Be a beacon of light for those in the dark

Use your knowledge, and your heart, to stand up for those who can't stand, speak for those who can't speak, be a beacon of light for those whose lives have become dark. -- Julie Andrews

We all carry the Light.  The question of the day for you is what do you do with that Light?  Do you let it shine brightly or do you hide it?  Do you use the Light within you to help people or do you hide it and keep it to yourself?

I carry the Light and shine it brightly for the world to see.  By doing that, I can not only be myself but to help others.  I smile at people, I offer encouragement when needed and offer to help whenever possible.

There are so many people in this world who are suffering in darkness.  They are not thousands of miles away.  They could be your neighbor, a family member, a friend, or the cashier at the grocery store.  Will you shine your Light and help them?

Today I ask you to be a beacon of Light.  Help someone.  You may be exactly what they need to get them out of the darkness.

MRS N

Be positive because the alternative is...

Don't see everyone's flaws. Don't listen to everything you're told. Don't speak if it's not kind. Always look for the good in people. Not everything is truth; Only speak words of kindness.

I get asked a lot, "How can you be so positive?"

I smile and say, "Because the alternative is worse."

Some people smile and know exactly what I mean.  Others scratch their head not understanding.

When I say the alternative is worse, I am referring to death.  I have lived a hard life and I have had a few close calls with death.  I am lucky to be alive.  THAT is what I mean.  The alternative is much much worse.

I love this quote.  It illustrates for me how easy it is to be kind and to live life positively.  So many people these days try to make life so complicated.  It doesn't have to be that way!  In fact, people make their lives more complicated.

The solution?  Be kind.  See the good in others.  Try to be good yourself.  Have a positive outlook.

Today, be aware of what is going on within you and around you.  Be kind to others.  Smile.  Be positive.  Write down your observations and see what happens when you are positive.

MRS N

Anyone can hold a grudge, but takes a person with character to forgive...

Anyone can hold a grudge, but takes a person with character to forgive. When you forgive, you release yourself from a painful burden. Forgiveness doesn’t mean what happened was okay, and it doesn’t mean that person should still be welcome in your life. It just means you have made peace with the pain, and are ready to let it go.

Are you holding onto a grudge?

Has a person wronged you and you're wishing bad things to happen to them?

I'm a big believer of forgiveness and I just discovered a new way to forgive.

Ask/Pray/Meditate for something good to happen to the person who wronged you.

I know it sounds crazy but here me out. When you put aside the pain and transfer your energy to blessing them, your soul heals. You let go of the boulder strapped across your back. You allow the Universe to take control and become the embodiment of unconditional love.

Does that mean what the person did was okay?

NO! In fact, I'm sure the Universe knows exactly what he/she did and will take the correct action.

But why would I want good things to happen to my enemy?

Deep in your heart, you know how exhausting it is to carry around all that pain. release yourself from it and move on.

I've tried this and it really works!

Forgiveness means you have made peace with the pain and are ready to let it go.

Be free!

MRS N

What's your joy? Find out where your joy resides...

Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all. – Robert Louis Stevenson

What do you think of when you hear/see the word joy?

When I think of joy, my mind floods with images of pure happiness.  My wedding, MR N, swinging on swings when I was little, Christmastime... these are some of the happiest events in my life. Helping others. Making someone laugh. Being near bodies of water. 

Joy is nothing more than pure, innocent happiness.  There is no agenda and there is only Light.

Find your joy and hold on tight!  See joy in the little things and you will surely see a miracle.

What's your joy? 

MRS N

Learning how to love is the goal...

Learning how to love is the goal and purpose of spiritual life – not learning how to develop psychic powers, not learning how to bow, chant, do yoga, or even meditate, but learning to love. Love is the truth. Love is the Light. – Lama Surya Bas

No matter what your spiritual belief, spiritual love with a higher being is another example of unconditional love. (If you are an atheist or an agnostic, this inspirational thought may not be for you and I'll see you tomorrow) But for those who have a spiritual love, listen up!

The purpose of being spiritual has nothing to do with learning how to pray, chant, do yoga, meditate, etc. but with learning how to love. All religions/spiritual beliefs teach their followers how to love.  Love your neighbors as yourself. Love is patient and kind. Love God.

Love is Truth and Light.

I love God. My first experience in unconditional love was when I learned how much God loves me. He doesn’t care what I have done in the past or what I look like. He loves me for me! He's been with me through all the bad times and rejoiced with me in all the good times. He has never let me down and I love Him.

I love my neighbors as I love myself (more so on some occasions). Through spiritual love, I learned how to love my fellow human beings. I don't judge anyone and I try to see the good in each person. Nowhere in the Bible does it say to hate those who are different than I am. It says to love.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” – Matthew 7:12

I follow the Golden Rule and continue to spread the Light! Who's with me? 

MRS N

To be inspired is great but to inspire is...

To be inspired is great; to inspire is incredible.

No matter where you live or what you believe in, inspiration is all around you. It may be something you read or someone you talk to. Inspiration is just waiting for you to discover it. For me, I hunt for inspiration like mushroom foragers hunt for truffles. I focus all my energy and sniff it out. Here is a top ten list of things/people that inspire me.

1- My husband, MR N, inspires me each and every day. Together, we came up with the idea for each of our books as well as our business. He inspires me to work hard every day. He empowers me to be the best I can be. He continues to inspire me each day. “Spread the Light, darling,” he whispers to me as he kisses me good-bye before he leaves for work. 

2- The Walking Man inspires me every day. Who is that? In my debut novel, Mary meets a man known in the town of Golden Lake as the Walking Man. He is a homeless man who walks. He is based on a real homeless man I discovered in my neighborhood. I don’t know much about him except that he shuns contact and walks everywhere. Even though he doesn’t talk to me, I show him kindness. He inspires me to spread the Light so I can help others just like him.

3- Twitter inspires me. I have over 10,800 followers and throughout the day, I get tons of inspiring photos, tweets or quotes. It lightens my heart, feeds my imagination and sets my mind on fire.

4- Nature inspires me. I go for a morning walk and I surround myself with nature and wildlife. It inspires me to grow beyond my fingertips and to persevere no matter the weather.

5- Past/Present authors inspire me. No matter what I am dealing with, it is helpful that scores of successful authors have dealt with it too. Publishing is a small community and my fellow authors inspire me each and every day to be bold with my writing.

6- My father inspires me. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him and wish he was here with me. He passed away in 1998 and he inspires me to believe in myself. “You can do anything, angel.” I still hear his voice echo in my head.

7- My faith inspires me. I follow the Golden Rule and I do unto others as I would want them to do unto me. I don’t expect anything in return for being kind but it inspires me to be kind despite others.

8- The Naysayers inspire me. There have been people in my life that have told me that I couldn’t do something. To them, I say thank you. If not for them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. The constant negative wave surges me forward to achieving my dreams.

9- Music inspires me. My personal favorites include Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Kacey Musgraves, Gov't Mule, Alanis Morissette, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, Vivaldi and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

10- Art inspires me. No matter the form it takes, I have always found inspiration in art. Instead of ink and paper, they tell a story with paint and canvas. So beautiful!

No matter what form inspiration takes, allow it to inspire you to be the best person you can be!

What inspires you?

MRS N

Words can be deadly by @NNP_W_Light

Always be generous with your encouraging words, you may find they will inspire others to be the best they can be. – Catherine Pulsifer

Words can be deadly.

Don't believe me? I see it all the time on social media.  Online bullying with words can kill and it happens more than with guns.

Spreading the Light doesn't mean you can use your words like bullets, hurting and injuring people.  Spreading the Light is all about inspiring and encouraging others. Read the quote again.

Always be generous with your encouraging words, you may find they will inspire others to be the best they can be.

Today (and everyday), let's use our words to uplift each other instead of tearing each other down!

MRS N

Spread the Light in your corner of the world

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it. – Edith Wharton

Are you spreading the Light in your corner of the world?

I live in an old neighborhood in my town. The houses and buildings are established with trees towering over the streets. I love it!

As someone who walks every day, I run into a lot of elderly people. Many of them smile and are friendly. I stop and chat with them for a moment or two.

Why?

It makes their day and it's my way of spreading the Light. It doesn't take any effort on my part and their faces light up.

Want to make someone's day? Stop what you're doing for one second and say hello. Acknowledging another person and wishing them a good day is a great way of spreading the Light inside you.

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it. 

MRS N

Words have the power to hurt or heal

Your words have the power to hurt or to heal. Choose to be an encourager; the world already has plenty of discouragers.

Words have the power to hurt or to heal.  <--- This is a true statement.

Question: Do your words hurt or help others?

I'm a writer so I always strive to have my words heal.  I never want my words to hurt another.

Read the quote above and choose right now to be an encourager.

The world is overflowing with discouragers.  We need more kindness, more compassion, more Light, more encouragers.

Be an encourager and use your words to heal.

MRS N

When crabbiness hits you... @NNP_W_Light

Look out everybody! I’m gonna to be crabby for the rest of the day!!! – Lucy from Peanuts cartoon

Ever had one of those days when the world is ganging up on you and you want to scream like Lucy?

Hey, I have those days too. I would much rather be by myself or put a sign up letting everyone know that I am going to be crabby.

It's the end of September and there are so many things going on.  Don't get me wrong, I love being busy. But every once in awhile, stress tips the scales and it comes pouring out.

What do you do when that happens?

For me, the best thing I can do is to talk about it (or write).  Get it out of your body and you will start to feel better!  Let someone help you carry the load and infuse some much-needed Light into your soul.

You will be refreshed and will be ready to take on anything.

It's either that or yell at people like Lucy.

MRS N

Are you speaking the truth? @NNP_W_Light

The only people who are mad at you for speaking the truth are those people who are living a lie. 

Are you speaking the truth?  Do the words that come out of your mouth reflect Truth and Light?
Truth and Love are attributes of the Light.

There are people everywhere who will tell you what you want to hear but may not be the truth.  There are others who get mad at you when you speak the truth to them.  Why do they get mad?

"The only people who are mad at you for speaking the truth are those people who are living a lie."

I have encountered people recently who get so mad at me for speaking the truth.  The reality is I am a truth-seeker and I speak the truth.  If you don't like it, maybe it's time to look deep inside yourself and ask yourself why you're so mad.

Don't be afraid of the truth and don't be afraid to speak it.  The truth will set you free and you will be spreading the Light!

MRS N

Let love in by @NNP_W_Light #love

Let someone love you just the way you are – as flawed as you might be, as unattractive as you sometimes feel, and as unaccomplished as you think you are. To believe that you must hide all the parts of you that are broken, out of fear that someone else is incapable of loving what is less than perfect, is to believe that sunlight is incapable of entering a broken window and illuminating a dark room. – Mark Hack

Have you been afraid to show someone the "real" you? Have you been hiding your warts for fear of rejection?

Read the quote above.

Now read it again s-l-o-w-l-y.

I used to believe I couldn't show anyone my "dark" side. I was deathly afraid they would laugh at me and leave me. It wasn't until I met MR N that I realized I was doing myself a disservice. My dark side was a part of me and if people couldn't accept it, too bad.

Have you had the same thought?

Newsflash: No one is perfect. Everyone is broken/scarred in some way.

Let people see you for who you are. It's only when you love all the parts of yourself can you let someone else love you.

You are a beautiful person and I love you. Thank you for being you, warts and all.

MRS N

Be like the sun... by @NNP_W_Light

When you do something beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps. – John Lennon 

I remember a time in my life where I got up so early in the morning, I saw the sunrise.  It would literally take my breath away.

Spreading the Light and being kind are like the sun rising.  They are beautiful and yet most people miss out on them because they are sleeping.  I get asked a lot, "Why do you do it?  Why are you so kind to people?"

My answer is simple: I do it because it is what I do.  I am a Light Spreader.  It is a part of me and it doesn't matter to me if anyone notices or thanks me.  I don't do it for that.  I spread the Light because it's as natural for me as breathing.

Be like the sun and spread the Light for all to see! You will make a difference even if no one tells you.

MRS N

Let your Light shine! @NNP_W_Light

‘Cause there’s a spark in you. You just gotta ignite the light. And let it shine.

What is the secret to life?

Light.

Every human being on this planet has a spark of Light inside them. Some keep it hidden, some don't know it exists and some let it shine. The difference between those who keep it hidden and those who let it shine is clearly seen in their outlook on life. Those who are content and happy are those people who let their Light shine.

Think about people you admire and love. Something drew you to them; they have a special something you can't explain. Psst, it's their spark.

When I let my Light shine, I'm my most happiest. I feel at peace and smile.

Are you hiding your Light or are you letting it shine?

Mrs. N

Are you a Golden Rule follower? by @NNP_W_Light

I cannot always count on others to respect my feelings. Even if I respect theirs. Being a good person doesn’t guarantee that others will be good people, too. You only have control over yourself on how you choose to be as a person. As for the others, you can only choose to accept them or walk away. – Pytha

I saw this quote this morning and it got me thinking.  You know that I am a huge supporter of the Golden Rule.  I always try to treat others how I would like to be treated.  But there are some people who, when you are kind, ignore you or are cruel.

Have you had that happen?  

You work with someone who, no matter how nice you are to them, are just plain mean.  It can sap you of strength and make you feel low.

Think of this quote and remember that you can only control yourself.  You can show kindness and accept them for who they are or you can walk away.  Again, this is where the Golden Rule comes in.  Spreading the Light is not about getting the Light in return.  It's unconditional and does not count on the other person to reciprocate.

So, the next time a person scoffs at your kindness or your feelings, smile to yourself.  You are a beautiful person and you're spreading the Light!

MRS N

Happy Summer Solstice by @NNP_W_Light

It is Summer, it is the solstice

the crowd is

cheering, the crowd is laughing

in detail

permanently, seriously

without thought.

-​ William Carlos Williams

Today is June 21 and it is the Summer Solstice. 

What is the Summer Solstice? 

The summer solstice, also known as midsummer, occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. For that hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky and is the day with the longest period of daylight. (Wikipedia)

It is a holiday celebrated around the world and in almost every culture. It's also one of my favorite times of the year. 

Summer brings a joyfulness, a freeing of one's spirit to bask in the sun and the outdoors. It's a time to grow flowers, herbs, vegetables and grains. It's time to dance, be free and fall in love. 

Whatever you do to celebrate summer, may it bring you unadulterated joy.

Happy Summer Solstice!

MRS N

Let your Light shine in the dark by @NNP_W_Light

“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring


When your life is plunged into darkness, do you let your Light shine or do you cower in the dark?


One of my all-time favorite books is The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. In it, the path Frodo must take is filled with uncertainty and he's unsure what to do. Without warning, he's surrounded by darkness. But he has a secret weapon, a light to shine bright in the murky depths. 


We're a lot like Frodo. Without warning, the floor beneath our feet drops out and we're sitting in the dark, not able to see three feet in front of our face. What to do, what to do? 


Each of us has a light that will combat the darkness. Some may call it faith while others call it hope. I call it Light. It has the ability to guide us through the dark even if we can't see where we're going. Hold tight to the Light and when needed, let it surround you while lighting the path you need to walk. 


Frodo used his light and succeeded in his mission. You have the same ability inside you. Stop cowering and start shining! 


MRS N

Replace negative thoughts by @NNP_W_Light

Are your thoughts negative or positive?

I know it's a hard question to answer but trust me, it's an important one. Your outlook on life, with its ups and downs, dictates what kind of life you live. If you approach every obstacle with negativity, then guess what? It will probably turn out that way. If your thoughts are positive, then the results will most likely be positive.

How is this possible?

The power of positive thinking is one of the greatest tools anyone can possess. It can mean the difference between success and failure. Your thoughts are powerful so make them count. 

When we launched N. N. Light's Book Heaven, I was in a low place. Everything I had worked on since 2015 was gone in a blink of an eye. I had a choice: stay negative or use the power of my thoughts in a positive way. I chose the latter and guess what? It's a success and I owe it all to my positivity.

Life can get pretty bad. You can reside in the pit of despair, not knowing how to get out. If you allow your negative thoughts to rule, you will stay in that pit of misery. But if you lift yourself up with positive thoughts and actions, you will float to the top and leap out of the darkness into the light.

Replace your negative thoughts with positive ones and you'll have positive results.

MRS N