How To Give Up Your Hope For A Better Past

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Dee Clark

Forgiveness gives us an opportunity. When we forgive, we let go of the hope for a better past.

We can not make the past better than it was or change what it is.
We can do the intentional, purposeful work of healing from our past.
And we will find the opportunity and freedom to create a better present and future.
Journey on,

Dee

Storms Will Come But Never For Long

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Dee Clark

Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things – with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope. ~Corazon Aquina If you don’t want the … Continue reading →

Hope Keeps Your Heart Afloat

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Dee Clark

Hope keeps your heart afloat when burdens weigh you down. Hope rises above despair; lifts you to new heights. Hope feeds and strengthens promise and joy. Hope is sweet. Hope whispers continuously to the heart, “Never give up.” WordPress … Continue reading →

Today is the Day

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Dee Clark

“Mel Fisher, a dreamer, a visionary, a legend and most importantly, the World’s Greatest Treasure Hunter! Mel Fisher did what many have not – he realized his dream during his lifetime. Everyday he insisted, “Today’s the Day”! His mantra continues to inspire the search for the rest of the treasure from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita, the Spanish galleons that sank during a hurricane on September 6, 1622, near Key West, Florida.

Mel Fisher suffered many personal losses to keep his dream alive during his 16 year search and endured over 100 court battles which ended in victory in the US Supreme Court. The riches Mel Fisher, his team and investors had worked so hard for all those years were finally theirs. The $450 million dollar treasure cache or “Atocha Mother Lode” would be found on that momentous day, July 20, 1985. Over 40 tons of silver and gold were located including over 100,000 Spanish silver coins known as “Pieces of Eight”, gold coins, Columbian emeralds, silver and gold artifacts and over 1000 silver bars.

The immensity of the Atocha’s treasure is staggering. What was only a dream instantly became an undeniable reality.” (Story from the Mel Fisher website-click on his name above.)

Day after day, we dream , we plan, we work, we lose and we try again. The journey to realizing a dream is not usually a smooth one.

Your dream may be emotional healing: freedom from depression, a new beginning after loss, hope, or renewed strength.

Your dream may be to build a future, attain a career, start a business or develop a hobby or interest.

You dream may be to impact others, see your community strengthened or encourage the downtrodden.

Keeping passion alive in the face of obstacles may be exhausting. Mel Fisher started each day reminding himself that “Today’s the Day” when everything might come together and the dream be realized. He faced each barrier, including the loss of his son, as they were presented. Each time he assessed his position. Each time he concluded that he would keep going.

His daughter said he loved to take a six foot long gold chain and put it into the hands of people he met. He loved the spark of inspiration in their eyes as the weight filled their palm.

What are you working toward? Could the realisation of your plan, goal, dream be just around the corner?

As Mel Fisher would say, “Today’s the Day!”

Don’t give up!
D

a good use for the bad things in life

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Dee Clark

Not one of us is exempt from difficult times. There are days and events that take our breath away and cause us to think that we might not make it to the next breath. We gasp for air and wonder how in the world we will make it through the situation.

We have all been there.

Yet, here we are. We made it through…stronger, wiser and better.

Questions can plague us as to “why” and “how”. However, if we can take those events, those experiences and make something beautiful out of them…those events become the opportunities that cause us to shine and bring value to the journey we are on.

Don’t allow this difficult moment define your future. Don’t allow it to define how you view the world. Don’t allow it to cause you to give up and look at your journey in a hopeless way.

Be hopeful…that there is a way through…and no matter how difficult it is today…that you will take the bad things in life and make something beautiful.

This video encouraged and inspired my heart today. I hope it will do the same for your heart.

the path fear follows

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Dee Clark

the unknown
and the unpredictable…the what “if”s…maybe “i can’t”s…the different…

all strike a chord of fear deep in the heart.

this chord sings out that we are helplessness…that our dreams, our future and even our very survival is under threat.

illusive threats pierce through our hopes and frustration sets in.

frustration is enraging; igniting the fiery emotion…anger.

anger is powerful, swift and blinds the heart to reason. anger causes us to want to fight leading us to aggressive behaviours.

but anger must have fuel…it will fizzle with time…and hatred is the fuel that keeps anger burning.

i have found that hate is like cancer. if unattended, it grows deep roots within the heart crowding out love.

hatred alienates us from each other. the heart, dark with hatred, closes in on itself and is no longer capable of fully opening up to embrace love of any kind.

withdrawal from love causes suffering which takes many forms; unforgiveness, regret, discontent, resentment and apathy.

suffering places us back to the unknown, thus reverting to fear…the cycle continues.

we fear a broken heart…

when we fear having our heart broken, it’s not so much about the pain as it is the thought that if broken we can never be whole again.

the anger begins with someone who has broken our heart in the past but swiftly moves toward hatred of potential heart breakers. a closed, isolated heart suffers in loneliness…fearing it will never find it’s deepest desire again.

we fear each other…

we fear that as we observe another person’s creativity (sometimes their very “being”) that there will be no room left for who we are or what we have to give.

fear is birthed in our thoughts and we must be courageous enough to look at it head on…sometimes shaking in our boots…and render it powerless. we must strip fear of it’s power before it takes root.

fear is a lie.

truth, love and hope know no fear…

they blossom in the heart making no room for fear to reside.

how to maintain your hope

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Dee Clark

eat honey, it is good.

the honeycomb is sweet in your mouth.

know that wisdom is like that for your whole being.

if you find it,

there is a future for you,

and your hope will not be cut off.

-Proverbs 24:13, 14

What Passion Does For You

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Dee Clark

great!

“passion empowers me to do that thing i was created to do?”, you might ask.

“great…give me an order of passion and super-size it then”.

unlike courage, wisdom or skills, you can’t just gather passion.

passion is what compels your heart.

passion is what moves you out of your comfort zone and makes you willing to plunge into ambitious, creative endeavors.

passion inspires you to put more energy into something than is required.

passion encourages you to persevere even when it’s reasonable to quit; when there’s lots of evidence that it will never work, there’s no proof that it will, and from the outside, no one could blame you for giving up.

passion empowers you, compels you, inspires you and encourages you- giving you no other option but to keep nurturing “that thing” you were created to do with no promise of tangible success.

feel like you’ve lost your passion?

ask yourself the proverbial question,

“if i knew there was no way I would fail, what would I do?”

“if money were not an issue, what would i do even if i couldn’t earn money doing it?”

what is my passion?

i’m passionate about the heart of women and people in general.

i am passionate about the person that others have written off, the person nobody believes in, that no one thinks anything good could come out of them.

i am passionate about seeing the amazing possibilities within the heart of a person who is hurting and feeling hopeless.

i am passionate about encouraging the broken heart to work through the pain it has experienced and move forward on the journey of life and reach it’s fullest potential for wholeness and well-being.

it consumes me…inspires me…thrills me…

it feels like my purpose and makes the journey i’ve been on make sense.

now, it’s your turn…

what is your passion? what is it that empowers you to do your “thang”?

please leave me a comment below and share your passion with me. help me spread a little inspiration.

how i won’t be suffocating my confidence this year

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Dee Clark

have you got a great pair of sunglasses in hand?

you know, so that you are ready for your bright future in 2014?

the new year’s celebrations and hype are complete.

they inspire us to look forward, renew our hope for the future and say goodbye to all the gut wrenching pain experienced in the previous year.

we set goals, make ourselves promises and aspire to greatness.

after a few days, we wrestle with the continuum that is all too familiar and assume…nothing is going to change expect the date.

i decided that this year i was not going to set myself up for failure by creating a noose that would sit around my neck suffocating my confidence.

i do not like to fail!

do you?

i didn’t think so!

i’m not alone, then.

therefore, i am not going to promise to abstain from chocolate.

nor am i going to promise to get up at 4:30am every morning and run 10 miles.

it’s blowing up a storm outside as i’m getting ready for bed…so an early morning run in the pouring rain and hollowing wind during the darkest part of the morning does not appeal to me much less motivate me.

i have decided that i will continue my journey, a step at a time, following my plan of action(s), using my developed skill sets, and applying gathered Wisdom.

each day will be different.

if i am unequipped in an area…i will train, learn and up skill.

if change is required, i will use my courage (great or small) and work toward change.

i do not know what is on the horizon. sometimes, that makes taking a step frightening.

for those times i will lean on faith.

there will be imperfect days.

i may shed tears. i don’t relish that thought…but i may.

i will laugh.

and celebrate…YAY!

i will waste some time.

or sleep later than my husband who wakes at the crack of dawn.

i will have productive days like today when i reorganized my entire house.

along the way,

i’ll meet you here for a heart to heart about issues important to me and common to women…

i’ll bring encouragement with me…

and leave encouraged that you came.

365 days to work with and grow in.

C’est la Vie = It is the life…the life journey i have been blessed with…

a life designed with plans for peace, …a future filled with hope. (Jer. 29:11)

if you are making resolutions, make them attainable and realistic…expect the unexpected…and always remember…

You ARE more than capable of making this year everything it should be and more!

why i believe in miracles (for the girls)

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Dee Clark

October is breast cancer awareness month. not a very encouraging topic but one i am passionate about.

having been a dental assistant in America i am all too aware of the benefits of preventive medicine when it comes to the body. this truth is especially important when it comes to breast cancer.

growing up, i had often heard my mother give minor details of her mother’s battle with breast cancer as well as the warnings that we should be sure to do self examinations and have regular mammograms.

last week, i received the call that i was due for my yearly check up. most often women are advised at my age to have a mammogram done every two years. i have them yearly…because i am a breast cancer survivor/thrivor.

in 2002, I knew something was not right so i scheduled a visit with the professionals. i was used to cysts occurring and requiring attention so i didn’t give it a lot of thought.

i returned to hear the test results and was given the all clear. this was great news but didn’t answer this “knowing” in my heart that something was not right with my body. nonetheless, i accepted that i was given the all clear and dismissed the other.

a week later, while still at work, my phone rang and it was my doctor on the other end of the phone. he was not known to ring me directly so this was odd to me.

he insisted I leave work and get to his office immediately. i rang my BFF and she agreed to go with me for support.

when he walked in the exam room it was obvious that he did not have good news…and he didn’t. he used the “C” word…and i was stunned. for whatever reason, what they had thought was a clear mammogram, was not and i had what appeared to be cancerous cell in my milk glands.

tests and biopsies followed and all confirmed my worst fear.

it had never been a fear for me before that time but the prospect of the worst case scenario (for me leaving my children behind) brought fear to my heart.

there was a whirlwind of activity, advice and prescribed treatment. i followed everything the doctors asked of me.

doing all i knew to do physically made sense to me.

my heart was troubled though. for that, i must tell you i clung to my faith and everything I had been taught about faith from growing up in a minister’s family.

i needed what I had been told to be real.

my soul (remember we are body, soul and spirit) needed to know that the spirit side of me contained some sort of strength and real connection with its maker.

in the quietness and depth of my heart, i felt this advice:
1. prayer changes things. it also calms the soul when it wants to freak out.
2. gather and follow all the wisdom i could.
3.