Dear Friends,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN. Time to dress up, have fun, put on a mask and go trick or treating. We look forward to seeing our little granddaughter all dressed up. She was a flamingo her first Halloween, a ladybug for her second, and this year she is Santa Claus!!!: Hysterical 🙂

Children can dress up, pretend they are superheroes, ghosts, goblins, witches,

scary TV characters, princesses, dragons, Santas, and so much more. There are many reasons why kids choose the costumes they wear, and we may never know their reasoning. It is so much fun to have people guess who they really are under their costume. They can be anything they want to be with their masks and costumes on. They just as easily take off the mask when done and become their authentic selves.

As adults, we have learned over the years, in real life, to wear our outer masks well. We can wear a happy face, when we are sad, a mad face when we are fearful, an ego face when we feel ‘less than’ or unworthy. Many adults have not learned to reveal their true feelings, or to be their authentic self.

Young children can wear the mask/costume, have fun for a while, then take it off and be their true selves again. They do this until they learn or are taught to hold feelings inside and not be who they really are. How sad.

We as adults have learned how to filter our feelings and our comments. We don’t want to hurt people, upset our boss, co-workers, friends or family. However, we have a duty to stand up for ourselves and others when necessary. Stuffing our feelings does not help anyone. If you feel you cannot be honest with another person, then be honest with yourself. Take time to journal your true feelings. Ask the Divine within to show you the highest and best way to handle a situation and/ or a person. Bottling frustration, hurt or anger behind a smiling or agreeing mask, just keeps everything stuffed inside until you are ready to burst.

Shawn Gallaway wrote a song, “The Artist. “ Here are some lyrics.

“I used to think emotions would expose too much of me.

Instead of humiliation they set the artist free.

Now the world around me once lifeless and so gray,

Reveals a rainbow in all I do and say.

Give into the artist and the pictures come alive…”

Who is this Artist? The Artist is God within you and me. It is time to allow God to guide us as we paint, create and live our lives day by day. When we give into God’s artistic creativity within, we become our MAGNIFICENT SELVES.

We have nothing to hide and are truly alive.

BE your authentic, creative magnificent self today and forever!