PREFACE
I have grown through many of the challenges I used to find daunting when I was a young woman. I can get beyond the big storms; it is the small thundershowers that keep me in an emotional quandary. My daily goal is not to do or say anything negative to or about anyone and I am challenged daily to find creative ways to achieve this objective. If I do not work hard at it, I find myself slowly slipping into a negative abyss.
Allowing negative people into my space drains my energy and sometimes I gladly relinquish the control. If it were my money, I would fight for dear life to hold onto what I have worked hard to earn. How about you? Do you give in to negative energies easier than you would give up your last dollar?
I am reminded of a story that I read in Elementary school about a group of monkeys who played hard in the sunshine and, when the rain came, they promised themselves that when the sun shone again, they would build shelter. However, when the rain ceased they would play among the trees once again completely forgetting the promises they made when it was raining. Isn’t it easy to be spiritually grown when everything looks bright and rosy? The challenge comes when the storm hits.
When the thunderstorms come, if you aren’t careful, your positive energy will ebb and your thought processes will change, your patience will wear thin and soon you are likely to find yourself complaining of all manner of physical ailments. When this happens, it takes weeks before you can get back to a calm and peaceful state. During this spiritual absence, you may not have the inclination to meditate and before long, your whole being resonates with guilt, anxiety, and sometimes depression.
This book is an impetus to get you started on your spiritual quest. I use these principles daily in my work with a group of women who met with me weekly in a support group. I witnessed women who came in with a defeatist attitude and stance, but once they learn that they had the answer, and that they control their own destinies, it’s like watching the metamorphosis of a butterfly. The first step and sometimes-greatest challenge is just to decide to seek peace and not allow anyone or anything to deter you from your goal.
I wrote this book to help enhance your spiritually, emotionally, and personally. Parts One through Six discuss the spiritual component represented by poems, a narrative of experiences and guidelines to achieve spiritual peace.
The workbook section provides activities and instructions on eradicating specific maladies that may plague you. Take this book a whole; purchase a spiral notebook to take notes as you read through and work the different exercises in the workbook. Record your thoughts invoked by the different passages that you read in the book. Take the time to work these exercises consistently, you can and will start on the journey to find inner peace.
This book is not a cure-all. It is suggested that you continue on your journey by locating resources in your community to help you enhance your self-esteem, learn how to cope more effectively, increase your circle of positive friends, and other specific resources that are unique to you. This book only to be an impetus to get you started on your journey.
You may decide that you need to seek professional assistance once you have analyzed your issues. That is a very good sign of growth and maturity, and it is okay to seek outside help in any problem or challenge that you may or have encountered.
Read this book more than once and review your notes after a week or so, and you will get an idea of your journey. I wish you good fortune and self-discovery on your journey. Not all that you find will be positive or happy, but it will serve to make you a happier and more peaceful individual.