The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/29770
Keep Up Now! by Terry Ludwig Think yourself happy “Creation: Thought is man’s greatest creation. Love is god’s greatest creation.” – Rob Ludwig Do you ask, “Why does this always happen to me?” or “Why don’t I ever catch a break?” News flash; you’re thinking thoughts that are manifesting these situations into being. The good news; now that you know, you can stop doing it. Your power to manifest and create simply by thinking is a principle, much like gravity; it just is. You do it every second of every minute of every day. You are a powerful, creative being who literally wills things into form. Therefore, it’s important for you to understand the pro- cess since you are creating and manifesting without knowing it. Life isn’t just happening to you; you are making it happen. When you realize your enormous power, you begin to understand your vital responsi- bility to think thoughts that serve you. You also learn to stop indulging in negative thinking. Manifesting is easy; you’re doing it right now. Knowing how to manifest what will truly make you happy requires a bit more direction. The basic rule is this _ every thought comes from either love or fear. When you’re afraid, you manifest unhappiness. When you think loving thoughts, you manifest happiness. The trick is keep- ing your mind thinking loving thoughts. This requires effort, but it’s effort well spent. I am conscious to direct my attention to thinking good thoughts. When my life is out of whack, I know it’s up to me to get it back on track. If you want happiness, accept responsibility for your thoughts and begin to change the way you think. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne and “Manifesting Change” by Mike Dooley are two great resources to help guide you. It is important to be vigilant in your endeavors, and you might also want to subscribe to daily inspirational e-mail reminders such as Totally Unique Thoughts (TUT.com) or The Daily Love (TDL.com). Life is a gift. This world is your playground. Go out and explore it, experience it and above all … have fun! Happiness is your only function. Why did you think it had to be so hard? “Keep up Now! with the stream of higher consciousness and stay connected to the Source.” _Terry Ludwig Terry Ludwig’s brother, Rob, passed away in 2004 after battling AIDS. Before he passed, he shared his message. “Keep Up Now!” is the result of that communication. She can be reached at keepupnow@gmail. com, and followed on Twitter and Facebook. Life isn’t just happening to you; you are making it happen. Truly act ‘for the sake of the children’ “For the sake of the children,” the catch-all phrase spoken by parents to remedy familial discord, is meant to spare offspring the sting inherent in disagreements. I’ve watched couples’ relationships run aground as they attempted to patch the holes in their marital vessels, desperately trying to preserve the union “for the sake of the children.” Often the kids, even in their immature emotional states, show more wisdom than their parents. They breathe sighs of relief as Mom and Dad separate, divorce and put their dying marriage out of its misery. The daily fighting, smoldering feuding and foul stench of bitterness within the house can end. Now springs the hope “for the sake of the children” that Mom and Dad can reforge a new bond of friendship. Somehow the children and their emotional needs to continue loving each parent is forgotten. Each of us parents obsesses over our own scars and wounds as chil- dren become collateral damage. Careless and unkind remarks about the other parent are damaging. Attention paid to one parent becomes the gauntlet challenge to prove the other’s love is greater. What became of our mutual concern and love for them? Is it really necessary to force kids to choose one parent over the other? Can we not put aside our feelings “for the sake of the children?” I recently suggested to my wife a family dinner for Easter, an impor- tant day for us Christians. I was stung by her reply, “Make plans with the kids without me.” Not wanting to divide my kids up like the infant placed before Solomon by two feuding “mothers,” I informed my children they should not be placed in the position of choosing. I wanted to be with them but at another time. My daughters shocked me. Expressing rejection of my wife’s exclusion of me from Easter dinner, they would protest by spending the day at our eldest’s fiancee’s home. I neither gloated nor found satisfaction in the end result. However, after reflecting, I thought to myself, maybe, just maybe we both did a good job as parents. Our daughters showed courage, values and love in a very difficult situation, giving me hope for a reconciliation with my wife. David Martin is living separately from his wife of 37 years. He is a father of five adopted children and prac- tices as a solo internist physician in central New York. He was educated at Fordham University and Upstate Medi- cal University. He attends All Saints Church in Syracuse, and hosts parish for the LGBT Catholic community. I’ve watched couples’ relationships run aground as they attempted to patch the holes in their marital ves- sels, desperately trying to preserve the union ‘for the sake of the children.’ April 21, 2011 O-Town Scene 21 Guest Column _ David Martin the Diversity Scene April 21-27