This article honors the meeting that occurred 52 years ago today between 16-year-old John Lennon and 15-year-old Paul McCartney: When Lennon met McCartney.

There are no chance meetings!

Here is an article that offers all Americans some inspiration from halfway around the world about celebrating the Fourth of July despite the troubled times that we are all facing:

Celebrating the Fourth of July despite troubled times

My 96-year-old grandmother is a vibrant, sharp-minded woman who spent most of her life gardening in her large backyard in Massachusetts, and her significant contributions to the American Hosta Society have earned her over 2,500 results if you Google her name.

Many spiritual Teachings tell us that we can learn all we need to know just from observing nature. So I asked my grandmother several years ago what she learned from a lifetime of gardening. She thoughtfully considered the question for a moment and then responded with a twinkle in her eye, "Life will find a way. The crocus will come up through the snow. The grass will grow between the cracks in the sidewalk.

The plant that you think is dying will suddenly thrive. Life will find a way."

I've thought of her words many times over the years, particularly when times are so dark that I can't turn on the T.V. or the radio without hearing about death, conflict, and destruction. I breathe, and I remind myself that life will find a way.

• "If there is one thing you should believe in, it is that life will find a way to push on...." - Salam Pax, Iraqi blogger, in his post-war commentary
• "A friend sent along ...a remarkable case study of a radical chromosome arrangement in a mother and daughter. When you see how these chromosomes are scrambled, you'll wonder how they ever managed to sort themselves out meiotically to produce viable offspring...but life will find a way." - PZ Myers
• "And if we could only step aside and trust in nature, life will find a way." - Jurassic Park

Here is a short animated video that illustrates the idea of life finding a way, even in the darkest of times: Evergreen. If you ever start to lose hope, remember that life will find a way!

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This is the ninth in a series of 10 weekly lessons from A Course in Miracles (ACIM): Workbook for Students, and today's lesson was chosen in honor of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, who both passed away today per CNN and MSNBC. There are 365 lessons in the workbook that are meant to be completed daily over the course of a full year, but this series will only be focusing on 10 of those 365 lessons.

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were both loved by millions of people around the world. Farrah's recent documentary about her three-year battle with cancer won critical acclaim, and Michael's recent tour announcement was met with widespread excitement and sold-out venues. They will both be missed greatly, and the tragic loss of both of them on the same day will be difficult for many people to deal with.

For all those who are grieving following these two tragedies on the same day, the ACIM Workbook offers a lesson of such importance that it is repeated three times. Lesson #94, #110, and #162 is, "I am as God created me."

Before we were born, we were as the Divine created us. Throughout our lives, no matter what mistakes we make, we remain as the Divine created us. After we leave this world, we will continue to be as the Divine created us. The Workbook goes on to say that each of us is spirit:

"You are the spirit lovingly endowed with all your Father's Love and peace and joy. You are the spirit which completes Himself, and shares His function as Creator. He is with you always, as you are with Him."

We sadly say goodbye to Farrah and Michael as we knew them here on earth, but they have always been so much more than what we could see or hear. They are spirit, as they were created. They are at home, as they were created. They are united with their Creator, as they were created. And so are we. We are as God created us.

To read other motivational and inspirational thoughts throughout the day, follow me at Twitter.com/DrDebBrown.

I believe that a healthy, happy life is a balanced life. Part of that balance involves clearly identifying goals that are within our own control or influence (e.g., quitting smoking, hitting deadlines, studying, learning to control our anger, deciding whether to read something motivating or something depressing) and those that are not (e.g., the weather, traffic, many diseases, the past, and an endless list of other things.) 

Clearly contrasting what is within our control/influence from what is not can be critical when deciding where to focus our energy. Expending energy toward goals over which we have no control and no influence is a waste of energy. But when we sharply focus our powerful mind on what we bring to our own job/work, our own relationships, our own health, and our own lives, then anything is possible! The focused energy of the human mind is unstoppable! Nothing can prevail against a determined will to win:

May you feel re-energized to determinedly pursue and achieve the goals that are within your control or influence!

To read other motivational and inspirational thoughts throughout the day, follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/DrDebBrown

This is the eighth in a series of 10 weekly articles that will focus on selected lessons from A Course in Miracles (ACIM): Workbook for Students. There are 365 lessons in the workbook that are meant to be completed daily over the course of a full year, but I will only be focusing on 10 of those 365 lessons.

This week's lesson was chosen in honor of Father's Day this weekend. Many people will soon be celebrating their father with love, but Father's Day also brings up intense conflict for people whose father (whether biological, adoptive, step, or foster) was absent, neglectful, harshly critical, or even abusive. Could that conflict be a reason why about 20% fewer calls are made on Father's Day than Mother's Day?

The ACIM Workbook offers a unifying perspective for all people on Father's Day, whether they were blessed with wonderful fathers or not. Lesson #224 is, "God is my Father, and He loves His Son."

This lesson brings all people of all backgrounds and all generations together under the sheltering love of the Divine. Within that all-encompassing love, there is no envy, no regret, no hard feelings, no pain, and no judgment. There is only Love, because the Divine is Love. Here are some additional thoughts from ACIM:

--- "You who have been unmerciful to yourself do not remember your Father's Love.... Yet it is forever true. In shining peace within you is the perfect purity in which you were created. Fear not to look upon the lovely truth in you. Look through the cloud of guilt that dims your vision, and look past darkness to the holy place where you will see the light."

--- "Place honor where it is due, and peace will be yours. It is your inheritance from your real Father."

--- "The Father has given you all that is His, and He Himself is yours with them."

--- "The Atonement is but the way back to what was never lost. Your Father could not cease to love His Son."

--- "And suddenly time will be over, and we will all unite in the eternity of God the Father."

God is your Father, and He loves you!

To read other motivational and inspirational thoughts throughout the day, follow me at Twitter.com/DrDebBrown

In A New Guide to Rational Living, Dr. Albert Ellis proposed ten irrational thoughts that stand in the way of our happiness. Here is the first irrational thought: "You must - yes, must - have love or approval from all the people you find significant."

What if this irrational thought were true? It would mean that our very survival depended on the thoughts of other people. It would mean that we couldn't follow our bliss, make a change, or even say a few words unless every single important person in our life agreed with us. As a result, we might decide not to pursue a dream like going back to college or starting our own business, to avoid the risk of disappointing others. Or we might bend over backwards to meet everybody else's expectations while paying little attention to our own needs.

But is it true? It's certainly true that an infant needs the care of attentive people in order to live. However, it is not true that an adult cannot live without the constant approval of every single significant person in their life. Sure, it would be nice. But it's impossible to meet everyone's varied and ever-shifting expectations for us.

As an alternative, we can let go of the false, self-limiting idea that we need others to always accept us, approve of us, and include us. We can learn to bravely keep our hearts open to others, knowing that there are times when we will inevitably be excluded or flatly rejected:

• "You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance." - Ray Bradbury
• "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable." - CS Lewis
• "We can secure other people's approval, if we do right and try hard; but our own is worth a hundred of it, and no way has been found out of securing that." - Mark Twain
• "But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself." - Ricky Nelson, "Garden Party"
• "You can love someone with all your heart, for all the right reasons, and in a moment they can choose to walk away. Love 'em anyway." - Martina McBride, "Anyway"

May you remember today that being open to feedback is valuable, but ultimately, your approval of your own choices is the only light worth following in order to fully live your own life!

To read other motivational and inspirational thoughts throughout the day, follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/DrDebBrown.

This is the seventh in a series of 10 weekly articles that will focus on selected lessons from A Course in Miracles (ACIM): Workbook for Students. There are 365 lessons in the workbook that are meant to be completed daily over the course of a full year, but I will only be focusing on 10 of those 365 lessons.

For this article, I chose a lesson for everyone who is experiencing at least one major personal problem that seems unsolvable without a miracle. It might be a serious business problem, or a major financial crisis, or a health crisis, or any other problem that would need a miracle to be resolved. Farrah Fawcett mentioned in her recent documentary, "It is seriously time for a miracle."

If people receive the miracle they are seeking, they usually celebrate and feel enormous relief and gratitude! Unfortunately, if they don't receive that miracle, they might worry or feel depressed that they were somehow unworthy.

Lesson #77 firmly states for each of us, "I am entitled to miracles." The workbook goes on to say:

"Your claim to miracles does not lie in your illusions about yourself. It does not depend on any magical powers you have ascribed to yourself, nor on any of the rituals that you have devised. It is inherent in the truth of what you are."

So if people are entitled to miracles regardless of whether they are "worthy" of them, then why isn't everyone miraculously cured? Why aren't desperate people immediately rescued with a winning lottery ticket or an unexpected windfall?

The answer lies in what people *think* they need (their own will) and what they really do need (the Divine Will). People are surrounded by miracles all the time; the loving miracles just tend to be ignored when people are waiting for one *specific* miracle. When we feel anxious about receiving a miracle, or disappointment about not getting a miracle, we lose the joy of appreciating all the beautiful miracles that surround us constantly:

"Everything is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one's bath like a lump of sugar." - Pablo Picasso

"Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you." - Jon Bon Jovi

"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change." - Buddha

"You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle." - Paulo Coelho

Take a fresh look around you and you will see: you are entitled to miracles.

Here is a video reflecting Buddha's assertion that our whole life would change if we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc3IjuT2LiE.

To read other motivational and inspirational thoughts throughout the day, follow me at Twitter.com/DrDebBrown.

We are often told that an intent or goal is impossible, so we shouldn't even try to achieve it. But every day, people are achieving the "impossible." Someone is meeting an impossible deadline. Someone is celebrating a positive pregnancy result after doctors said it would be impossible. Someone is walking again. Someone's start-up business has taken off. Someone's house sold. Dreams are coming true all around us by people who believed in themselves more than the opinions of others all around them. Success has even been defined as the ability to achieve the impossible:

"No one ever gets far unless he accomplishes the impossible at least once a day." - Elbert Hubbard
"Success is determined by those who prove the impossible, possible." - James W. Pence
"Impossible only means that you haven't found the solution yet." - Anonymous
"All the great achievements of history have been made by strong individuals who refused to consult statistics or to listen to those who could prove convincingly that what they wanted to do, and in fact ultimately did do, was completely impossible." - Eric Butterworth
"Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools." - Napoleon Bonaparte

Perhaps the great Muhammad Ali put it in the strongest terms: "Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing!"

Here is a 5.5-minute YouTube video in which someone repeatedly achieves the impossible right before our eyes: Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009.

If things look impossible, may you remember that nothing is impossible unless you believe it is!

To read other motivational and inspirational thoughts throughout the day, follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/DrDebBrown

In school we're given letter grades like A's or B's, or graded on percentages like 95% or 81%. Once we've graduated, we certainly continue to be judged by others and ourselves (sometimes cruelly so) but it's no longer clear what we need to study, who the teacher is, what the correct answers are, when the tests are given, and how close we are to an A or 100%. Are we doing enough? Are we doing too much? Are we doing the "right" thing? Are we going in the "right" direction?

I don't think there is one single correct answer to those questions, but I do think there is value in answering for ourselves what we want to see when we look back on our lives decades in the future. Without that personal guiding vision for how to fully live our own life, we can easily become distracted and disheartened when challenges arise all around us. Rudyard Kipling is one of many people through the centuries who offered his vision for living abundantly. Below is his classic poem "If."

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!

What would you write to your own son or daughter (or niece or nephew) about what it means to fully live their life? How could they live life so fully that they have the Earth and everything that's in it? Are you living the vision that you want for them, or are you holding yourself to a higher, harsher standard?

May you embrace your own gentle vision of fully living life, and let its light guide you through any darkness!

To read other motivational and inspirational thoughts throughout the day, follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/DrDebBrown