: Nancy Oelklaus
: Simple Serenity Finding Joy in Your Life
: Loving Healing Press
: 9781615996650
: 1
: CHF 4.80
:
: Ratgeber
: English
: 168
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB

Teilhard de Chardin wrote: 'Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.' I believe we are there, and I want to be part of spreading the energy of love, which is a daily decision. Let the parables and exercises inSimple Serenity guide you to embrace love and joy. Readers will learn to:



  • Focus on what's really important, with the ability to 'tune out' the noise.
  • Commit to the patience, kindness, and forgiveness that love requires.
  • Embrace peace in all things as a way of life.
  • Allow joy to come into your heart.

'Everything within it is the wisdom of the ages, and everything within it has been demonstrated as effective through research on positive psychology. I don't know if a stronger endorsement is possible.'
--Bob Rich, author ofFrom Depression to Contentment
'Sometimes it takes a sage guide to lead us through the distracting cacophony of our daily lives: Nancy's book of meditative insights takes us where we need to go to stay the course of life on life's terms.'
--William Moyers, author ofA New Day, A New Life
'I believe that Nancy is calling us to live our life for the HIGHEST GOOD. Sit in the stillness and considerSimple Serenity for your life every single day.'
--Sarah Payne Naylor, author ofCrossing Rough Waters
'Simple Serenity, a soft light of hope and inspiration, is to be read and re-read. Oelklaus is more than a teacher. She is a wise friend and a comfort. A treasure.'
--Helen Delaney, author ofThe Messenger

Chapter 1 - Moving from Here to There

When we traveled, my husband Harlan and I would often play “let’s pretend” while he was playing golf and I was driving the cart. One of us would ask, “I wonder what it would be like to live here?” Then we would imagine ourselves living in that place as he finished eighteen holes. At the end of his play, one of us would say, “Nah. I think we’ll just stay where we are.”

Where we were at that time is Austin, Texas, a fast-growing, technology-rich center. We loved Austin for so many reasons, chief of which was our home on the rim of a canyon on the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country.

Our favorite vacation spot was Sedona. After we had visited there for about five years, we decided to stay for a whole month in a condo in the Village of Oak Creek, which is about five miles south of Sedona. One day as we were driving along, he started our game—except this time his words were different. He said, “I think I could live here.”

I replied, “I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

The next day we were on the golf course. I was the driver. When we got to the fifth fairway, I looked to my right and saw a “for sale” sign. I drove over to pick up one of the flyers. Long story short, today we live in that house. Our decision wasn’t a straight path. There was another house that Harlan thought was “a deal,” so he gave a low offer, which was rejected when another offer for the asking price was made. But that’s another story.

The main point is that we decided to move from Austin, Texas to the Village of Oak Creek, AZ. From a population of around a million to around 6,000. Big change.

Yet, not a change at all. While I lived in Austin, I made a decision to live from my heart, to focus on myself and not the behavior of others, and to live with intention. Conscious living, you might call it.

Conscious living is a state of being, not a place. But because geographical move is a major stressor for most people, I’ll start with that transition.

1-1: From Chaos to Peace

Our decision to sell our house in Austin and move to Sedona has thrown my surroundings into a jumble, as, daily, workers swarm in to prepare the house to sell. Furniture that belongs in this room has been moved to that room for staging purposes. Boxes of framed family photos and other familiar items from shelves are packed and stored. I won’t see them again for months. Furnishings are clustered in the center of rooms.

Turmoil is the best way to describe what’s going on with me, and I’m laughing at myself as I realize the one who teaches others to find their calm center and live from there is having difficulty practicing what she teaches. Instead, the reverse has happened. My inner peace has been disturbed by my jumbled surroundings.

To make it through, in addition to morning meditation, I’ve increased my conscious awareness. Do I need a drink of water? How about a walk? A short nap? Reading just for enjoyment?

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