A Better You...A Better Life

I hope no one gets offended by this post. But I saw this image and thought it completely resonates with my motto for this year.

You see, I have declared 2015 as my "Get Your **ish Together Year!" But that's not a New Year's Resolution. It's an "Unhappiness Solution!" What exactly does that mean? Well, let me explain.

It means as a child of the Most High God, who scripture tells me has promised me abundant life as long as I put Him first, which I do and have done since my childhood. I cannot and will not settle for less than I know in my heart I am here to Do....Be....Have.....Experience.....or Receive.

So what exactly do you mean by, "Abundant Life" you ask? Abundant life, to me means, Heaps of Happiness, Jubilant Joy, Pleasurable Peace, Plentiful Prosperity, Bountiful Blessings, Heavenly Health and a Wellspring of Wealth (in the form of unlimited supply which is not to be confused with being filthy rich).

This means, it is imperative to let go, move away from, separate or distance myself from any thoughts, emotions, beliefs, habits, behavior patterns, and yes....even People who are negatively affecting my ability to move to the next level of spiritual and personal growth and development.

It means, removing anything, thought or person that is dimming my light and suppressing my greatness from bursting forth and shining THROUGH ME.....AS ME.

It means, getting my affairs in order and taking that next big, VERY NECESSARY, leap of faith into my Divine Destiny and Greatest Potential to Be....Do....Have...Experience....the best version of me I can be.

Yes, I want better! I deserve better! It is my Divine Right to experience and have better! And 2015 is the year I am going after better with a heart of expectation and determination to receive better.

And I will no longer settle for less than the portion that's divinely mine. So help me God! In the name and NATURE of Jesus the Christ....And So It Is!!!

Now aren't you ready for YOUR better more abundant life too?

Until next time....I surround you in Love & Light! Sleep well and have a peaceful night! 

For more of my Inspirational Love Notes messages and poems I invite you to visit my archives for this blog. You may also follow me on Facebook by visiting my Inspirational Love Notes fan page at: https://www.facebook.com/InspirationalLoveNotes  and check Like.

A One Love Production

By Anna M. Hendricks

Copyright 2015 

Love Lesson's101: You Can't Receive the Blessin's Until You First Learn the Lesson's

The wisdom of the message on the above attached image sounds like simple common sense at first glance. Yet the statistics showing the astounding number of broken homes and families torn apart due to the increasingly alarming number of break ups, sparations and divorces is evidence that says, far too many of us are missing the boat when it comes to really understanding that, "good relationships don't just happen". They obviously take more mental, spiritual, and emotional time, attentiveness and investment, than the impatient, "drive-thru", society we've become is clearly willing to make for the sake of saving love anymore.

It both seems to me and deeply saddens me that we now live in a age where maximum results are expected in love and life with minium effort invested. Likewise, it's become too easy to throw in the towel and walk way when life and especially love don't seem to be progressing at the warp speed our, "microwave mentality", society has now conditioned us to adopt the new accepted way of living and approaching life and unforuntately...Love.

So I used my poetic license to creatively share some insights I've come to learn and appreciate from lessons taught by my life experiences with love and relationships. Some of those insightful lessons came very easy for me to quickly see, understand and apply. Yet, there were a few that felt like I was an oyster irritated by the sand trapped in its shell. 

Still, as frustrating as it was while going through those love lessons being learned, the blessings that have come as a result having those challenging experiences are priceless.
You see, my experiences in love that felt like the aforementioned analogy of the oyster and the sand came to bless me not hurt me though they felt deeply painful at the time. 

What I now know on a level of profound understanding within my being is that the oysters reaction to the undesirable, unwelcomed irritation he endures from the trapped sand in his shell, is what ironically produces his valuble string of pearls. We metaphorically call those precious gems pearls of wisdom.  Hence the title for my Inspirational Love Note for today, Love Lessons 101: You Can't Receive the Blessin's Until You First Learn the Lesson's.  

If you have a good relationship and you know it, be willing to invest the time, patience, and effort it takes to not just maintain it but sustain it. While you're at it, don't forget to sprinkle it with lots mutual affection, which means expressing your love in words, actions AND deed. 

Listen with your ears NOT your ego and an open heart of compassion and understand. Always be kind and considerate to one another. Disagree without being disagreeable (there is a BIG difference). 

Focus more on your commonalities not your polarities. Be willing to be wrong sometimes. Also, be more concerned about how you make your partner feel than you are about being right. Remember you always have a choice to be right or be happy. So what good does proving that you're right if the end result is you being alone at night. 

Never take each other for granted. Always do little things together to help you remember what sparked your initial attraction that led to you falling in love in the beginning. Spontaneously leave each other hand written Love Notes on any given day of the week to keep the element of surprise alive and keep each other inspired by your mutual love.

Be attentive to each others needs and desires. Show your level of commitment by showing genuine interest in the dreams, passions and personal interest of each other in order to get to know each other better. Never stop having a genuine thirst to learn more about each other. 

No matter how long you've been together you can never know everything about a person and assuming you do is just another form of taking your partner for granted. Anything you really want to understand you must study and this truth applies to your personal relationships as well. So study your partner like a good book you enjoy reading and can't put down. 

Remember, just like anything in life you desire to succeed at, love is a full-time that requires the full-time effort of both people involved. So you must be willing to make your relationship a top priority and bring your A game even after the honeymoon phase is over. Which means, don't bring half-hearted effort to a full-time job. Think about it this way, when you prayed for someone special to enter you life you expected God to send his best. Therefore, be willing to always give your best to your relationship and your partner because they are the answer to your prayer and God's gift to you. Which brings me to my next point.

Never take any opportunity to love and be genuinely loved in return lightly. It is always a blessing from God that should be held closely and treated with an attitude of gratitude. This is wisdom it would especially behoove you to take heed to in the rare occasion you are doubly blessed to no only have an opportunity to love and be loved but to share this experience with someone who is a really good person that truly loves you, and accepts you as all your area's that still need work, wholly and completely.  

Lastly, remember this if nothing else you've read here today, a love that grows is a love that knows how to accept responsibility and take accountability for your part active participation in creative whatever the relationship has become. Therefore, pride has no place in a relationship where the mutual goal is to win the race.  Admit when you've made a mistake and remember that words have the power to heal or kill. 

So always choose your words carefully and speak to each other respectfully because the long-term damage caused by a temporary angry outburst is not worth the expensive price you later end up paying at the expense of the broken trust, emotional distance and break down in your bond your relationship will suffer. Keep in mind the wisdom of Proverbs 14:1, Homes are made by the wisdom of women, but are destroyed by foolishness. 

So instead of arguing and bickering all the time, a better alternative is to not take yourself, each other, or life so seriously. Spend lots of time having quiet pillow talk to increase you intimacy (which doesn't necessarily mean it has to lead to sex all every time). Laugh a lot with other and at each other. Never stop praying with each other and for each other daily. After all, a family that prays together really does have a better chance at staying together. 

And I save this one as my absolute final love lesson because I just can't emphasis it enough. A love and relationship that thrives, not just barely survives, is one that knows forgiveness is the key and actively practices forgiving one another constantly. 
So if you think you have a good thing standing before you and you still genuinely love each other despite all you've been through. Then never give up...never say die....never let go...never say goodbye. God is still well able because He's still the Most High. So keep you heart open...put your trust in God...and give love one more try. 

Until next time...I surround you in LOVE & light! So always keep your heart open and let your love light shine bright. 


A One Love Production
By Anna M. Hendricks
Copyright 2014
Reference: Holy Bible, Good News Translation, http://www.biblegateway.com/

Two Key Elements of Unconditional Love: Forgiveness and Grace

Loving unconditionally also means learning to extend grace and forgiveness to another for things both big and small. It’s not always the major offenses like betrayal, deceit or disloyalty that lead to the breakdown of a relationship. Sometimes it’s the little things that we fail to truly forgive and let go. Over time such small offenses build up and turn into an unconscious resentment that begins to show up in our attitude and behavior when interacting with the person.

For example, certain personality differences, habits and repeated small mistakes or oversights made by the person that your, more meticulous, attention to detail, personality type finds extremely annoying, careless or irresponsible about the other person. However, before you judge the imperfections of another so harshly remember in our human nature we are all flawed to one degree or another. This means, as hard as this may be to believe, accept or digest, the truth is that you too have some personality traits, habits or idiosyncrasies that really annoy someone else, rather they’ve brought it to your attention or not.

This is not just with friends and those we work with but it’s especially true in our close personal relationships of those we have to live with as well. Like a husband, wife, romantic partner, roommate, or siblings who still live at home with mom and dad. Maintaining a meaningful relationship of any kind is hard within itself. Yet, trying to sustain a relationship on top of adding co-habitation to the mix to raises this challenge to a whole new level.

Anytime you put two or more people in the same living space together it requires a great deal of patience, compassion, understanding, consideration, and yes…enormous amounts of grace…i.e. forgiveness. Why? Because although we meet people throughout life with whom we have much in common, reality is, God made no two people exactly alike. Which in effect means, in order to live in harmony we have to learn to accept the differences between our personalities and another’s that in due time will surely show up. And the best way to accomplish this huge feat is by finding a way to embrace rather than resist the things about another that makes them as unique as your own personality quirks also makes you uniquely you.

So the next time your spouse, mate, lover, co-worker, sibling or friend does that thing he or she does that just really irks your nerves, remember this scripture from Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Be patience and extend them a little grace.

Forgive, let go and don’t sweat the small stuff because in the grand scheme of things if that person, you otherwise so dearly love, were to die tomorrow all those little habits and things they do that annoy you so much would suddenly become small things. So why not see them for the truth of what they really are now. Doing so will allow you to get on with enjoying your relationship and loving that person to the best of your ability while they’re still here today. As I’ve said before I say again as a reminder. “To err is human but to forgive is divine.”

Until next time…I surround you in Love & Light! So always keep your heart open and your Love light on.

A One Love Production

By Anna M. Hendricks

Copyright 2013

The Power and Importance of Forgiveness

December is here already which means it's time for us to prepare our final farewells to yet another year that has so quickly gone by. In doing so, we also cross the bridge into another new year filled with excitement and uncertainty over the unknown possibilities of dreams still ahead of us to fulfill, and new wonderful experiences yet to unfold. And the best way to kick off  the new year is with a mental and emotional clean slate. Along with an open heart ready to embrace life and all the love that makes life worth living. 

So to help you bring 2013 to a close in peace and enter 2014 ready to prosper, my Inspirational Love Note messages to you this month will be on, The Power and Importance of Forgiveness. Here's why....

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year that brings us together with family, love ones and old friends we haven't seen or  spent quality time with in awhile. Yet, this time of year often also reunite us with people we haven't seen or talk to in a while for a reason. That reason most often being due to a falling out, an argument, misunderstanding or mistake from the past that led to deep wounds, hurt feelings, and a broken relationship that now desperately needs mending. 

However, while a relationship may desperately NEED mending doesn't always mean it's possible to do in every situation. Especially if  the damage done was severe and the offender refuses to apologize. Even worst, they may be unable to see the inappropriateness of their actions, words or behavior that resulted in the painful outcome. Or they just flat out and stubbornly don't feel they did anything wrong. 

Yet, despite the pain the situation may have caused you to endure and the other persons unwillingness to at least meet you half way on the road to redemption, your lack of forgiveness of the person or situation causes you to suffer more than anything they may have said or done that caused your initial hurt. Holding on to grievances, resentment, anger, over things of the past does you a huge disservice and brings you absolutely no good. 

In fact, holding grudges is a complete waste of your energy and time because it takes more energy to stay mad than it does to forgive and move on with your life. It also poisons your heart which blocks your blessings, keeps you locked in a mental and emotional prison, and over time can even begin to negatively affect your health. 

So you see, in truth, forgiveness is NEVER about or for the benefit of the other person. Forgiveness is ALWAYS about and for you. Contrary to what many perceive and believe about it, forgiveness doesn't let the other person off the hook, validate, or excuse their behavior or offense. Nor does it prove them right and you wrong. Forgiveness doesn't even mean or require that you resume having a relationship with the person. 

And it most certainly doesn't mean that you are weak and they are strong. It takes a great deal of spiritual and emotional strength and maturity to perform the act of forgiveness. Therefore, it is you who are proving to be the strong one by choosing not to allow the behavior of another to steal your inner power and joy. 

Forgiveness free's your mind, purifies your heart, heals your soul, and allows you to move on with your life while continuing to let your love light shine. It also allows you to be more open and receptive to your blessings, use your energy more productively. Most importantly, forgiveness allows you to spend your precious time here on earth sharing your life with those who are truly deserving of being a part of it.  Remember, to error is human...but to forgive is divine.

Until next time I surround you in Love & Light! So always keep your heart open and your Love light on. 

A One Love Production
By Anna M. Hendricks
Copyright 2013

Thanksgiving:The Perfect Time for Gratitude and Forgiveness

"To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the sun."  ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

With the end of November bringing with it Thanksgiving, which officially kicks off the Holiday Season, it's usually the time of year when we begin to reflect on all the things in our lives we are grateful for and appreciate most. However, it's also the perfect time to take inventory of our hearts and ask God to reveal to us who or what in our lives we need to forgive, release and let go. It is the perfect time to take notice of the relationships, beliefs, attitudes, habits, situations and/or material things in our lives that we've out grown.

So as you contemplate and prepare your menu for this weeks Thanksgiving feast, try adding a little gratitude and forgiveness to your list of perfect side dishes to compliment your turkey dinner this year. Give thanks for all that you have while also forgiving all that has left you feeling hurt and release that which you no longer need.

To resist the cycle of change, that is part of the natural process of life, is like trying to swim against the tide of an ocean rather than relax and go with the flow and direction of the current, which would require a lot less effort on your part. By continuing to hold on to things out of fear of moving forward, despite the clear evidence life is showing us that it's time to move on, we do more of a disservice than good to both ourselves and those involved in or affected by the situation.

When we look to nature as an example of how to actively practice non-resistance of the seasons of change in life for releasing and letting go, we see how the tree's do no fight with the change of season from summer to fall because they know that the onset of fall means it's time to shed their leaves. If you watch closely during this process it almost seems as if the trees open up and embrace the change, instead of resisting, as they effortlessly allow the leaves to change color from moist rich green to a dry blend of red, russet and yellow as they gently detach from the tree branches and gently float to the ground.

When this process is complete the once fully blossomed trees now appear to our human eyes to be left standing with bare and barren branches leaving the tree looking lifeless. However, from the perspective of the tree, I imagine it probably feels much happier, lighter and free with all those leaves finally gone and no longer weighing down its branches.

Such is the case with releasing the relationships, thoughts and things that represent the leaves weighing down the branches of our lives. Using the aforementioned example of the trees knowing when to shed their leaves with non-resistance, it would behoove us to also practice non-resistance when the time comes for us to let go of whatever is holding us back from freely moving forward to the next season of our lives as well. And there's no better time to take inventory of what needs to be released from our lives than now.

By expressing gratitude for what you have received and surrendering that which you no longer need back into the universe you are not only allowing that person, place, or thing to move on to its higher good, you are also making room for the next wave of blessings that's sure to come in your own life as well. So in the end, it benefits all involved to practice non-resistance to this natural process of release, letting go, growth and change.

Yet, until we reach a state of self-mastery consciousness, which most of us will probably not achieve in this lifetime, the art of non-resistance to such major shifts and changes in this human experience is much easier said than done. This is why I believe supports groups are so successful because there is power in working together as a group of people with the same end goal in mind who are also on one accord in consciousness about attaining that end goal.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the sun." So let's use this time and season that's ripe for forgiveness and healing to purifying our hearts, cleanse our minds and sweep out the debris of negative thoughts, judgments, beliefs, perceptions, and resentments that have been cluttering up the floors, doors and closet spaces of our minds.

Let's  bring this last week of the month to a close by being a support to one another for growth and healing. Together let's prepare for the high expectations of our glorious future in the coming new year, by willingly releasing what needs to be released, letting go of whomever we need to let go, and forgiving whoever or whatever we still need to forgive. With an open and non-resistant heart, attitude and mind, let's surrender it all to God. In fact, let's take this opportunity of this Thanksgiving Holiday to put our faith and trust back in the infallible hands of God where it rightfully belongs, rather than placing them in the imperfect hands of people, things or situations.

And to help us stay focused on this "end goal", to free ourselves of anything blocking us from having and keeping an open and receptive heart of love, all of my Inspirational Love Notes, shared with you through my poems, articles and quotes, for the rest of this week will be in alignment with the theme of renunciation and renewal. Let's heal our hearts and move forward in love together. After all...as children of the Most High God we are more than worth the effort.


Until next time...I surround you in Love & Light! So remember to keep your hearts open and your love lights on.


A One Love Production
By Anna M. Hendricks
Copyright 2013

A Date with Destiny: Celebrating the Ten Year Anniversary of Meeting My True Love

February has always been my favorite month of the year. One reason is because it's my birthday month. But a much bigger reason is because it's the month of  Love. This year I  have something new to add to those wonderful reasons to for February being my favorite month.

Ten years ago on this day February 10, 2003, I had a "Date with Destiny" and met a handsome Prince with whom I had shared a kindred spirit connection and friendship unlike any other I've ever experienced before. At that very moment I  knew something very special and divine had just occured in my life because I felt and heard it clearly from my inner voice of Spirit/Wisdom that Never lies or leads me wrong.
Three months later we went on our first offical date to a Floetry Concert and that was the night I fell deeply in love with this amazing man that inspired me creatively and reminded me of a beautiful reflection of myself expressed in the form of mascline energy.

Fast forward to today, February 10,2013 after a 7 year unexpected seperated due to unforseen circumstances then being, unexpectedly once again divinely guided back into my life. We were happily reunited, our love and original kindred spirit connection was reignited and through all the trials and tribulations we had to face and overcome we're still here...still standing...still in love with each other and our beautiful most cherished blessing, our 8 month old baby girl.

So in celebration and honor of that fate-filled day our ten year anniversary of our Divine meeting of each other, we return to our genesis in spiritual fellowship through the church service at our place of worship, Hillside Chapel & Truth Center. And to our surprise yet again, as only Spirit (God) would have it, the topic of today's message in this mornings service was, "Surviving Love".  After everything we've been through we can certainly say we are survivors of love. Yet, what stood out to me most from our church's guest speaker, Bishop Carlton Pearson, that gave today's lesson in spiritual living, was quote he shared on true love that I'd also like to share with you. It read, "Love is giving someone the ability to destroy you emotionally and trusting them not to." How profoundly true that statement is.

So in light of that and in honor of the very special day of celebrating the ten year anniversary of meeting my "True Love". I dedicate this song by, the greatest balladeer of our generation, Luther Vandross and this Inspirational Love Note, to the one who inspired me to love again with my whole heart from the day we met and continues to do so some ten years later today. Carlton (a.k.a Mello Melanin), thank you for being my muse. In short, you are my polarity...a beautiful divine reflection of the divinity in me...the masculine expression of my feminine energy that balances me and together we become a perfect unique expression of Spirit as WE. I will always cherish the day we met and remember "The Night I Fell in Love". Happy D-Day My Love (Our Date with Destiny Day).

Until Next time...I surround you in Love & Light!

Awakening the Joy-Full Happiness in You

Pondering the Questions

Recently during my daily ritual to begin my day in communion with God, I asked Spirit two important questions. First, to clarify for me the difference between being happy and having joy. Second, I asked Spirit to reveal to me the things in my life that make me genuinely happy and brings me true joy. As I began pondering these questions during my morning meditation time, I heard the following responses from my inner voice of the Super conscious or Higher-Self, where infinite wisdom within us resides.

Discovering the Answers

Once I presented my questions to Infinite Holy Spirit (God), the answers came to me effortlessly. The first thing I heard in regard to my question on the difference between happiness and joy, is that you can experience happiness and still not have joy. Yet, you cannot have true joy without also experiencing with it genuine happiness. The difference is that happiness is temporary. It is motivated by an outer source that usually comes as fleeting moments of feeling good in direct response to a particular situation or action of or in relationship with another person. However, once the situation changes, the relationship is over and/or the person is no longer a part of your life, all those wonderful feelings of happiness suddenly disappear as well like blowing kisses in the wind.

In contrast, true joy is sustaining. It is unaffected by the inconsistency of actions and behaviors of another person or the constant changes of outer circumstances. This is because unlike happiness, joy is not dependent upon or evoked by any source outside of us. To the contrary, the source of true joy comes from within the heart & soul of every person respectively. It is found in the things that give us deep inner fulfillment. It is expressed through the unique things we individually love to do that is our creative self-expression (i.e. God's individualized expression through you...as you).

Things that bring me joy

For example, some of the things that bring me true joy and deep inner fulfillment are, cooking, creative writing (i.e using my talent for write poetry and articles such as this), music, and being a new mommy, just to name a few.

I love to cook rather I'm single or in a relationship. I'm very focused when I'm cooking. I find it very therapeutic and I pour my heart & love into every meal I prepare. The feeling it gives me is like an artist painting a beautiful masterpiece on a canvas. It is a form of creative expression for me. I enjoy sharing my cooking with others. Yet I find equal pleasure in eating my cooking if I have no one around to share it with just the same.

The joy and inner fulfillment I get from writing is also a form of creative self-expression for me that I love sharing with other. Writing gives me a deep sense of clarity and emotional freedom. In between each poetic word, sentence and verse eloquently strung together to form a complete thought as a profound message or idea, is the freedom to be my authentic self.

More simply put...writing purifies me. It lifts me up into the realms of the higher consciousness. It allows me to cleanse all the impurities picked up along my human experience and become centered in Spirit. I enjoy most using my gift of creative writing to help others find that same inner awareness which is why I created this Inspirational Love Notes blog.

As for music, I find immense joy from listening to various genres of it. Like my writing, I also enjoy inspiring others through music. I truly believe in the healing power and universal language of love with which we can communicate through music. Hence, the reason for my career background over the last decade in radio and why I created my own radio show Love Notes, in the process of conversion to a podcast show.

When it comes to being a new mommy, I absolutely enjoy my baby girl Khaliah. In fact, I enjoy watching her grow and helping with her development each day so much that even though I'm exhausted at the end of the day I still find it all worth while. I go to sleep each night completely taxed of my energy. Yet I feel peaceful and fulfilled from knowing my efforts made a major impact on her life. Going to bed each night knowing that spending quality time teaching her, playing with her, loving on her, reveling in the beauty and miracle of her, is having a major influence on the person she becomes, is a total mind blowing joy-filled blessing within itself.

The Revelation and Miracle

In closing, while meditating on the difference between joy and happiness I was compelled to take a closer look at the word, "Enjoy". In doing so I began to see the break down of this word in a different way. I began to see it as, "In-Joy". In other words, to say, I enjoy something, is really saying I receive or have, "Inner-Joy" when engaging in that particular activity. Moreover, true joy is inner joy...joy that comes from within leaving lasting feelings of deep inner fulfillment.

The miracle is that when you engage in the things that bring inner joy you also discover genuine happiness along with it. This is because the source of this kind of happiness comes only from within your own heart and soul, where our true power resides rather than an outer situation, person or circumstance. Ironically, by spending more time engaging only in those things or spending time with only the persons that bring you genuine inner joy, and less time on the things or with people who don't, you miraculously begin to have more time available to do those things.

Suddenly increased money begins to attract to you to invest in or support your desire to continue doing those joy-filled activities. Strangely, we find ourselves having more energy to contribute to spending quality time with the people with which we have a genuine affinity or doing those activities that bring us joy. Every area of our lives become infected by the positive changes and new attitude living a joy-filled life brings us. Instead of being affected by the negative energy and feelings of depression that result from chasing happiness through validation of sources in the world outside ourselves.

This is what Jesus meant in John 15:11 when he said, "I have spoken these things to you that MY JOY may be IN YOU and that YOUR JOY may be FULL." (i.e. Joy that is Complete).

With that said, I leave you with this video, that's both a classic and timeless 1986 song by R&B Artist, Anita Baker, as the perfect compliment to the message of this article. Listen to it not from the perspective of a romantic relationship love song. Instead, try listening to it in terms of your immensely profound love for the things you genuinely enjoy doing or the person (s) you enjoy spending time with (including yourself). Reflect on the deep inner feelings of "full-fillment" you receive from spending time with those people or activities as you listen to the hypnotic soulful voice of Anita Baker sing, "You Bring Me Joy." Then go do something that really awakens the Joy-Full Happiness in you.



Until next time, I surround you in Love & Light...


A One Love Production
By Anna Ms.Poet Hendricks
copyright 2012