Intuition

Someone once told me, "You see life through rose colored glasses." This wasn't meant to be nice. But this person was right. I do! The person who said that to me happened to be a Negaholic. I already knew they were a Negaholic so I took it as a compliment. A Negaholic is someone who is addicted to negativity and more common than not, feels they are a victim and that the world has wronged them in some way. This same person also didn't happen to be around years earlier when I was told, "YOU HAVE CANCER." I used all caps because that's what it sounds like when you're told that.

I've decided to share some of my life with you because for years and years, people have been telling me to write a book. I could never figure out how to end the book, so I didn't. Maybe blogging is a better idea? We'll see.  I already tweet on a daily basis, trying to get tweeps to see things in a positive light. Why bother? Because being positive is EVERYTHING and I feel the pull in a huge way to share this. I do get the sense  sometimes though that some people believe positive people have had a perfect life, free of tragedy, illness, heartbreak, financial hardship, loss, divorce, loneliness, addiction, you name it. Some people feel that those who choose happiness have had a lifetime of nothing but rainbows, ice cream, and butterflies. So not true. In case you missed the word "choose" that I snuck in there a second ago, here it is. Happiness is a choice. We choose to be happy. Period.

I'll being getting into the whole happiness thing in my next post, or the one after that, but for this post, I want to talk about intuition. Intuition is also very important. It's that little whisper inside of your head that is telling you something when sometimes, outside forces are telling you something else. Listen to the whisper. It may save your life someday.

I ignored the whisper once...for three years. Three whole years I listened to outside forces. I really didn't know any better at the time. I was taught, like most of us were, to trust authority no matter what. In this case it was my doctor. I'll refer to him as Dr. Almost Killed Me. For three long years I visited Dr. Almost Killed Me on countless visits. I didn't feel good and throughout those years I had many strange symptoms happening. None of which, in my mind, seemed to be linked because they seemed so random. I brought all of these symptoms to Dr. Almost Killed Me until one day when he brought me into his office. Not his examining room, his office. He sat on the other side of his desk and read off a long list of symptoms to me. He was using a mocking and arrogant tone as I shrank smaller and smaller in the chair with each symptom. I was letting him shame me and I was totally embarrassed. When he finished the list of symptoms, he put his file down, looked me in the eye and said, "You're depressed." I was stunned. That was the last thing I expected. I said that I didn't understand because I didn't feel depressed and he said, "What do you think depression feels like?" All I could think of were those commercials where people didn't want to get out of bed. I told him that I didn't NOT want to get out of bed. Dr. Almost Killed Me shook his head and repeated, "You're depressed. You have anxiety and here's a prescription for an anti depressants and tranquilizers." I left his office shamed and stunned and drove straight to the pharmacy to fix my depression???

The anti depressants didn't "work" because I kept getting more symptoms. A weird rash on my leg, my arm tingled, my skin stung when I put perfume on, I couldn't stop coughing, I had some new veins appear on my chest, night sweats, dropping weight, etc... Halfway through the third year of not listening to my whisper, I started thinking about suicide. This terrified me so I told one of my best friends, Matt. I told him that I was having these thoughts, not that I wanted to die, but that I didn't want to live like this. I felt horrible every single day. I asked him to be aware of my behavior in case I decided to do something stupid. These weren't thoughts that I'd ever had before so the very fact that I was having them was scaring me. I didn't trust myself.   That was during the summer time. By January, I had been to see Dr. Almost Killed Me several times. On January 9, my last visit, he's feeling my neck and starts panicking and YELLING, "What's THIS?! What in the hell is THIS?!! How longs THIS been going on?!!! Have you felt THIS?!!!" I have no idea what "THIS" is or what he's talking about, of course, but you know those tranquilizers I'm there to get? I need that whole bottle right NOW because he's FREAKING ME OUT!!!!!!!!! Why is he yelling? What doctor acts like this? I said, "What?! What is it?! What is THIS?!" I can't imagine what he must be talking about because I had just seen him three weeks ago and two weeks before that. He has me feel my neck on the right side. It is swollen. In my panic, I ask him what it could be. He yells, "CANCER!"

At that moment I felt like I was going to pass out. Dr. Almost Killed me asked for my hand, I have no idea why. I don't even know what he was doing with my hand but all of the sudden, while my hand was in his, I felt a pull of darkness coming from him. I don't know how to explain it and I know this will sound crazy but I felt like he was pulling my energy out. It felt like he was pulling me into darkness and I just remember saying in my head, "FUCK YOOOOU," and I ripped my hand back. I wan't going to get pulled into the darkness, whatever that may be.

I wasn't depressed after all. I was dying. I hadn't listened to my intuition and I was dying because of that. Instead of trusting myself, I trusted Dr. Almost Killed Me and now I had stage 4 Hodgkins Disease (Lymphoma). There's a reason God gave you that whisper. Never doubt it when you hear it.

That's all for today. Will share again tomorrow. Just a warning: None of my writing will be perfect. Grammer might be wrong, the story may jump around, you may see curse words here and there, I may make up words all together! So just hang in there, if you will:-)

Peace,

Mama Love

Happy Love Day!

It is a mystery why we fall in love. It is a mystery how it happens. It is a mystery when it comes. It is a mystery why some loves grow, and it is a mystery why some loves fail. You can analyze this mystery and look for reasons and causes, but you will never do any more than take the life out of the experience.

Love is more than the sum of the interests and attractions and commonalities that two people share. And just as life itself is a gift that comes and goes in its time, the coming of love must be taken as an unfathomable gift that cannot be questioned in its ways.

You need to treat what love brings you with kindness. If you find yourself in love with someone who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. Love just didn’t choose to rest in the other person’s heart.

If you find someone else in love with you toward whom you feel no love, feel honored that love came and called at your door, but gently refuse the gift you cannot return. Do not take advantage; do not cause pain. How you deal with love is how love will deal with you, and all our hearts feel the same pains and joys, even if our lives and ways are very different.

If you fall in love with another who falls in love with you, and then love chooses to leave, do not try to reclaim it or to assess blame. Let it go. There is a reason and there is a meaning. You will know it in time, but time itself will choose the moment.

Remember this and keep it in your heart. You don’t choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes into your life. Feel the way it fills you to overflowing, then reach out and give it away. Give it back to the person who brought it to you. Give it to others who seem poor in spirit. Give it to the world around you in any way you can.

Love has its own time, its own season, and its own reasons for coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it or reason it into staying. If it chooses to leave your heart or the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and nothing you should do. Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life. If you keep your heart open, it will surely come again.


Kent Nerbern

Happy Valentines Day to our beautiful tribe of peace and lovers! XOXO

You Are Loved!

Hope you are all hanging in there during this crazy and hectic time of year. Don't forget to take some time to be still and reflect. Look around at all you are blessed with. It's magical when you think about it. Be in the moment and take it all in. These moments don't last forever. Remember, you ARE loved!

Go Get Your Dreams!

Do not wait one more minute. Every minute you waste, is a minute lost. This is the moment to work towards getting what you want in life. You may not think that you have the time or the resources right now to achieve what you want, but YOU DO. The first thing that you can and must do, is to decide exactly what it is that you want. It doesn't matter what it is. Whether it's a dream home, a job, a new career, traveling, finding the love of your life, getting out of a toxic relationship, having more money, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you are clear about what you want. Clear enough so that you can picture it.

The next step that you need to take is to write it down. Put what you want on paper. Don't type it into your computer. When you take the time to sit with a pen in your hand, it will make you feel more connected to your dreams. Just a bit of advice here, don't be afraid to dream big! This is it, kids! Do not settle for anything, other than what you want. Be brave! Yes, BRAVE. Believe it or not, going after what you want takes courage. Everyone who ever went after what they wanted had courage. This doesn't mean stepping on people along the way to get what you want. Do everything with honor.

Now that you've got you're vision of what you want, start manifesting. By manifesting, I mean FOCUS. Think it, dream it, eat it, breathe it, live it. We attract to ourselves what we focus on. Make sure your thoughts are positive. Concentrate on what you're going to have, not what you don't have now. Take steps towards making your dreams come true. Even if they are small steps or seem silly, take the steps. They all count. Don't stop thinking about it. The more you think about it, the more real it will become to you. Talk about it. Pick people you trust and share your dreams with them. You never know, you may be talking to someone who could help you along the way. Anything is possible. Go for it!

My wish for you is that all your days be wrapped in Peace & Love - Mama Love

Gemstones, as well as everything of the earth, have energy. Learning which energies to surround yourself with can bring positive energy. Amethyst  - Great for calming and stimulating the mind.  Helps you become more focused, enhancing memory and improving motivation.


www.mypeaceandlove.com

Inspiration: Sunset July 23, 2011

Click on images to view larger. They look better that way;-)

Moonlight Beach- Encinitas, California. Between 7:30pm and 8:00pm. There was a man nearby, beating on his drum which made feel a bit like a tribal experience. We like that!

Goodnight.

Happy Fathers Day!

To all of the dads out there who told their kids wildly fantastic stories before putting them to bed, who was always there to hold their kids and make them feel safe, who put together every miserably impossible race track or Barbie "Dream House", who dragged both their girls or boys out of bed at 4am to go fishing, who had patience enough to teach them how to swim and how to throw a ball properly, who taught their kids about the birds and the bees while trying to make dinner, who wouldn't miss a dance recital, baseball game, or school play for the world, and who taught their kids that there are no limits, because anything is possible in life, Happy Fathers Day! You did good!!!

Inspirational Wishes

This is what we wish your experience to be in life...

May peace be your journey and may love light your path.

Who's Most Likely To Be Blessed in 2011?

The story on Yahoo's homepage today was titled, "Who's most likely to struggle in 2011." That is a terrible headline! The year hasn't even begun yet and negativity is being thrown our way and sending some people into a panic. Do NOT buy into that negativity and do NOT read stuff like that!

We have a better headline for you...WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO BE BLESSED IN 2011? The answer is simple. Anyone who believes that they are blessed will be blessed. If you need help with this concept, we're here to help you. Our goal isn't to just help you have a blessed year though. Our goal is to help you have MANY blessed years to come. 

In order to do this you've got to have a vision for your life. If you have a family, it's important to have a vision for your family as well. If you ask around, most people don't have a real vision for themselves or their families.  But if you don't make one, the world has a way of making one for you. Sort of like flying by the seat of your pants and feeling lost.

To make a life vision, start by taking inventory. Make a Gratitude list which is a list of what and whom your grateful for right now. Then make a list of what you want in your future. We'll call this the POSITIVE list. Make this be very specific because you will need it for the next step which is going to be your Vision Board. The Vision Board can be a cork board but we prefer those large poster boards that you can get at any arts & crafts store and sometimes even at the drugstore. They cost about a dollar. Once you've got your board, pick out photos that express your visions. If you want a certain kind of house, find a photo that looks like it. If you want joy in your life, find a photo that expresses joy. If you want good health, find photos that show things that achieve good health. If you want to go to Tahiti, find some gorgeous photos of Tahiti. If you want more money, you're not going to get it by focusing all of your attention on bills and debt. Get the idea? Be very specific in what you want! Then glue all of the photos on to your Vision Board and place the board where you can look at it every day. This way, it will help you to stay focused on your vision. We attract the things that we focus on! 

Now it's time to clean house! Here comes the last list that you will need to make. This ones called the NEGATIVE list. This list also needs to be very specific. On here you will write down everything that blocks you from getting the things you want. If you're lazy about reaching goals, put laziness on there. If you have negative thoughts all of the time, put negative thinking on there. If you share your time, space or life with negative people or people who don't wish what it best for you, put them on the list. It is time to let go of unhealthy relationships. It is time to let go of everything that does not add to your life. This is going to be very hard for most people to do just for the sole reason that we are creatures of habit. But if you truly want to see significant change in your life, you have to be willing to let go of bad habits. No way around it. 

Last but not least, stop filling yourself up with negativity. It is everywhere. Don't watch the news reports that love to talk non-stop about the recession, job loss, foreclosures, etc... Don't read about it in the papers or online. Ask yourself how it makes you feel after you fill up on those negative stories. The answer is probably not very good and pretty hopeless, right? 

Stay focused on the POSITIVE. Watch things and read about things that fill you up with good energy. Share your time, space and life with people who make you want to be a better person. When you feel yourself starting to have a pity party or you're having a "WHY ME" moment, go and do something nice for someone. Then take out your GRATITUDE list and remember all that you have right now to be grateful for. Fill your SOUL every single day with light. Your soul needs tending to just as a garden does. Water it and feed it! Be of service when needed and do it with a smile. Share your LOVE with people and with yourSELF!

If you can live your life with VISION, GRATITUDE, LOVE and SERVICE, you will get everything you want and more importantly, need. And this my friend, is what is known as a BLESSED life. 

Wishing you all a very blessed New Year! xoxo

  

And The Winner Of The Gratitude Giveaway Is...

Deciding on a winner for the Gratitude Giveaway was much harder than we expected. Much harder. All of the entries were beautiful stories and many brought tears. Thank you to all who entered. Your words were beautiful!


The winner of the giveaway is Jill Kincer. Her daughter, Elizabeth wrote in and here is her story...

 I am writing to nominate an individual for the gratitude giveaway. I guess I will begin by giving a little background information on myself and my nomination. My name is Elizabeth Kincer, I am an 18 year old Senior attending Seymour High School, and I have 2 brothers (Kyle who is 16 and Cameron who is 9). I have been accepted to attend Indiana Business College and intend on pursuing a degree as a Veterinary Technician, a passion I have had since birth. 

My brother Kyle is an excellent student, and he has had a passion for music his entire life. He can play any instrument that you put in front of him, and he will play it well! (Not that I am jealous or anything) He has been a drummer in a local teen band "7 Car Pile-Up"  for about 5 years and hopes to "make it big" someday, and I have no doubt with his talent that he will.

My other brother, Cameron, is our "baby". He was diagnosed with Autism several years ago. He is the smartest little boy I have ever seen and I truly can not wait to see what amazing things he might accomplish in his life. I love to just hang out with him and watch cartoons, teach him new things (the kid is like a sponge for knowledge), or help him with "I Spy" books. He is just so much fun! Which brings me to my person for nomination...

My mother, my best friend and absolutely most amazing strong woman I have ever met. She is a single parent, and when she was really struggling with Cameron's issues I saw a change in her and it really scared me at first. He was in full medical meltdown several years age prior to his diagnosis. I didn't know it at the time, but later found out, that she was probably having a nervous breakdown herself. Her child was sick, very sick, and she didn't know why and she couldn't "fix" it. She couldn't "kiss" it away or hold him until he felt better, and this made her feel like a failure as a parent. This made me so sad because my mom has always been our rock. She kept this family as stable as possible, she made everything flow, and was and is our everything, and for her to feel like a failure was a life altering state of being for all of us. I saw, what could have easily been a family's demise and ultimate breakdown, this woman pick herself and her family up, stand up tall on two very strong feet and that was "it". She was determined not to let this get any of us down. She found out everything she could about Autism. She made changes and adjustments in our everyday lives that would better Cameron's life, but she did it in a way where there was very little disruption for the rest of us. She worked with Cameron constantly to better his health and living conditions, and she sacrificed so much to do so. 

My mother is constantly giving to and for her children, family and friends. We are always in the forefront of her mind in everything that she does. I have seen her buying food for a family with four small children that had no food for them, even though we barely had enough for ourselves, and at first I was so angry and I asked her, "why are you doing that when we don't have that much for ourselves?" Her answer to me was, "Well, we are ok and if I have a little to help then thats one child that won't go to bed hungry." I felt so overwhelmed with emotions and at the same time inspired! She has given people rides to work when they couldn't get there when she had no idea how she herself would cover the next gas fill, but never asked for a dime from the people she was helping.  She can not keep jobs for very long at a time due to Cameron's needs. It will often cause her to miss work because she is the only one that really can deal with his emotional and social issues. She has searched long countless hours for grants and assistance, but has had no luck. At this point both of our vehicles are broken down, and my brother doesn't have a car yet (it isn't looking good for him anyway) so I am not quite sure what we will do about the working situations and getting Cameron to his medical appointments, but I want her to know that we appreciate her. We realize how much she does, how much she has done, how much love she pours out to us. We don't have anything at all, no vehicles, house is old and falling apart and way to small for us, we never get to go "out" and do things other kids do, Cameron has never been on a vacation and he always asks mom to take us to Disney World (which I know rips her heart out to know she will never be able to take him), she struggles to put gas in the tank, keep the lights on, and  put food on the table  (I often worry how Kyle and I will make it to college) I know this causes countless sleepless nights for her, just knowing that she is doing the best she can but not being able to provide the basic needs. We all feel so lucky though. We are all together, we are in good health, and we have a roof over our heads, and that is 100% due to this amazing woman! I love you mommy!

There is really so much more I could go on about this woman, but I think you probably get the idea. Her name is Jill Kincer, she is (as I mentioned) a 35 year old single parent of 3 awesome and amazing children (we get that from her!). She currently attends Hair Force Beauty Academy to get her license for Cosmetology. She is currently unemployed, but hopefully if we can get transportation and gas that will be a temporary situation.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this e-mail. I think this would be the most amazing way to show her how much she is appreciated. She would never think we would do anything like this.

Thanks again,

Elizabeth Kincer

Gratitude Giveaway

Since November has that special holiday in it where we are supposed to pause and be thankful, we thought it would be the perfect month to kick off our GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY!

This is how the giveaway will work: Every month we are going to give away one of our Gratitude bracelets from the Dina Manzo Love Rocks collection to one special person who deserves a special thank you. So, if you know an extraordinary person who gives more than they take, we want to hear about them. All you have to do is email us and tell us in your own words why this special someone should win the Gratitude bracelet. That's it! That's all you have to do.

We will announce the winner of  the first GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY the day before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 24. Along with winning the bracelet, we will also share your inspiring story here on our blog.

Please email your stories to info@mypeaceandlove.com . If you can, please attach a photo of this special person too. Can't wait to hear from you guys! xo

What Would Peggy Do?

What says cool? Peggy Lipton, that's what! She is one of our all time fashion inspirations. We love her and the way she has always seemed to make style look effortless. We mean that in a good way, of course.

You know how you can look back at some old photos of your self and say did I really think I was Alexis Carrington? Or, my makeup could have won first prize at a Halloween party! Or, MC Hammer pants...REALLY???!!! Well, we know the feeling and we're guessing that Miss Peggy Lipton doesn't share the same problem. The girl is timeless.

The moral of the story here is when deciding what you want to adorn your body with, follow this simple rule: Am I going to be happy ten years from now when I pull out an old photo and see myself wearing it? If that doesn't work for you, just do what we do. Would Peggy wear this?