Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone!
You may have noticed that I haven't created any new posts for a little while. I've been battling some health issues (lungs), but it's time now to rise above them, and to accept myself only as I was created - perfect in every way!
And with that thought, I look ahead to 2010 with great anticipation and hope, and I wish the same for you all. May every day in the new year be a new start, continuing down the Stream of Well-Being, with its sparkles of delight, created by the constant sunshine whose rays dance joyfully across the water.
I revel in that thought, and bring it with me, to awaken as I do, every morning, with joy, hope and peace.
I wish the same for all of you.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Cheers,
Gareth Marples

Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

What is over the rainbow? Where is the "somewhere" over the rainbow? And what, really, is a rainbow? And why does it lead to something else? And what is that something else?
Do you feel, in your heart, the miracle of a rainbow? Do you think that you should follow the rainbow to the proverbial "pot of gold"? And where is that? And what is that?
I believe that everybody feels the joy that a rainbow gives. Doesn't it give us hope and validation in our heart that miracles do happen? Rainbows are indeed miraculous! They're the joining of opposite forces of nature - the rain, and the sun. And why can't it always be that when opposites join together, they can produce equal beauty and joy?
So look on your fellow man - no matter the colour, the size, the age, the gender - with love and acceptance. And enjoy the beauty you see before you, just as you enjoy the beauty of the multi-coloured rainbow.
There is only one message here: We are all one!

Cheers,
Gareth Marples

Find your rainbow. Find your "pot of gold". Know that it exists and is waiting for you - somewhere over the rainbow. Read The Vortex

Enjoying Together-Time

Together-time. What a wonderful time between parent and child. Take this scene, for example. A parent and child enjoying a moment of beauty together. Two people, enveloped in the wonder of nature. The morning sunrise, partially clouded with fog, creating a scene that can be appreciated by any and all ages.
How grateful we should be for moments like this. How thankful we should be for the opportunity to share special moments with those we love. Take full advantage of every one. Never let one pass you by. Life is sometimes short, and we should always enjoy every moment that we have with our loved ones, especially when it gives us a chance to share the warm feelings created by such a scene as this. That's the most important thing! Never let anything get in its way.

Cheers,
Gareth Marples

One of the most inspiring books I've read in a long time is Dr Wayne Dyer's "Excuses Begone". It just kinds of puts everything in a perspective that easy to understand and simple to follow. Check it out by clicking on this link:
Wayne Dyer Excuses Begone!

Do You Have a Clown Smile?

Do you have a clown smile? Have you ever noticed that all clown faces are painted with a permanent smile? Have clowns found one the greatest secrets to life? What do they know?
Aaahh! But remember...the smile is painted on! Is it real? What's behind the paint? Can a person be sad behind a painted-on smile? There are a lot of questions here. And the answer?
The answer is: we can always paint on a smile if we want to. We can always find a smile, no matter what's befalling us. We may have to dig deep, but it's always there, brought forth from the depths of our heart and our soul. That's where smiles live. That's where smiles never die.
So if you ever need a smile, and you don't really feel like it, just paint one on until you can draw from the natural source of all smiles - your heart, and your soul.

Keep smiling! It's the one thing you can share when you feel like you have nothing else!

Cheers...and smiles,
Gareth Marples

Are You Ready for This?

Are you ready for winter? Many people love the snow...I'm not one of them! Although I am creating a desire to try cross-country skiing. I guess I'm adapting. And that's the message for today - adapting to whatever life throws at us.
Winter can be cold and challenging in many ways, as can life. But it's so important to be aware of our thoughts - to be aware of how we're reacting or responding to our challenges. We must remember that out of everything that appears bad, there is always - ALWAYS - something good, however hard and deep we have to look for it. It's always there!
So take on Life. Opens your arms and your heart to whatever comes to you in your journey on this planet. Find the joy in everything that's presented to you. Think of it like this: Every day is a gift - that's why it's called the present! Accept it as a gift. Be grateful for it. Love it. Cherish it. It's yours to keep and to enjoy.
Have a perfect day, everybody!

Cheers,
Gareth Marples

Behind the Fog and the Clouds

As the seasons pass from one to the other, in the natural progression of nature and the Universe, our worlds are often blanketed in fog and clouds, temporarily dampening our spirits. But those feelings need not be so! For behind every bank of fog, and behind every layer of clouds, lies the brightness of the sun, with its rays of light and brightness that will serve as a beacon to lead us from any fog or cloud that might tempt to dull our lives.
Throughout our lives, we're presented with challenges that might tempt us to forget Who We Are and How Things Really Are - about Life as it really is! Life is full of joy, full of love, full of abundance...and expansion. For as our thoughts expand, so does the Universe, forever growing into an eternal world of What Is.
And what is, is the love of God, and His love for us. Tap into it, and you'll remember that you never left it, and you'll never forget it, and you'll never be separated from it. This is our destiny; this is our promise; this is our Life. Enjoy it!!!

Cheers,
Gareth Marples

I read many inspirational and motivational books, many from one of the best publishers in the business - Hay House. Here's one of the greatest influences that's affected me and my decisions to choose the best:

Gratitude

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude! Who wouldn't want to wake up to this view each and every day! Every morning, this view, from our solarium, reminds me that I have so much to be grateful for.
I'd like to share some of the things I'm grateful for every day of my life.

• I'm grateful for the these things:
• my health.

• my beautiful wife - my lover, my best friend, my Queen.
• my family and friends, and all the love they give me.
  
• my job, specifically all the wonderful loving and caring people I work with.
• the opportunity to help others.
• my material possessions, although I know that they're secondary to my spiritual blessings.

If I pondered longer, I'm sure I could come up with so many more reasons why I'm so grateful for the Life that I choose. For Life isn't what's presented to us. Life is what we choose, even when it seems that we couldn't possibly choose some of the things that "happen" to us. Yes, we choose them all. Why? That's the question, and the answer is in your heart - in your soul.
So when your Life seems to be presenting you discomfort and strife, choose another direction, all the while knowing that the bottom line is Who You Really Are. And Who You Really Are is never found outside of yourself. It's always found inside - inside your Self. That's where all the answers are.
And if you're having trouble finding the answers, be still, be quiet, and listen. For those are the times when you'll hear all the answers. And remember, it's not about looking for something that you desire, it's about being grateful for everything that's already there for you.
So just say "Thank You." And accept all the Good that's going to come as a result of that gratitude. For gratitude is always the best prayer.

Cheers,
Gareth Marples


P.S. I read a lot of inspirational and motivational books. Many of them are published by Hay House. Check out their Holiday Specials:

My Inspiration

This is my Darling wife, my inspiration, Suzanne. At the time this photo was taken, she was displaying her usual joyous self whom I love and adore.
My wish for everybody today, is that you all have someone who inspires you as Suzanne inspires me; someone who accepts you for who you are, "for better or for worse"; someone who understands and shares in the joy that Life presents you. Now that is what relationships are all about!
May Life give you yours!
Suzanne and I are dedicating our lives to helping others. We understand that life is about giving. So we continue to look for opportunities to give to others, and that's why we're establishing The WonderMar Foundation for the Needy and the Deserving. We know the value of giving and the deep satisfaction it offers us. So I guess you could say that we're in the win/win business, creating situations whereby everybody involved wins.
And isn't' that what Life is all about?

Cheers,
Gareth Marples

Leadership Audios lead you to successful living. To check them out, Click Here!

Spring?

A Spring photo now? Ok, perhaps a little out of date chronologically, but never out of date for the beauty that nature presents us.
How inspiring to see the lovely cherry blossoms in spring! And as winter approaches, and the leaves cover the ground instead of the trees, there is still beauty to be seen. For is beauty not in the eye of the beholder?
The lesson here is that it isn't what's presented to us by the world that's important. It's how we think of that presentation. How do we react to what's put before us in what would sometimes appear to be an unfair world?
The bottom line here is that we needn't be limited by our circumstances. We need only to know, deep in our hearts and souls, that everything that comes to us does so for a reason. And no matter how "bad" it appears to be, there is always a good reason, a positive reason, for everything that happens to us.
So let's be totally aware of all our thoughts and let them guide us to the peace of mind that is our natural state. And then joy and happiness and abundance - and completion - will be ours!

Have a perfect day!

Cheers,
Gareth Marples

Leadership audios lead you to successful living. To check them out, Click Here!

New Beginnings

This is my first blog - a new beginning. The main purpose of the blog is to share joy. That's one of my "life lessons", as I like to call them - "Feel joy, be joy, share joy." This photo I took, in High Park, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, depicts the love of a mother for her child, a love exceeded by no other, except the Love it reflects from God.

Every day (or almost every day, depending on my time available), I'll be posting one of my photographs. I'm just an amateur photographer, but I'm told by some professionals that I have a creative eye. I have no formal photography education so I just point and shoot. I'm currently using a Panasonic Lumix FZ18, which I love for it's 18x optical zoom.

The eventual goal of this blog is to create awareness of the foundation my darling wife, Suzanne, and I are planning. It's not set up yet, but plans are in place and we hope to become a registered charity as soon as possible. We love to help people, especially those subtle cases that sometimes get lost in the shuffle of the larger charities.

Here is our Mission Statement: WonderMar is an organization whose goal is to make a respectful, non-judgmental, positive impact, while helping others.

That's it for today's post, my first. I hope that the wisdom I've garnered from my life (I'm 60 years old) will help those in need to find the answers they've been seeking, and that they find the peace of mind which is their natural state.

Cheers,
Gareth Marples

Leadership Audios lead you to successful living. To check them out, Click Here!