Don't you love the way the beginning of spring feels after months of winter and dismal weather? The rain stops, the clouds dissipate, and the sun's warmth soaks through your skin and brings cheery, hopeful thoughts. A brighter attitude takes over and you feel hope for the future.

As bright colored flowers begin to bloom and people are working in their gardens, it makes me think about new beginnings. Just like a garden that needs someone to water and fertilize the soil--our hearts are like gardens.

To read the rest of the post, go to LaVon's new website at lavonrose.com. If you click the following words in blue font, "Blog tab" it will take you directly to the blog page on the new website.

Please join me this week at the new website and check out the rest of the new blog post.

Have you ever lost someone you deeply loved? I attended a memorial last week for a woman who was only 30 years old when her life abruptly ended. For the rest of the story, click on the new blog address for LaVon Rose.

Become just one click away from continued weekly posts--copy and paste the new link in your favorites section: http://www.lavonrose.com/_blog/Progressively_Healed.

I look forward to sharing more with you at the new website: www.lavonrose.com as you snuggle into your favorite chair to check out the new Blog and other pages.

New website for LaVon Rose is now live! Visit www.lavonrose.com to feel renewed hope, receive an optimistic outlook on challenges, learn helpful tips on topics of pain, fibromyalgia, chemical sensitivity, suicide, healing, marriage, insomnia, being optimistic, and other topics.

Blog postings have been integrated into the new website and will be updated once a week. If you have found the postings helpful or interesting, please add the following blog link to your favorites: http://www.lavonrose.com/_blog/Progressively_Healed.

If you need a speaker for your next women’s retreat, luncheon, or other event, click on http://www.lavonrose.com/speaking to learn more about sample topics.

Please feel free to share the new website address with friends or family. I look forward to sharing more with you at www.lavonrose.com. Have a great week! :-)
 

Do you have a negative behavior or attitude that you want to change? The enclosed tips may be helpful with stopping an undesirable trait. I have used the principles myself and have seen others be successful:

Some of our negative behaviors can be altered with three easy steps while other areas may take more work that requires a spiritual focus. When our attitude needs a major overhaul, it’s helpful to be open to letting God replace the negative images and thoughts that have been engrained in our minds over the years.

Reading and meditating on scripture verses that resonate in your spirit is helpful for transformation. Allowing God to show you how the verses apply to your life and asking for His help can be life-changing.

Join me this week in identifying negative habits, recognizing recurring patterns, and creating an action plan to achieve desired change. It is possible to overcome fear, be more positive, and break negative patterns.

Life has a way of throwing unexpected curve balls. It only takes a moment for circumstances to change and you feel like you have no control.

If you have watched a baseball game, then you have probably seen a pitcher throw a few curve balls. It’s amazing to watch the players hit the ball out of the park or watch the determination on their faces if they get hit--doing what it takes to stay in the game.

Can you control what life pitches to you? Some people think there isn’t anything you can do; however, you can control what you do before and after the pitch.

How you choose to live when circumstances are good significantly affects how you handle unexpected curve balls. For example, sports players have a regular routine of working out and practicing. Their mindset and attitudes are important among other things.

After life has pitched an unexpected curve, you can either try to hit it head on or determine in your heart that you are going to be productive in spite of what has happened.

Take an inventory of how you handle life when things are good. Do you have a positive or negative tone? The pattern you have established before the curve balls will grow deeper roots—whether it’s positive or negative. If you look at a glass as half empty and have a negative tone when things are good, the negative tone will only get worse unless you take steps to break the pattern. Stay tuned for the next post—discover how to break negative patterns.

Have you been praying about a specific need and it feels like God is being silent? Perhaps you’re wondering where God is when you really need His help. I have found the following four things to be true:

1. God answers prayer, but sometimes He gives us something different than what we have requested.

Often times He wants to give us more than what we’ve prayed for, yet it takes looking at circumstances through His eyes. It’s easy to be focused on what we want Him to do, rather than on what He wants to do in us and through us.

2. Sometimes God is silent because He’s getting ready to reveal Himself in a deeper way—He wants us to experience all aspects of who He is.

3. God will not force Himself on us. He will wait until we allow Him to get closer.

4. There could be sin in our lives that needs to be forgiven.

People have asked me why it took so long for God to heal me. God easily could have healed me when I first got sick, but He wanted me to learn firsthand about His incredible power, different aspects of His character, and to experience a deeper relationship with Him.

At the time I was walking through the healing process, there wasn’t anyone telling me that I could receive physical relief from symptoms if I dealt with anger and other issues that I had ignored for years. I had to experience it myself.

God wanted me to learn firsthand about unshakable and unwavering faith; experience His inexplicable peace in spite of circumstances; have total trust and absolute confidence in Him; and to know the diligence and advantages of prayer.

I remember asking two women to pray that God would completely heal me. Instead of praying for healing, they prayed for God’s peace. I remember thinking, I don’t need God’s peace. I need freedom from the chronic symptoms. I had no idea how much I really needed to feel His peace. I ended up with more than I had asked for—peace and healing.

Have you ever limited God when you haven’t understood His ways or things just didn’t seem logical?

Whether you are working through the loss of a loved one, or you’re experiencing relational or other issues, join me in not limiting God—let Him work outside the box.

Did the year begin as you had hoped or was it a gooey mess like warm ice cream sliding off a banana split?

Sometimes a gooey mess can be used as an opportunity to experience and know God more intimately than if life were going well. Some of my deepest life-changing experiences happened in the middle of the darkest circumstances.

While I would not want to re-live my past, I cherish the spiritual moments where I experienced God’s grace, phenomenal power, and unconditional love.

I had much to learn about faith and had multiple opportunities to grasp the concept and make it so real that I would not lose sight of it. It’s like children who begin to develop motor skills and pick up a toy but can’t hold it for long. They try again and as their coordination and muscles get stronger, they can hold the toy longer. It’s a process.

If your year started in a gooey puddle, I encourage you to spend more time with God and ask Him to show you areas of your life that need to be addressed. Ask Him to show you the situation through His eyes. It’s important to evaluate your spiritual life and determine steps you need to take to grow in your faith and knowing God.

When I began to experience pain and chronic symptoms, I sought medical help from doctors. It did not occur to me that spiritual growth could have a positive affect on dissipating physical symptoms or bring relief from depression. While it’s important to seek medical help, I also believe that spiritual growth can lead to complete physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

Whether you have had a great or gooey start, this can be a year of breakthrough, new beginnings, and breaking negative patterns. Join me in asking God to show you circumstances through His eyes.

I began setting goals last week for what I’d like to accomplish at home, church, work, and in my relationships with God, my husband, family, and friends. I’ve been determining what new things I want to learn and realizing areas where I need to improve.

I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions because they are often unrealistic. I prefer to set goals because it’s a way of life and easier to set bite-size achievable steps.

Do you have high hopes for 2012? Have you already set goals for what you’d like to accomplish in the next twelve months? If not, it isn't too late.

If you usually set goals regarding relationships, have you ever considered how you interact with those who live with constant pain and other symptoms?

If you experience pain and chronic symptoms, have you ever thought about how you get through each day and how you interact with those in your life?

Years ago when I was dealing with severe pain and chronic symptoms--I never considered how I was getting through each day—I was just trying to get through them. The first few years, I did not realize that my misery was reflected in my tone of voice and my general negative attitude--it had a negative affect on everyone around me.

It’s important that we love everyone unconditionally and it’s important how we interact with each other—especially if we have children.

I believe that 2012 is going to be an interesting year. This could be the year for your breakthrough! I have been free from chronic pain and symptoms for more than twelve years. It IS possible. Join me in setting goals for the new year and being cognizant of how we interact with others. :-)

Do you want to give a gift that feels like it’s from your heart but you don’t have the time or energy to shop? Try one of the following tips that will give a common gift a creative flair:

Put money in a fortune cookie:
Steam open a fortune cookie, take out the paper with the fortune and replace it with a folded dollar bill. Gently close the cookie and hold it closed until the cookie becomes hard. Repeat process with as many cookies as needed until you reach the desired dollar amount for the gift.

Roll money in a loaf of broad with a note, “You’re rollin’ in the dough:”
Place a layer of plastic wrap on a table. Lay slices of bread in a single file line on top of the plastic wrap with each bread slice touching the next bread slice. Take desired denomination of dollar bills and place a layer of bills on top of the entire layer of bread slices. Start at one end of the plastic wrap and carefully roll it up and tie it with a ribbon to keep the roll closed. Write a note on the card, “You’re rollin’ in the dough.” When the person unties the bow, the layers of bread should easily unroll along with the bills.

Crumple bills in a box with a note: “I can think of 25 reasons to go shopping:”
Decide on how much money you want to give someone. If you want to give $25, take 25 one dollar bills and crumple them up in a box. Write a note that says, “I can think of 25 reasons to go shopping.”

Give a gift card:
Gift cards make a great gift. I love to receive gift cards, but I don’t always enjoy giving them to other people because it feels so impersonal. If you do not have time or energy to be creative with money, gift cards are a wonderful gift for the person receiving them. If you feel the need to add flair, put the gift card in a beautiful box or special card. I have received money and gift cards in cute tin boxes with a beautiful red bow—I appreciated the personal touch—it was fun to receive the gifts. :-)

Enjoy this holiday season with family and/or friends. Don’t stress about your gifts or how to package them. The most important thing is spending time together, if possible. If this Christmas and the holiday season is painful and depressing due to circumstances, plan distractive activities to minimize the fact that your holiday is different than you had hoped.

Have an enjoyable Christmas!
 

My husband and I strolled down memory lane last weekend. He found our wedding video from 1987. We laughed and made comments as we watched videos from the wedding, previous vacations, and reminisced about the past.

As we watched the videos, I thought about friendships and family. Relationships are so important, yet have you ever noticed that it’s rare to have the same close friends through the duration of your lifetime?

People tend to come and go for a variety of reasons. Do you have anyone in your life who you’ve been good friends with for a long time? What qualities allow your friendships to last for years when other friendships become distant? A few traits that come to mind include:

As you prepare for Christmas and holiday festivities, join me in focusing on relationships and making memories that will bring a smile to your face or make you laugh out loud.

If you love to read stories and look at pictures from the past, click on Reminisce Magazine. The link will take you to the Reminisce website where you can view stories and pictures on-line or order the magazine. Do something this week to add to your memories.