Look for the good and praise it!

On a recent morning walk, I asked for Divine guidance as to what I should write for a newsletter column I was asked to do. There is so much I could say, and so much I didn’t want to say. And as I mentally weighed this decision it occurred to me – “Here I go again – living completely in my mind; over-thinking a simple matter such as writing an article; trying to gauge how it would be received. What if…yada…yada…yada…! Did I not ask for Divine guidance? So why not be still, turn off the mental chatter and allow Divine Mind to do Its thing.” So I did. By the end of the walk, as I sat by the lake to cool down and do my reading and journaling, I knew what I would say. I wanted to talk about the power of looking for and praising the good in all situations – even those that seem downright miserable! I received confirmation of my decision as I opened a book I was about to read prior to journaling, and a familiar quote just about jumped off the pages at me. It was William Shakespeare’s words, "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." And the significance of this, you might ask? Part of the message I received as I walked had to do with my assessment of events that have occurred in my life. I was reminded that even those experiences that seemed to cause me so much misery, had, in Truth, yielded wonderful lessons. So rather that tie myself mentally and emotionally to the perceived “misery”, I could praise the good that resulted. Yes, sometimes our consciousness draws some strange bedfellows, and even as we make the decision not to lie with them too long, we can look for the good and praise it. That good may be as simple as realizing that a particular experience is not for your highest good. Now that IS something to praise!! Today as you ponder your actions, know that your consciousness may attract and even invite in some “strange bedfellows”, and if you choose to lie with them for a time, at least be spiritually vigilant enough to look for the lesson and the blessings. It will be even better if you allow Divine Mind to guide your actions so that you won’t have to experience the misery that some bedfellows can bring. The choice is, of course, always yours. Live well! Live blessed!