Courage

I don't think you get it, Laurel... We celebrate your courage every single day.

To the conga line... "Hey!"
The Universe

Just yesterday a new arrival was asking for directions, Laurel, so we told her, "Continue going down Laurel Stone Street until you get to Laurel Stone Boulevard. Make a left and proceed to Laurel Stone Avenue. Turn right and walk just past the Laurel Stone statue, and then on your right again, next to the Laurel Stone Stadium and in front of the Laurel Stone Library, is the store where you can buy Laurel Stone figurines." And would you believe she had to ask, "Which Laurel Stone Stadium?"

Life's Challenges

Look at it like this, Laurel, the more challenging your life story has been so far, the bigger the goose bumps for future generations who retell it to their kids. Who will no doubt add, "And if Laurel Stone was able to do all that, so can you!"
We've barely just begun -
The Universe

Peter Pan, eat your heart out. Huh, Laurel...?

Love at First Sight...

Who needs a RESET button, Laurel, when someone's already pressed your FOREVER AND EVER button?
Who, me?
The Universe

I couldn't help myself, Laurel, it was love at first sight....

To Dare....

Before this odyssey ever began, Laurel, there was you, your best friends, and wide-eyed curiosity among you about who would be the first to leap, the first to forget, the first to kiss, the first to tell, the first to fall, the first to get back up, and the first to remember that it all began with a dare: to love in spite of it all.
Is that you, Mergatroid?
The Universe

I remember the glint in your eyes, Laurel... all three of them.

Ask....

I don't recommend asking for what you can have, or even for what you can give, nearly as much as I recommend asking for what else you can know.

Because there is always more you can know, Laurel, and knowing it will radically increase all you can have and give. Did you just ask something?

The Universe

But then, I'm not usually in the "recommending business," Laurel, considering how well you're doing.

Happy?

Happy? Are you? Are you now? Are you now happy, Laurel? Now. You are.

You are happy. Laurel, you are happy now.

And I'm happy for you,
The Universe

Now, what was it that was bugging you, Laurel?

Breathe....

Relax. Breathe in deep. Hold it. Let it out. Loosen your shoulders. Smile. Close your eyes. And Laurel, you'll be surprised at how many voices you'll hear, whispering sweet encouragement into your ear.
Kissey, kissey, you can do it -
The Universe

Be still, Laurel, be calm, and listen. You'll find there's nowhere you can't go, no challenge you can't master, and no reason whatsoever that you can't have it all.

Life changes...

It's quite a small thing, Laurel, to begin wondering which beliefs of yours are limiting, which thoughts shut out others, and which philosophies need updating, but OMG, it makes for the BIGGEST life changes!
"And the people of Winchester began to gossip..." -
The Universe

Everything is Better than We Think

The time will come when you'll see that pretty much everything was better than you thought. That life was more beautiful, people were kinder, greens were greener, and the water was cleaner. But most of all, Laurel, you'll see... that you were simply stunning, every day of your life.
Happily, I've always known the truth -
The Universe

Karma

It's always better to give too much, pay too much, and love too much, than not enough.

But then, Laurel, since everything comes back to you anyway, can there ever be too much?

I love you too much anyway,

    The Universe

And not just for the karma, Laurel.

10,000 Reasons to be Happy

Every single minute of every single day, they're there, Laurel.

They may be hidden behind circumstances, people, or light poles. Challenges, closed doors, or lost keys. Camouflaged, dovetailed, or whispering. Purring, kissing, or hissing. But more often than not they're laying about in the open, under a clear blue sky, in plain view. Absolutely. Guaranteed. You'd throttle me otherwise.

10,000 reasons to be happy.

Jumanji, baby -

The Universe

Laurel, how many do you see now??

One Step at a Time

You only have to do a little each day, Laurel, to get a ton done.

Ton done,

The Universe

That was a little one, huh, Laurel? See.

Anticipation!

Do you know what it's like, Laurel, to stand on the heavenly diving board of time, looking down at the 10,000 lifetimes you're about to begin? Seeing everything for the first time through prisms of color and light? Feeling totally overcome with such a surge of joy for ALL that lies ahead, that it takes all of your angels just to keep you from leaping before it's your turn? Knowing that no matter what happens you will emerge wiser, richer, and deeply in love with every form of consciousness that will soon touch and expand your own?

Oh yeah... Nice cannonball.

In love,

The Universe

Faith

Yesterday I watched a small bird, flying very fast, disappear into the canopy of an oak tree. So dense were its leaves that it was impossible to see what happened next, though I can tell you it remained inside.

I wondered how the little bird found its opening through the leaves at such a speed, and then managed to gently align its fragile body on the branch it chose to land upon, all within a fraction of a second. Not to mention the impossible to imagine flying maneuvers required: the banking, the curling, the vertical and horizontal stabilizations, the deceleration and landing.

Memory? Calculation? Not in that tiny brain. Instinct? Maybe, but how does instinct know which way the branches of a tree have grown when no two are the same?

Laurel, that little bird just knew. It had faith, in spite of not being able to see how things would work out, that if (and only if) it stayed the course the details would be taken care of; that an opening would appear and a twig would be found. In fact, had she slowed down enough to carefully and logically inspect the tree first, the prudent thing to do, she would have lost her lift and fallen to the ground.

Kind of like reaching for your dreams. Neither memory, nor calculating, nor instincts are the deciding factors, but faith coupled with action.

Tallyho,

The Universe

WARNING: Laurel, staying the course is NOT the same as clinging to a HOW.

Everything is on Track

You know how every once in a while you get that feeling when you feel light as a feather, and YOU KNOW with every fiber of your body that everything is exactly as it should be?

Laurel, that's exactly how you make me feel.
Tallyho,
    The Universe

Laurel, you are on track, you know exactly what to do, and everything is going to be "A OK."

I will prevail!

Laurel, when it comes to pursuing the life of your dreams, you can look at it like this. Best case scenario: the sun, the moon, and the stars. Worst case scenario: the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Tallyho,

The Universe

Laurel, it is written. You will prevail, thrive, and arrive.

On the right track...

Hold your ponies, Laurel! Everything you've ever dreamed of, lies on the path you're now on.

Hi Ho Silver,

    The Universe

What a coincidence, huh, Laurel?

We DO make a difference!

And they shall say, there once lived someone, who had little idea of how they changed everything.
They will, Laurel. And, you have.

Tallyho, The Universe

Laurel, I never could keep a secret.

A FOREVER Being!

But Laurel, what if you did have the power, the reach, and the glory?

What if you were given dominion over all things?

And what if eternity lay before you, brimming with love, friends, and laughter?

Yet still, one day, in all your radiance, bubbling over with giddy excitement, you tripped, fell, and got hurt - really hurt.

Would you give up on all of your dreams? Would you hate yourself? Would you forget life's magic and promise?

Or would you shrug it off, look ahead, and exclaim that it's "just a flesh wound"?

Touché,

    The Universe

Laurel, you're a forever being. FOREVER!!

Just Ask..

Ask, Laurel. Ask for whatever you want.
Ask for help. Ask for clarity. Ask for insight.
We're always there. You're always answered. 10,000 Strong to do your will.

OK? The Universe

....and then give thanks...

Reasonable...

Actually, Laurel, everyone is reasonable.  They just have their own reasons.

And usually it's worth trying to learn what they are to maximize chances of a full-blown, 60's style, psychedelic lovefest. Which is always a good thing.  Groovy you,

    The Universe

My reasons today are fun, laughter, and the 5th dimension, Laurel. Y tu?

Imagination

What if, Laurel, all that you had to look forward to were the things that are free, like sunrises, wagging tails, holding hands, and your imagination. Would it all be worth it?

Probably.

What if you could trade-in some of your free stuff for fabulous wealth, fulfilling work, gorgeous looks, or anything else that your heart desired? Would it all be worth it?

Does a bear sleep in the woods? Is the Pope Catholic? Would you like syrup with your French Toast?

Visualize, Laurel. Before the price goes up.

    The Universe

Laurel, not only are the best things in life free, but you can cash them in for stuff and still have lots left over!

SMILE!

Great big, ear-to-ear, open mouth smiles, Laurel, are responsible for far more sizzling romances, salary increases, life extensions, and calorie burning than your dentists, doctors, and financial planners will ever comprehend.

Show us your tonsils,

The Universe