Good morning! I just love this time of year! The only problem is I want to spend as much time outside as possible, however when I do, because of allergies, I get all congested! I'm sure that's information that added to your day! But how many of you can just feel the itchy nose, watering eyes, sneezing and wheezing? Not to get all philosophical or anything, but isn't that the way of life? We find something we really love, but there's always something standing in the way of us being able to fully enjoy it? You know sort of like the thought process that there is a price tag or a consequence to being able to truly enjoy ourselves. Sort of like taxes! But I'll spare you my sentiment. You know what I do so that I can enjoy the day a little more? I take an antihistamine. Thank God for properly directed pharmaceuticals!

Following this line of thinking, I think some of us, myself included, always feel as if when a good thing is happening to us, we can expect there to be a price tag, or a consequence. You know the saying "too good to be true"? Well there are some inalienable rights that come along with being alive and I think we too often forget those, or let others intimidate us into not believing it. And yes, there are people out there who want to put fear in us for their own purposes. Guilt, fear and intimidation all come from the same negative source and when woven into our thoughts can weaken anything and everything we do. There must have been a reason for Jesus to say "I have come that you might have life and that you might live it to the fullest". There must be an innate need for humanity to resist enjoying the goodness of life.

When someone is victimized, the first thing people want to do is look for a reason. To try and figure out what the victim did to put themselves in jeopardy. Let me tell you something, there doesn't have to be a reason for any individual to suffer from someone else's desire to take what does not belong to them. As simple as this concept is, I find that it is always overlooked. The question "who is to blame?" is always the first attempt to silence the victimized, and put fear and frustration into an already terrible situation.

We experienced this in our family in dealing with my daughter's past abuse. When we began to try to "expose" the problem, even unintentionally, just because we needed help, we were told not to speak of it. Because, as they put it, "everyone can take a little of the responsibility for this". In other words, if she hadn't been put in that situation or had that person not been given access to her. I'm here to tell those of you who are dealing with being victimized, you do have a right to live life "to the fullest" and it's up to you to decide who is to blame. How? You must rise above all criticism and judgmentalism, even well meaning, and then all the crap and sediment will settle in the bottom and you will be vindicated. But the secret is to "rise above" it. I don't care how incredibly horrible your trauma might have been, if you live within the realm of the higher law of love, you will surpass the negative and unkind words of others as God's beautiful light of justice shines through you! Don't balk at me!!!! :) You might not see the person who victimized you suffer any consequences, but believe me, in overcoming evil and hatred with love you are giving place to justice. If we take up a desire to destroy we only add fuel to an already bad fire of evil and it will consume everyone around us! There is only so much space in this atmosphere, so many created molecules, and we build the Kingdom of God when we fill these spaces with Christ-like behavior. "Give no place to the devil" means that we should not increase evil's hold in this world by adding to it. I'll go into this more later.

I do believe my family is beginning to experience a sense of God's type of justice. We will walk in the gift of a beautiful life. It is my right as a child of God and I hope you understand that it is your right too to partake of the "abundant Life"or life as full as God intended it to be.

What does this have to do with this beautiful Springtime we are enjoying? Well, Spring is always a beautiful representation of the Glory of God, of His goodness towards us, of regeneration and resurrection. It is a visible sign of the good things God designed for us to enjoy on a daily basis. Open your eyes and see, God gives good things. Life, death, resurrection are all beautiful, if seen from the proper vantage point. Rise above fear and guilt, which are like the allergies keeping us from enjoying the ever present beauty around us. Use your God given remedies of meditation, love, and faith, which are the spiritual antihistamines that we can inject into our spirit man. And get outside and enjoy the day!!!

Hope to hear from you!!!

Love, Roma Beth