LIVING IN THE DAY

 Living in the Day

                                                By Rev. Marilyn Redmond,  BA, IBRT, ABH

 

I worried about the future, as I did not see my way into a better life. I had one foot in the past and one foot in the future without my being present in the moment. This thinking was repeated, as the abuse did not stop. My life felt horrible, terrible, and awful. It seems endless. Through a crisis, I prayed for help. This was unusual for me because I only had learned to pray out of a hymnal in church. Even then, my prayers did not seem answered; I was still living in my dysfunctional life as the family servant. Something happened with my new prayer because it came from my heart. My prayer was answered in more ways then I realized at the time.

I found some wisdom in how to make my life more pleasant through a spiritual path and program. As a youngster, I had no knowledge there was another way to live life. I did not have to stay in fear and react as a victim, helpless and hopeless. Gradually, I learned to release my past harms, fears, and difficulties to replace them with love and grace. I even had to heal the trauma of my parents’ unresolved issues that I emotionally carried.

My biggest lesson was to live in the moment which is a gift and that is why it is called “The Present “. I would like to share some pearls of wisdom with you to stay present in your life. They have kept me sane and happier, when I remember them. Learning to make my thinking and activities productive from a good motivation in my heart and the right mind set has changed my world.

JUST FOR TODAY

• Just for today, I will try to live though this day only, and not tackle all my problems at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me, it I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
• Just for today, I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham Lincoln said, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be”.
• Just for today, I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my “luck” as it comes, and fit myself to it.
• Just for today, I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought, and concentration.
• Just for today, I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out; if anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I do not want to do—just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.
• Just for today, I will be agreeable, I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, keep my voice low, be courteous, criticize not one bit. I will not find fault with anything, not try to improve or regulate anybody but myself.
• Just for today, I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.
• Just for today, I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. During this half hour, sometime I will try to get a better perspective on my life.
• Just for today, I will be unafraid. Especially, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.
Al-anon Family Groups

I do not have to worry about the future if I have a good day today. My day today becomes tomorrow. In addition, I would like to share my favorite prayer. In a time of real despair, I remembered this prayer. As I prayed, my sanity returned. I realized the truth in the words and was able to move forward into a new mindset of peace.

Prayer For Today

Lord make me a channel of Thy peace—that where there is hatred, I may bring love—that where there is wrong—I may bring the spirit of forgiveness—that where there is discord, I may bring harmony—that where there is error, I may bring truth—that where there is doubt I may bring faith —that where there is despair, I may bring hope — that where there are shadows I may bing light—that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek to comfort than to be comforted—to understand than to be understood—to love than to be loved. For it is with self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.

In each chapter of my book, “Paradigm Busters” at Amazon, I explain the process for moving out of the times past into a life of being present in the day. Over the years, my life has grown into daily gratitude. Life has changed into happier times.

 I am an ordained minister for spiritual counseling , healing, soul healing, mediumship, and readings.  I am on the board for International Board Regression Therapy, IBRT, and healing past lives and also on the American Board for Hypnotherapy as a Certified and Registered Hypnotist, ABH. In addition, I am a teacher, speaker, and channel information from the other side for illness, relationships, and issues in your life. 

 Check out her website, https://www.angelicasgifts.com /

 Books: at https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Redmond/e/B0069WIKDC

Barnes and Nobel https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Marilyn+Redmond?_requestid=16065424 180 videos on You Tube at  https://www.youtube.com/user/puyallup98372

Blog at http://marilynredmondbooks.blogspot.com./

Contact her at: angelicasgifts6@outlook.com 

LIFE CAN BE HEAVENLY

When I first read, there is a design for living that works in rough going I was taken back. I know how to die. Raised in a dysfunctional family of alcoholism, abuse, and mental illness I found I inherited their genetic and behavioral predisposition, including a liver that did not digest alcohol or mind and mood altering medications like a normal person. With a new understanding of why my life seemed like a nightmare brought the realization that I had a death wish; each drink or prescription pill was another nail in my coffin. Surprisingly, I knew at a deep level, I wanted to live. 

I suffered and endured my adversity of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual maltreatment until I could leave for college. Unsuspectingly, I found a fellow at my first college dance, who also was in my music classes. For the first time I found someone, I could talk with and seemed to be a mutual companion. We married and raised a family. Over the years, life became more of a problem and I found myself playing out my parents' marriage of domestic violence.

When my husband tried to kill me the last time, I had called out to my God, ""Please help me, I really do not want to die." Within days, I ended up in treatment hearing information about the disease of alcoholism. Growing up in the forties, alcoholism was not common knowledge like it is today. 

In rehab, I heard that I had a disease and I was not a bad person, but a sick person needing to get well. Through recovery, I found my husband and I had the same history of an abusive background, mental illness, and alcoholism. In treatment, I found my answers. I needed to persist into a sane and healthy life style. What did a toxic substance have to do with being beaten, strangled, or raped? How could I be insane, I had 7 years of college and taught school for many years with excellent reviews? Church never told to me to turn my life over to the care of a God, of my understanding.

I never had any understanding about why my life was the way it was. I was committed to get well. It made sense when I heard the universal law that "Like attracts like". I am alive today through applying the 12 step spiritual programs for healing my past. With newfound solutions and support, I could get a divorce and walk away from the insanity.

Then I needed a trusted person to share my fears, resentments, and difficulties. Expressing my harms and abuse was not easy for me. This was the first time anyone even listened to me, or I had any permission to speak up or have feelings about my past troubles. I did not have to block my emotions of the past. However, after finally telling my story, I started waking up into why my life was so complicated. 

Over time, I realized that I had the very faults I blamed in my husband and that I had attracted the relationship to me as if I were a magnet. He was my mirror to what I had to change in me. In stopping the old cycle, I chose to live and not carry on in my old ways that perpetuated the problems. I wanted to release my side of the street. What goes around comes around. I could send out love and compassion to him for his horrendous childhood, instead of trying to defend myself. Now, I could send love and pray for him, which stopped the conflict.

I found out that defending myself feels like an assault to someone else. Learning that safety is the complete relinquishment of attack, I found my new inner message was telling me that my Heavenly Father loved me unconditionally. This mended my abandonment issues.

Subsequently, I attended a weekend workshop for answers to help me find new answers about my predicament. I heard the facilitators read the information and I heard it from their understanding instead of my reading it through my fearful ego/brain. All of a sudden, the light came on and I understood my dilemma and the solution.

Others at the seminar decided to offer classes to share this solution with others. I was asked to participate once a month as a leader. From helping others for 27 years, I found the answers to my own quandaries. Discovering that my fears attract to me the very dread I held, was huge to me. I was full of fear and needed to release them. The answer was to replace each fear into faith. I cannot have fear and faith at the same time.

In helping others resolve their resentments, I found that anger/resentments are from the past because life or people did not go my way. The answer was to release the past, as it is history. Forgiveness "gives up" the past "for" a new day. Living in the "Now" releases my anger.

When letting go of the past guilt and shame, it is possible to replace that with being a child of God, created in His likeness of love. After identifying each fear, resentment, guilt, and shame and replacing them with love and grace, brought a new perception. "Perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4 "God's grace is sufficient" 2 Corinthians  12:9 Now, I can refill the space from what I do not want for what I do want.

I found life is an adventure to move forward and out of past harms of abuse or future worries, trauma, and neediness. I can now live in the moment which is a gift and why it is called The Present. Love never fails. Today, I am happy, joyous, and free of my ego. I have a life today beyond my imagination feeling good. I finally had a design for living. Becoming a whole person in joy, gratitude and the presence of love brings heaven to earth.

 Check out my website, https://www.angelicasgifts.com /

Books: at https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Redmond/e/B0069WIKDC

Barnes and Nobel https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Marilyn+Redmond?_requestid=16065424 176 videos on You Tube at  https://www.youtube.com/user/puyallup98372

Blog at http://marilynredmondbooks.blogspot.com./