An Open Letter

Posted on 04/29/2019 by admin

Where Midnight Runs

By Joy M. Mills

Beyond the stars – Where Midnight Runs…

Our life here done

Sunshine begins!

How can we grieve?

Why is it so?

We are human

Everyone must go…

The sad part is

No one really knows.

Some of us young

With so much life and potential it seems.

If only we all could spend

Our time here and give

The love

The hope

Encourage each other

Because our time is short

From the first breath we take

Until the last one is done.

We will go beyond – Where Midnight Runs…

This isn’t negative

It isn’t really death

It’s life renewing

In a different form.

The rest of us weep

When our loved ones are gone.

The pain

The tears

We all feel and shed.

We take it so for granted

Life I mean

We don’t stop to think about dead.

An awful word

It doesn’t make sense

To those left behind.

We can’t jump the fence.

They are not faraway

They are forever near

Our angels

Our help

Is what they have become

Beyond the sky – Where Midnight Runs….

They are at peace and so must we be.

Their bodies are gone

Their spirits set free.

“Remember the promise”

Again we will see them

Hold them close

So grieve not my friends.

Easily said

Your loved one

Has risen

Their soul is alive

No such word as gone

Beyond the sky – Where Midnight Runs…

So laughter through tears

When your heart aches so bad

Remember their smiles and try not to be sad.

They have gone beyond

The Stars

To a better place

No more heartache

No more pain

Where Midnight Runs…

MJM ®

*This article is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal or other professional advice. This article was written to support, not replace medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional care if you feel you have a condition.

An Open Letter

Posted on 04/29/2019 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution. Think for yourself. Trust your intuition. Another’s mind is not walking your journey, you are.

In any relationship, do boundaries get set? When you hurt someone, do you pretend to suffer a memory lapse suddenly or are confused about the facts? Demolish as a verb is to pull or knock down, destroy or flatten, bulldoze or topple. Negative people do all of the above.

When people in positions of power lie, you not only become disaffected with them but you become alienated with everything they represent. Manipulative people are in every walk of life. You might meet them at work, or they take credit for your achievements or in social situations they are controlling, demanding or even abusive.

Everyone falls out at times and then there are those that flip the script. Manipulative people are masters at smoke and mirrors. If you are their target, they will have intensely studied you and will know all of your strengths and weaknesses. These are the tools to understand how to wind you up. Often, they will accuse you of the very things they have done themselves. Ultimately, to a manipulator, everything is a game. It happens slowly, so the victim does not see the deception coming.

Do not get emotionally overwhelmed. Primarily, you do not want to get into a heated debate. To do so, you cannot react too aggressively. Some issues are objective, and some are subjective. Make sure you are correct. Whenever you think you are right, prove it without making assumptions.

The devil does not care if you go to church or read your bible as long as you do not apply it to your life.

Remember to keep the circle positive, peaceful and loving. ©

Written with love.

#demolish #manipulators #youlie #emotional #bible #god #deception #yourjourney #iwishdeathwouldtakeavacationmystory #buythebook #sundaysoullutions

Joy M. Mills (IP)

MJM ®

An Open Letter

Posted on 04/29/2019 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

I have been thinking about all of the emotional stressors such as relationship issues. There is no peaceful way out of any mess. Turn your mess into your message.

When we feel responsible for those around us and take on the responsibility, we put our life on hold. These are unresolved issues in your heart and mind. The reason behind all efforts to fix someone else’s life is a secret desire to help ourselves. When you can figure these things out it is much easier to work out instead of that little voice or nagging feeling inside that disrupt us and keeps us off balance.

I believe the most significant events in our lives – good or bad – allow us to draw insight, wisdom, and experience from what happened to us then we can look at it as an investment instead of a loss. We have to work through our thoughts, sometimes change our perspective. Each of us has a different trajectory; at times, harsh. Save yourself.

Change is frightening. When people around us are feeling angry, we feel compelled to save them from this feeling if we do not feel comfortable with anger. Saying yes all of the time is harming those you are saying yes to and hindering their growth. You are not a crutch. While crutches are sometimes necessary, relying on them for too long weakens you.

Learning to love and respect yourself enough to cut ties with those who do not make you a better person will bring a significant amount of happiness to your life.

Keep it simple. Rinse and repeat as many times as necessary.

Remember to keep the circle positive, peaceful and loving. ©

Written with love.

#loveyourself #nostagefiveclingers #saveyourself #insanity #thinkaboutit #iwishdeathwouldtakeavacation #buythebook

Joy M. Mills (IP)

MJM ®

An Open Letter

Posted on 04/29/2019 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

I heard something said about another person a little over a month ago at an event. A woman who is known for stirring up drama, prompted by someone else or not, passed judgment. There is nothing humorous about her behavior. We all know one of these. Her snarky statement had been overheard and repeated, which is another blog. I began to think what another must have said to make her believe it was okay to make such a politically incorrect joke assigning herself as judge, jury and executioner. Was it jealousy or insecurity?

The act of judgment is an act of pride. It involves looking at our store of knowledge putting together a few facts. All too often it is the wrong solution or answer and ends in hurting someone else. For all this woman has, it makes me sad she has to stoop to such low levels to get attention.

Everything needed to break unhappy cycles are within you. Making judgments behind someone’s back is just as bad as saying it to their face. When you make snarky, ugly comments and a person overhears it; you are rude. It speaks volumes about you as a person, not the other person at all.

Bad comments do not determine a person’s worth. If you overhear it, do not encourage it, walk away.

When people are scared and feel insecure, they try to feel better by putting other people down. I would love to sit here and write I am a perfect, open and a loving person and that I have never judged someone. That is not the case. I hate that I have to admit it. We all need to work on it. Willfully hurting others and causing trouble is wrong. It is bullying without having the nerve to say it to someone’s face.

In the last decade I have become more comfortable with who I am; therefore, I do not participate in these antics. I have learned to leave the room. We all have to be self-assured enough not to cast a downward glance at others.

Judgment is something we do without thinking. If it does not belong to you, leave it where it is. It is not your house so stop cleaning it.

Destiny determines who enters your life, but you decide who stays. The truth hurts only once. A lie, every time you remember it. We are in a world spiraling out of control. What we do not consider is judgment day is coming for all of us.

My prayer is that our behavior is not the impetus for something horrific happening. We came into the world alone, we are leaving alone and will answer for everything we have or have not done. The choices are yours.

Remember to keep the circle positive, peaceful and loving. ©

Written with love.

#stopjudging #nodrama #alittlekindnessgoesalongway #stopcomplaining #donotrepeat #godhelpusall #shameonyou

Joy M. Mills (IP)

MJM ®

An Open Letter

Posted on 04/29/2019 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

Most people intuitively know when it is time to cut ties. Sadly, we may have carried this knowledge for a long time before we are ever ready to make the jump.

In just a few words, family defines us. Families can be the ones that drive you nuts. Is there a fair trade? Do you have to take the good with the bad? Just because you were born into chaos, does that mean you have to remain there stuck?

The key ingredients in a healthy relationship are acceptance, love, the ability to agree or disagree and mutual respect without having to change or control each other.

Sometimes you may need to cut some family out of your life whether momentarily or permanently. Keeping an open space for them and continuing to make an effort to reach out is emotionally exhausting.

Short-term ease equals long-term pain for you if you do not recognize situations for what they are. It is up to you to act. Keep things intact if you can but do not be afraid to let go and do things for you if you must.

Learn to accept and value you. No one else’s judgement should be the inner voice in your head creating thoughts of ridicule or self-doubt. All details to the side, this is your life. You may not be able to control all things toxic to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them in the long run. Do not be fooled.

Remember to keep the circle positive, peaceful and loving. ©

Written with love.

#stop #think #act #family #happiness #peace #selfcare #control #dontbefooled

Joy M. Mills (IP)

MJM ®

An Open Letter

Posted on 04/29/2019 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

Have you ever felt trapped in God’s little acre, east of the rock and west of the hard place?

There is no requirement to attend every argument you have received an invitation to including the ones with yourself. There are going to be times in your life when you feel you have mastered all of the wrong lessons. You are forced to start over. That sucks.

If you wrote a letter to yourself, would it look like this?

Dear Me,

I am putting it out there and declaring my intentions. The time has come to heal on a deeper level and look at my life from a different perspective; ask for what I want and remain true to myself all of the time. The minute I forget this, the enemy will step in, “ME in my way.”

I realize I have to be the hero of my spiritual journey. Like any great hero, I have to slay the demons of illusion with the sword of knowledge and the shield of courage.

My direction is to head towards a stable situation and step into a peaceful place.

There are times I feel chased by pain and weakness that rest deep in my heart. I am learning there is nothing wrong with self-care.

Love,

Here is what I know for sure, drama begets drama. We are all teachers and students. We teach, and we learn. If we haven’t learned, we find ourselves trapped in God’s little acre.

What I have learned, try and get it right.

Written with love.

#Godslittleacre #Eastversuswest #peace

Joy M. Mills (IP)

MJM ®

An Open Letter

Posted on 04/28/2019 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

People make a dozen excuses for not engaging in the outside world or with the people around them. I am too old. I am too young. I am too busy. I can’t afford it. Those things don’t happen to people like me. There are so many more examples I could give you, but I think you get the point.

We let the hardest lessons harden our hearts. We forget to smile. We don’t engage people. We don’t ask people their stories. None of us are truly listening. We are all just waiting to talk. We avoid eye contact. We hide behind gadgets. We are robbing ourselves of real relationships in real life. One day you will be slapped with the reality of a missed memory and time. That is far more unsettling than a missed text or that critical e-mail. We have to be more human again.

Are you tired of dealing with the same headaches and heartaches over and over again? It is time to break the cycle. Purge some bad habits and embrace discomfort. It is time to learn from our mistakes. You ultimately become what you repeatedly do.

We have to challenge our understandings and uncertainties. At the end of life, we don’t want to be caught not honoring ourselves or the one who created us. We have to begin to lose the expectation that everything should be more comfortable. There are rarely shortcuts to a place worth going.

Don’t avoid uncomfortable hard things all of the time. Those actions may move your life, one step in the right direction. Stop trying to escape. It would be better if you just lived life and savored the moments.

Written with love.

Joy M. Mills (IP)

MJM ®

An Open Letter

Posted on 04/28/2019 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

When we are upset, can we choose to make wise decisions? Don’t rely on feelings or emotions when the going gets tough. Our feelings don’t carry us to the right decisions; rather, right decisions carry us to the right emotions and positive rewards. Decide to choose peace.

Here is what I know:

Deciding to choose peace regardless of the circumstance is a decision that will create happiness. If you go looking for happiness as the goal, you will never find it because you have no control over other people. You do have control over yourself and your emotions. Do things that you love. Examine your life as it is right now. Is it giving you blisters instead of bliss?

Continually picking up pieces here and there that relate to your life, altering them and making them fit is not happiness. Making good choices for yourself is by far the hardest and easiest thing you will ever do. Instead of keeping track of what other people around you are doing or not doing, start keeping track of how you are handling each situation.

Life doesn’t always turn out how we planned but our action and reaction to everything and everyone around us can make us begin to appreciate how far we have come and feel blessed in our day-to-day routines. That is the beginning of spiritual growth.

Written with love.

Joy M. Mills (IP)

MJM ®

An Open Letter

Posted on 12/30/2017 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

As these last days and hours of 2017 wind down, I was thinking about the hard truths. Is there order from chaos?

Your heart gets broken. No one is rallying around you with the same enthusiasm as with the pain and criticism they brought. Then the day comes when the risk to remain silent and keep your pain buried is more painful than the risk to acknowledge it and find your strength. It takes courage to turn inward, to break apart what you are feeling and to recognize your pain, whatever that may be.

My prayer for the remainder of these hours left in 2017 is that heaven hears us. We may feel lost with no cause. We can’t hold onto the past. The best thing we can do is pray that we break our hearts wide open so the whole world falls in.

The cool thing about learning how to overcome your fear and negative emotion, you have to be willing to choose love and let go of resentment. It is hard to face the truth and realize your whole life is being done by you, not to you. Get out of your own way. You don’t have to be a victim. It can start today. It doesn’t have to be a resolution. They never work.

When we can finally obtain the gift of each situation, we are truly living a peace-filled and blessed life.

Happy New Year!

Written with love.

An Open Letter

Posted on 11/28/2017 by admin

Hi, it’s me again.

I was thinking about the past and present. Honoring past relationships has proven to have a significant restorative power. You don’t think about the task of mourning relationships until you have succumbed to the dark hole of grief.

There is a first of everything even a first death anniversary. In other countries, there are rituals for expressing one’s respectful feelings for the ancestors. Somehow it has gotten lost in translation here in the United States.

We should advocate for finding constructive ways to cope with the harsh days. There is no right way or wrong way. Some will fully feel the sadness and emotion of that day instead of celebrating life.

Someone told me it was better to celebrate your loved one’s birthday and I agree. One person had said they dreaded the death anniversary date so much; they realized it had been forgotten about until they looked at the calendar. They found this a positive step in healing but yet felt guilty for not remembering.

Grief is working through and adjusting to the idea our loved ones aren’t here with us any longer. That takes time. I can tell you everyone is different. We all don’t live the same. We all don’t grieve the same. We all don’t laugh the same. We are not the same. The event of death defines a before and after and a past and present.

The myth of closure is the hardest pill to swallow if you loved them. You get through it, not over it and this is a huge accomplishment.

As I am writing this, I am coming up on some first anniversaries. I can’t tell you how I will react. I don’t know yet, but I hope to celebrate that they were a part of my life. I will never forget them.

I wish all of you peace as this year comes to an end. For all of you grieving, I am sorry for your loss.

Written with love.