen and her starlight colored paper as if all had been decided. “What should we label our idea?”
Our idea? But it was only an idea, and it probably wouldn’t work. To keep Irene happy, he lifted the pen, scribbling on her pad as he spoke. “We need an encompassing word, a bit of doublespeak to legitimize the theory. Something no one could object to.” Then he stopped scribbling and wrote the word that came to him: tolerance.
“Tolerance is what we should call it.”
“Oh, that’s perfect!” Irene exclaimed, and fell upon him.
A week ago I returned from St. Louis for the 2015 Saint Louis Marian Conference, Jan 9 – 11. The conference was entitled after my debut novel, A Hunger in the Heart. Amazing! In fact, the entire conference, where I gave a presentation to over 800 people of all ages at the Hilton St. Louis at The Ball Park Hotel, was amazing. If you’d told me a few years ago that I could speak to that many people without fear, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Translating a World on the Edge 