Healthy "Norms"

Now a days we are so sedentary. The norm is no longer "normal." What I'm saying is that we were created to move, play, and eat live whole nutrient rich foods. Because we don't live in a Healthy environment we must create our own. Can we really forget what Human Beings are created for and how we are supposed to live?

.... To Live, Move and Have our Being.....

Have you seen the Disney movie Wall-E? If not you should watch it just to pick-up on the subliminal message.

Remember who you are. What were you like when you were a child? Find this energy again. It is possible to be alive AND well. I'm reading a book about the aging community in different countries. Many Americans are aging completely different then so many others in surrounding countries. Can we dare to be different? I'd like to try to. Let's encourage each other to be "normal."

I want to live from the truth. I know there is "life" there. I personally want to wake up and smell the roses.

Let's Journey together.

Please Join our Health Revolution and stop the trend of obesity and Heart Disease today: www.beachbodycoach.com/ljackson

Victim Vs Victor! by Laurie Jackson 11/12/10

Victim Vs Victor:

I found myself blaming others for my problems yet again. I knew this was wrong and simply not wise. I do what I always do. I googled! “How to quit blaming others for your problems.” I found a good article but it didn’t capture me at the heart of my issue. Plan B didn’t work so I went to plan A. J I asked God about it! He said something that got straight to the heart of me, of course. He said: “blaming others requires a victim mentality.”

I continued to think and ponder this all day. I know people who live and breathe the victim mentality. I didn’t want to follow in their footsteps. I adamantly forced myself to stop having a victim mentality. I was surprised and shocked with how easy and quick it was to switch my thoughts from victim to victor. All I had to do was what I’ve done many other times and rely on a power greater then myself. Suddenly I had hope for my situation. I couldn’t believe how quick I went from victim to victor. At the core of who I am, I realized I am a victor and NOT a victim.

A victim comes from a belief of powerlessness and shame! A victim has no power but their own and depending on how they feel that day, they may be very unstable and wishy -washy about life because unless they resolve their own powerlessness, will forever be a victim. A victim blames others or circumstances for all their problems because it helps them feel a “false” sense of power. A victim is self centered and self focused because, yet again, their only hope is from their sorry selves and since they’re “hopeless” they really have no hope at all. A victim will use others and try to manipulate hope from an empty source just to make them selves feel hopeful. It’s a dead-end of course. A victim feels that they are not "allowed" to have boundaries. A victim will use the guise of helping others from a place of pity, powerlessness and hopelessness toward the other person. A victim can only see others as a victim as well. They may say to themselves, “That person has it good because their circumstances are better.” A victim lives from a place of self- hate and self -loathing. A victim is ultimately full of pride and self -sufficiency and it doesn’t work well for them. Dr Phil may ask them, “how’s that work’n for ya?” A victim chooses to live in a matrix of lies!

The VICTOR can see the true source of power that required humility to un-blind them. They can see a revelation of an overcoming spirit full of love and life from this humbled state. Their power comes from a place apart from themselves. A victor finds hope because they’ve humbled themselves to something greater then themselves. A victor doesn’t need to live in denial about their mistakes because they live from hope and love. They see their mistakes as just mistakes and they don’t NEED them to be an extension of who they are at the core. They’ve given up their powerlessness for something more powerful. Love! They believe they are loved! A victor can help another not based on pity but from a true place of “power.” A victor may or may not help a person the way they expect, because they can see deeper into the issues. Remember, the victor doesn’t need lies to hide behind. They’ve faced their shame and chose love, power and a sound mind.

When you’ve been raised un-healthy and have been truly victimized you may take on a victim mentality because it is very painful to face some memories and often the shame seems unbearable. Shame is a sign that you were not created to be involved it whatever it was that caused the SHAME in the first place. It’s a sign of how frick’n valuable you really are. We were created for beauty and goodness! The core of all human beings is made for royalty! We are magnificent and created for love, victory and peace!

Peace out! All for one and one for all! J

"Secretariat" my movie review... by Laurie Jackson

“SECRETARIAT” my movie review… by Laurie Jackson 10/23/2010

Watching the movie “Secretariat” was not just entertainment for me, it was therapeutic. I felt counseled by the wisdom of historical humanity.

I noticed three things, four if I include that the star looked like a splitting image of Mary Tyler Moore.

Because this was a true story, I valued the lessons of this journey and what I imparted from it. Firstly, I noticed she followed her intuition. When it “seemed” like she was wrong she chose to follow what was “right” in her heart. Love seemed to be at the root of this and not pride. Love for her father and belief in His wisdom.

Secondly, I really keyed in on how difficult it is to truly follow your heart. You don’t always get patted on the back. You don’t always “seem” to win right away. The only thing you have is the satisfaction that you felt you made the wisest and best choice you honestly discerned and for that you at least have no “deep” regret nagging at you.

Thirdly I could see that in this true story of a victorious person, like so many others, she was alone and isolated during her hardest season. People don’t want to support you when they don’t believe in you. They will celebrate later when there is evidence of your success. Most, even close family and friends, won’t back you up when your heart leads you to do something “different” or unconventional. All great leaders have this in common. Good leaders don’t need to use fear and manipulation to convince other people around them to agree with them. I believe it is because truly great leaders are motivated and empowered by Love.

I loved this story and I loved that she looked just like Mary Tyler Moore. This helped submerge my mind into the time and setting that the story actually took place.

The lady is still alive today and did a cameo in her movie; so don’t forget to stay for the very end.

IN COURAGE MEANT IN RELATED SHIPS: by Laurie Jackson

Today started out to be a very discouraging day. I immediately called on the loving, wise and trusted friends that I consider pure gifts from God himself. Of course they came through, they ALWAYS do. If I've learned one thing, it's to ask for help. We all need it. The rich and famous, the wise and learned need it just as much as the poor and desolate. I’ve tried to help numerous home-less people and I’ve learned so much from “all” types. One thing I’m realizing is that “Shame” or the lie that we are the only ones that ever feel bad is what disables us to ask for help. We are all in need of courage because we all struggle with FEAR. The opposite of fear is love and the only thing that counter- acts our fears and insecurities, is the presence of Love. A friend that can help you embrace "courage" while facing the fears that you may be struggling with on any given day is a must have! This is love in action or rather, in deed! Barbara Streisand sang it best…. PEOPLE… PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE ARE THE LUCKIEST PEOPLE. In the world. I can’t help myself, I love her! I’m not talking about being codependent or having toxic relationships. I’m speaking from a healthy relational stance on all of this.

If I'm not in need of "encouragement," I end up being the encourager. Being an encourager usually inspires the very person dishing it out. So never feel bad for asking, because when people help people, this gives life to everyone involved. “Paying it forward” is really what's going on here. The energy of life or rather Love itself permeates everything and everyone. Vulnerability means you have the power and strength in you to be wounded. To be honest with yourself and a few others “that you can trust,” is so freeing. I’ve had to learn the hard way to not trust everyone. I believe if we follow our hearts in this area or our “gut feelings” we’ll usually be accurate. You don’t have to tell everything to everyone. Again, I’ve come from the school of hard knocks here. J

What are we afraid of? I'll name a few, and I'm sure I'll miss a bunch here. We are afraid of losing and or being less then. We are afraid of not accomplishing our dreams. We’re afraid of being sad and lonely. Everyone I’ve ever known is or has been afraid that they’ve messed up their future from their past mistakes. We all fear not having our needs met. Everyone is afraid of pain, failure or even being the cause of another person’s pain. We are afraid of being afraid!

About a year ago, I made a list of people that I believe God had “planted” to be an important part of my life. I wrote a note to myself and categorized them in groups. I know I know it's starting to sound weird here. But let me explain. My therapy program suggested this! You see, when we feel down, we don't think rationally and as clear as usual. So I had to "remember" who to call and that I indeed had a vast reservoir of friends whom I could trust my heart with. I also used this list to remind me to “invest” in these particular friendships. Sounds contrived and fake? Not my motive at all. I just kept getting in a slump and staying there. It works both ways. All my friends call me when they are down too, and or happy. J

We need a “variety” of people in our lives. The healthiest human beings have numerous connections to many different types of people. This doesn't mean to have tons of acquaintances or fans, but rather close friendships that you can honestly trust your heart with and invest back into their lives as well.

Another healthy aspect of relationships that I’ve been learning about is that you need more then one, two or even three good friends because “one” person can not meet all of your needs and vice versa. All of us have different gifts to offer each other. I have friends that I love to laugh with. I have certain people I can call on for wisdom. Some friends are more gifted in the heart issues of life and some are better at helping you with logical, more concrete problem solving. When I began to be mindful to the supportive community of people that were just naturally placed around me, I realized how good I had it. I think it’s important to start looking, investing and even asking God to show you who He has “given” you. Again this works “both” ways. I am much more “available” to these relationships now, from just simply being aware and more in-tuned to the others around me.

Having Healthy relationships doesn’t seem to be that easy for some of us. I think it is very similar to spiritual or physical health. You either learned it well from your up bringing, you didn’t learn it at all or you learned how to be “crazy as hell.” J At any rate, all types of health can be learned. We are amazing human beings. The more I know myself, appreciate my strengths and learn from my own weakness’, the more I adore and see how magnificent the people around me are. I suppose healthy relationships start with having a healthy one with you. Give yourself Love and the encouragement you need by asking others for help. This enables us to better encourage others as well. I LOVE PEOPLE!

Enjoying the Journey, the ride and sometimes what seems like a rickety old roller coaster. With love, Laurie

DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET…. By Laurie Jackson 10/9/2010

DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET…. By Laurie Jackson 10/9/2010

I’m getting so upset as I watch my friends and family members have cancer, get surgery and suffer in so many ways, just because we are not ASKING ANY QUESTIONS! We are just going along with the Emperor and not wearing any clothes, humiliating ourselves. Not to mention freezing our butts off.

Everyone knows the “Frog in the pot analogy” right? If you don’t, let me explain. You can put a frog in a luke-warm pot right on the stove without a lid. They won’t jump out because they like it there. The water feels great! Well, because they are cold blooded and stupid, you can slowly turn up the heat as there body temperature adapts they STILL will NOT jump out, hence killing themselves even though all along they could have jumped out! Get it? We are not cold blooded nor dumb. Or are we? As I grow-up and attain more wisdom with age, I become ever more aware of this mental health issue. (I so wish the grey hair and wrinkles were not included.) LOL… Anyway, I’m getting so aggravated with the many “Basket cases” in our culture. Let me explain.

You got the medical institution, I love the Doctors they save lives! If I had a severed arm I would go straight to the Emergency room. I have not heard of a better place to go for help in this situation. If you have, let me know and I will consider “OTHER OPTIONS.” If I had cancer, I would consider ALL my options. There is ALWAYS MORE then one solution to any given problem. I’ve read too much about health at this point to just sit through chemo. I would consider it, but I would also consider or at least ask some questions and not just take one person’s opinion. Isn’t this just basic wisdom? Here is a verse for all you scriptures huggers out there. (Proverbs 24:6)…there is wisdom in a multitude of counsel). BTW I’m a fellow “scripture hugger”. I love the scriptures. It can always back up pure truth. If it’s not pure, well, you’ll have to take it out of context first. Anyway back to the subject.

I’m just exasperated with how crazy everyone seems to be getting. It’s like we’re living in the Fricken Twilight Zone. Not thinking for ourselves, not asking any questions, taking one persons word for it. Come on people lets surmise a little. I love Martin Luther King Jr. He is one of my favorite people. He said:

"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking.
There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked
solutions." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

So let’s talk about Theology. Oh yes I did write that. I used to think my pastor new all the answers, in-fact, when I was a newly wed; I used to think my husband had all the answers. I learned quickly that he did not. I believe Even Jesus Christ himself wants us to think, surmise and ask questions about the truth. All the Jewish people were trained to reason and think. This is the very culture Jesus chose to live in. I read a book called “Velvet Elvis”. It was phenomenal, and it covered much about the Jewish culture and how they were taught to reason together. I’ve learned more from the Holy Spirit asking Him questions then I’ve ever learned from a five- point sermon. Just saying! Now I’ve learned a lot from a sermon here and there but I always think about what is being taught, for myself, as well. The best teachers will encourage this. I posted this the other day on face book. I had so many amazing responses and met some new great friends.
ANY: institution that doesn't encourage you to "think for yourself" but rather tells you how and what to think is Occult and you should not give them that much control. This goes for the marriage institution, family, school, medical, your government and your church institution. Wow, I just had to get that out there......What does everyone “think” about this?~ Laurie Jackson
And my friend loved it so much that she translated it into Spanish:
Cualquier institucion que no te motiva a "pensar" por "ti" mismo, pero
al contrario te dice "que y como" pensar es un culto y no le debemos dar control. Esto incluye la institucion del matrimonio, familia, escuela,
medico, el govierno y hasta tu iglesia. Wow! solo necesitaba comentar
esto.... Cual es tu pensar acerca ...de esto? Por Laurie Jackson ☺
Thanks Cecilia! ☺
Then there’s the Government. America is based on people who wanted to serve the king of their choice. Need I go on here? There is a time for war and to fight for what you believe is true (proverbs: 24:6). I would not want to live in any other country. I believe we have the best government in the world. I hope we keep it a democracy. I really do. I’ll do my part and ponder. Oh and I’ll vote too. ☺ I used to just ask my husband, whom he was voting for because I was too lazy to think and research the issues for myself. Even though we still tend to vote the same, at least I know it’s my own vote now. ☺
The smart, wise and savvy business man/women will tell you NOT to put all your eggs in one basket. This is true for finances as well as community and even friendships. I took an amazing course from Britain called,” Uncommon Knowledge.” They taught about healthy community and relationships. It never dawned on me that I had all my eggs in one basket until of course I dropped the entire basket. Ooops! If you’re a work-a-holic… all your friends and support for life will be in ONE community. If you’re a church a-holic all your friends and support for life will be in one community. It is best to not be an “a holic” of any kind… lol. I’m learning that it is indeed healthy and wise to NOT have all your eggs in one basket.

Let us reason together………...

If the frog was “thinking” at all, he may say to himself. “I know I’m cold blooded and made to adapt my temperature to my environment, so I “think” I will jump out of THIS pot and check to see what’s going on elsewhere. If nothing is awry, then I’ll go back to my pot that I enjoyed.” But at least he checked it out. You see what I’m saying?

This mindset of “Not thinking for yourself” is permeating all of our institutions. Education becomes horrific, if the teacher does not encourage the student to reason.

To "put all your eggs in one basket" is to risk losing everything all at one time. Example: "My Husband is a very careful investor; he never puts all of his eggs in one basket." If you had a certain number of "eggs", it would be safest to put those eggs in different "baskets" and not "put them all in one basket". To "put all your eggs in one basket" would be to risk losing all of your "eggs" in case you drop that one "basket". Example: "The best way to gamble is to only bet small amounts of money and never put all your eggs in one basket." Example: "We know that you want to become an actor and we support you, but we still want you to graduate from college. Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Another thought is: if one egg is “cracked”, all of its icky, gooey yokey stuff will get all over the other eggs. If you’re in that basket, just get out for a minute and get cleaned up so that you can help “Humpty Dumpty” get put back together again. ☺ (Matt 7:3-11)

I’m teaching my children to think for themselves. I give them my thoughts, sometimes weather they want them or not, but I still encourage them to think it through, ponder a little, see what others are saying. If it’s true now, it will be true later. If they are “truly” looking for the “truth.” they’ll “truly” find it. ☺

If the Doctor that is giving you an angioplasty has clogged arteries himself, get the angioplasty because he knows how to do that well. But DON’T ask him to help you keep your arteries from being clogged. ?? He obviously has not looked into all the solutions. You don’t have to stay in the pot people! I so admire my husband for looking into alternative medicine just after he had a minor heart attack. He is a wise egg! ☺ Get out there, ponder, cogitate and ask some questions for heaven sake!

One last great story and perrrrrfect example is this one. There was this young mother that was cutting off the ends of her ham before she put it in the pot. Her husband asked her why she did this. She said she didn’t really know, except that’s what her mom did. She then, asked her mother why SHE cut the ends of the ham off before putting the ham in the pot. Her mother didn’t know either and told her to go ask Grandma because that’s who she learned it from. You can only guess what Grandma said. Grandma says, “Because the pot was too small and we didn’t have enough money to buy a bigger pot!”

Hope you’re laughing and or at least “thinking” about it. ☺ I love you all, Laurie <3 <3 <3

DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET…. By Laurie Jackson 10/9/2010

I’m getting so upset as I watch my friends and family members have cancer, get surgery and suffer in so many ways, just because we are not ASKING ANY QUESTIONS! We are just going along with the Emperor and not wearing any clothes, humiliating ourselves. Not to mention freezing our butts off.

Everyone knows the “Frog in the pot analogy” right? If you don’t, let me explain. You can put a frog in a luke-warm pot right on the stove without a lid. They won’t jump out because they like it there. The water feels great! Well, because they are cold blooded and stupid, you can slowly turn up the heat as there body temperature adapts they STILL will NOT jump out, hence killing themselves even though all along they could have jumped out! Get it? We are not cold blooded nor dumb. Or are we? As I grow-up and attain more wisdom with age, I become ever more aware of this mental health issue. (I so wish the grey hair and wrinkles were not included.) LOL… Anyway, I’m getting so aggravated with the many “Basket cases” in our culture. Let me explain.

You got the medical institution, I love the Doctors they save lives! If I had a severed arm I would go straight to the Emergency room. I have not heard of a better place to go for help in this situation. If you have, let me know and I will consider “OTHER OPTIONS.” If I had cancer, I would consider ALL my options. There is ALWAYS MORE then one solution to any given problem. I’ve read too much about health at this point to just sit through chemo. I would consider it, but I would also consider or at least ask some questions and not just take one person’s opinion. Isn’t this just basic wisdom? Here is a verse for all you scriptures huggers out there. (Proverbs 24:6)…there is wisdom in a multitude of counsel). BTW I’m a fellow “scripture hugger”. I love the scriptures. It can always back up pure truth. If it’s not pure, well, you’ll have to take it out of context first. Anyway back to the subject.

I’m just exasperated with how crazy everyone seems to be getting. It’s like we’re living in the Fricken Twilight Zone. Not thinking for ourselves, not asking any questions, taking one persons word for it. Come on people lets surmise a little. I love Martin Luther King Jr. He is one of my favorite people. He said:

"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking.
There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked
solutions." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

So let’s talk about Theology. Oh yes I did write that. I used to think my pastor new all the answers, in-fact, when I was a newly wed; I used to think my husband had all the answers. I learned quickly that he did not. I believe Even Jesus Christ himself wants us to think, ponder and ask questions about the truth. All the Jewish people were trained to reason and think. This is the very culture Jesus chose to live in. I read a book called “Velvet Elvis”. It was phenomenal, and it covered much about the Jewish culture and how they were taught to reason together. I’ve learned more from the Holy Spirit asking Him questions then I’ve ever learned from a five- point sermon. Just saying! Now I’ve learned a lot from a sermon here and there but I always think about what is being taught, for myself, as well. The best teachers will encourage this. I posted this the other day on face book. I had so many amazing responses and met some new great friends.
ANY: institution that doesn't encourage you to "think for yourself" but rather tells you how and what to think is Occult and you should not give them that much control. This goes for the marriage institution, family, school, medical, your government and your church institution. Wow, I just had to get that out there......What does everyone “think” about this?~ Laurie Jackson
And my friend loved it so much that she translated it into Spanish:
Cualquier institucion que no te motiva a "pensar" por "ti" mismo, pero
al contrario te dice "que y como" pensar es un culto y no le debemos dar control. Esto incluye la institucion del matrimonio, familia, escuela,
medico, el govierno y hasta tu iglesia. Wow! solo necesitaba comentar
esto.... Cual es tu pensar acerca ...de esto? Por Laurie Jackson ☺
Thanks Cecilia! ☺
Then there’s the Government. America is based on people who wanted to serve the king of their choice. Need I go on here? There is a time for war and to fight for what you believe is true (proverbs: 24:6). I would not want to live in any other country. I believe we have the best government in the world. I hope we keep it a democracy. I really do. I’ll do my part and ponder. Oh and I’ll vote too. ☺ I used to just ask my husband, whom he was voting for because I was too lazy to think and research the issues for myself. Even though we still tend to vote the same, at least I know it’s my own vote now. ☺
The smart, wise and savvy business man/women will tell you NOT to put all your eggs in one basket. This is true for finances as well as community and even friendships. I took an amazing course from Britain called,” Uncommon Knowledge.” They taught about healthy community and relationships. It never dawned on me that I had all my eggs in one basket until of course I dropped the entire basket. Ooops! If you’re a work-a-holic… all your friends and support for life will be in ONE community. If you’re a church a-holic all your friends and support for life will be in one community. It is best to not be an “a holic” of any kind… lol. I’m learning that it is indeed healthy and wise to NOT have all your eggs in one basket.

Let us reason together………...

If the frog was “thinking” at all, he may say to himself. “I know I’m cold blooded and made to adapt my temperature to my environment, so I “think” I will jump out of THIS pot and check to see what’s going on elsewhere. If nothing is awry, then I’ll go back to my pot that I enjoyed.” But at least he checked it out. You see what I’m saying?

This mindset of “Not thinking for yourself” is permeating all of our institutions. Education becomes horrific, if the teacher does not encourage the student to reason.

To "put all your eggs in one basket" is to risk losing everything all at one time. Example: "My Husband is a very careful investor; he never puts all of his eggs in one basket." If you had a certain number of "eggs", it would be safest to put those eggs in different "baskets" and not "put them all in one basket". To "put all your eggs in one basket" would be to risk losing all of your "eggs" in case you drop that one "basket". Example: "The best way to gamble is to only bet small amounts of money and never put all your eggs in one basket." Example: "We know that you want to become an actor and we support you, but we still want you to graduate from college. Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Another thought is: if one egg is “cracked”, all of its icky, gooey yokey stuff will get all over the other eggs. If you’re in that basket, just get out for a minute and get cleaned up so that you can help “Humpty Dumpty” get put back together again. ☺ (Matt 7:3-11)

I’m teaching my children to think for themselves. I give them my thoughts, sometimes weather they want them or not, but I still encourage them to think it through, ponder a little, see what others are saying. If it’s true now, it will be true later. If they are “truly” looking for the “truth.” they’ll “truly” find it. ☺

If the Doctor that is giving you an angioplasty has clogged arteries himself, get the angioplasty because he knows how to do that well. But DON’T ask him to help you keep your arteries from being clogged. ?? He obviously has not looked into all the solutions. You don’t have to stay in the pot people! I so admire my husband for looking into alternative medicine just after he had a minor heart attack. He is a wise egg! ☺ Get out there, ponder, cogitate and ask some questions for heaven sake!

One last great story and perrrrrfect example is this one. There was this young mother that was cutting off the ends of her ham before she put it in the pot. Her husband asked her why she did this. She said she didn’t really know, except that’s what her mom did. She then, asked her mother why SHE cut the ends of the ham off before putting the ham in the pot. Her mother didn’t know either and told her to go ask Grandma because that’s who she learned it from. You can only guess what Grandma said. Grandma says, “Because the pot was too small and we didn’t have enough money to buy a bigger pot!”

Hope you’re laughing and or at least “thinking” about it. ☺ I love you all, Laurie <3 <3 <3

SURVIVING VS THRIVING AND MISSING LINKS: Spirit, mind and Body: By Laurie Jackson

SURVIVING VS THRIVING AND MISSING LINKS:
Spirit, mind and Body: By Laurie Jackson

I haven’t blogged much because I’ve been seriously enjoying this summer. It had nothing to do with the weather, obviously! ☺ My sister said I should just make myself blog every week and she even gave me a name for one… “Just For The Blog Of It!’ She makes me laugh every time we’re together! Every time!!!!! I had to disagree though, at least for now. I would rather wait for the right timing and inspiration before I blog away. For your benefit and mine. ☺ So here’s what happened: (that was for all you “Monk” fans out there)

For many years I functioned and lived in survival mode. I didn’t realize it at the time because I hadn’t experienced much of a thriving mode. Memories of thriving were moments in child hood when I had energy and felt loved but since my early adolescents I’ve struggled with Asthma, depression, mood swings and low self esteem. As I became a teenager I would devour self-help books and look to God in the bible for help. I found some comfort and many of the books I read did help and gave me hope to keep on trying.

As I became a young mother, suddenly my issues became even more immanent to conquer, as I wanted to be a loving and fit role model for our precious child. In desperation and out of the immense Love I had for our new baby, I began to admit I was at the end of my own resources and needed divine intervention for many of my spiritual and psychological torment.

This is When “Surviving” had moments of “Thriving” I would find God in such a real way. I would sense His presence. Then It would seem to fade or end. I would work hard again to “keep” God around so I could get help. At this point of my (blog/biography) I will fast forward many years. This cycle went on and on. I received much revelation from God about His Way, Truth and Life but it was still such a roller coaster yet slowly coming to the end of the ride. God works it all out for good “doesn’t He?” The missing link was that God needed to get “religion” or rather the “leaven” out of my heart, mind and soul. This was exactly what was causing most of my problems. A very helpful resource, out of many, that God led me to was:

http://lifestream.org/


God spent a lot of time with me in much solitude cleaning me up from all the leaven that had been deposited in my Theology. It was a Journey full of hard and maybe some unnecessary trials.

Next, was my mind, the way I processed my thoughts, and problem solved was extremely unproductive and sometimes just plain harmful. An excellent resource that I wish I had my hands on when I was a young teenager was a $99.00 dollar course I found on -line. This simple way of “learning” how to think should be taught in schools. This program was actually developed in Britain and they have taught it in some of their middle schools as well.
I would have never been open to a “secular” psychology program when I was full of “religion.” Some of us learned toxic and destructive thinking patterns from role models who simply didn’t have role models and skills for themselves… etc… I found this web site called “Uncommon Knowledge” to be some of the simplest and best counseling I’ve ever received.

http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/


Next, was and final resolution of my physiological state. As I mentioned earlier, I had severe Asthma as a child. “Back-in-the-day”.. ☺ the Doctors didn’t know any better but to give people an over extended prescription of “antibiotics” They now know that is causes all sorts of problems. To make a long story short… I will say that being exposed to antibiotics on such a long term basis caused me to have an imbalance of candida or an allergic reaction to some foods. I believe this was the root of an eating disorder I struggled with for years. I remember thinking that I just simply felt better when I didn’t eat. I later figured out I could eat “certain” things and would still feel okay. I know now I needed to eat much more of the food that I could eat because as a result I kept see-sawing back and forth from starving myself to causing an imbalance in my system. I would keep going back to a vegetarian diet. I had just enough knowledge to be a danger to myself. I needed to know How, What and Why. After many years of self- study stemming out of desperation. I found a cure for this and most ailments. Except a severed limb of course. This resource may help you with any physical ailments you may have.

http://www.raw-food-health.net/

You can also visit my on-line coaching program at:
http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/ljackson

My life is not perfect! In fact that is a toxic way to think. You will set your self up for failure and become a “defeated perfectionist.” This mind set has permeated my spiritual, emotional and physical life. Just giving up the “all or nothing thinking” can do wonders by itself.

I shared this because I feel inspired by what God has done and is still doing in my life. I am grateful for the wisdom that surrounds us. If we just weed through all the other stuff and follow our hearts I believe Truth and freedom are not a distant future. Each trial creates more roots and causes us to bear more fruit in our lives. I hope you’ve been inspired and I hope these links help you on your own journey.

If you would like to leave a comment and follow this thread, just click on the green comment button and don’t forget to click the box that says follow up e-mails. Love 2 U! ☺

The Wisdom Of Health: By Laurie Jackson 6/22/2010

The Wisdom of Health: by Laurie Jackson

“Yes, this is the wisdom of health, enjoy the process. We were created to be healthy so when we go that direction we are actually living out what is most true about ourselves.” :)

I posted this on a thread the other day. It just sorta came out from my heart. I was so excited for my friend Jennifer’s’ success in her own health journey. She posted her before and after picture and I couldn’t help but celebrate this new place she has come to.

I guess the question and the real point of this blog is this: Is my friend Jennifer coming to a “New” place or returning to who she was created to be in the first place? When we “follow our heart” we will end up in a true representation of our intended creation. (That last sentence could be in a rap song) That’s why I’m keep’n it in! ☺ Being true to your self and loving yourself is ultimate wisdom. I read this truth in a bible verse after it had been something I had already experienced personally. Proverbs 19:8 “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul.” My take on this is that when you Love yourself “before” you’ve made positive and wise changes then and only then will you actually be able to find and receive wisdom. I think it’s interesting that I knew this truth before I read “about” it. I just happened to recognize it in words at that time in my life. I believe truth lives in us and when it gets to a place of growth that roots deep enough for it to pop up from the soil of life then this is when we start to “recognize” what or who truth is.

So many of us have warped ideas of health, wisdom and even Love. I think as I’ve relaxed into a place of really trusting my gut feelings or as I like to say, trusting my heart, I’ve been able to come to more peace about who I am. I like myself better. I seem to be getting more transparent people surrounding me. My life seems more authentic.

I used to struggle so intensely with my weight. Not many people knew because I “looked” great! Oh yes I did! I was never FAT… and fat is supposedly ugly. Well, I felt ugly! My thoughts were ugly and food controlled almost every piece of me! I was not free! I over exercised and under-ate. It wasn’t about “looking” good as much as it was about me feeling a sense of “control” in my life. I never did get into the Bulimic stuff. I was probably borderline anorexic. I say borderline because my body didn’t actually get to a point of rejecting food altogether but I could go days without eating. I used to ride my bike to work and back approximately 24 miles. I would only allow myself to eat maybe a salad and one cup of coffee a day. I was in so much bondage! BUT… people would say, “you look great” and “how do you stay so calm?” When you don’t eat enough I think your emotions shut down or vice versa.

I’m pretty sure that was just what I was doing… shutting down psychologically and trying to “control” pain in my life. Something deep inside me, the truth about who I was, kept calling me out of this craziness. I was always too afraid to let go of my façade of control. I didn’t realize at that time it was a façade. As I got older, the façade started to give way. I became pregnant. Now Love was involved! Maybe the Love for my daughter caused me to Love myself as a mother. This little baby inside of me needs to be healthy and have a healthy and wise mommy. This is when I began to “change.” It pretty much backs up the proverb, doesn’t it?

I’m not going to tell you I’m a super woman and never count my calories. I will tell you without flinching one bit, I’M FREE in this place!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsWgG5v7A3A

Not perfect, but my thoughts are on so many other things. Working out is now just part of my week. Eating well and often is almost like taking a shower. I enjoy food for what it is. My first pregnancy has been more then 17 years. This freedom I truly walk in has come from a place of Truth and love in my soul. We all have it. Let it grow and water it by following your heart. Truth and Love are written on our hearts. What keeps us from finding this treasure is fakeness. Fake plants don’t grow. We are real people alive and breathing. We need light, living water and a safe environment to rest and grow in. We need to trust our hearts. Don’t just look at what people say about you. Everyone “thought” I was fine. I was the only one that really knew how miserable I was. Trust the Love and truth that live inside of you. Love and Truth just want to grow and reveal the magnificent person you were created to be.

We were created to be healthy so when we go that direction we are actually living out what is most true about ourselves.” :)

I am so grateful that our Journey’s have intersected. Please leave a comment by clicking “Green” ~ ☺ Love 2 u, Laurie

Moving On..... By Laurie Jackson 6/15/2010

I just looked at how many blogs I've written these past few months and I imagine out of all nine, for the most part my perceptions of my own thoughts have “Moved On.” Today I was sitting in the car with my fourteen-year-old daughter as we waited for my son's Tae- Kwon-do class to end. She said something I thought was very profound. She said, "Sometimes it's not quitting, it's just moving on." I don't know what we were talking about that made her say this but I knew what she meant straight away.

I have a friend who promotes that; a persons life should be lived organically and able to grow naturally from the heart as an individual, opposed to the pressure of comparing or striving to be what another person or a system of belief would try to convince them to think. A blog I wrote called “Heavy thought trips” is probably one of those blogs I would still agree with completely. I talk about an idea of just simply thinking things through for yourself and coming to your own conclusions about life as you search for answers and just live and learn through your own experiences instead of mimicking and thinking the way others do.

So this blog is just another place I’m moving on or into. The old is passing away and I’m naturally growing into someone that thinks differently then I have in the recent past. I don’t look so different, although I’m trying REALLY hard by dying my hair, working out etc. ☺ But of course I’m talking about an inside type of change.

This past year I have been willing and almost forced to re-evaluate my beliefs about what I feel are the most important aspects in my life; which is relationships. I’ve moved on from some relationships and changed my responses to many. The reason I believe this happened is because I chose to follow my heart more instead of what “looks” like the right or wrong thing to do. I don’t want to live any other way hence the title: Moving On.

I think this must be how it feels for a person coming out of a controlling family life or even maybe say an occult. I have never felt so free to be me. I trust my heart for many reasons that I won’t even blog about at this point. It feels so right but at first I doubted almost every step, except something deeper inside kept me “moving on” in this direction. I’m so glad I did!

Living organically means that you will grow in your natural state. You may even look wild to those who are cultivated by the factory farmers. You may even seem like you have too many bugs on you because you weren’t sprayed with tons of pesticides. I’m no longer making all my decisions based on what everyone else does or expects. What freedom to get out from under such oppression? ☺ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsWgG5v7A3A

I just know I’m Moving on and following my heart which is God given. Let me clarify that I don’t mean I follow every whim and emotion because I would weigh over 300 lbs if I did. I’m not talking about the external, but being truly connected to what I really want and desire from my gut. Scientists have found that there is a chemical reaction that takes place from your gut when a persons instincts kick in. It’s a healthy chemical for your body and isn’t toxic for you. It was created so you would run for dear life! ☺ Do ya get it? If you’ve cut yourself off from your heart it may take awhile to find this natural, organic real you. Hang in there because you were created to be you!

Organically grown is always the healthier choice to make. It seems to be more “spendy” though. Hmmmm?

Until my heart leads me back to blog again I do thank you for sharing in my Journey. And a special thanks to those of you who always seem to find the Best in my heart, you know who you are. ☺

DAMNED IF YA DO, DAMNED IF YA DON'T..

Damned if ya do, damned if ya don’t… by Laurie Jackson 5/23/2010

Okay, so I got to thinking about how “shame” is so attached to my heart and now that I can see it in one area of my life it is like I see that most of my actions and motives are based on shame! I can see clearly that most everything in my life is tainted in some way, by shame. Do I have to do this or do I get to do this?

Let me explain the title. Damned if ya do and damned if ya don’t. Have you ever struggled with your weight or any other thing you feel guilty or obligated about? I should workout, I should call that person, and I should do this or that. It Reminds me of the infamous saying: “Don’t should on yourself.” Then there are days when I wake up and I am so excited about what I GET to do that day. I love these days!

I’m looking inside my heart today and asking myself what is the difference in this shame based attitude, from the I “get to” attitude?

I believe, for me anyway, it comes down to one, or rather two questions. “Do I feel manipulated and controlled about doing something or do I personally and genuinely have a desire to do a thing?”

There are people who are truly satisfied to have a relationship based on manipulation, control and trying to put shame on you. They are satisfied “pretending” that you are glad to talk to them and visit with them. Personally, I would not want someone to feel this way about me. If I look deep in my heart I may “want” to call a person, but if they project this needy attitude full of victimization that gives way to manipulating and trying to control me to be there friend then I end up wanting to run and hide from these kind of relationships. But then this causes the person to manipulate the relationship even more and causes me to want to gasp for air and get away from the relationship as quick as possible.

I think so many marriages and many relationships are caught up in this sort of thing. So “damned if ya do and damned if ya don’t”… you feel trapped! I think the only remedy is to have a type of separation from the toxic relationship and then when everyone is “okay” and detoxed from this unhealthy need of you, and then maybe, just maybe, you can have some type of healthy relationship.

My husband and I actually went through this many years ago. We did not quite separate but I did separate emotionally from him and I learned to get my emotional needs met from developing a deeper and more dependent relationship with God and even ended up connecting better to myself. This actually made my husband and my relationship much healthier. ☺ Go figure.

The same goes for our relationship with food and exercise or anything else we “should” do. We obviously were made to eat and move our bodies as well as many other things in life. We were created to enjoy our food and even enjoy healthy living. This area has also been so warped with shame and obligation. I can’t quite explain how or when I feel free from this but it has something to do with being okay with myself no matter what I’m eating or if I worked out that day. It seems when I completely dispose of any perfectionist, unrealistic and or even “non-conformist” type of attitudes. When I allow myself to be a flexible human -being. I supposed being “okay” with what I may need to feel on any given day. Not relying on shame or guilt to be my motivator but rather motivated by truth and love for each moment. If I eat too much or exercise too little just telling myself, “you are on a journey and your value does not rely on what you look like or even feel like.”

Shame is all over the place. We live in such a performance based society full of competition and images that promise happiness. Images of what happiness looks like i.e.: family, friendship, work/careers or our body image. We have all heard happiness does not come from outer circumstances or appearances. Seriously, in some ways this is true but in some ways it’s a really stupid cliché’. Imagine having everyone you loved taken away from you. Or imagine if you had a serious health condition that caused you to swell up and loose any or all-outer beauty and or all your vitality. Would any of us really be happy? I wouldn’t even have the audacity to say that I would or could feel happy.

Job, from the big, bad, bible story did, or did he? Was Job truly happy while going through it, was he? It says that God restored double for his trouble but I could never understand that if Job really loved his kids and wife, how could God just replace them with “other” people. This was obviously over a lot of time… Months, years and more like decades. “Time” to heal and grow seems to be an important factor in all this.

So, I think I’m giving up on all this stuff I do in pretense, obligation and completely shame based. Of course tomorrow I will do stuff that I don’t “feel” like doing but, I’m asking God to continue to show me how to live loved, live in His truth, and not live out of any shame and truly experience more freedom.

I have tried to make this happen for myself, but time and time again I find that my efforts are a dead end road. When I wait on God to transform me into a free, loving person I end up waking up and noticing that some of my shame based attitudes are gone. How does He do it? I don’t know exactly, but I think it has something to do with taking shame out of my thinking and affirming His love for me personally and causing me to actually experience His perfect Love in my daily life. This is vague and it even seems like some sort of rhetoric that I’ve heard before. So far, it’s the only way that seems to bring fruit on my tree. When I just stand there and receive all of Gods provision, nutrients, light and living water, the tree just grows a “little” each day. When I look back a year ago, it seems more visible, but even then, I try not to look back too often. This seems to hinder me more then help.

However, whenever and whatever means God chooses. God is NOT shame. God is Love. It is His kindness and mercy that leads us to a transformed life of really knowing His love for us so we can honestly extend that love to others. Not shame, obligation and performance based living.

This is where I seem to be these days on this life journey. Let me know more about your journey. I love hearing what God is doing in all of you too. ☺

WOULD GOD REALLY...? By Laurie Jackson 5/6/2010

WOULD GOD REALLY…? by Laurie Jackson 5/6/2010

Would God really, and on purpose, lead someone down a road to sabotage his or her life? I don’t believe this for a minute but after last year, I’m convinced that God would lead you down a road that could cost all your comfort, familiarity, and reputation and even seem to take away your closest friendships. Would God actually lead us to a place of desolation or a wilderness? For His higher purposes of Love, I believe that He would and He led me there.

Last year around March my life went haywire because I heard God speak very clearly to me. You may say, God does not give fear and His yoke is easy and light. I completely agree, but has God ever told you to “do it afraid?” Or has He ever told you to do something that wasn’t easy? The fruit of His spirit is easy and light and the fruit of Love does cast out fear. Fruit is a process of growth it’s not instant. Because I listened to the Holy Sprits leading, and He knew I would, my life lost all it’s familiar comforts and grooves I had established. Before I tell you more, let me interject a short story about our daughter having seizures a few years back.

God asked me if I could trust His love for me, when our daughter was having seizures a few years ago. I basically said "Hell No!” seriously. I said, "What kind of God are you that you would take our child?" Anyway, because God is so good and He knew the depths of my heart even more then I knew myself; I totally ended up trusting Him there. Not immediately, but He led me and comforted me through the process. I was never the same after the process of experiencing His comfort during the few years our daughter was having seizures. My level of trust in Him and my understanding of His ways grew up a few notches. She ended up getting sick and hospitalized a year after all the seizures for a different ailment and then, it was “Light and easy” I actually felt guilty for not worrying so much and asked God if I was disconnected from my emotions and maybe I didn’t love my daughter. His answer surprised me. He said this is a peace that surpasses your own understanding. When you really walk this journey out with Him the scriptures start making way more sense. I have not had that kind of peace since then or before then. I can get a little glimpse of how the characters in the bible had the power of His grace to get through some of the most horrific experiences though.

In John 6:28 the disciples asked Jesus what the “work” of God is. Jesus responded and said, “The work of God is to believe in me.” It takes a lot of work to believe God at times. The fruit of believing God is Love, Power and a sound mind… oh and then you tell everyone that Gods ways are easy and light after you’ve grown a few inches. Gods’ ways are easy and light. It’s our way that is hard to give up.

Love always protects. How can this be, if Gods people are dieing left and right? I’m starting to grasp, just a little of Gods wisdom. Gods’ love doesn’t protect what we deem as valuable but what He knows is of value. Our faith is more valuable to Him and Love is the greatest concern to Him. It seems like the only time Faith and Love get developed and actually grow, is in the trials and tribulations of life. How easy is it to Love someone who is always nice to you. How easy would it be to Love a person who hurt your child or molested your child? How easy is it to have faith and trust God when things are smooth and peachy? I’ve prayed prayers to God like this: “God do whatever you need to do to keep me close to you.” It’s no wonder that He asked me to do a very hard thing last year. I completely followed Him out of all my comfort zones. I’m only beginning to see how important it was that I trusted Him and followed his lead. His Love always protects. If He doesn’t protect the way you think He should then just hang tight. He’ll give you His Love chat. Love also bears all things and endures all things… Love will not fail!

To follow Jesus, when it seems like you are causing others pain by doing it, is very confusing. God’s love is so much deeper then some of our little Love concepts. There is always sacrifice involved in Loving. He always has the best interests for all His people. Everyone is of equal concern in Gods family. He went to the cross and asked God to forgive the Pharisees because they didn’t realize what they were doing. The sacrifice is the hardest for those who are called to the cross on behalf of others.

I learned so much about Gods ways this year. I wouldn’t go back and change anything. I wonder how some of those bible characters felt when God seemed to lead them and guide them in a direction that felt “extremely” uncomfortable. I won’t give any details of my trial. I will tell you that there was not anyplace or any person I could turn to for quite some time. The only comfort I had was God. Like I said, it’s worth following Him. His ways are just not like we plan. But His ways lead to Love, Peace, Joy and so much more. The prize is that you get to know the God of creation better. He led me to some amazing people that I would have never met had I stayed in the nest. To think that we can know Him so personally is crazy and amazing at the same time. The fact that we are in His image is mind-boggling. Wow!

If you are in a trial just look this guy named, Nick Vujicic up on you-tube. He is a man with no arms and legs. He has such a gift of encouragement just for you! ☺

Thanks for sharing this sometimes scary, fun, exciting, hard, seemingly crazy and forever rewarding journey with me.

BRAIN REACTIONS: By Laurie Jackson 5/4/2010

BRAIN REACTIONS…. By Laurie Jackson 5/2/2010


There is so much they have found about the brain these days. I read a book entitled “Who Switched Off My Brain” by Dr. Caroline Leaf a couple of years ago. It was an amazing book and I highly recommend it. I ended up getting some videos at the library on the brain and got really into how the whole brain functions. It was fascinating, to me anyway. ☺

On my treadmill today I started thinking about the show “The Biggest Loser” and how hard they try and make positive changes. I think to myself, I’m glad I only need to lose 5 pounds here and there. That show motivates me to continue to workout and eat right. I would never want to have to lose that much weight.

But on the other hand, I’ve been making some very difficult changes about how I process my thoughts. Challenging myself to think more rational and truthful thoughts. Like our physical body, we can literally change and transform our brain. I used to think I had little control over my thoughts. I suppose, to some, that would be as irrational as hearing an obese person say to a thin person that they have no control over what they eat. What is hard for one person may be easy to another and vice versa. Of course there are so many reasons for this, I’m not even going to try to write about just what I personally know. Everyone reading this knows a little about why this would be so. “Only God can help us now” Can be a moment of truth for so many of us at certain times in our lives. His grace is sufficient and I do believe there are times when He understands that we don’t even know how to help ourselves and this is when He waves His power over our situation. Like any father, He also wants us learn to use wisely the brainpower He has given us.

I’ve also been watching the show “Ruby” on the style channel. Tonight there is a two-hour special, in case you are reading this and want to tune in. Apparently I have some readers “incognito.” ☺ Ruby is a show about a woman who used to weigh over 700 lbs and is now down to 300 something. Her story is a testimony of hope and the reality of changed thinking patterns.

So let me get back to the title of this blog. We can choose to make a positive thought choices and it will literally create certain chemical reactions and build positive neuro pathways in our brains, hence the title, “Brain Reactions.” Our thought choices make Physical reactions in our brain. A diet for our mind is just as, or more important as the diet we choose for our bodies. Of course we can’t separate these two. ☺ I think we would have to be beheaded or something. ☺ The same is true when we choose destructive thoughts. We all know what is positive and negative. I used to hate when someone told me to think positive. It’s like telling an obese person to just workout and eat right. Honestly, when your mind has been lazy, or on a wrong pattern for years, it looks like those people on the “Biggest Loser” show. It’s not easy, and you need to learn how to think positive and know basic problem solving skills and expose where you may be thinking destructively. We may even need a coach like Julian, God forbid. I’m just joking, Julian really helps so many people. I believe her mother is a psychologist. Julian seems to use some psycho - therapy when she is coaching.

Some of us were taught how to deal with problems in a destructive way opposed to a positive way. I researched this sight called “Uncommon Knowledge” it is an excellent resource to communicate basic problem solving skills, etc. They are actually teaching their program in many elementary schools all around the world. It seems so basic, how to eat right, how to think right. Yet we can get so off into la la land and we don’t even realize how destructive our thoughts are. We all have the propensity to think crazy at times.

I’ve mentioned two shows, let me mention a third and give away the fact that maybe I watch a lot of T.V. “The Super Nanny.” I watch this show sometimes and can barely believe the parents, let alone the demonic kids! But when you are taught how to think wrong you can easily be taught right. The super nanny does this in a few days. There is so much work involved at first. Like a rocket getting off the ground, it takes so much fuel to retrain your thinking but soon your up and away while using a lot less fuel.

Working out for me is so easy compared to some. Not because I’m better, but because I’ve done the mind work in that area for years. My friend is taking a calculus class. At this moment it would not be rational for me to take a calculus class. I would need so much prep work. So a good point to make here is that we should expect “work” when we begin to get serious about changing stuff in our lives. That is why people who go on any quick fix, wacky, wild diet plan or any kind of plan to change their life, end up not having lasting life change. The truth is that real change takes time and a lot of effort on our part.

I heard a counselor tell someone that they needed to learn to counsel him or herself. This is what it comes down to. We must use our own will to make our own changes in life. The other option is be lazy and never change. Even the good changes we’ve already made require continued maintenance. I am not over weight, but I most certainly could be if I chose to discontinue healthy habits. I’m often tempted to not do my workout and or eat like I did when I was 15 years old. ☺

To be lazy, in any area of your life is not fun. If we are honest, we love to work and be challenged. We were created to live and move and be stretched as human beings. We were created to work “it” out. So if you’re like me, you want changes in your life with little to no effort. This is the point of my blog. To encourage myself my readers and the readers that are “incognito” to be realistic about the “work” part. Remember one good decision leads to a “brain reaction” and then this usually leads to a positive domino effect. Good choices typically help us make more good choices etc. ☺

Keep on keep’n on. BTW when we smile and or laugh this creates motivating chemical “Brain reactions.” Take charge of your own thoughts and let your brain work for you and not against you. I’m thinking this is what God meant when He said He wants us to renew our minds.

He wants the best for his kids and I don’t think He is willing to wave His magic wand and watch our brains atrophy and wither away into nothingness. He wants us to find our brainpower and use it to choose life. His hope when He created our “Brain reactions” was so that they would work for us, not against us.

Let’s partner with our magnificently created brain and our amazing creator of it and choose life giving “brain reactions.”

Thanks for reading. When I started this blog I seriously had no idea that it would begin some amazing conversations with so many incredible people.
Thank you all for this, Laurie

Heavy thought trips: by Laurie Jackson

Heavy thought trips: by Laurie Jackson

In my OWN definition I believe occult type thinking or brainwashing is when a person believes or thinks something based on another person’s conclusions and not based on his or her own personal conclusions. Kind of like, “think for yourself”. I’m not saying not to get information elsewhere or even just decide in yourself to have faith in something. I’m proposing that we need to come to our own personal conclusions about things from our own experiences. Even my faith in God has come from many experiences and not just a one size fits all faith but based on my OWN personal journey.

To me, being of “sound mind” is when my thoughts and opinions are based on my own conclusions that my personal journey in life has brought me to.

I just looked up the word occult and the word brainwashing. Very thought provoking. ☺

I love the science channel. I learn so much from these scientists. I appreciate people who search out and discover things. Some of the scientists “seem” to still be caught up in the rhetoric they have heard and are not thinking for themselves. You can tell the shows that have the scientists that are open minded and not trying to prove anything to you but just show you what they have found or discovered for themselves. These types of cable shows fascinate me and I’ve sat and watched them for hours at a time. ☺ Well, maybe I was bored.

The book of proverbs in the King James Bible says… It is an honor for a King to search out a matter. What does this mean? My OWN interpretation is that the writer is saying…. A highly respected individual is honored to have to work out their own solutions for their own life or, (kingdom). Another proverb popped out (not literally. I was not taking any drugs at the time)… at me a few years ago that said: “He who gets wisdom loves His own soul”. In my OWN opinion of this proverb it meant that when you truly love yourself way down deep you will aspire and desire to improve your self and seek out a sounder mind because you care about you. This is my OWN opinion. So instead of trying to get smart so you can Love yourself you get smarted BECAUSE you value and love yourself.


I love writing down my thoughts because it seems to help me process what I’m learning. This way I don’t need to philosophies with people who really don’t have that bent. ☺ My husband really appreciates this. I have a few people that just LOVE to chat about everything under the sun. This is actually enjoyable for some of us. When I find these people we have some of the most amazing conversations.

I’ve always loved to ask questions. When I get fearful of any given situation my questioning seems to turn into anxious rumination. So this can be the down side to it. There is a good diet for your mind and a bad one, just like our bodies we need balance. There is always a balance to the things you enjoy doing and as I age, I’m finding that my interests in life are expanding and expounding.

I believe I have a creator that made me to think, reason, create and ponder this life He created for Himself and us. I believe the creator, I call Father, loves to have conversations with us. ☺

Thanks for joining me in this life journey…

INSTANT ITIMACY. By Laurie Jackosn 4/23/10

INSTANT ITIMACEY: By Laurie Jackson 4/23/2010

Instant intimacy in any relationship is not real or authentic intimacy. It is a fake and somewhat like, prostitution of the soul. When a person tells all about themselves the first time they meet you, be cautious because this person will have issues with setting healthy relationship boundaries and a person who can not set healthy boundaries for themselves will not be able to extend healthy boundaries for others. This is very important in regard to possessing healthy and satisfying relationships.

Yes God knows us perfectly. But we don’t know “Him” perfectly and in any other mere human relationship it would be irrational to presume instant intimacy.

The idea of “Instant Intimacy” and not possessing healthy boundaries is very much promoted when people put a demand on themselves or even others to Trust God immediately about something. To trust anyone is a process. God does not “demand” that we trust Him. He asks us to trust Him and He will invest in the relationship as much or as little as we choose. This idea that we MUST trust God is submerged with the “Instant Intimacy” issue.

We also can’t demand Love. Loving someone comes from relationship. I can love someone that I don’t know based on my own understanding and “experience” in relational Loving. Yet, I cannot demand them to love me and nor would I ever want to. Would you? Having healthy relationships requires at least one person to have realistic boundaries. Typically this issue attracts others that struggle in this same area. Children that are raised in abusive homes generally don’t know how to set healthy boundaries

I’m blogging about this because it is a huge problem and is being promoted in many aspects but the one that seems inappropriate is in your typical church atmosphere. To just tell someone to trust God or even to trust instantly in him/her is based on an unrealistic expectation. This seems to be more prevalent in the Pentecostal arena, that we are to INSTANTLY TRUST GOD. I'm learning about good boundaries right now and these thoughts came to mind.

“Instant intimacy” is not real... its irrational thinking... it is based on fakeness.... Like prostitution is a fantasy. We see this so much in sermons... and the little conversations in bible studies and in the halls of the churches...Just Trust God!!!.... To really trust a person is not instant. It’s based on a real relationship... of course when you get to know God for "reals". You more then likely will trust Him as you progress on the journey. He tends to prove Himself trustworthy. :) ... But there is so much missed if we embrace this “instant intimacy” theology. Real, authentic and healthy relationships take time and a great marriage takes a lifetime ☺

If we don't know how to have healthy boundaries for ourselves we cannot extend healthy boundaries into our relationships. People who don't know they are allowed to have boundaries, or if they feel guilty, fearful and insecure about even suggesting a person has over stepped their boundaries, are most always from the abuse cycle... this is all interrelated... only knowing victimization and not having any other skills will set you up for a lot of relationally challenged living.

Worship sessions in church sometimes can be so intimate and I'm just not sure if NOW is the time to Worship with this kind of intimacy with each other.... We are not that close normally... so why do we get together; spill our guts... and as a worship leader myself... I think about how I was up on the platform being so intimate with God in front of so many people. It seems like I allowed everyone to just watch me get undressed... It is so gross to me now...

If I am stirring you up, more then likely you have these same issues. It is extremely challenging to come to the realization that so much of how you’ve lived has been completely dysfunctional and just wrong. This instant intimacy way unfortunately continues and promotes the dysfunctional, abusive and unhealthy families in our world today.

Thankfully, God can reveal His truth with grace, mercy and strength to re-think our ways and give us courage to change.

Please do comment. It may lead to a great discussion. ☺

Seek and We will Find....

Seek and you will find: by Laurie Jackson 4/11/2010

Have you ever tried to figure something out and worked really hard at it and then,…bada bing, bada boom… YOU GOT IT! A puzzle, your cheap furniture item that you got from Wal-Mart, a brainteaser, sudoko? I’ve watched my husband put so many of those brainteaser puzzles together it’s not even funny. He loves doing them. I even get him these things for stocking-stuffers. He does not reciprocate. He knows I hate those things. But one time I did one because I really wanted to prove to myself that I could! So I decided that I am smart enough and I did! And guess what? I found out it’s really not what I enjoy doing. ☺ But for that particular moment, I wanted to prove to myself that if he could do it, then so could I. Suffice to say. It was a break-through for me. Where there is a will, there is a way. I’ve read that if you seek for Wisdom like your average person would seek after gold or silver then eventually you will indeed find it. It is out there, let’s not give up.

When Christopher Columbus began to believe that the earth was round not many people thought he was right… so what did he do? He tried it! And He did not even fall off the face of the earth… Wow, scary! But He wasn’t blind. He studied and learned and opened his heart and mind. Wisdom is wisdom. It is either true wisdom that “works” or not. God knew the earth was round already. Columbus just figured out what was already true! In spite of what some would say.

Recently I came across some information that just seemed to bring so much of what I’ve been looking for, together. I’ve found bits and pieces of information that fit and make my life much easier to live, but still too much of my life, I’ve lived in frustration and “something” kept telling me that there is more to learn and know. I am not suggesting I’ve figured out life. There is always more to learn and grow in. This is the essence of life, the growth part. I think hopelessness stunts life and growth in the human spirit. We “learn” to be hopeless and helpless.

They did this “terrible” experiment on two groups of rats. One group they would hold under water and only released them when they stopped struggling. The other group was not exposed to this torment. When they released both groups into a pool of water, the group that “learned” helplessness all died. The other group found a way out! ☺ If you love rats this is a terrible experiment, but you must admit there is truth there. If we learned one way, scientists have discovered that it only takes four days to “unlearn” a thing. Some of the things that used to frustrate me don’t anymore. It is because I’ve learned some wisdom and truth in those areas. We just keep trying and look for something to fit right. “Something” in me just wouldn’t give up. Hope, I think is what we can call it.

I believe so many of us are like Christopher Columbus, we discern that not everyone knows what they are really talking about and we go off to find our own answers… This is the true human spirit: Some one who looks inside them selves for the truth. I’ve read that God has written the truth on our hearts. Hmmmm?

I’m hearing Dr. Phil say, “How’s that work’n for ya?” This is the question I ask myself often. If it’s not working for me then I keep searching. Eating right and exercising really work for me. I feel better, look better, and think better, so things are “better” when I do this.

Keep looking, keep searching for wisdom and we will continue to find it over and over. Don’t give up hope for the better. Where there is hope, there is God and where there is God, there is Love and Wisdom. Don’t give up trying. You never fail until you stop trying. Stay hopeful there is wisdom to find out there. ☺

If you would like to leave a comment: just click on the green “comment” word. ☺ Thanks for reading.

Tree of LIfe

Tree of Life: by Laurie Jackson 3/20/2010

In order to enjoy this blog or get anything out of it, you MUST have an imagination. So just close your eyes, no wait! You gotta keep ‘em open to read this. Seriously, you have to picture a very wise older Japanese man. let’s say..? someone just like Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid. Got it? Okay.. say this next phrase with a Mr. Miyagi accent: “Tree root in-a winta-time an-a fruit in-a summa-time.” I hope you were able to conjure all that up. Lol ☺

What Mr. Miyagi, said was that Tree’s of all types, only find new roots during the winter season because the nutrients is no longer available from the sun. In the summer time the tree expends all of it’s energy to produce fruit and has plenty of nutrients from the sun. In the winter time trees must dig down deeper to get nutrients for life. Both seasons are very important. If a tree never rooted deeper down into the soil it couldn’t produce more fruit in the summer season. Also a tree becomes more stable and harder to “shake” as it roots down deeper and deeper. When it is freezing outside the trees’ only source of nutrients must come from deep down under the frozen soil because it gets little nutrients from the sun or rain in the winter.

Of course this whole process is phenomenal! We have an amazing creator! We are all spiritual beings and grow physically as well as spiritually. Whether we believe this way or not, your spirit is
Growing. It is amazing how trees and plants can endure incredible hard ship and still grow. I believe people are even more amazing then the tree species. ☺

The point of this blog is to encourage anyone, including myself, during the winter seasons of life. Could it be that when life seems barren, restless and just plain hard, we, as living creations are just like the tree, being prepared for more life giving fruit in our lives?

I believe we need to dig down deeper into our souls and look “harder” for the source of life when life “seems” hard and cold. When a pregnant mother is preparing for her soon coming child she begins to get restless and uncomfortable. If it’s her FIRST child she has NO idea how beautiful and amazing this will be.

“Tree root in-a winta-time an-a fruit in-a summa-time”

We can see the hard days; months or even years as opportunities to believe we will be better, stronger and more life- giving people. To me, these thoughts are filled with truth and wisdom and give the hard-times more purpose to the pain. I love being encouraged by someone who has gone through a difficult issue. I find it even more comforting to be encouraged by a person who has come through some of life’s most difficult circumstances and have more amazing Love and life as a result.

It is so disheartening when someone gives trite words, when I am in the depths of despair. Like “Buck up” or “get over it” There is no wisdom here and certainly no love or compassion. Instead, I am encouraged to move on when a person brings wisdom, insight and love with their words to me.

So I WON’T ever say, “buck up” to anyone. I would look for someone who has been there and truly triumphed. You may not even have to look outside your own self. We’ve all experienced pain and all of us have the source of life in our hearts.

However you choose to root “in-a- winta” season, remember that you have to dig deeper for the source of life and expand your wisdom, love for yourself and others. This will make the rooting process, less confusing, but not necessarily less painful. Think about the kindness and gentleness of a wise, loving and experienced person speaking directly to you. You may come up with some amazing insights that change your entire Life. ☺

I hope you enjoyed reading, “Tree of Life.”

“Tree root in-a winta-time an-a fruit in-a summa-time” ☺

Extreme/Balance

Extreme/Balance by: Laurie Jackson 3/15/10

The title? Yes, very much an Oxymoron. My life has felt like an oxymoron just trying to “find” balance. Up and down, jerking myself from one extreme to another. What we “should” eat, how we “should” exercise, what we “should” do or not do, how we "should" live. The list goes on and on. (Don’t “should” on yourself.) I loved that phrase so much, the first time I heard it.

Everyone has an opinion about what you “should” do and some think they have all the answers for your life because they are finding balance in an area. I do this too, “Oh my gosh… you “should,” read this book, it’s sooooo good!” I believe we can test our lives to see if we are balanced. Kinda like looking under the hood of your car. Just looking at some of the basic needs of all human beings on earth, can be a great start for us.

I believe Human beings need to:
1) Love and be loved
2) Have joy and pleasure
3) Move their bodies
4) Enjoy the taste of their food
5) Be and feel creative/productive
6) Be in the sunshine
7) Have confidence to overcome challenges.

I think the best Wisdom I’ve ever read is to AVOID ALL EXTREMES. I can’t say that I’ve lived this at all times, but it keeps coming up and I keep coming back to it. I realize that I loose energy from being dehydrated, so what did I do? I ended up drinking too much water. You can actually drink too much water. This thought never occurred to me because Water is a good thing. What is extreme for one person won’t be extreme for another. It seems vague, but I think each person can look intuitively in their heart and just know what balance is for them selves. If we are honest with ourselves, we can see where we are out of balance.

I’ve always wanted balance and peace in my life. I think you have to want it. Some people don’t want it. Seriously, ask a drug addict. Then ask someone in AA. See what I mean? Each of us know in our heart of hearts what balance is. We know what the truth is. We have to want it. When you really want it, you will find it.

I realize we grow into this and find more and more wisdom on the journey. I think it’s more helpful when someone just loves you along the way and allows you to come to your own senses about these areas of life. It seems so simple but why have I had so much trouble finding balance?

I think I’ve had so much trouble for the most part, because I’ve had a hard time trusting my heart. I’ve doubted myself way too much. I’m certainly not advocating that we can’t all use some great counsel from time to time, but ultimately we only listen to what others say if it agrees with us anyway. It’s good to read and listen outside of our own experiences. This can keep us out of some excessive pain if we are really seeking balance and truth. If not, you just can’t force someone, but most people will let you love them along the way.

As for me, I’m going to try to avoid all extremes and hopefully find more balance in life. ☺

Thanks for reading…. Please leave a comment and join our following…

LIFE FEELS… Laurie Jackson… 3-10-2010

I’m attempting to coin a phrase today and replace the old cliché's from the past, i.e.: the 70’s “Shit happens”, the 80’s “Life goes on” and the 90’s “whatever.” It seems “Life Feels” is appropriate for 2010.

Sometimes Life Feels: hard, frustrating, confusing, exhausting, satisfying, fulfilling, exciting, vibrant, fearful, disappointing, joyful, amazing and just plain beautiful! So I’m blogging to express this new cliché’… “Life Feels” ~

Life runs it’s course and fights for itself.

We can embrace life or choose to fight it. To quote Yoda, from Star Wars “Don’t think, Feel.” You can try and figure it out, go ahead, do what you gotta do. I think it’s a journey that will lead some to find Love, Faith and hope and unfortunately some to only see hopelessness. I’ve spoken to many homeless people and I will never forget a man named Sirus. He surprised me and taught me multitudes over just one meal. I left thinking, “wow, I didn’t know anything”. He seemed to know Love and He told me some amazing stories about helping so many people that he came across as a homeless man.” I was very inspired by Him.

Not only does Life Feel for us, but Life Feels for all those around us. The question’s I have for myself is: “Laurie, as you share in the feelings of others, can you see that there is typically a reason why people feel the way they do? Can you share in their feelings without judging them or even taking their feelings and making them your own? Can you just allow them to Feel Life and not assume they need to be fixed or that you need to fix them?”

I’ve found that Life is not lived in a box. Can we just choose the good feelings and ignore the bad or choose the bad and ignore the good? I know some mentally ill people that try to live Life this way. I know some very hopeless people that try to live this way and I know some very pretentious people that try to live this way.

I’m an Italian, female, musician so Life “Really” Feels… add PMS to that and I’ll let your imagination wander. ☹ ☺ ☹ ☺… etc…

We are not in charge of life itself. We’re not the creator of Life. We can only respond to Life and Life, Just Simply Feels!

How are you Feeling today? ☹ ☺