LOVE. Let it begin with me.

There. I put it down. Finally.

Love begins with me. Not out there with him or her. Not because of an outside of me event like a phone call, a rate reduction or a recovery from a health or wealth "issue."

Love is an inside job and it begins inside of me and works its way out, its magic, from there.

Now, how will I begin? I already did - awareness. What about you?

Love is everywhere you look.

Today, from the moment you read this until you close your eyes to sleep I want you to look at the love surrounding you.

Seeing and looking are two different verbs. When you see you know something or someone is there. When you look you know what or who they are.

Look at the person standing ahead of you in line. Send them love silently or with a little smile or a helping hand.

Look the car waiting to pull out into traffic and give them a wave and a pass in front of you.

Look at the one you're with and be generous with your hugs, encouragement and praise.

Christmas isn't about the gifts we will be opening ten days from now. It is about the gift of love in our hearts that is available 365 days of the year. Now, today is a great day to exercise your gift giving style and stamina ...

Who loves ya baby?

More importantly ... who will YOU love on today? (The rest follows naturally.)

Yesterday one of my "loves" was a gruff teen-age boy at the Arby's checkout window. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was not feeling the "Merry" part of Merry Christmas.

"How are you?" I asked. "I'm working" he replied as it that explained everything.

"Put some joy in it." I told him with a big smile on my face and in my heart.

We had a little exchange - a few more smiles and I even got a chuckle out of him when I told him I was a hungry elf on a mission from Santa.

I don't know who felt more love or joy after those moments at the squawk box but I know it mattered or he and I would never have met.

Who can you touch today with a look, a hug, a little humor or a kind word? Love is a verb and a noun. When shared with others it all comes back to us multiplied.

"Best of" Self Healing & Self Discovery Communities helping women be, do and have the Love they desire ...

Happy Girl Musing: Dating advice (almost daily) because you deserve to be loved.

Mom-Defrazzler.com: Self help, humor and hope for stressed out moms.

ChatWithWomen.com : Dating Advice
Talk Radio Show. It’s like calling mom—without the guilt.

HealYourselfTalk.com : Weekly internet radio show to help you ... heal yourself.

TheCheapGourmet.com: Love starts with the stomach, doesn't it?

Visit Jennifer Louden's ComfortQueen.com Comfort Queen: A place to be kind to yourself.

SelfGrowth.com : quality Self Improvement and Natural Health information to help people improve their lives.

FatigueBeGone BLOG: Helping women re-Energize - physically, emotionally and spiritually.


Vision Magazine : body ~ mind ~ spirit ~ earth - Your Catalyst for Conscious Living


Click here for more ...

You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so you learn to love God and man by loving. Begin as a mere apprentice and the very power of love will lead you on to become a master of the art.
-Francis de Sales

There are no coincidences.

If you are reading this you are being called to practice and hone your art of loving. Who can you hug and acknowledge today? How many people can you brighten with your smile, a random act of kindness, a little encouragement?


Today, from this moment on, bring love into everything you do.

Tonight, journal about your experiences. How was this day different, special, brighter? What surprised you? How did you feel physically? (lighter, less stressed, breathing easier?)

Tomorrow, do it all over again.

"Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most
are the things you will do the best."
– Marva Collins

So true, especially of Love,which the verb.

I Love

You Love

He/She Loves

We Love

You Love (plural)

They Love

Love is not only a verb, but it is an action verb. It is not something that you wait to have happen, it is something that I, you, he/she, we and they DO.

Or, we do not.

Choice.

Prayer Request.

A friend asked me to pass this prayer onto eleven people. In the moment I was less than thrilled.

However, as I thought about it I remembered how vital prayer is to Love. In fact, something shifted in me the day I turned my love life over to my higher power. It wasn't pretty. It was one of those Scarlett O'Hara "I will not eat dirt anymore" moments.

It worked. I have proof named Michael.

This prayer might have gracefully accomplished the same objective. Use it for yourself and pass it onto a friend if you are so moved.

"May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let His presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us."

While shopping with my mother-in-law today, I picked up the most recent copy of Woman's World magazine, which I prefer to a lot of periodicals geared to females. It's refreshingly free of put-downs and guilt trips.

The issue featured a quote from Rita Rudner, the comedian I had the good fortune to see on a date some years ago at Governors Comedy Club in Levittown, Long Island (where I twice had the immensely great fortune to see Lewis Black).

Here it is:

"Why are women wearing perfumes that smell like flowers to attract men? Men don't like flowers. I wear a scent called 'new-car interior.'"

That Rita. What a card. Actually, my mother was very attracted to the smell of new cars, so it would make a good aftershave, too.

Another dating tidbit in Woman's World:

"The Trick to Being Irresistible? Make his heart do this!Race! Whether you take him to a sports game or an action movie, the latest research reveals that being beside your guy as his heart beats faster convinces his brain that he's getting revved up because of you! In tests, men who crossed a scary bridge found the ..."

Click here to read the rest of Terry's "Almost Daily" Dating advice column. It is one of my favs!

Wake Up Happy Face Exercise
Recognizing Love When You See It

Everyone has bad days. What if you could give yourself something to smile about? This exercise will help you put a smile on your face, perhaps even a spring in your step and a giggle in your mouth! It is not to be done with one ounce of seriousness. In fact, mirth is the main ingredient in this exercise for waking up happy.


1. Begin with a clean mirror. You can use window cleaner, but then you must rinse it with clean water. You'll see why in the next steps.

2. Go to your refrigerator or cupboard and locate your favorite treat with spreading/painting capabliities. Chocolate syrup, molasses, honey, fruit preserves or jam, peanut butter…. Hummus…. Whatever makes you lick your lips in the morning hours and say "delicious."

3. Return to the mirror with selected treat.

4. Wash your hands thoroughly. My mother always told me to do this-force of habit.

5. Look at your reflection.

6. For this step and the rest of the exercise, click here.

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
- Helen Keller

There has been a lot of overcoming and a lot of Love and support in San Diego this week. The fires are awful but out of the ashes come kisses from spirit and support from friends, old and new.

I took this picture Wednesday morning at sunrise. I was thinking about how such pain could create such beauty. There is only one answer. It must be God saying "I am still here with you."

Who ever you are -- Where ever you are -- let this be a sign that you are not alone. Have a beautiful day.

Never give up. Get the knack of getting other people to help you and also pitch in yourself.
-Ruth Gordon

So ... how does this apply to your love life right now? And, what are you going to do about it? Post it here and go-for-it!!!

Dating Dos and Do NOTS!
by Terry Hernon MacDonald, author, Marry Smart.

At my daughter's vision therapy appointment last week, I got to talking to a woman who has a good friend who's hoping to meet a good man on the Internet.

The woman is glad her friend is "getting out there," but she's concerned that this person is setting herself up for failure for one reason:

She's filled her profile with lies, exaggerations, and half-truths.

Fibbing on a profile (or on a date or in a relationship)is a disaster waiting to happen. Don't sabotage your happiness by fudging your age, your salary, or anything else.

Respect yourself and be yourself.

In my single days, I knew a woman who drew tons of responses to a personal ad in which she used the headline, HONEST, SINCERE WOMAN. Most people want to be dealt with honestly, whether it's in business or relationships.

But some people insist on making themselves "look better" on the page, to their own detriment.

Ask Ronnie Ann Ryan. She's the author of MANIFESTING MR. RIGHT, and apublicity writer, in addition to being a dating coach. Women and men ask her for help in writing their Internet profiles. One client stunned her by insisting she include all sorts of false information (she refused).


"Can't you see you're setting yourself up for failure?" She asked the guy. "No woman is going to want you once she finds out the truth."

Ronnie knows what she's talking about from personal experience. At age 40, with no prospects in sight, she set out to meet, fall in love with, and marry a good man who made her happy. (She succeeded and tells how she did it in MANIFESTING MR. RIGHT.)

Along the way, she met a guy who lied to her. She says:

"Before I my husband, I dated a nice guy named Jeff. I was 40 at the time and he said he was 39. We had great conversations, laughs and chemistry. Things were looking up until one night Jeff took out his driver's license to show me how bad the photo was. That's not what I noticed. I saw that he was younger than he said
- only 36. I asked Jeff why he lied about his age, and he said he was afraid I wouldn't date him because he was too young. After that, I couldn't help wondering what else he lied about. The relationship unraveled.

Turns out my husband is four years younger than me. I didn't care when Paul told me he was 37 to my 41 and better still, he didn't care either. Stop worrying about your age and stick with the truth. Honesty is a much better policy - and it's easier to remember, too."

Please resist the temptation to shave years off your age, inflate your salary, and so on. You're fine just the way you are.

Also, take a cue from Ronnie and turn away any man who lies to you. Relationships are built on trust, not lies.

To sign up for Ronnie's f*ree dating newsletter, check out:

www.nevertoolate.biz

To your happily ever after,

Terry
www.happygirlmusing.com Dating Advice (Almost) Daily
Author, How to Attract and Marry the Man of Your Dreams

Psssst. Terry is one on my love relationship mentors. She helped me get ready for love and get married. I highly recommend that you read her book - click on the link above. And, listen into her interview on the Get Ready for Love! Show. Topic is "Secrets of Attraction."

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 enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. 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. And 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.
~ by Marianne Williamson

You know what else? The more you shine, the more you Love and accept yourself, the more Love you attract to yourself and have to share with others. Getting ready for Love? Start by shining your light ...

Click here if you would like to see a beautiful presentation of this quote: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jxRLhn188mI

Live and let live.

I finally understand what this means.

Live. Action verb as in "I live my life."

Let live. Action verb as in "Let him live his own life."

This came to me, the big "ah ha" as I was once again trying to live my husband's life for him. Sound crazy? I am great at living other people's lives (a little illusion eh?!), the challenge is in getting the focus and fun back on mine.

Fear makes me want to control others or control events. Do ya know what I mean? If you have a hint of this issue check out the information on the Root Chakra and learn how to get grounded as in back in your own skin and out of theirs.

Our hearts can beat as one but our Love can use a little space. Space, respect, trust.

Have you signed up to receive the Get Ready for Love Newsletter?

Just thought I'd ask.

It is going out this Thursday and I'll be talking about where to find Love.

Then next Thursday you'll be receiving Chapter One, Confessions of a Loser Magnet, from Terry Hernon MacDonald's best-selling, "Marry Smart." I howled when I read this. It is easy to laugh at the past when the present is hot. Terry is one of my mentor's - one the gang - who helped me find my Love.

Then the next Thursday ... well sign up and find out. Yes, this is a weekly adventure. If you want to get ready for love you do need to
f-o-c-u-s. I did. Terry did. It works.

So, where is Love? You tell me. Post a comment.

Then sign up for the newsletter and we'll compare answers soon ... hmmmmmm.

Relationship Advice from Terry Hernon MacDonald, Happy Girl Musing Founder.

Dear Terry:

I have really, really enjoyed and benefited from your emails since I signed up. It's great perspective.

I have a question to throw into the mix. While there are a number of potential candidates for dates at the moment, the man I think I like the bet is, unfortunately, deployed to Iraq. I've never met him; he's someone my Dad thought would be great for me, but we're both formerly married, so the conversation got going over email last January when it became clear we were both now divorced and available. Initially, I just treated it as a sort of a reach-out to a person in a war zone and therefore under considerable distress (my small part to help the troops...Yadda yadda yadda).

But we have a great deal in common (as it turns out), and my Dad may well have been right (wonderful man, my Dad) that this guy is a good match.

So what I'm wondering is this: Click here to read the rest of the letter and Terry's reply.

Then -- come back here and click on this link to send a letter of your own to A Million Thanks.
The song that plays when you pull up this site is shivers-down-my-spine awesome.

Love doesn't just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.
-Ursula K. LeGuin

What can you do today to refresh , make new, a significant other relationship? Who FIRST comes to mind when I ask you this question?

Maybe that is a good place to start ...

THE FEAR OF REJECTION: A ONE-DAY CURE
By Harriet Lerner

Cured in a day? It happened like this:

I was surprised to get a call from Frank, a former therapy client who now lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His work was bringing him back to Kansas for a two-day seminar, and he wanted to know if I would meet with him. I hadn’t seen Frank since he and his wife, Ann, terminated marital therapy with me many years earlier. They appeared to be doing well, but Frank told me that shortly after they moved to Tulsa, Ann ended their marriage. Frank was devastated at the time, but he reported that he was now doing fine—“except for one thing.”

“What’s the problem?” I asked.

“Maybe I was traumatized by the divorce,” Frank replied, “but ever since Ann left me,

click here for the rest of the excerpt from Dr. Lerner's book:

Do you flirt? Are you any good at it?

The most successful women I know are GREAT flirts. And they are successful across the board - in business, in love and in control of their lives.

My friend Sandy always looks her best when "fix it" men show up. She claims they do their best when she looks hers and is attentive to them.

I remember one of my best friends from High School, Teresa. We'd hear her saying things like "Jimmy have you been working out with weights again? You arms look sooooo big." We'd be snickering but you know what? She's practically running that state these days. (And she and Jimmy are good friends for life.)

Long story short, flirting is an essential, healthy and fun part of life. It is also very, very useful when it comes to Love & Marriage. Find out "how to" be your best flirt with this easy course by Mimi Tanner. Worth every penny, dime, dollar ... (What would you be willing to pay to have men do what you want them to do, and be happy about it?!)

Other men said they have seen angels,

But I have seen thee
And thou art enough.
~ by G. Moore ~