Are you currently where you want to be in life? Have you attained happiness? Do you know where you are going? These are basic questions that we all face in life, sadly only one percent are willing to face these questions in order to find true happiness.

Happiness can come in all shapes and sizes.~Ani Po

When I was a child, happiness to me was purchasing my first road bike. I road that bike every day, three times a day, until the day it was taken from me. It was stolen from me. I was swimming and had the bike leaning up against my parents pool. The thief came in while I was underwater and stole the bike…I never saw it again.

My parents insurance company paid for a replacement bike, but it was never the same.

So, does my happiness really reside in the bike or the journey with the bike? Is it the material that brings the happiness or the experiences it brings? Looking back, I see that it was never about the materials I possessed, but the experiences they brought. Whether I had expensive toys or had nothing of material value, the experiences are always there…I just need to be present to see them.

If I jump around with this post, it is due to the fact that God has given me numerous puzzle pieces between the night and early hours of the morning. I will attempt to keep them focused and on point, as I sift through the puzzle pieces of my lessons.

Has this ever happened to you? Where dreams wake you up, with a strange storyline leaving you perplexed as to the meaning of our dreams? Dreams are always on purpose, but the clarity is not always present. Sometimes we need to interpret them with a fine-toothed comb. What might appear to be one thing, has a totally different symbolic meaning. The symbolism of our dreams will allegorically tell us where the area of growth.

First, let me start by telling you how this began, as often times dreams are sparked by our daytime activities.

When two or more come together in my name, I Am present. Matthew 18:20

I met with a friend Robin Korth for Tea and conversation. Robin is a writer, Author, and speaker, with a website titled “Robin in Your Face.” Her no holds barred approach to life is a reflection of her past, just as yours and mine will unveil ours. At first we did not know why we were being called together, but it later became known. We laughed about our conversation numerous times, as we both knew God had an intricate part in our meeting that day.

Our conversation led to my digging up more of the past, reflecting on the scars endured. I will attempt to write about it, but it is not to point fingers at anyone but a self-reflection of the soul. However, if I do not unearth the past, I will remain forever scarred and suppressed within my subconscious mind. We found ourselves spinning around a timeline of my childhood and I began getting uncomfortable as we spoke of my parents.

My parents did what they could and I am forever grateful to them for my upbringing. While I do not think they physically abused me, I do think that my psyche was scarred. With the influence of their actions or teachings, I shutdown or rose to many occasions. We are not meant to be held down, but we are meant to be raised up. My experiences of my childhood, while painful, are meant to give me strength. Although, while strong on the exterior, there lay Kryptonite somewhere within, keeping me eternally weak. Until I get rid of the kryptonite, I will never find my true superpowers. Our conversation yesterday, sparked dreams of understanding.

My dream, last night, was about selling a house. It was locked with a lock box, but the lock box was broken and the lock to the door did not actually work. So I fumbled with the lock box and lock to the door, only to let myself in.

As I walked around the house, I began noticing blemishes with the house and need for repairs. What looked like a clean, solid home, was actually in need of a make-over. Symbolically this meant I, while at first glance appear to be solid, am actually in need of repair on the inside. My ego steps in, “how is this possible? I’m good!” Thank you for showing up again Mr. Ego, but we will take over from here.

Does this happen to you? When you realize you should do something, only to talk yourself out of it? That is probably ego, giving comfort and protection, misleading you into a false sense of security. Trust the process, trust the signs given to you…follow them…truth awaits.

So the house for sale…I walked in, thinking all was good, but then noticed blemishes on the wall, holes that need to be patched, bug infestation. What does this mean to me? It means that for me to sell this house (metaphor) or to live as my true-self (literal), I must clean house, metaphorically and literally. Meaning, I must dig up the past to move forward, gaining more strength and allowing my true strength to shine. The locks on the doors were barriers that I created, only to realize they were false too. Time to change the locks!

As I return to the keyboard, I reflect, not on my past but past writings. Everything changes in life: our thoughts, our dreams, our writing styles. I know that in the past I would write in third party or allegory, with the intent to get readers to think. I know now it is not what we read that guides us, but the connections that we make along the way. Whether it be in book form or in person, when we make a connection with another, we relate to their situation, applying self-reflection, leading us to our own self-mastery.

Ok, back to the story…so how do we receive the answers? How do we apply what we know? Through our own self-declaration of I Am here, we invoke the Source of creation within ourselves. When we are down, with nowhere to turn, turn to Heavenly Father. We have a Senior Partner with us at all times. We can give our troubles to God, asking for the right tools to present themselves or the answers necessary to show up. In giving to God, through our own faith, it is delivered. I never really understood this until one day I decided to call God’s bluff.

I called his bluff, but he was playing with a Royal Flush. He did not play his hand to beat me, but instead he gave it to me so that I may win. I was in a place of sadness and misery, caused by a feeling of entrapment, only to have a friend ask me to go on a retreat. When I accepted to go on the retreat, something said to fast and pray…so I did. I prayed that whatever was to be, let it be so; that I cannot do this alone and I ask for assistance; it is you Lord who can do all things, please show me The Way. I wrote about this instance in particular, in a past blog, “I Am That” – https://www.steppingintothecanvas.com/i-am-that/

I laugh now, as God and I have become very close. Laughing at the fact that I called God’s bluff…he was so gracious to amuse me…I think I might have amused him more?!

Back to my dream…So upon awakening, figuring out the meaning of my dream, writing it down and trying to get back to sleep…more information kept coming. Via visions or a dream state half in and half out of consciousness. Have you ever had this happen to you? Where you are half in sleep, but you are still awake? Some would equate this to a form of Lucid Dreaming, where we can see the dream or vision, but we are still cognizant of what is going on around us, interpreting the vision during the dream.

I dictate my note, attempted to go back to sleep, but notice I had four emails already this morning. All from inspiring friends within my circle of life. One was from John Smallman via Jesus through John. Jesus Through John message was “Awakening Happily From a Nightmare Which is Already Fading From Your Memories. I laughed as I know that God truly does have a sense of humor as he helps me sort out the puzzle pieces. Please, If it feels right, check out “Jesus Through John,” I know I am always inspired by John’s writings. Also, pay attention to the people within your life. When we ask for assistance, the right people will always show up in our lives: whether old or new acquaintances.

Not sure I have to go into detail of how this correlates with what I write about, but as I awoke from a dream, not necessarily a nightmare, I awakened to a new reality with keys to a new world…the keys were always with me, I just needed to be reminded.

Next was from Abraham-Hicks Publishing, “You are Joy, looking for way to express.” Laughing as I write this, expressing my thoughts and lessons for the day in hopes that my readers connect with these words and apply to their own lives.

You are joy, looking for a way to express. It’s not just that your purpose is joy, it is that you are joy. You are love and joy and freedom and clarity expressing. Energy—frolicking and eager—that’s who you are. And so, if you’re always reaching for alignment with that, you’re always on your path, and your path will take you into all kinds of places. We will not deny that you will not discover miracles and create benefits and be involved in creation, and that you will not uplift humanity—we will not say that you will not find satisfaction in so many things that you create, but we can’t get away from the acknowledgment that you are Pure Positive Energy that translates into the human emotion of joy. ~Abraham

Third email arrives via Thoughtful mind, I, for one, truly believe that individuals can make a difference in society. Since periods of great change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to each of us to make the best use of our time to help create a happier world.~Tenzin Gyatso, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama. Meaning that I have the ability to change my own future, with a single thought. The thought may be small or large, few or many, all leading to a brighter future.

During my conversation with Robin, I asked her if she had ever spoke on TED. She had spoke in front of a few thousand people, but declared her next step was tens of thousands of people. I immediately thought of TED network. Ironically, I say that lightly as nothing is a coincidence and everything is deliberately placed in our path, I receive a “what’s trending” from Twitter. What was trending? TED network. Lol! I see TED in both our futures…

Next message was from International Coach Academy, discussing coaching sessions and sifting through when a coaching session is no longer a coaching session, reminding me to know when to wash my hands and move on or set firm guidelines with clients as we move forward. Setting guidelines not only  protects the coach, but also keeps the client on task, redirecting their thoughts to what they want and not remaining focused on what they do not.

The next email might not seem pertinent but it is. It comes from Best Buy and it is an offer to trade in an old iPad to receive a new one. Again, this message arrives through allegory, as often things do, reminding me to trade in my old way of thinking only to adopt the new.

We cannot fill our old wineskins with new wine, but we must replace our wineskins.~Joel Olsteen

So what does all of this mean? What do I make of these lessons? Are they real? Are they mere coincidence? None of those answers matter except to me, just as in your own questions will deliver answers pertinent to you. Whether the answers seem real or make believe they are meant for us and us alone. Our paths are not always the same as the next, but assuredly we are heading in the right direction.

Stepping into the Canvas calling God’s Bluff. As we Step into the Canvas he laid before us…enjoy every minute of it. We are meant to enjoy this Canvas not dwell in the shortcomings of life. Even the shortcomings of life may be the stepping stone needed to attain our next level within the Canvas of Life. Take the first step, let go of the problems…dare to call God’s Bluff…He will deliver every time!