Where did it come from?

You ask me where do my words and inspiration come from and I tell you they come from my heart. The moment I feel free to express what lies within without masking a thing, words flow like a river. Feelings, emotions, memories and dreams ignite the landscape I love to walk on as I begin to write. That’s the way our life should be, sincere and spontaneous. We tend to hide behind walls to protect ourselves, pretend we are someone we are not, look for acceptance and wait for approval. Nobody can be real after all of these actions, we need to let others know who we are and live in our God given uniqueness which is our treasure to share with the world.

To you who read my words, who share your thoughts, who let me know how my words stir your mind and soul, I thank you. It is in that interchange that I feel more confident to express what lies within my soul and you somehow identify with me. It’s the unbelievable gift of words that makes relationship flourish and expand our horizons. Our intellect continues to grow, reach and touch as we move along our life and into the life of others. I thank you for visiting me in my blog, reading my books and for welcoming me as a guest as well. There is no greater honor than to be ushered into one’s life even if for a brief moment because when two souls cross path they are forever changed by the experience.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Touching Lives

Yesterday more than ever my conviction that words are meaningful and worth developing in ministry to touch lives has been confirmed. From writing to speaking they are able to move, stimulate, and transform.

A lady at church called me aside to let me know how much my book, Simplicity, Richness of Life meant to her. She got an idea right out of the book to help her create a special room at home to help her spiritual life. The overall theme of the book helped her put a lot of things in her life into perspective. It is at moments like these that I’m thankful to be able to express myself with words. I love to write about my experiences, my earthly journey, my questions in life, my dreams and desires. Everyone has them but each and everyone one of us has a uniqueness within it.

While the written word can be powerful, spoken words also can stir our mind and soul while listening. Yesterday was the first day that my daughter served as a lector, some people congratulated her on the excellent job she did. She was articulate, clear and revealed a lot of her intelligence reading the word of God. To me is not to get attention towards what we do as individuals but about using our God given talents in a positive manner and I’m always trying to find those special gifts in my kids to direct them in their ministries.

Back to the theme of touching lives, right now I am trying to first of all find a way in which I can express myself better than I have in the past. In order to do so I need to be clear about so many things and I am a work in progress, we all are. My life experiences keep changing, molding and transforming my mind and soul. My hope is that I manage to convey my thoughts, feelings and ideas in order to continue growing as an individual. Maybe there are lot of people out there trying to do the same.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Tax Rebate Checks in Your Account

I was scanning the news online today and saw that the IRS is planning to deposit the tax rebates checks today in the bank accounts. That’s a new way of doing things, we won’t even have to wait for the mail!

The government is hoping that people will go shopping with it to stimulate the economy, but I’m not sure too many people will do that, I know I won’t.

What are you planning to do with your money?

My Fight with Wal Mart

It seems like every 3 days I’m at Wal Mart, no matter how many shopping lists I make I always leave something behind. There is too much to distract yourself in the store but yesterday was the day that blew me away.

I ordered pictures online the night before, they were the pictures my neighbor and I took the night of his prom, I work with the picture in Adobe Photoshop and added Class of 2008 along one side. I wanted to include the pictures with the graduation invitations I print myself as well. As you know I home school my kids and among the families in the area we do pretty much everything. I also ordered another picture that one of the dads took of the baseball team which he also added some stuff with Adobe Photoshop with the name of the team, etc. Well, I show up to pick up the pictures and guess what? They would no give them to me without a release. What? Yeah!

“These are professional pictures, we need a release from the photographer.” they said.

What in the world? “How do I prove that I took the picture?” I asked.

“Bring the memory card.”

“Well, those pictures were deleted from the card days ago, I pass them to a disk. Can I bring the disk?”

“No, anyone can have the pictures on disk”

Heck, if I have the image on a disk it is because the photographer gave it to me to use how I saw fit or they are mine. No professional photographer is handing down digital pictures on a disk to their clients for free.

So now what?” I asked.

“Let me call the manager”

Well, lo and behold she looks at it and there is no way she will release them. I keep arguing. Hey, I’m late sending the invitations already I need those pictures! Well the department manager decides to speak to the store manager.

Same thing, “no way these pictures are amateur pictures, we can’t release them.” she said. “What about that backdrop?”

“It’s my dining room wall! I took my daughter’s pictures on that same wall a year ago. Do you want to come to my home to see it?” I said while she kind of rolled her eyes.

“Well, refund me the money and let me remember NEVER to come here again to develop pictures.” iI said loud so that other customers would hear me. (The Puerto Rican in me, lol)

While they were working the refund I asked what I needed to do in order to have my pictures developed. If everyone start implementing this copyright law on pictures I will be in trouble. I don’t consider myself a professional photographer but I have some good pictures I might want to print in the future. Do I need a license? a business card? The lady at the counter suggested I made a letterhead with my name and stuff on it so that they can keep it on file.

I know they are some photographers out there, have you have the same situation? How do you deal with it? How do you get a photographer’s license or how do you proof that you took the pictures you want to have processed?

What a nightmare! I ended up at CVS printing the same picture without the Class of 2008 graphic on it. No problems there, thank God.

I Renamed my Blog

Hello my friends,

Last week I asked you for some help on renaming my blog, I got some very good suggestions but nothing that really identified me. While writing and reading some of your comments and messages I came up with one I believe reflects what my blog is about. Check it out

https://clary.wordpress.com/about/

In the About Me section I explain how I came up with the name and the significance. Feel free to leave your comments, I love to hear from you. Among the ones who leave comments I will have a book drawing on May 18th, so make sure to identify yourself and from where did you link to the blog (Multiply or Yahoo! 360, etc.). Good Luck!!!

P.S. I don’t believe in Astrology but I got a glance at what it said today. Sounds interesting.

You’re getting a clearer vision of what you want from life. A philosophy is forming.

One More Year

Today is my birthday!!!!

Wow! One more year to be thankful for. This has to be the best year I had in a very long time even though I’ve faced many challenges and my life sometimes feels upside down and inside out. It is in those times that all my dreams and intentions have been put to the test. I have grown as an individual and accomplished so many things. I know that there is a lot more to do on this journey we call life and that my life somehow needs to contribute to the world in many different ways according to my gifts and talents, I hope I’m doing it. It is a process, one I take one day at a time because that’s all I have for sure. I’m stopping myself from looking too far ahead and concentrate on the present moment making it the best I possibly can for me and others. I can’t lose sight of my goals and dreams though and with baby steps move towards them, because that will make me happy. I am digging out who I am and embracing my qualities and faults looking to improve as I go along.

This year I’ve found satisfaction in embracing others and helping them make some of their dreams come true. Life has so much meaning when you are not walking alone. By the end of this year my whole life was taken into a spin that began to recreate my life into a whole new level of personal understanding. I’m looking up to the starry night sky and believe that I can reach out towards the stars. That even though I can’t touch them, I can delight in its brightness over all my hopes and dreams. Walking on the shore as the moon reflects itself on the ocean before me I realize that the present moment is all I need right now in order to find peace within. Meditation keeps me grounded, it helps me maintain my connection to God. I want to know all his plans for me and to utilize all the talents and gifts he has given me as I contemplate his creation.

I am thankful for all the experiences of this year, some good some bad but I guess necessary and useful in so many different facets of my human and spiritual development. If I have inspired you, put a smile on your face, help you dream again or prevent you from losing hope then I know my life matters. Most of all I want my love to be known, because without it I might as well be dead.

So, to life, love and the present moment until my hour comes. Cheers!!!

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Tapping on Our Inner Strength

How in the world is it that the people who supposely love us are the one that end up hurting us the most? Perhaps it is because they are so close to us physical and emotionally that we feel it that much more than anyone else around us.

I always say that words are powerful and that they can uplift or destroy an individual, maybe that is why I’m so slow at talking and expressing my feelings to someone else. I need to feel comfortable and trust the person I’m talking to in order to let them into that personal and emotional part of my being, but it is not without its risks.

Inner strength is what helps me deal with different situations in my life. It’s based on the core of my values and beliefs. It gives me the strength to remain, if I need to, in a place where is totally uncomfortable until the time is right to move on. It’s not always easy to stay put when you see your life pass by perhaps missing opportunities at work, love or relationships but I truly believe that in the end you will receive what you truly deserve.

I keep confirming that whenever I want something, immediately after I encounter resistance as a way to test my intentions and the value of my choice. My reaction to that resistance its ultimately what determines its impact; it empower or weakens me. Most of us have plenty of experience with both of these and in time we learn to pick our battles. I’ve given up a lot of dreams but at this point in my life I’m less likely to do so because I feel entitled to many of them. I will take a deep breath, focus on my inner strength until it comes up to the surface and then face the odds against me.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Disappointments

“Disappointments are to the soul what a thunderstorm is to the air.” – Friedrich Schiller

What value does disappointments hold in our life?
To me to be disappointed is to get something other than what I expected, but why should I expect anything at all? There is no way for me to know what another person is going to do, say or feel all I can do is accept or not what is offered to me.

I believe we should have goals in life and work towards them the best we can but the outcome could be so many things and we need to work with what it becomes. There are many routes to the same destination and different vehicles we can utilize to get to where we want to go, each person will pick the one suited to them. To be disappointed on someone just because they are not moving along at the speed and manner you can understand doesn’t mean that person is never going to make it. Judging never brings the best out in people but love and patience does. We all want to be the best that we can be but unfortunately not everyone can appreciate our struggles and efforts as we try to accomplish the task.

Moving along what life has to offer -or take from us- is part of the rewards and challenges we need to face. When there is nothing in our power to change our circumstances it is best to work with what we have. Going into despair is to give away our power and we become defenseless.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Getting to Know Me

“They don’t know me at all” , I’ve heard this so many times.

We all need to be known and acknowledge, it is a way of validating who we are, but many times others don’t get to know the real us to begin with. Thinking about this fact I began to think the reasons why this happens and realized that whenever I fail to put effort in getting to know someone, they also fail to know me. It is our interest for other individuals that put us at ease to reveal who we truly are and it shows with more than words, the true essence of our spirit. When we open ourselves to receive someone they also tend to open up to give in response, and in that interchange that we get to know each other.

When dealing with people who had drama or bad experiences in life we need to be careful not to be righteous and judgemental, the person will completely close the line of communications if we do. Fear of yet another rejection or disregard is their defense mechanism in order to survive. By looking at their strengths and not their weakness we can help them rise above our expectations, but it really shouldn’t be about what we want FROM them but what we want FOR them. I can tell you by experience that whenever I think of them and not me I get so much more in return; physically, mentally and spiritually.

So here is the concept; if you want people to know you, take the time to get to know them. Trust is what open ourselves to another. We can’t gain trust if we don’t learn how to embrace someone else first.

Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Seize or Relinquish

“…Some things…arrive in their own mysterious hour, on their own terms and not yours, to be seized or relinquished forever.” – Gail Goodwin

Life is a mysterious thing, isn’t it?

Full of the things we decide to seize and hold on to. It is interesting to reflect upon what comes our way and how we deal with them. I have mentioned this so many times before; life is not static, if it is called to impact the world in any way it will be a growing, expanding and challenging force that propels each and everyone of us to be who we are meant to be. We all have a special mission to accomplish and a lot of times it takes us a very long time to figure it out. I believe the reason why it takes us so long is because we fail to make time for ourselves. It is hard to slow down long enough so that we can see and hear the messages we receive from above within us.

Seizing and relinquishing what is offered to us shapes and transforms our life. It can move it or make it stagnant depending on what we decide to do or not. A lot of people would like something different in life but they don’t do anything different. It makes sense that we need to do something we have not, to get or create something we don’t have at the present moment.

Life is an adventure when we look at it this way, there are many opportunities that comes our way and the ability to pick and choose what will fit or enhance our life makes it exciting.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life