Dear Reader:

Can you reflect back on your past and remember the benchmarks in your life when you  finally saw yourself for whom you are becoming? A person no longer afraid…a quick glimpse into the new possibilities of your life?

These rare self-acceptance epiphanies usually follow a period of deep vulnerability. Human nature appears to have to reach a very low period in life in order to climb to its highest potential.

For many…becoming the “new you” follows the death of a loved one, a divorce, or a serious health prognosis. Whatever it is…it holds the possibility and potential to be a life-altering moment of decision. A time to make a choice on the new path you want to follow…leaving the old one behind.

When I came across this message the other day…I considered it a God Wink to remember the path I am on, why I am on it, and staying the course!

I am a great “excuser.” To finally get around to making a significant change in my life… I have to have run the gauntlet of lame excuses first. It is when I am at my most vulnerable that I can finally see me clearly as the only deterrent between me and my dreams.

When I saw this saying the other day….I thought to myself…”Yep…that’s me too much of the time.” A mistake repeated more than once is a choice. By continuing a negative pattern we are, unconsciously, making a wrong decision.

Still I will have to repeat that cancer has changed my life in so many positive ways…I like the Becky post-cancer more than the pre-Becky. I take nothing for granted any more…All my senses have been heightened  and everything is brighter because my eyes see life on a higher plateau than it did before.

I can certainly understand this quote from Gilda Radner:

“Cancer changes your life, often for the better. You learn what’s important, you learn to prioritize, and you learn not to waste your time. You tell people you love them. If it wasn’t for the downside, having cancer would be the best thing and everyone would want it. That’s true…if it just wasn’t for the downside.”

Brene Brown’s take on this important milestone of decisive action in our lives is expressed beautifully through these insightful comments. .

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel unsure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

So until tomorrow…Let us not be afraid of being imperfectly, absol-tively vulnerable…thus ready to choose a life of fulfillment for our sake and our loved ones’ sake.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

After being sad at not being able to see and delight in the birds eating from the Bradford Pear…I moved one of the shepherd’s crooks from the garden to a small area in front of my bushes where I can sit on the sofa or lounge chair in my Happy Room and enjoy watching the birds eat.