Here are my 3 gratitudes for today:
What are you grateful for today? Feel free to share in the comments below. Thank you!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
I was out very early this morning grocery shopping for a beloved family member. It was still dark and I was able to see a few stars. I was awe struck by the beauty of Venus with the crescent Moon. Majestic!
Little did I know the best was yet to come!
When I finished shopping and stepped out of the store, I was stunned. The air was tinged with rose from the deep pink of the rising sun! Not only were the clouds in the East painted with Mother Nature’s sunrise reds and pinks, but even the clouds in the West had a rosy glow to them. The beauty was astonishing!
I’ll bet you can guess what my 3 gratitudes are!
What are your 3 gratitudes today? I’d love to hear them so please share in the comments below. Thank you!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
PS Yes, today’s picture is one I took this morning. It occurred to me as the spectacular show was ending that I should take a picture with my phone!
Here are my 3 gratitudes for today:
Thank you to all of you who are sharing your gratitudes in the comments below. I love them! Please continue sharing!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
What 3 things are you grateful for today? Please share in the comments below. Thank you!
I believe in you!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
You’re feeling discouraged that your efforts didn’t pan out.
You’re disappointed because you thought for sure you would move a head, just a little bit, this time.
Now you’re depressed because it seems there is nothing you can do to help yourself.
You’re feeling hopeless and helpless
You’re stuck. Yippee!!
That means you didn’t go backward!
You haven’t lost ground!
You aren’t at square one–you don’t have to start over from scratch!
You lived to tell about it, which means it wasn’t fatal!
Need help getting into the spirit of celebrating? Go to YouTube and listen to these songs:
Celebrate, celebrate! Dance to the music! ~3 Dog Night (at about 1:24 the second half of the song will really get you going!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO_R5puXs6E
And, whether the words resonate with you or not, this song will get you going, too:
Oh Happy Day ~Edwin Hawkins & Northern California Youth Choir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tSyzTIJ82g
Oh Happy Day ~ Sister Act 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLY7yI1xV-M
How about a little Ray Charles doing Oh Happy Day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv5n_eCGkvM
CELEBRATE, my Pep Pal Friend! Keep telling yourself, “Yes I Can” because it’sTRUE!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
Today begins the first phase of re-opening in the state in which I live.
Recently, I listened to an interview with Matt Kahn who is a lightworker, empath, and spiritual teacher. He was recently interviewed by Janneke Øinæs, the host of Wisdom From North . I found what he said to be very interesting and a healthy way to look at our current world and the changes that may be in store.
I’ve paraphrased here, but these are the points Matt made in the interview that I found thought-provoking and, in a way, comforting. I believe you’ll find them helpful, too:
◊The Universe has your back;
◊The Universe has a plan for you; you don’t have to worry and you don’t have to struggle to qualify for it. It’s yours right now;
◊This time in which you find yourself is not a punishment. This is just the next step in your—and humanity’s—ascension;
◊With sheltering at home, your life has simplified. This is an opportunity for you to evolve into a higher consciousness;
◊Some thing(s) must be taken away so that so much more can be given to you;
◊This is not bad karma or Mother Nature’s revenge but rather it’s the Universe telling you that you have done such a good job in your healing journey that you’ve qualified for the next level.
These thoughts are an intriguing way to think of the pandemic and lock-down we’re experiencing—and the gradual re-opening that’s starting. These ideas re-frame the negative and fearful thoughts that are rampant right now and give us a road map to help us become spiritually deeper and richer and well-able to walk a new path in the world.
Here is the link to the interview.
Let me know what you think!
We got this!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
Even though our world has turned upside down with quarantines, social distancing, and making fashion statements with our personal protective clothing choices, there are still old fashioned promises we can rely on:
~There are always helpers. Mr. Rogers and his mother were right to counsel us to look for them in any crisis. There’s always someone who is reaching out a helping hand.
~Crisis and opportunity, obstacles and innovation, disaster and inventiveness cannot be separated; they are actually different perceptions of the exact same circumstance.
~Life goes on. Life always manages to find a way to survive and to thrive. Even the harshest environments are jam-packed full of vibrant life.
Keep telling yourself “Yes I Can!” because it’s true.
I believe in you!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
I wish that today and all days, everyone you meet is blessed by you. Just by your twinkling eyes, your bright smile, your gentle touch, and by your sparkling presence. Thank you for letting these gifts overflow to bless those all around you! ~paraphrased from Brother David Steindl-Rast’s writings
You ARE a blessing! Never EVER forget that!!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
When we find ourselves in the midst of difficulties, oftentimes we think it’s always going to be this way and nothing we do is going to change it.
We lose hope.
When we’re in this place of little to no hope, we don’t know how to help ourselves. We don’t know where to turn, what to do, who to reach out to.
This can be very painful. And scary.
But we can always turn to Mother Nature, who is always brimming with Life. Even in the most inhospitable of her environments, life is thriving. Not just one teeny organism hanging on by the skin of its teeth, but rather whole rich, diverse ecosystems thriving and flourishing in conditions that scientists thought nothing could survive.
Life wants to live. Life is built for success. Life is made for abundance.
Look around. We don’t see only one scrawny tree or one tiny bush. No. There are millions of trees and bushes and plants and flowers. All colors, shapes, sizes. Growing in cracks of rocks, on cliff edges, on wind-blown prairies. Animals, insects, raindrops, clouds, rivers…. You get the idea. Nature is all around us brimming with Life.
The next time you’re feeling stuck, unsure, and alone, turn to Mother Nature and Trust Life.
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
I’m a week late in honoring Mr. Roger’s birthday—he would have been 91 on the 20th of March. He is best known for his gentle ways and his homespun wisdom. Sometimes now, and especially when he was alive, he is/was ridiculed for this. My thought is that some people make fun of his loving goodwill not because they think it’s stupid but rather because they’re desperate for that gracious acceptance and are terrified that it’s a sham, like so much else in this world.
I assure you that loving kindness is alive and well in this world. There are many people who are welcoming, friendly, and reaching out a hand to others. They are right in your community. In fact, you may be sitting next to them in school or at work. Like Mr. Rogers, they, too, like you just the way you are. You can be yourself, and that’s enough!
I like you just the way you are!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren (and Mr. Rogers!)
Yes I Can Pep Talks 
