Category: Uncategorized

When I worry about the loved ones, I become more focus and get clarity about what is important. Living is important. Every day is a gift and one more chance to get it right.  There are many types of worries, but the ones about the money tease me. Money takes the joy of living and follows me around like a menacing shadow. When I worry about the money, I dread the days and agonize at night, and without thinking, I throw away precious hours. I cease to live and merely exist.

One day, I realized that I have the power to change my lifestyle. You can do it too. You have to find that special something that brings contentment into your heart and work on it at least one hour every day. For example, I love to write. There is nothing more captivating than playing with words, arranging them into scenes and creating chapters in a book. I try to write at least two hours every day. Some days, if I am drained, I read so I can learn from the ones more experienced. Each day is an opportunity to improve.

I realized that the simpler I make my life, the happier I become. There is no scarcity of things to make you happy and life worth living. All you must do is find them.

Love,

Carmen Monica

Sometimes my wishes appeared all-consuming. It was easy to lose clarity about what I needed to live. I was hungry for something more in my life, so I began checking glossy magazines and watching movies trying to find answers. They were always blurry. Then I turned to the quietest corner in my home, closed my eyes and emptied my mind. And only after I pushed away all the thoughts, I was able to realize that I had everything I needed and more. I wanted this or that, and after I had them, I realized that I didn’t need them.

To live a fulfilled life, it was important to distinguish between my wants and my needs. Not everything I wanted was beneficial to my needs. I made peace a long time ago with the knowledge that I couldn’t have everything I wanted. Why? Because it was more important to get everything I needed. I asked myself what was it that made me truly happy.  You should do the same. The answers will be different for each of us—a bigger house, a new job, or the perfect someone with whom to share your life. Only after I acknowledged my inner needs, I could harness the energy to manifest them in my life.

If you trust the wisdom of your heart, you will attract what you need.

Love,

Carmen Monica

Do you know how happy are you now?

Most of us know what makes our parents, partners, and children happy. But when it comes to the specific things in life that bring a smile to our faces, we come up short. It ‘s hard to experience moments of happiness if we are not aware of what it is we love. We must learn to enjoy the small, authentic moments that bring us contentment. How about we experience a new cookie recipe or take the time to arrange a bouquet of flowers to appreciate their colors, fragrances, and beauty. Sip a cup of coffee in the sunshine in front of a shop or pause to pet a purring cat.

I delight in shopping for shoes, good books, sudden bursts of laughter, and reading in French. I learned to bake Madeleines. They appeared to be simple but actually required a fair amount of patience and careful following of instructions. In the end, I was rewarded with a truly unique little cake, browned and crispy on the outside and spongy and soft on the inside. They are the perfect accompaniment to my afternoon cup of tea. They come in many flavors: chocolate, vanilla, lavender, and orange. Madeleines are delicious when eaten just from the oven and cooled until barely warm.

Learning to bake this French cake made me happy. I encourage you to discover what makes you happy.

Love,

Carmen Monica

Today, many women feel a sadness that they can’t name. Although they accomplished much of what they set out to do, they sense that something is missing from their lives and they start searching for answers. It sometimes happens that they are staring in the mirror and they don’t recognize the women staring back at them. They look familiar, but they bear little resemblance to the women they are expecting to see.

What went wrong? What is that sadness they can’t name? Perhaps the center of their melancholy is that they miss the women they were meant to be. And even if they ignored their desires for decades, the women they were supposed to be are still there. They didn’t abandon them yet. Instead, the women have been waiting patiently for them to recognize them and reconnect.

Turn away from the world this year and begin to listen to the murmur of your heart. Look inside you. Your silent companion lit candles of love to illuminate the path to discovering who you are. The voyage you were predestined to take has finally begun.

Love,

Carmen Monica

We left the holidays behind, although they will be memories to cherish in the future months. A new year is ahead, a year with new goals to accomplish, errands to run, bills to pay, vacations to plan and birthday parties to put together. How enchanting! Nothing beats the time when friends and families gather to celebrate whatever the occasion for celebration may be.

This month it is my son’s sixteenth birthday. When did the time fly? Who is the handsome, tall man who replaced the baby I held in my arms sixteen years ago? But it is not the height that scares me. No! It is that time when he holds his driver license in his hands and gets all excited about driving his own car, and I get anxious about letting him do it. Not that he is not a responsible driver! Oh, he is! I am the overprotective mom who’s not prepared to accept that her baby is about to detach, gradually, until one day, he will have a life of his own, and I will be the one left behind to watch and help.

I think that for us, parents, our children will always remain our babies regardless of their age. We don’t cease to worry about them just because their physiognomy changes. Parents should give their kids’ confidence, must be their best friends, guardian angels, always watching, helping, providing support, loving, admonishing and forgiving. Parents are the first role models for their children—it is mandatory to be the good one. Parents are ever so special, just because they grow old while their children mature. We don’t even realize when silver touched our temples, when a few wrinkles appeared in the corner of our eyes, when terrifying pain formed in the lower back, when we grow weak day after day after day. The signs are all there—I call them signs of becoming wise.

And one day, a young man or woman opens the door, just as my son is doing at the moment, and we wonder where the time flew? It is crucial to mark each new birthday with something special—cake, candles, balloons, a big party, a new piece of electronics—so that, when we look back at those pictures touched by time, we smile recalling the instant when the child celebrated a special moment because these precious moments make life worth living to the last beat.

Love,

Carmen Monica

The birth of Jesus is the birth of hope. We shouldn’t let the wonder of hope disappear with the decorations at the end of the holiday season this year. We should follow hope right out of the manger and into the rest of our lives. We have been given a gift, the special kind of gift that is not wrapped in tissue paper or tied with a beautiful bow. This gift is priceless in nature, no gift in all the world is more sought after than this one—the gift of life.

During the holiday season, we should add extra expressions of courtesy and kindness for everyone. If we look carefully, we can see Him on the road as the one asking for a few quarters to buy milk and bread for the children. We’ll recognize Him in all the volunteers handing out gifts to the poor or to the ill from which some will go to be with Him before His birthday arrives.

I wonder if there is ever a finer gift purchased then that of forgiveness or if there ever was a present more treasured by those who received it. Once forgiveness is granted or received, we’ll know that it is one of the most beautiful gifts of all.

What we should learn this holiday season is to embrace and celebrate our differences, learn to appreciate each other and walk the path of understanding because life is about laughing and loving each other.

Love,

Carmen Monica

Luck doesn’t make a good life. Luck doesn’t give you a second chance. It is courage and faith, effort and skill. Each of us has a moment when we want to improve our lives but don’t know where to turn. We may feel stuck and tired, but we are not alone. As long as we are willing to try, learn, think and act differently, as long as we are ready to develop new skills and habits, we can change our lives. Every moment is a new opportunity to change. If your true self answers passionately to the things and the people you love in your life, then you must be the passionate person you are and don’t change because you don’t mesh with someone else’s vision. Even if the majority of people are telling you that your reactions are wrong, they are your reactions. You have a right to live your life on your own terms, and the right to refuse to accept less than you deserve.      Love,                                                                       Carmen Monica

I don’t have a sister. I wish I have one to share the joys and the sorrows of life. But what is a sister? A sister is an extension of you. She has extrasensory perception because when you are hurt, she feels your pain. When you are happy, she shares your joy. When you are frightened, she understands. When a dark day comes, a sister is not afraid to enter into the darkness with you. She walks in even if she is invited or not, it doesn’t matter to her, and she brings with her comfort.

A sister has the gift of love. She inspires and encourages and lifts you, whether you feel it or not. She finds ways to see the good and bring out the best in spite of the circumstances. She knows what you are going through because she is intimately familiar with pain. She suffered loss, rejection, and failed relationships just as you do.

A sister is the hope of the heart. Call your sister today, give her a hug, talk to her today. You never know that she may need you just as much as you need her.

Love,

Carmen Monica

Traducere in romaneste

Imbratisari pentru surori

Nu am o sora. Im doresc sa am one ca sa impart cu ea bucuriile si durerile vietii. Dar ce este o sora? O sora este o extensie a ta. Ea are o extrasensoriala perceptie deoarece atunci cand esti ranit, iti simte durerea. Cand esti bucuros, iti impartaseste bucuria. Cand esti speriat, intelege. Cand vine o zi intunecata, unei sore nu ii este frica sa intre cu tine in intuneric. Ea te urmeaza chiar daca este invitata sau nu, nu conteaza pentru ea, si iti aduce comfort.

O sora are darul iubirii. Te inspira, te incurajeaza, si iti ridica moralul, chiar daca tu nu simti asta. Ea gaseste metode sa vada ceea ce este bun in tot si puncteaza numai ceea ce este pozitiv in ciuda tuturor circumstantelor. Stie prin ce treci pentru ca si ea a cunoscut durerea. A suferit pierderi, respingeri, si relatii care au esuat, la fel ca si tine.

O sora este speranta inimii. Suna-ti sora astazi, imbratiseaz-o, vorbeste cu ea. N-ai de unde sa stii daca si ea, la fel ca si tine, nu are nevoie de cineva.

Not too long ago, I had to renew my driver’s license, and when the new one came, I was pleasantly surprised. Compared with the picture from years ago, I had improved. The explanation wasn’t complicated. Years ago I was so far in what my friends called “the twilight zone,” that any picture of me reflected the shock I was in from coping with my family’s problems.

I had known the embarrassment of pulling out my driver license for credentials and watching the person stare at the picture, and then at me. This individual was probably wondering if it was really me. Of course, I mumbled an explanation why my driver’s license picture failed to show my real beauty. I had looked so bad in the prior license that the new one was in fact flattering.

When I applied for that new driver’s license, I remembered the changes the years could bring. A typical driver license application has spaces where I fill in my eye color, hair color, weight, etc. I found it strange that women left their weight the same as it was when they originally got their driver’s license at the age of sixteen. I also wondered why some men have a license they got years ago that said their hair was black when their hair had long since disappeared and they’re totally bald.

Have you ever seen a driver’s license with truthful information? What about the people who have one blue eye and one green? There is no space for that on a driver’s license. Or how about the women who changed their hair color so often that only their hairstylist knows for sure their exact color and some weeks she’s wondering.

Years can bring many changes, and it’s often said that, as we grow older, we develop a hardening of the attitudes. All you have to do is drive on the freeways, and you will learn that a lot of people have become hardened.

Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty because they moved it from their faces into their hearts.

Love,

Carmen Monica

In many aspects of our lives, our opinions are neither sought nor required. Sometimes, despite our best efforts and positive thinking, health, wealth, and peace avoid us. The only thing we have absolute control over is the quality of our days. How we welcome and complete each day is our choosing. When we’re sick, worried, grieving, or depressed, we’re not interested in the day’s quality, but we only want the misery to end. If you use whatever you have on hand—a meal, a conversation, humor, and affection—you can create comfort and contentment.

Every day can be wonderful in direct proportion to the creative energy invested in them. All it is necessary is a moment of attitude adjustment to shift your perception toward a pleasant atmosphere. Days that are expected to be wonderful before they begin, they turn out to be much more than days greeted with grumbling. It doesn’t matter if a day is good or bad. What matters is what we do with it.

Love,

Carmen Monica