By Marcia Bender
One of the gifts that a student gave me for the holidays is a little white and black plaque that says, “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” It now hangs in my office along with other “message art” that has found its way to me over the years. These sayings and words are not limited to my office, when a new client comes to see me and asks to use the restroom I point them in the right direction and say, “Don’t forget to read the wall.” My refrigerator is covered with them as well.
I post “Message Art” everywhere because it is my feeling that the “right” words will find their way to the people who need them the most.
All who know me know that words are a very important part of my life. I believe that words can change our thought patterns in a dramatic and positive way. Words can change lives, which also is why I write this column for Transformation. If I can reach someone at the time in his or her life when my words can make an impact, then I have accomplished something. It may not be an earth-shaking accomplishment, in the greater scheme of things, but if I can reach even one person and make a positive change, then my work is of value.
I know that not everyone who reads this column on a regular basis or even sporadically will find their way into my home. So I have decided to share with our readers some of the “messages” that I display in the hopes that one or more of them will have a special meaning or prompt a change in some small or even dramatic way.
Let’s start with my gift:
“When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.”
Think about it for a moment. The road of life is full of bumps, ruts and even boulders that we must negotiate from time to time. Life is always changing, like the Wheel of Fortune card in the Tarot, there are times when everything is going well, when we are at the top of the “Wheel of Life,” times when things are O.K. but not great, and times when things are downright not good at all. It would be wonderful if things were always just as we would wish them to be, but this is not possible. We are in this incarnation to “learn” and there would be little learning if things were always great, if we were always at the top of the “Wheel.” We need to take the challenges that come to us and do something positive with them, learn something from them. It is a fact that we only have limited options when dealing with our challenges, both large and small. If we choose to wring our hands in depression and say “woe is me” it will not make the negative things that we are dealing with any more positive. In reality, it can only make us feel worse and remain in the negative situations for longer periods of time. So it is sound advice to attempt to take the “lemons” in life and make “lemonade.”
The next message I want to share is:
“When one door closes, another opens.”
It is a fact that good things come from the changes that life seems to force us to make. It may be that there is an upheaval in a personal relationship or career. Sometimes the difficulties are so great that one is forced to actually sever ties with a loved one or leave a job that has provided security for years. The door closes with a resounding SLAM, and we feel very upset and unhappy, and then, often when we least expect it, another door always opens. The new door usually leads to a more positive love relationship or job. If we had remained behind the “old” door, we would never have the opportunity to walk through the “new” one.
Some of the messages seen in my office, home, porch, lanai, front yard, etc., are one-word communications: Remember, Magic, Miracles, Life, Spirit, Patience, Tranquility, Imagine, Believe, Faith, Hope, Peace and Love, just to name a few. These words are found on rocks, plaques, paintings, walls, and just about every other surface that you can “Imagine,” as you walk through my “space.” They are all little words with big meanings, all words you have heard before, but did you really process them? Please take a minute and think about what these messages may mean to YOU, at this time in your life. It is true that “faith can move mountains” and so can a well-placed word.
I have messages with few words and messages with many words. All of them have special meaning to me as a metaphysical teacher for many years, but I choose to just share them with you now and, as we did with the single-word messages, ask you to give them relevance to your own lives.
“Dare to Dream”
“Carpe Diem” (Seize the Day)
“Believe in Miracles”
“Believe in Angels, they Believe in You”
“There’s More to Life than Meets the Eye”
“Live Simply, Laugh Often, Love Deeply”
“Follow Your Heart”
“Take Time to Smell the Roses”
“Imagine the Possibilities”
Here are some longer ones that I hope also will make you think:
“Before you go to bed, give your troubles to God. He will be up all night anyway.”
“I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining. I believe in love, even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God, even when he is silent.”
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
“Everything in the universe is subject to change and everything is on schedule.”
“Magic is in believing. Belief is in the heart. The heart holds the key. The key opens the door.”
Not all of my messages are serious or have deep spiritual meaning. On the wall of my bedroom, I have a little plaque picturing a crowned frog. The caption reads,
“Just how many do I have to kiss?”
Now I know that many of you women have just laughed and nodded at that one. Laughter, especially at our self, is a good thing. A woman who finds herself alone can sigh and think about how lonely she is OR she can laugh, as I do, whenever I read those words.
As you can see, there are many, many sayings and words that I can share, and we all “see” the ones we are meant to see when we need to see them. Sometimes people come to my house and ask, “Is that a new one?” Sometimes it is, but often I tell them it has been hanging in that spot for years! Fate just led them to see it now. There are messages everywhere just waiting for you to “see” and then “think” about. Higher Forces are continually trying to get our attention and place signs and messages in the strangest places, just waiting for us to find them. So next time life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.
And remember, Knowledge is the Greatest Power, so Walk in the Light.
Marcia began her career as a school teacher, working with preschool through inner city high school students. She has worked with all aspects of Metaphysics for over 40 years and specializes in Tarot and Numerology. Marcia’s clients and students are in every state and throughout Europe. Marcia has taught over 400 students to “read” the Tarot for the purpose of self-guidance and to use the powerful symbolism of the Tarot to reach higher levels of spirituality. Her column, Spiritually Speaking, originally ran for 8 years in Attitudes Magazine. Email marlou2000@aol.com