10.06.09
Posted in Lost My Way, Love at 5:14 am by Sandi Rauwolf
I know this blog is a bit long but please if you clicked here, you are meant to take a few minutes to read it – please.
My eyes continue to be opened to the wonders of Life. I have felt on my heart for some time now that everything is “opposite” – opposite of what we think or realize. As most of you know I have had quite a journey my entire life not just relating to my health but through things I never thought personally I would find myself in the middle of (again opposite of anything I thought – never say never!!!). After my miracles and I was given what I thought was “life” back, let me tell you I went WAY off track. I do not know who I had become – I will just say I did everything to destroy my marriage, my family – my life. I found myself out drinking it up (staying out all night, making less than good decisions) when I would be out of town … who had I become? How could I sit there filling my bed with tears feeling completely out of control for behaviors that I never thought I would fall into but yet was so easily enticed and lured in – how could the “world” have so much influence and power over me?
Then I would go through the guilt of the realization of all God had done in my life (MIRACLES, I had so many MIRACLES!), and how it seemed I was this uncaring, calloused shell of a human being spitting in God’s face and all those closest to me who had done so much for me. I would cry out in those moments, “Why God, Why am I doing this? HOW COULD I DO THIS? This is not me, please God help me – I do not want to do this!” but yet as if being under a spell, time and time again I would find myself right where I did not want to be. I felt completely helpless. A grown adult who loved God so much found herself lost like a little child who was lured away by all of the cool clothes racks to hide under. Then suddenly amongst all that fun, the moment happens where that 7 year old finds herself in the middle of the mall, LOST crying out “Where’s my Daddy? I am so scared!” Never realizing I was drifting off in the first place because I had the perspective that I, the girl with so much faith and love in her heart, could never find herself so far off and away from God. It was not a pretty time in my life and for sure what I call “my veil moment” – the moment in life I wanted to hide behind forever.
Everyone has their veil moment or moments and let me tell you the world does everything to convince you to stay behind that veil because currently it is so judging, unloving and critical. If you believe in God the prescription of judgment eyeglasses that others wear are certainly turned up a notch as if they are looking at you through magnifying glasses. Somehow they lose sight of the fact that you are human just like them and that we go through “life” to become the person we were born to be. It is the whole reason why we need God!
There are some hard lessons on that journey, very hard but it is amazing once you emerge out of the dark tunnel after focusing on the light at the end for so many years. Every tear becomes worth it and it all comes together as to “why” you faced the veil moments. During my dark times my sister (and brother-in-law) saw how lost I had become but you know they did not judge me, they loved me, they prayed for me and because of them crying out for me God reached His very hand down and pulled me out of that darkness. God taught me how critical it is to focus my eyes on Him first and foremost above all things in this world, yes that includes my family, friends, job … everything!
There is a song I heard a year ago or so that brings tears to my eyes and sums up the current state of the world. It is called “Does Anybody Hear Her?” By Counting Crows (here is the link you can listen to it for free and no it should not give you any viruses – http://www.playlist.com/searchbeta/tracks#does%20anybody%20hear%20her). It’s about a girl running one hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction, trying to go the other way but the world was sucking her in but did anyone even notice? One of the verses is:
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she’s going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
It is sad but the people couldn’t see past what she was doing (i.e. her mistakes) and instead of loving her, praying for her, they judged her when she was there crying out HELP ME!!! As a result of this type of culture, the suicide rates especially amongst the youth is raising at a rate that makes me cry. And it does NOT have to be this way! God said something to me a couple of weeks ago which is so important, He said if anyone decides to put on and wear eyeglasses of judgment they need to ensure they try them on first and take a good look in the mirror. Amen to that!
See guys, we have all had those moments in our lives so not a single person has any right to turn to another to cast a stone but yet we live in a society who does nothing but stone people to death and thinks it “is their right”. Truly, everything is opposite of what we know as reality. THIS IS NOT THE WAY GOD INTENDED IT TO BE. It is time for a change and it starts with us. Let’s walk forward in Love understanding we go through all of those things, all of those tears to bring us to a point in life where all impurity, judgment, bitterness, etc. has been weeded out of our hearts so when we look in the mirror we only see Love (a true reflection of Christ) looking back at us – that is the moment when our Life truly begins. We then can take all of those hurts and instead of hiding behind the veil, it is torn down allowing us to become transparent so we can help the next lost little girl who feels like she is all alone in the world because no one else could have done such a horrible thing or been in such a dark place. That moment of unconditional love when we take the strength and love we were taught by carrying that cross of imperfections/mistakes to embrace another saying, “I’ve been there. You will get through this and most importantly I love you no matter what.” THAT is real Love and the moment the world and darkness has to pry its cold fingers of death off of us because Love never fails, never. Here is a short poem God put on my heart this past weekend that really sums it all up.
One Moment
It’s that one moment in time when a hand reaches out of nowhere to bring into our very being the beginning of Life.
It is the one moment all your tears come together to form a beautiful cascade of clear flowing water.
One moment, “the” moment when suddenly the light turns on and you find yourself standing in front of a mirror that you had no idea was even there.
You walk up, put your palms flat to the glass and there staring back at you is Love. It is no longer far off in the distance but right there, a beautiful reflection of you.
It’s “your” moment and when Life truly begins.
By: Sandi Rauwolf, 10/03/09
What’s your veil moment, the one that you feel you have to hide behind but someone in your path today may desperately need your experience to pull them out of that darkness – to give them hope and also the transparency needed to bring you complete healing and freedom? May God bless you and may you allow Him to use your imperfections/mistakes to help another. May you embrace someone who is so desperately crying out, feeling lost and needs Love not judgment. May you come to “your” moment when Life truly begins.
Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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08.08.09
Posted in Love at 5:32 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
Lately my heart has just been overflowing with God’s Love, it is hard to put into words just how wonderful it feels. I never thought I could love Him or others more than I did but every day He seems to bring it to another level. Love is all around!! I just saw a video of a puppy who was born with a heart shape in its fur (which matched its mom’s!)
Since the time I started Blessings 2 Good I’ve been praying for a cause to help others, a way to bring Love to the world. It seemed that nothing quite fit because there are always conditions, restrictions or things are tied to “specific” causes. But what about a foundation to help EVERYONE? My heart knows that we cannot put God in a box! He then poured “an act of love” into a friend of mine (Lis) while we were out one morning. We were like, that is it!!! I began searching websites. Well, pretty much every combination of love in a domain name has been purchased. I continued to pray about it then He woke me up at 3 am one morning and said, “The name should be In the Spirit of Love”. I had chills! I’m like, “Do You really think that is available? All names with love seem to be taken or are wanting over a thousand dollars to purchase them.” He said, “Child, don’t you think I can protect a domain name?” I thought, “Well, of course you can, you are God!” I got out of bed to sleepily wander downstairs to search it and, yep – you guessed it. It was not only available but for the low price of $9.99 – seriously, God is there anything you will not do for us? Wow, He is amazing!
So I founded a not for profit named In the Spirit of Love in July 2009. It’s a foundation where the cause is the whole world – a place where there is no discrimination of religion, culture, skin color, etc. People with hearts of Love coming side by side making a difference in the world! I hope to send an announcement out soon (please pray for the foundation and for people to open their hearts to give to the cause – there are so many people who need help right now).
Well, since this poured in I have been seeing Love everywhere I look, it is so exciting! While cutting strawberries for a family party I looked down to see a heart in the middle of a strawberry. I had to take a picture (Strawberry Heart). Okay, I know it sounds silly me photographing my sliced strawberry but it was so cool! Then God said, “Look at it a little closer.” I noticed how the center was open, then a white inner lining with white lines going from the center thru the lining to each seed. I noticed the beautiful red color which has always reminded me of Love. One of my favorite things to do when I was younger was go to a strawberry patch! I loved walking thru the field smelling the fresh strawberries and picking them off and eating some as I placed the others in the basket.
God then put it on my heart (a big heart tug!) to research the spiritual symbolism of the strawberry. I truly was blown away at how it spanned across multiple religions/spiritual beliefs. I had no idea!!!! Did you? And people say you cannot find God in everything, YES YOU CAN!!! You just have to look for Him! In one belief, the strawberry is used to teach women the connectedness and extended family (outside of blood relatives). It teaches that the white lines of virtue extend to each seed keeping them all connected to the center teaching Love. Hmmm and what is suppose to be at the center of our lives? :) In Christian art, the strawberry represents righteousness (faith), spiritual merit and good works. The structure of the leaves are trifoliate like the trinity. Come on, Seriously? Wow! In another, the berry symbolizes perfection, sweetness in life and character. Native Americans regard the strawberry as a special gift of creation that purifies the body. Amazing!
Well, then He spoke to me about how each tiny little seed on a strawberry makes a whole new batch of strawberries and then those seeds on each strawberry make a bunch more and so on and so on … quickly multiplying!!! I had chills, imagine each seed being the seed of Love and as we come side by side to bring Love to the world, those seeds of Love grow producing more seeds which go out and bring Love and those seeds of Love grow and they go out and bring more Love and so on. Wow!!! The whole world uniting in one language “Love” putting all differences aside and stepping forward to make a difference. I’m in!! How about you?
“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:3-8
Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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05.23.09
Posted in Love at 11:43 am by Sandi Rauwolf
God continues to teach me how important it is for us to go back to the basics and start digging into why exactly the universal language is Love.
“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40
The last sentence of that really spoke to me today. “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these commandments”. Wow, Jesus was really trying to make it clear to us how important Love is – ALL the Law and Prophets hang on it. So why have we so easily looked past the number one thing the greatest teacher of all time taught and the single thing for which ALL the Law and Prophets hang?
We need to go back to basics, renew our minds and open our hearts so we can understand why unity has not yet penetrated the ends of the earth – I ask, does God fail at anything? No! So could it be that we have relied on our own understanding instead of His thus altering the teachings of Jesus? When we rely on our own understanding, quickly it becomes a religion we are teaching (yes, even Christianity can be made a religion!). Did Jesus teach religion? No – He taught Love FIRST by living it and those who didn’t He says this about:
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” Matthew 15:8-9
He not only lived a life of Love but we are also told to as well:
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18
If we are to love, why is there so much hate and division? What exactly is going wrong in this world? So I sought His Wisdom – I asked God.
God said this to me, “Sandi, what is the very first thing you teach a baby?”
I replied, “We have to teach them Love.”
He then asked, “How do you teach a baby Love?”
I replied, “By loving them.”
He said, “Would they understand if you first tried to explain with your lips what Love meant?”
I replied, “Well of course not.”
He then asked, “What would happen if you did try to explain it to them?”
I said, “They would hear the words but not understand it.”
He then said, “And as they got a little older let’s say two years old and you tried to explain it, would they understand it then?”
I replied, “No, it would just confuse them.”
He said, “Why’s that?”
I said, “Well, they haven’t matured enough to understand Love any other way and why babies need extra Love. It’s actually the only language they understand.”
He said, “That is right my child so why is it the teachers of today are teaching everything but Love FIRST to my children?”
Tears filled my eyes, “Oh Lord, we have so failed you because we have relied on our own understanding instead of yours. It is time to teach the world Love!”
He smiled at me and said, “Yes, it is time.”
I couldn’t stop the tears. The whole reason why Jesus first taught Love penetrated my very soul. It IS time for the world to be taught Love the way it was meant to be taught and that is by living it. No longer make the mistake of relying on your own understanding when deciding who to Love – you are to Love ALL, that means regardless of any religious beliefs, skin color, status, behavior, choices, etc. It is time for the world to be healed, to be united in that beautiful universal language.
May He bless you and overflow your heart with Love so the whole world will soon know His name because “Love never fails” 1 Corinthians 13:8
Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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02.24.09
Posted in 26, Faith, Forgiveness, Heart Tugs, Judging Others, Love, Personal Perspective, Simplicity, Thankfulness at 11:36 am by Sandi Rauwolf
1. LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL – Many ask me how? Just like any other relationship – spend time with Him (including “alone” time), talk to Him, desire to want to get to know Him better, turn to Him in all things (good and bad), be YOURSELF in your time with Him (do not be fake or put on a façade, He made you – remember?).
2. LOVE OTHERS UNCONDITIONALLY – Yes, that means no matter what they do, you continue to love. It’s easy to love those who love you but when you can love others who do not yet know LOVE that takes great patience, strength, and humbleness. Turning the other cheek is not a sign of weakness but shows more strength than any fist could deliver (think about how much strength and self control it takes to turn the other cheek when someone is mistreating you – that speaks volumes about who you really are).
3. HAVE FAITH THAT NOTHING WILL SHAKE – When we have faith and believe, truly all things are possible – ALL things.
4. PRAY, PRAY, AND PRAY SOME MORE – The power of prayer is so incredibly powerful especially when done in numbers so be quick to offer a prayer to someone and just as quick to ask for one.
5. LISTEN TO THE TUGS ON YOUR HEART – The tugs where you know you need to check on someone or you know you shouldn’t do something. Many call this intuition or a gut feeling but it is God guiding you. When you learn to hear His voice clearly and listen to the guidance, you will be able to make decisions in your life that are going to bring abundant blessings to you and anyone who crosses your path.
6. BE KIND TO EVERYONE – a stranger, a friend, and your FAMILY.
7. LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN ALL THINGS – When we focus on the bad, that becomes all that we are capable of seeing but yet are confused as to why we seem to be surrounded by nothing good. When we look for the good then all we see is good and that is when we can truly find joy in all.
8. FORGIVE AND KEEP FORGIVING – we are to always forgive and that means over and over again. Remember you cannot change someone, only God can change someone so forgive them and pray that God will start to change their hearts. Only He can change us from the inside out.
9. SEEK PEACE – do everything you can to live a peaceful life and promote a peaceful life. Peace means freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, and anxiety – when you find peace, you want to help others find it because there’s nothing like it.
10. BE HAPPY – only you can decide how you will react to a situation, no one else can decide that for you. So don’t let life overwhelm you but instead focus on having joy and clear your mind of anything that doesn’t.
11. HELP OTHERS, DON’T JUST SAY YOU WANT TO … ACTUALLY DO IT! – give unselfishly of yourself. The world needs it. When you go out of your way to help someone whether it is a simple act of kindness like leaving change in the pop machine for the next person, letting someone cut in front of you in line at the grocery store, or you go on a missions trip – the gift you receive in/for giving unselfishly could not be purchased with all of the money in the world. I guarantee this is one thing that no matter what you are facing in life, it will help restore your soul. It just feels good! Don’t make excuses like I am focusing on my family right now – when we make time to help others, think of the incredible example we are to our children without saying a single word.
12. IF A SENTENCE EVER STARTS WITH “Please don’t tell anyone …” THEN IT IS BETTER LEFT UNSAID.
13. LET YOUR YES BE YES AND YOUR NO BE NO – never allow yourself in a situation where you need to make up an excuse, or tell a lie – again, let your Yes be Yes and your No be No.
14. BE COMPASSIONATE AND EMPATHETIC – when we can truly put ourselves in another’s shoes, our heart becomes merciful and our actions kind.
15. KEEP YOUR WORD – if you say something MEAN IT and DO IT, that means you must be mindful of all that you say, words cannot be taken back. A person’s word should count for something so make yours count.
16. DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS – you do not know what they are facing in life or if they have even been taught love. What if you are the only love God has sent into their path so they can learn from you but instead you judge them and turn away?
17. SAY YOU’RE SORRY AND MEAN IT – when you make a mistake, apologize from your heart and mean it. Do not expect anything in return (another words do not take away your apology even if someone doesn’t offer you their’s).
18. RESPECT OTHERS – when you respect another person, your actions tell them you care about them as a person and that they are worth something – remember God loves ALL His children.
19. THINK BEFORE YOU DO – if something is going to cause you to lose sleep, bring harm/hurt to yourself or others then NO amount of pleasure or fun in the world is worth it and I don’t care how good it feels/satisfies at the moment. It will just leave you feeling empty and it IS poison to your soul.
20. WHEN YOU FACE TROUBLES PUSH THRU THEM – it is our tendency to turn and try to run from difficult situations but if we are facing them, there is a REASON we are facing them. I have learned those difficult times are meant to teach us an important lesson that we need to be taught. The next time you face a difficult time, ask God to show you what it is He is teaching you – is it unconditional love? Patience? Forgiveness? Faith? …
21. SEEK WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE – pray for wisdom and knowledge, it is so important. God is waiting for us to ask Him to show us His way, to allow us to see things thru His eyes. So ask … when we ask for wisdom He will give it. Imagine having God’s Wisdom? Very powerful!!
22. DO GOOD – it’s a choice and again only we can make it, be eager to do good in this world. “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.” 1 Peter 3:13
23. DO NOT SEEK REVENGE – if someone wrongs you, forgive them immediately. Two wrongs do NOT make a right – so when you find yourself in a situation where you want to teach someone a lesson, give it to God instead otherwise evil becomes contagious and will spread destroying everything in its path. “Do not take revenge my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath for it is written, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.’” Romans 12:19
24. RENEWAL OF THE MIND IS CRITICAL – anything that does not promote love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, peacefulness, gentleness or self control is not from God and should be pushed out of our mind as fast as it enters. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
25. UNDERSTAND AND LIVE A LIFE OF INTEGRITY – I love dictionary.com’s definition of integrity. It is “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character, honesty.” When we renew our mind to living a life that represents integrity, we find a peace that is beyond our understanding. And although the world tries to convince us it is not possible to have peace in this life, we soon discover it obtainable and not so far outside of our reach after all. “…for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:16
26. WE LIVE LIFE TRYING TO FILL THE EMPTINESS IN OUR HEARTS WITH EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE ONE THING THAT WILL COMPLETE US AND THAT IS GOD.
I felt guided to share 26 things life taught me (versus any other number) because of the biblical significance of that number. In my last blog (titled 26 :) God led me to research the biblical importance of numbers. At the time, I had no idea that the Hebrew and Greek language (which are the two languages the original text of scripture was written in) are different from the English language in that each letter of the alphabet has a numeric equivalent. It is actually where 666 being equal to the anti-christ comes from – interesting, huh? Anyway, the number 26 represents the personal name of God. His name is stamped on everything including our hearts and minds. Once we open our hearts and minds to Him, He is able to begin teaching us His language. The parable in my last blog was this … 26 letters form thousands of words – literally infinite possibilities of creation once you know the language. So, 26 representing the name of God opens up infinite possibilities available to us once we learn His language – that is powerful!
I’m sorry for not getting this posted sooner, life has been so busy but in a GREAT way. I have had multiple radio interviews and am very excited that I have been invited to be a guest speaker for the Count It All Joy Women’s Retreat in Freemont, IN on 03/14/09. Following that I am booked to be on Celebration with Marcus & Joni Lamb on DayStar TV (www.daystar.com) out of Dallas, TX on 04/14/09. You can check my upcoming events on the Upcoming Events tab from my website www.blessingstoogood.com. I’m putting together multiple seminars and workshops as well to help others have a blessed life now – it is so exciting!
God never ceases to amaze me at all that He will do for us. The blessings that are waiting for us once we open our hearts and minds to Him (and learning His language) are unending and better than we could EVER imagine!! I’m pretty confident that most could use a few blessings in life right now so may you open your hearts and minds, seeking Him more than you ever did before so He can begin to pour His love and blessings into your life.
Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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10.14.08
Posted in Love, Self Reflection at 9:31 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
The last few weeks we have faced some painful truths about ourselves (ouch!). They certainly were not very comfortable to think about or put out there but all VERY important to our spiritual maturity. God has now opened our eyes to the importance of a REAL relationship with Him.
And to think I had it wrong for so long!!! Getting caught up in all Satan was sending my way – every doubt, every worry, every trap … he convinced me there was no way God could love me and I certainly wasn’t worthy of God’s forgiveness. But boy did the evil one deceive me because God patiently waits for us to invite Him into our hearts and desire the most important relationship we will ever have … one with Him.
I’ve opened my heart to LOVE (to God) and it has forever changed my life. I hope you have decided to do the same. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16
LOVE allows us to see others with compassion and empathy instead of thru harsh, judging eyes.
LOVE allows us to more easily forgive instead of holding onto grudges and bitterness.
LOVE allows us to open our hearts to the world, to break down the walls.
LOVE allows us to connect to others at a depth that past hurts had walled off.
LOVE allows us to walk with confidence and faith knowing there is a plan for each of us.
LOVE allows us to fully appreciate imperfection by embracing the true understanding of exactly why He sent His son for us.
LOVE allows us to live the life God intended for us by replacing the center of how we live (”I”) with the center of God (“o”) … bringing us LOVE.
I wanted to share with you a neat email my sister sent to me. I think it may help us to understand what God has been opening our eyes to the last few weeks … and that is opening our hearts and installing LOVE.
INSTALLING LOVE
Tech Support: Yes, how can I help you?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I’ve decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?
T.S.: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
C: Well, I’m not very technical, but I think I’m ready. What do I do first?
T.S.: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
C: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?
T.S.: What programs are running?
C: Let’s see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge, and Resentment running right now.
T.S.: No problem. Love will gradually delete Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?
C: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
T.S.: With pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely deleted.
C: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?
T.S.: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
C: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, ‘Error – Program not run on external components.’ What should I do?
T.S.: Don’t worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
C: So what should I do?
T.S. Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge Your Limitations.
C: Okay, done.
T.S.: Now copy them to the ‘My Heart’ directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
C: Got it. Hey! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over my Heart. Is this normal?
T.S.: Sometimes. For others, it takes awhile, but eventually gets it at the proper time.
So, Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various components to everyone you meet. They will in turn, share it with others and return some cool components back to you.
– Tom Murasso
I encourage each of you to install LOVE and share it with the world … it’s free and the most important gift you could ever give someone. And you wonder why I always say it’s all about the love :)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 5-8
God is LOVE! :) Blessings and love!
Sandi
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09.09.08
Posted in Love, Self Reflection, Simplicity at 6:18 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
God is AMAZING and so incredibly good! He continues to overflow my heart with so much that it is difficult to describe. My heart feels more than “fluffy” these days, descriptive to how my daughter explains what her heart feels like when she loves something so much her heart could burst!
Those of you who know me understand that my belief is all about the LOVE … for without LOVE, there is nothing. It’s the premise of everything we do, everything we live, and everything we strive to be. Sure I am faced with arguments of it being more about the Truth with attempts to get me to remove my rose colored glasses but then God continues to send me something confirming how much it is about the LOVE. No matter what we face, if we would just fill our hearts with LOVE, we suddenly find ourselves enswathed with the opportunity to see the world through God’s eyes. And, it is magnificent – it changes every aspect of our lives going forward, changing us forever.
Imagine pure LOVE in our hearts for all that surrounds us, all who cross our paths. Pure LOVE giving us the ability to have God’s eyes just for one second. When we do, it’s as if we have put on magical glasses – glasses that allow us to walk through life living in the way God intended – with a LOVE filled heart for the world … for everything and everyone in it. There’s no judgment of others (Matthew 7:2), no grudges (Leviticus 19:18), no hate (Luke 6:27) … nothing that is unforgivable (Matthew 6:15). Everything that we are surrounded with suddenly looks different despite the fact that the same scenery has been surrounding us for years. That LOVE is what begins to change us and continues to change us. It is the foundation for all that follows.
It’s similar to how our perspective changes once we become parents. Our hearts are NEVER the same after we are blessed with a child. One of my close friends in Philadelphia was just sharing that exact feeling with me after the birth of their Angel baby, Evy. Our hearts become filled with unconditional, pure LOVE for this beautiful little miracle who stares back at us with the same unconditional, pure LOVE – a LOVE that is so new, so innocent, so perfect that we can actually “feel” God because it permeates our soul. Life will never be the same – we now see things differently.
The children that once annoyed us by being too noisy while we were trying to have a nice dinner, or the kid that frustrated us beyond belief bumping up against our arm every time he would run up and down the aisle on the train (you know the one … exactly! The one your mind drifts off for a minute to think, I outta! lol). But, now our heart feels differently and our perspective is completely new. We no longer look at them as annoying little rug rats. Instead our mind flashes back to a moment we have shared with our little one. Suddenly, a smile creeps across our face. We shake our head and go back to reading our newspaper with a LOVE filled heart being reminded that not long ago a moment like this would have ruined our day, but now ironically, we embrace that moment and hold onto it throughout our day to ease any frustration that might come our way.
My friends, if we have LOVE in our hearts it truly does change everything. I can’t think of a better way to live my life than with a heart filled with LOVE. Why is that people ask? It’s because God “is” LOVE. So again, without LOVE (without Him) there truly is nothing.
Without Love (There Is Nothing)
Elvis Presley
(Words & music by Danny Small )
I awakened this morning, I was filled with despair
All my dreams turned to ashes and gone, oh yeah
As I looked at my life it was barren and bare
Without love I’ve had nothing at all
Without love I’ve had nothing
Without love I’ve had nothing at all
I have conquered the world
All but one thing did I have
Without love I’ve had nothing at all
Once I had a sweetheart who loved only me
There was nothing, oh that she would not give, oh no
But I was blind to her goodness and I could not see
That a heart without love cannot live
Without love I’ve had nothing
Without love I’ve had nothing at all
I have conquered the world
All but one thing did I have
Without love I’ve had nothing at all
May you fill your heart with LOVE and see the world and everyone in it through God’s eyes – just for one second. Lots of LOVE!
Sandi
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08.19.08
Posted in Blessings, Humble, Inspirational, Love, Special Needs at 12:14 am by Sandi Rauwolf
I was blessed with quite an incredible evening tonight! My family and I headed out to catch a local baseball game – the Joliet Jackhammers. I wasn’t sure what to expect because it was the first baseball game our family had ever attended together. And, Samantha (who will be 6 years old this Friday), walked into the ballpark, American Girl doll in tow and representing every sense of the meaning “girlie girl”. She is more interested in improving the guys’ baseball uniforms with some new fashion design than to sit and watch a baseball game. However, we really wanted to attend this special night … it was appreciation night for the volunteers of our church’s Kidz Connection Team.
You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night! The sky was clear, the temperature perfect without even a slight breeze to give you a chill once the sun ducked down behind the stadium wall. We enjoyed the game, met some great people, had great conversation and enjoyed the time together as a family. About halfway through the game, Samantha was getting a little bored so jumped at the chance when I asked her if she had to use the ladies room. We worked our way down the row to the aisle while carefully trying not to step on toes and repeatedly saying “sorry” as we passed each person who would then have to stand to allow us to pass by – now I remember why I like the seats closer to the aisle! :)
Anyway, as we exit from the ladies room Samantha spots Jammer, the team mascot. She stood, eyes wide open and literally frozen in her tracks (you know the typical deer in the headlights stance). She did not know what to make of this 7 ft. creature named Jammer – who (to her) happens to look like a Sesame Street character on steroids. I personally think he is adorable! I bent down to comfort her and assure her that she does not need to be frightened, but she hid behind me and clung to my leg like a piece of gum on a shoe. She was not going anywhere without a lot of work!
Just at that moment, I look up and there in front of us was wheelchair after wheelchair of special needs adults. My heart immediately swelled. Since the time I was a little girl, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for special needs children and adults. Actually, this year I have been blessed with teaching the special needs class at church every Sunday and those kids are the highlight of my week!! I have Grant, Ryan, Tim and Kelly in my class, and they are my little angels. No matter what stress I am facing all I have to do is think of their smiling faces, and I am reminded of what is important in this life.
I walked over and spoke to the nurse to find out where they were from. She said they were from United Cerebral Palsy (http://www.ucp.org/ucp_local. cfm/74) right there in Joliet. I then walked over and started talking to each of them asking them how they were enjoying the game. Their faces just lit up! Imagine, a stranger walking over and caring about them! One guy’s grin was so big I swear it reached to his ears! He kept pointing to his bracelet. I told him it was an amazing bracelet, but he was persistent in continuing to point to it. I then noticed it was comprised of six small white blocks on a brown leather band. I slowly turned each block over, one at a time while watching his excitement, and it spelled his name … Norman. I said, “It is great to meet you, Norman!” He then started pointing to me, so I introduced myself and Samantha to him as well as the others. Norman was so happy to be communicating with a perfect stranger. Immediately, to his right was another gentleman who could utter a few muffled words, enough that I could understand he was saying “Hi Sandi and Samantha, how are you?”. And said with a grin just as big as Norman. His right eye wandered to the far right and his left eye wandered down towards the floor, but he ensured we knew that he was doing everything to try and make us feel special by looking at us. Each of them then took my hand and started kissing it as if to say, “Thank you – thank you for noticing us and taking a minute to let us know you care, helping us feel like we DO matter in this world and that someone loves us just as we are.” With each little Angel kiss on my hand, I was humbled even more. Here I was, with a grateful heart and feeling blessed by THEM for their innocence and pure love but yet they were thanking ME! I then felt sad for a moment because how many walk right by and won’t even look at them by reason of their deformities – because they are different, because they are not perfect? I felt blessed for the gift God had given me as a little girl because I had never seen special needs people for any of their physical differences but only for their sweet souls with a love filled heart.
I was struck by quite a realization right at that moment. It hit me with sudden certainty that the same feeling and perspective I have always had towards these sweet souls is EXACTLY how God must feel towards each of us. He looks past all of our imperfections and sees us for our sweet souls with a heart full of love. It was yet another reminder of how imperfect each of us is, in our own way, but yet God loves us anyway. He does not walk by us unnoticed. Instead He embraces us, He looks right past every flaw and He loves us unconditionally. He is patiently waiting for US to notice HIM with a love filled heart hoping this time will be the time we do not just walk on by.
Maybe something in your life is making you feel less than perfect today or not worthy of anyone’s love especially God’s, whether that feeling is caused from others treating you poorly, difficult challenges you are facing or mistakes you have made – please know that God’s love for you is unfailing. He is there and will help you through anything you are facing no matter how imperfect you may be feeling or how lost you may have been … all you need to do is “notice” Him.
May God bless you and bring you your own Angel kisses this week!
Sandi :)
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