In front of our mailbox, we have a stepping-stone that says “Bloom where God plants you.”

I’ve changed.

In the past, I have disliked that saying. It seemed to me that it was giving me a poor choice. What if I didn’t like where I was planted.

Today, I cherish the promise. So what’s different?

Before, when I heard that phrase, I would think that it meant I had to choose to accept a hard life, choose to be less than what I wanted to be. I felt that I could make things better than that, and whoever wrote that saying didn’t understand God.

I was wrong. It was me who didn’t understand God.

Instead of really hearing the message, I was reacting from an independent, “I can do it” human ego, and personality attitude. I wish I could say that it was a fast journey to understanding, but for the most part, it has been a slow progression to the awareness of the true message behind this saying.

It’s simple really, even if we look at it from a “human” standpoint, which most of us do, the idea is we can trust that God would only plant us where we would bloom. Even in the apparent worst of conditions, we could still trust that we can bloom there because we are always provided for, and loved by, Love Itself.

No, I am not saying we will be stuck in those terrible conditions and we must make the most of it. What I am saying is that it is not possible for God to have created any terrible conditions, and when we decide to trust that idea, that Truth, we begin to let go of our human worldviews about what we think we are seeing and see instead the presence of God.

That choosing, that seeing, that blooming, will eliminate those terrible conditions as easily as the light eliminates the darkness.

One thing that keeps us from seeing this Truth and blooming are our mental discussions that more often than not become our outward discussions. It is the messages we give to ourselves and accept about others.

Instead of choosing to bloom - we whine, blame, have regret and guilt and desires for something different in the past, present, or future. We relive the past as if it was the present, and repeat to others and ourselves what we didn’t like, and haven’t forgiven others and ourselves for doing.

The worldview survives by selling us the story that things go wrong, that there isn’t enough, that people are to blame, that we need and need and need some more. It is just like a store, plying us with messages that make us want to come in and buy. It only exists because we keep accepting it and agreeing with it, and stopping in all the time to pick up the latest version of lack, fear, blame, and guilt.

What can we do when we feel as if those who are trying to sell us into the slavery of the worldview surround us on all sides and are stronger than us. We can listen to Elisha who said to his fearful servant, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” (Bible - Kings 6: 17)

We can accept this Truth and it will begin to heal us of our blindness so that we can clearly and permanently see that the way of the worldview is not the way we seek, nor is it the Truth of our being.

We can rise above what appears as a human personality self, become aware of the omnipotence of abundance, and choose to focus only on what is good, true, and pure.

In our modern world, we are all well aware that it is our perception that “creates” reality. However, let’s get this straight. It doesn’t create, or recreate what God has already created.

What it creates is the worldview, which blinds us to the big R reality of omnipotent good already created by the One intelligent Mind we call God.

The truth is, God has planted each of Its ideas, known as us, in the perfect place to fully express all that God is. Let’s shut off the messages trying to sell us a different picture, let’s not buy this story any longer. Once we surrender our human story, the truth of God’s care reveals itself, and our circumstances progressively match our awareness of the consistent care of Love.

If we are not sure how to accomplish this, we can move to the one thing that always breaks open the illusion. It is gratitude. No matter where we find ourselves, we can find gratitude for what we have, and for the awareness that omnipresent Love is ever-present.

Throughout human history we have been told, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (Bible - John 8: 32) No matter how complicated the human worldview tries to make it, no matter how many lack stories it tells, it remains this simple.

When we know, and live, and speak only the Truth, we are freed from the worldview story, and we will each bloom in all our individual beauty where God has planted us in his perfect love for Its own ideas, known as us.

(Here's some of what is blooming in the yard today ...)

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The last few winters I have "forced" Narcissi bulbs to bloom in our home so that we can enjoy their beauty while the wind rages and the snow falls.  They provide much joy and anticipation as we watch their growth from bulb to bloom.

This year I put the bulbs in different glass containers on top of rocks, added water, and placed them around our combo kitchen-living room which is full of light. Although they all experienced the same "living conditions" something strange happened.

Within days one bulb started sending out roots and the others just "sat there."  Nothing, nada.  I waited for over a week or so thinking that they were just different, but still nothing.   Then I started wondering what was different about their living conditions that could be causing the delay. 

After much pondering I realized the simple answer was their containers.  The bulb that had developed roots was sitting in a fairly shallow container.  The others were in a very deep one because I thought it would be beautiful to see them growing within the glass.

Do you see what the problem was?  It took me awhile to figure it out, but then I realized they were getting different amounts of oxygen.

I took all the bulbs out of the deep container and put them all in shallower ones.  Within a day one of them sent out its roots.

But, not all; it has taken weeks for some of them to begin to grow again after that not prime place planting.

Another interesting thing happened. One bulb began to grow and then bloom even faster than the first bulb, which had the few weeks head start.

One reason I love to grow these bulbs in clear glass containers is it makes it possible to see their beautiful root system. One little root reaches out and touches into the water.  Discovering support, it is quickly joined by many roots growing so fast you can almost see it happening.

They spread out into the rocks and water to support the growth that is happening above.  The leaves and the bloom are the "payoff," but without that root system they would not be able to grow at all.

Here's what this is all about to me: blooming lives, or not blooming lives.

In order for each of us to bloom it is always important to notice where we are planted and decide if we are getting enough "oxygen." The bulbs needed me to become aware of their situation and move them.  We have the capacity to not only become aware of what we need, but move ourselves to a better growing spot.

We also need deep roots to grow and bloom well and long. Sometimes we question if our lives will ever bloom, and forget to notice the beautiful growth of our roots beneath the surface preparing to support what will become visible.

Timing is different for each of us.  Some of us are fast growers, but slow bloomers. Others are slow growers, but fast bloomers.  However, what is true is that when we give ourselves the support, patience, and substance necessary to bloom, we will bloom. 

We contain within ourselves - as the bulb contains its substance within - all of the elements of a beautiful blooming life. Like the bulb we are meant to bloom into our lives as the unique expression that we are.

Without every bulb blooming, the complete picture of the garden is not present. Following this metaphor, each of us blooming is necessary for the garden called God to be seen.

Sometimes what seems complicated is actually quite simple. With that idea in mind, and based on our bulb observations, here are some simple instructions for blooming your life.

1. Prepare to grow.
2. Put yourself where you grow best.
3. Move yourself if necessary.
4. Feed yourself with the best "food" available.
5. Spend the time to grow a strong root structure.
6. Grow in your own timing.
7. Expect to bloom.
8. Celebrate the unique bloom that you are.

Eight simple steps for experiencing consistent happiness that are easy to put into practice.

Don't listen to those that don't expect to grow. Inspire them instead by not participating in the worldview game of fear, sorrow, and lack and moving yourself out of those poor growing conditions.

Prepare yourself - you have blooming to do!

 know I am a little late in getting this ezine to you.  My intention is to write this Ezine every other week. 

But I have been working on a project that keeps grabbing all my attention and time.  We are creating a membership site for The Shift®.  I am excited by the idea of what it will offer, and by what I am learning in order to "make it so" for you as quickly as possible.

It's a whole new coding structure for me and a new way of looking at what we are doing. So I am doing the "nerd" thing, which I am only sorta good at, but love anyway.

I'll be letting you know more as I get closer to some kind of "beta" version.

In the mean time I am thinking about how lives bloom ... which is what this week's ezine is about.  Enjoy ...