True happiness is of a retired nature, and an enemy to pomp and noise;
it arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one’s self, and in
the next from the friendship and conversation of a few select
companions.

– Joseph Addison, The Spectator, March 17, 1911

Now you are ready. Ready to make the shift from conditional love to
unconditional love. You are now ready to be with yourself rather than
by yourself. You have been through a “meantime” process in which you
have become self-aware and self-reflective in order to make the
necessary changes or shifts that will result in spiritual
transformation. You are no longer in search of physical, emotional or
sexual satisfaction only. You want the true, full experience of love.
If this is what you are going for, this is what you will get.
– Iyanla Vanzant
 
Once, when we were discussing a world peace project with my teacher,
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, somebody asked him, “Where is all the money
going to come from?” And he replied without hesitation, “From wherever
it is at the moment.”
– Deepak Chopra

Intimacy is not sex, although sex can be intimate. Intimacy means
mutually honest, warm, caring, safe relationships where both people are
valued for who they are.
– Melody Beattie

Forgiveness is the way to true health and happiness. By not judging, we
release the past and let go of our fears of the future. In so doing, we
come to see that everyone is our teacher and that every circumstance is
an opportunity for growth in happiness, peace and love.
– Gerald G. Jampolsky

Once we know people’s stories, we feel compassion instead of judgment.
Today, practice remembering that everyone has a story.
– Mary Manin Morrissey

Truth is not learned, it is recognized. The divine truth in us recognizes itself.
– Elbridge Gagnon

Courage is reclaiming your life after a devastating event robs you of
your confidence and self-esteem. It is facing tomorrow with a firm
resolve to reach deep within yourself to find another strength, another
talent… It is taking yourself to another level of your own existence
where you are once again whole, productive, special..
– Catherine Britton

Let someone listen to you, support and encourage you when you need
that. Receive comfort from someone’s physical presence when you need
that. Allow yourself to be supported emotionally and cared about.
– Melody Beattie

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.
Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love,
grace, and gratitude.
– Denis Waitley

A deeper bonding with one’s spirit and with others at an essence level
is the spiritual opportunity of the new millennium, yet the first step
is an inside job-starting with oneself. People have an innate desire to
bond with others in the spirit of love, but an essential first step is
rolling up our sleeves and applying some elbow grease toward managing
attitudes and emotions that are not in line with our heart or authentic
self. Then bonding becomes not an action you do but a way of being, the
way of love.
– Doc Childre

The time comes when we can no longer find refuge in our defenses. We
discover, often with awe, that it is precisely our defenses that have
kept us in darkness! We tire of straining to protect ourselves, and we
feel stifled and restricted by the walls we have built between our
hearts and others. Our defenses are not worth the love we lose in
hiding. We cannot afford to maintain a citadel of fear at the cost of
peace. In our efforts to keep pain away from our heart, we have also
denied entry to joy. The moment arrives when we must break free and
make a stand for who we are. That moment is now. The time has come to
cast aside our cloak of smallness and don the robe which honors our
true magnitude. We must claim the strength to live in the dignity
befitting our identity.
– Alan Cohen

It’s good to focus on the task ahead, on what remains to be done. It’s
important to stop and feel pleased about what we’ve accomplished too.
Yes, it may seem that the change has been slow. At times, change is
grueling. Yes, we’ve taken steps backward. But we’re right where we’re
supposed to be. We’re right where we need to be. And we have come so
far.  Sometimes by leaps, sometimes with tiny steps, sometimes
kicking and screaming all the while, sometimes with sleeves rolled up
and white knuckles, we’ve learned. Grown.  Changed. Look how far
we’ve come.
Today, I will appreciate my progress. I will let myself feel good about what has been accomplished.
– Melody Beattie

=====

Some of my readers complain I don’t talk much about my own life. 
My life is wonderful, with a few setbacks here and there that I try not
to dwell upon.  Also I am opening myself to my Self, and the
people I quote are saying things I need to hear, so I save them here.

But every now and then I get the urge to write.  The following is my latest poem.

Hugs,
Me