I’ve spent most of my life feeling like in order to receive the things I wanted, I had to earn money, then go purchase what I wanted through traditional means.

My mother taught me to be a hard worker and to believe in self-reliance. I am so grateful for those lessons, AND I’m learning that there are lots of ways to receive the things we need. Earning money and buying things is only one way of doing it. There are many more creative and powerful ways to have our needs met, but we often don’t see them until we release our expectations about where, when, how or from whom they flow.

Money may never be involved. For me receiving in non-traditional ways requires swallowing my pride. But once I get past that… allowing myself to receive from anyone or anywhere helps me see how incredibly loved I am by both God and the people in my life.

I have come to believe that God is continually showering blessings upon us, but we do not receive them because

• we put conditions on where they come from or
• we feel like we don’t deserve them and push them away or
• we don’t see that they are laced inside a situation that feels hard or painful.

My mantra for some time has been, “Live in love, peace and gratitude and let whatever comes be enough.” I believe this philosophy combined with opening one’s eyes to see and receive the compensating blessings laced within the challenges is the secret to happiness.