Something happened on Christmas Day that has kept me in a state of contemplation. I could just gloss over this, but I really need to think about it and shift, because it has a lot to do with where I am headed in this new year. It’s about the ability to see abundance everywhere and in and through everything. It’s about the ability to put my focus on what I say I want to experience even when it doesn’t appear to be there.

So, here goes, as I tell on myself. We received a gift from friend. On the outside, it was merely two cups with candy in it. We were surprised that this particular friend would give such a gift. It didn’t seem like her. We mused on this present reality. We did not look further, so the cups sat on our coffee table. We do not eat candy and wondered what we would do with all the candy. We picked up the little pixie stick (or so we thought) and said “Hmm…remember when we had these when we were kids?” We put the seeming pixie stick back in the cup and went to bed. The next day, we wondered if the pixie stick was for making hot chocolate. Perhaps we would throw it out because we do not usually eat hot chocolate. We put the pixie stick back in the cup and had breakfast. When we went back to the living room, I happened to pick up the pixie stick again. I suddenly realized it wasn’t a pixie stick at all, but a $100 bill! I called my husband. He didn’t believe me at first. Then, he looked at the other cup. There was another $100 bill.

“Judge not by appearances, but judge by righteous judgement” is the quote that comes to me right now. What seemed like an ordinary candy Christmas cup by appearances held much more than what we saw with our limited eyes. Righteous judgement is that which goes beyond our sight and can only be seen when we are thinking from God/Source/Unlimited Potential. We couldn’t see it because of our perception. I believe Grace stepped in before we might have thrown those bill aways or better yet dipped it into some hot milk.

How many times do we miss spectacular experiences and things that are right before our eyes because of our perceptions, judgments and limited thinking? This is what I’ll be working on. I do not have to wait for the New Year. I can start right now.

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Rita Andriello-Feren, Co-Founding Director CSL Kaua`i and the Institute of Magnificence and Author of “What Do I Need to KNOW? 101 Thoughts That Changed My Life” and “This Thing Called Treatment,” both available on Amazon.