This is the season of spiritual light where celebration and joy abounds. There are festive rituals with candles lit, colorful lights, gifts exchanged, and grand meals shared amongst family and friends. There is hope of reunion, reconciliation, and peace. Worship overflows from grateful hearts, and the heavens rejoice at the outpouring. For a season, everyone seems happy, connected, and free of care. Yet in the midst of it all, there are so many people who are suffering quietly. Oh, they go through the motions, complete with smiles and the just right words, but look very closely. There is a slight turning away when loved ones are mentioned, as they privately remember a loss. There is that subtle “glazing of gaze” when gifts are exchanged, because they feel shame over a hurting financial condition. Every now and then there will be a slight tear shed for a broken relationship, quickly whisked away so as not to be a burden. In this season of spiritual light, so many people are suffering so deeply, deep within their souls. Please take time to notice, dare to give it voice, and care enough to lend a hand. Believe me, your joy will be deeper and more complete if you do. And think about it, perhaps cherishing love is the greatest gift that you could ever give to anyone! In this special season of light, shine a light. In the year to come, BE the light!

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I wrote a quote some time ago, and I’ve refined it slightly over time. It occurs to me that it represents a philosophy of life, a way of being, and it speaks to the very heart of the Simple Encouragement® Movement. I find it to be full of “Life, healing, and light™” and perhaps you might agree. Here is what I said.

“I paint my past with hues of grace, erasing all regret. I color my future in shades of love, removing all fear. The moment is now, and it’s time for broad brushstrokes of hope.”

Isn’t that refreshing! Please take some time to really reflect upon every line. I think each one holds the potential to revolutionize your life, and yes, to be Simply Encouraging® too!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

I recall a very dark period of time when my heart was broken, my faith had run out, and I’ll never forget the incredible expression of caring that caressed my despairing heart.

“I know it’s horrible for you right now, and your grief is fine with me. I’m here, and I’m going to have hope for you until your hope returns.” 

Those words carried such acceptance, power, and comfort. Somehow, they created a pinpoint of light in the midst of my black experience. This is a perfect example of “Speaking healing to pain”, one aspect of the Simple Encouragement® Trilogy. 

Never be afraid of the despairing, grieving, or lost people upon your path. Just be with them in quiet love. If you need words, and they should always be few, then now you have a “script”. 

You see, encouragement is putting “heart” into the “heart” of others. By “heart” I mean “courage”, and by “heart” I mean “soul”. A few heartfelt words touched my life with a seed of courage that tipped the outcome of my trial towards victory.

You can do this! Please, take the “script” as your own, and always remember, "Hearts filled with courage can rise to any challenge".

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If “Plan A” fails, there’s always “Plan B”, right?  Well, not so fast! Now I’m thinking that if “Plan A” failed, then it wasn’t the “A-Plan” we thought it was after all, was it? If you’re struggling with the tatters of lesser plans, learn from them, and then let them go. Handled with enough grace, this process will always allow the “A-Plan”, the true “Plan A”, to emerge in victory! Remember, your dream has you, you don’t have it, and it will never give up!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

This mini-blog first emerged as a “Simple e-Couragement”. It received such a strong response that I decided to post it here as an official Simply Encouraging® Blog. If you don’t receive them, you can subscribe to “e-Couragements” at the link above.

Frustration! I’m having to deal with a completely fresh start, on my computer at least. After years of laying one updated “operating system” on top of another, something went wrong. I have to totally erase my hard drive, install a fresh “operating system” and then “cherry pick” the data I want to add back in. 

So now I’m thinking, wouldn’t it be nice to do that with my brain! In some respects that might be good, but we simply don’t get to do an “erase & install” on our lives. We don’t get to neatly “route out” our bad judgments, poor choices, or negative experiences. And as I think about it, I’m glad that it’s this way for us “human-types”. Every mistake is precious if we will just face them in the light, and we would lose so much if we could neatly erase them all, somewhere off in the shadows.

The process of learning from our mistakes actually has a wonderful effect. If I’m willing to face my “corrupted files”, understand them, and invite them to higher ground, then I grow in faith, character, and maturity. This can be a very scary process, but what incredible rewards! 

We try to “erase & install” in a gazillion ways, but we just end up doing more damage until our lives don’t work anymore. You know, kind of like my computer. Listen, I don’t like my “pockets of corruption” any more than you like yours. I’m just suggesting that if we’re willing to “Speak light to darkness”, then we can gain so much. 

Never fear your “corruption”. I know it’s there, and I love you anyway! And I deeply respect your courage to shine a light into it, learn from it, and grow in wonderful ways. Stop placing corruption upon corruption! You’re not a series of products that are good or bad. You’re SO MUCH MORE than that! You’re in the process of becoming more beautiful.

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Early Sunday morning finds me pondering grace, and the way I’ve spoken about it over the past few years. Here are some of my all-time favorite thoughts on the matter, each with a brief narrative to provide depth. Enjoy!

Grace is kind, gentle and she covers others in beauty. Deep down, we all long for her touch.

Here I personify grace as a feminine power. It seemed to upset a few people who immediately unsubscribed from “Simple e-Couragements”. That wasn’t graceful. We all have the capacity for both feminine and masculine energy, and grace weds them seamlessly. Think of it this way, wouldn’t you like others to cover you with beauty when you feel less than attractive in your being? Of course you would.

Grace is a state of the heart that can move mountains.

Grace is powerful. By “mountains”, I mean those difficult relationships that challenge us all from time to time. It’s natural to want predictability, virtue, and kindness from others but in case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t always the way that it rolls. Be kind and gentle when people are less than perfect. See them as beautiful when you feel they’re not, and you’ll begin to experience the power of grace. 

If love makes the world go 'round, then grace keeps it on its axis.

I smiled as this line was inspired within me. I always love when a lot is said with a little. Love and grace have a special relationship. I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but I know that they do. I’m learning that I don’t have to figure everything out, and that embracing mysteries can be very sweet to the soul.

Encouragement offers a graceful hand, and travels lightly with others.

I think encouragement and grace also have a special relationship. I suppose this is a mystery as well, but I do know this. Simple Encouragement® is never in a hurry, and it never has a goal since its motive is love. We’re living in some particularly challenging times and we all need a little tenderness. Today is always a good day to gently take someone’s hand, and simply enjoy them.

Encouraged is the heart touched by grace. 

Please take some time to read about The Simple Encouragement® Movement. When we meet others in a spirit of loving engagement we are likely to see a hidden potential that the other can barely see, a buried hurt begging for expression, or a pocket of darkness begging for release. An attitude of loving engagement can release hidden potential, heal buried hurt, and bring light to darkness in a way that frees souls. This is the heart of Simple Encouragement®!

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Most days, somewhere along the way, stress comes calling, and I struggle to just get back to “Thank you”. I know that in this special place, all is going the way of love, and everything is perfect. I know that if I can just get to back to “Thank you”, I’ll be fine. It seems that it would be so easy to get there, and to stay there, but it’s not. I won’t give up, and I hope this sharing will strengthen you in returning to “Thank you” time and again. Thank *you* for being here! *You* are my reason for being.

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

Are you unrealistically positive in your self-perceptions? Do you view the future in an overly optimistic way? Does your sense of control over circumstances seem greater than reality might dictate? If you answered “Yes” to these questions then you’re probably more caring, productive, and satisfied than the average person. Yes, “positive illusions” are good for us and to create them, we have to “spin” small portions of “fact” into “semi-related fiction”. To “spin” is the tendency to control our narratives in order to portray things in a favorable light, but here’s the key. We have to stand “as if” we are in the shoes of our “created realities” without completely losing the “as if” quality. Happy people consult regularly with their inner “spin doctors”, so perhaps it’s time to schedule a series of visits with yours! “Dr. Spin” will remind you that imagination blended with large doses of positive anticipation is a powerful force. Go ahead, “Spin it, believe it, and make it real!” Feels kind of good, doesn’t it.

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I go to my office and work very hard. Day by day, I pour myself out. I simply love the sacred place that others grant me in their journeys to healing and growth. As with most people, an invitation into the heart of another brings out incredible diligence within me. At times, I can feel a bit weary, but I press on, because this is what we do in cherishing relationships. As I readied myself for another day, I received “the call”. Our office had no power! In fact, the cable coming into the building set on fire, and it was burned out. After a flurry of phone calls and emails, I had plenty of time to ponder the message in the event. No matter how aware that we think we are, it’s likely that we’re spending too much energy, and going into debt. Oh, the signs are always there if we dare to notice. Those loving invitations to pull back into balance are always whispering, but the voice is subtle. Yes, the voice is gentle until one day the call comes, and there’s no power. The cable bringing new life into our souls has burned out! How are you doing today? Take a few deep breaths and give it some thought. Perhaps a respite today will prevent “the call” tomorrow.

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.

As I hear the difficult and painful experiences of others, I listen closely for their “narrative”. A narrative is a deeply embedded story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Woven through the narrative is a theme made up of core conclusions about one’s self, life, and relationships that have emerged as a result of the challenge or hurt. As you might expect, depending on the amount of pain, the theme can become a rather limiting tune to which one dances for a very long time. I listen closely to the stories I hear because every painful narrative begs a new ending that is fresh and expansive. Every story of hurt is seeking a positive tune to which its essence can begin to move, and we’re a part of the dance! We become a part of this wonderful process by simply listening to the story with a heart that cares. If we’re listening for “the deepest desire of the heart”, then we’ll know instinctively when to ask a brief but powerful question, and the question is, “And now?” You see, the story is being told in the first place because it’s an “incomplete experience”. The question “And now?” invites a brand new theme that satisfies with a victorious note of closure, once and for all. Whatever you’re dealing with from the past, or challenged with in the present moment, I ask of you, “And now?” Fill your answers with playful sounds of love, hope, and positive outcomes. It’s your life, dance joyfully!

Simple Encouragement and Simply Encouraging are Trademarks of Simple E Creations, Inc.