Discovering Heaven

At the peak of the mountain stands my soul, joy exuding from every pore…from the top of my lungs a shout of victory and jubilation, and the sound is carried on the winds and scattered throughout the earth and upwards into space, settling peacefully like a soft winter snow, in smooth molecular spheres that shine like ivory pearls. Infused with the strength of a thousand men, I feel as though I could split open the atmosphere and bring the heavens down to the earth.

For today I heard a voice, beheld a marvelous truth….a reflection in the mirror of my soul…and although I now understand how I have always felt it there, I had no words to help me comprehend it or speak of it. I believe some truths are such that they remain hidden until the one who bears it is ready to receive it, able to hold it and carry it respectfully. And now I see for myself a truth for me, and I believe….

My faith has made a momentous leap, grown a proud measure….

Blessed be thy name, lord of glory…..

A day like any other, my reflection in the mirror….but what I see is not what I expect….

But my good father standing there with outstretched arms….. and I know his arms have always been open for me, but this reflection, the image WAS ME…..

The love of the father for me, living in me, rushing through my veins, has now become ME.

It is alive and flowing out of my outstretched arms and out into the world, acknowledging, accepting, giving, believing….willing and unafraid, believing in love eternal, unconditional.

And with a twinkle in his infinite, knowing eyes, he smiled at me……

and that smile spread across my soul, opening it deep and wide, filling each empty space with love, warming my every nerve and fiber, searching out and occupying my every thought…

And the tears that followed were healing waters, washing away the debris of a fractured soul, the jagged remains of the thorny cathedral walls of a dark kingdom’s demise….now all washed away…..

How the revelation has changed my perception….all the good that I have grown to be came from a childlike faith…..my inner child watching and mimicking her heavenly father….the one only seen with the eyes of her heart….

it came by perceiving and accepting his everlasting love for her, loving and believing in her still in all her wrongs and shortcomings, even when everyone else had failed her and left her to feel as though she was not worthy of love……

yet she held on to him still and chose to believe….not even hell itself could convince her to let go, or deceive her away from her birth right! Many times it was all she had, the only reason she had to remain here and continue the journey….he must need her here else why would she be here?

So, in the end, that was good enough for her. So through hellfire, tribulation and pain she endured,…for something she could not see or touch, but only feel with her heart…endured for even just the hope of  what she felt inside.

And for that the father rejoiced and wept with joy…..For an empty place in his own heart was now filled, a sorrow now healed over. He was proud of her and touched by her faith….for she had kept going when she had no earthly reason, no evidence to back up her actions or proof to help support her human frailties….

And so he rewarded her this day, making her a princess and ruler of her own right…..he entrusted her with his belongings and knew she would care for them and lead others into the same light of love…..

What a blessing to see with my own eyes, to know beyond a doubt….that the truth deep down is real, the things hoped for are possible, and dreams do become reality…..and this true to life fairytale is only just beginning….there is a story just like this for everyone…..the gift of a dream waiting to be realized, opened and lived….this is heaven on earth….

We do not need to wait for death to live in heaven. No, the reality of heaven is now, in the present, in this moment….this is how it was always meant to be lived…..it is not just a place, but an eternity, one that we are already in….a perpetual state of reality, the reality of now….heaven is a perspective, a realization, something felt, something discovered…..we do not need to wait for our eyes to see, for they are already open….heaven is where your heart is….heaven is home…..heaven is here, and it is now.

~ Celeste ~

 

• “Peace Mirror” ~Inspirations with Linda Willows (lindawillows.wordpress.com)
• A Reflection of You A Reflection of Me (aninspiredapproach.com)

 

Smile through the tears

When you know for sure you’ve had enough

and your heart has had all it can stand

In your pain remember to smile through the tears

embrace your own heart as a friend.

When the sting of pain and agony

squeezes your heart, takes your breath away

Hold on tightly with all your might

Do not to hopelessness yourself betray.

When the wounding of grief is all you can see

and your mind is filled with endless screams

take this to heart and know for sure

it cannot forever defile your dreams.

In the midst of a thousand sorrows

as you walk through shadows so black

the power of deliverance is in your hands

as you continue to smile and never look back.

The pain must remain with you

but lessens each passing season

just remember to keep smiling

each day find just one small reason.

Healing will certainly come 

giving peacefulness through the years

and the light will surely lead you

as you smile through all the tears.

~ Celeste ~

Good News!

……….The good news is, it is a ‘practice’ in hearing, no changing required, no toiling in labor…..Changes will come naturally as we hear, and continue to hear, and increase our hearing. There is always a voice inside of us speaking, we just need to slow down enough to listen, clearing away the weeds (cares) of the world that choke the voice out. As we succeed and grow by this, We become an active part of that voice, that which is divine, and become the change we are seeking, and gain that which we think we can earn by doing. Therin lies faith. Your personal faith.

 ~ Celeste ~

For my Jeremy

For my love Jeremy

After all these years, I still ask this question….’How do you make me feel this way’?

Like I am the only girl in the world.

    Magic……

Our hearts, twin flames, forever young……….

One Lovely Blog Award

 

I am humbled and honored to receive yet another award. I started my blog one month ago, and in that short time I have been nominated for seven fantastic awards. It is a special feeling to be considered among other talented writers, especially in such a short amount of time. I am so excited to see what the future will bring! A big warm thank you to the lovely lady from Where words come to life , and to the lovely Deb from 365daysofcourage. Thank you both so much for the kind nomination. I am touched by your thoughtfulness. These ladies have wonderful words to share in their blogs, so head over and prepare to be blessed through their works.

To help share the great work other bloggers are doing, the rules have you pass the award on to other “lovely bloggers”. Here are my awards in no particular order. You all inspire me!

http://dragoneystory.wordpress.com/

http://lindawillows.wordpress.com/

http://brokensparkles.wordpress.com/

http://versenotprose.wordpress.com/

http://mikepillowsphoto.wordpress.com/

http://memochunks.wordpress.com/

There are so many wonderful blogs, but these are my choices for the blogs that have most recently touched me in some way. Please give them a visit and sample their creative genius. You will enjoy your time there.

HAPPY WRITING! 

 

 

 

 

REVOLUTIONARY GRACE

The legendary expression ‘fall from grace’ has been used for centuries. The term depicts someone who has chosen to forsake someone or something that is universally accepted and even cherished. It gives us the impression that the person has stepped beyond the borders of redemption and lost their standing in the eyes of God and man.But I don’t believe that falling from grace necessarily means a demotion. Maybe, it’s a promotion. Maybe true grace really begins when we decide to make our own decisions, and choose to suffer our own consequences. Maybe it is evolving. Or simply growing up. Maybe loosing those distractingly beautiful wings on the outside allows our souls to grow their own unique wings on the inside.

Maybe we never truly ‘fall’ from grace, we just choose not to take it for granted. We long to be a part of something greater, and we want to feel like we have earned our place in that greatness, with wisdom and gifts of our own to contribute to the fold for the greater good.  Our desire for purpose and meaning draws us out of our comfort zone and we willingly break free of a coarse already set and chosen for us, in favor of a course  of our own choosing that rewards us accordingly.

Maybe it is a good thing to not rely on a gift or an ability to base our life choices around. I think we easily take those things for granted, usually without realizing it, because it is familiar to us. Maybe we need to look a little deeper and not base our understanding on who we think we are. We have always wondered and asked the questions “Who am I”, and “Why are we here” since the dawn of existence. Maybe the the question we should be asking is “What am I going to do with this life I’ve been given”? And “How am I going to spend my time here on Earth“?

We can think of it this way. We dearly love our children, and we want good things for them. We do the best we can to teach them and train them up in the way they should go; respect, love, worth, manners, patience, responsibility ect….. all those wholesome virtues.

That being said, the ultimate reward for us as parents would be to know that the decisions our children will one day make for their lives stem from their own conscious and heartfelt beliefs, because they WANT to and CHOOSE to. NOT because we told them what is right and wrong, and how things should be, because that is just the way it is, and because we said so. No, we all want our children to be their own people and think responsibly for themselves. That they will BE virtuous people. Not just people doing virtuous things because it’s right.

Maybe our lives here on Earth reflect the values and principles of the higher spiritual beings that had a hand in our creation.  Maybe the role of grace extends far beyond our human imagination, and is able to reach us and save us at a height and depth we would never dare to dream of. Maybe it is us who have put the power and ability of grace in a box. Maybe we have crippled it’s redemptive qualities and damned ourselves through our own judgmental thinking.

I think it is time to revolutionize what grace is and what it means to us in our lives. It’s time to take off the blinders and see through our insecurities, looking at them to examine them closer. For maybe every answer we seek is already inside of us. The story abides within us and is ready and waiting to be realized to it’s full potential. We could truly transform the world that we know into a place of unspeakable joy and love and acceptance for all. In the New Testament  a teacher of the law asked Jesus which of the commandments was the most important. Jesus told him to love God above all, and to love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these; indeed all the commandments are summed up and fall into place accordingly when love is the motive.

So, I invite you, along with myself, to bring new life and meaning to grace. Let’s infuse it with all the love and devotion and respect that it deserves. Good things are waiting and bound to happen when we believe, and dare to act on that belief.

Written by Celeste

Versatile Blogger Award

A big thank you to Deb Osfeld of 365daysofcourage for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award! I am honored to be chosen and graciously accept this recognition. How very wonderful to start the new year out on such a positive note!

Now for the details, here’s how it works:

• If you are nominated, thank the award giver and link back to them in your blog post
• Share seven things about yourself
• Pass this award along to recently discovered blogs you enjoy reading
• Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award and post the award picture

7 things about me:

1. I love my family. They are my world and we love sharing all our time together.

2. I love to go artifact hunting. My husband and I have spent many hours exploring and collecting the most amazing pieces!

3. I enjoy cooking and learning new recipes.

4. My favorite food is Lasagna.

5. My grandmother (mother’s mother) is full Italian.

6. I make a sinfully delicious peach cobbler.

7. I aspire to write a paranormal romance novel one day soon. It has been a dream of mine since childhood.

Now I would like to take the time to nominate my choices for the Versatile Blogger Award. These are a few of the blogs that have impacted me in a lasting way. Please take time visit these inspiring blogs in the near future. In no particular order, they are as follows:

http://thebettermanprojects.wordpress.com/ by Evan Sanders

http://patcegan.wordpress.com/ by Pat Cegan

http://jennyjain.wordpress.com/ by Khushbu Jain

http://backcountrytranquility.wordpress.com/ by Orel Di Angelo

http://picpx.wordpress.com/  by  Harish Sharma

http://windingstream.wordpress.com/  by Steve Tanner

Rainbow

You cannot have a rainbow, without a little rain.

A note from Celeste

I consider it a privilege to live in a time where the technology is so advanced that we can reach across the globe with our feelings and ideas and whatever else we wish to do at the click of a button. What a great time to be alive! I am really excited over having the opportunity to fabricate my own little world through this blog, and I intend to do exactly that, using this juncture to create an atmosphere that appeals to people from all walks of life and faith. A place to share my thoughts and opinions, writings and poetry, and topic sensitive articles and stories of interest. I will also post inspirational material in the form of quotes, photos and music that are conducive to peace and healing. I welcome any questions and encourage the exchange of information through respectful and heartfelt discussions with others that have similar passions and experience. Differences in opinions are welcome, so long as they are given in the spirit of good will by which this blog will operate. A spirit of brotherhood, acceptance and open mindedness, and/or for the purpose of understanding and acquiring shared knowledge. I love the exchange of knowledge, learning new things and understanding a different point of view. I hope that all who embark here will feel that they have gained something of value, and take it with them or even make it a part of them where ever they may go.