Caroline to God:

Dear God, thank you so much for Heavenletters. When I read them, I am so uplifted and feel so grateful to You. I also have been feeling, after reading them, that it is time for me to stop overworking, when I could be spending more time with You, and following my heart. So I recently turned down an offer of an additional part-time job which would have provided extra income that we really need. It wasn't easy to turn down the offer, because I would have gained skills that I could use to find other jobs later, in the same field I am now working. But it appears, since I made this decision, my husband is going to take responsibility for providing more of our income. This is something I've been wanting for some time. Your wonderful answers to Annette's questions helped me to be clearer about all of this.

My husband and I would like to be working on creative writing projects together — on uplifting projects that could bring more happiness and positivity to a lot of people. But in order to get started, we need to become very focused and clear about what we want to do and to accomplish. I also feel we need to get started very soon. We've had these dreams for so many years, but the need to "make a living" was stronger, especially as we started a family.

It suddenly seems, though, that even for the happiness of our family, we need to bring some of our dreams to life. It means we'll be working on these projects instead of spending that time focused on our children, and I'm not sure how we'll do it. But I feel we need to, for their sake, too.

I really appreciate whatever guidance You can give to us. We want to accomplish more without becoming too tired or taking too much time away from our children. We also need to continue our regular jobs, of course, while we add in our writing projects.

Thank you again for Your loving presence with us, and for expressing Your love and compassion through Heavenletters.

God to Caroline:

My dear loving daughter, I have been guiding you, and I will guide you more. I also guide your dear husband and your beautiful children. I guide all. That is what I do. I feed you, clothe you, entertain you, and I drop clues and put up signposts along the way.

One signpost says, Create more.

Another says to your husband, Take even more responsibility for income.

Another says, Your children do not need so much of your time focused on them. Their lives are theirs and belong to them, and neither you nor your husband can fulfill their lives. You cannot make their lives into something. Focus less on your children.

That is not to say to be somewhere else and not be there with them.

Just if you and their father are in the home, that is good enough. They need your presence and not so much of your attention. Although your children teach you much, they are not your guides. They are not the thermometer of your life. They are a product of your life.

If you have any kind of feeling that you owe your children something, drop that feeling.

If you have any sense that you have shortchanged them, get rid of that sense for it is ego and not truth.

If it were true, and it is not, that your children have been denied something, you cannot make it up to them anyway. Nothing can be made up to others. That idea is ingratiating.

The best thing you can do for your children is to have confidence in them that they will find their way. They are the only ones who can.

Remember that your children are My children.

When your children are parents, do you want their nose to the grindstone of child-rearing, as it were? Would you want their children to be their focus above Me and their own fulfillment? For their fulfillment lies with me, as does yours.

Enjoy your children to the hilt, Caroline, but their existence does not rule your life. Be more neutral. Will you do that? When you are away from neutral, then you are in control.

You do not have to try to be a good parent.

Being a good parent is a natural thing.

Being a good parent is not something you impose upon yourself.

It is not a coat you have to put on.

Your concern for where your attention needs to be is a way to control, dear Caroline. You pull out a standard from somewhere and say you must fit this, and you waste time in measuring yourself.

Caroline, you are My beautiful child.

Last night at the Continuing Ed workshop, I said that My children extol Me best when they love themselves. Have your attention now on nurturing My sweet daughter Caroline. Will you do that? Nurture your children through your own nurturing.

Yes, you and husband are to work together.

No, you do not need to be clear ahead of time. You do not need to know all of it before you start. Indeed, you cannot. The thing to do is start. Start anywhere. Start in the middle. No, you do not have to start at the beginning. Your projects are something I have in mind. That is enough. You do not have to know what you are doing and where you are going. Or do you want to control My projects? Are they yours or are they Mine?

If they are Mine, let them be Mine.

Jump in. Leap. Find out. Swim in the water. Do not analyze the water and all the strokes you will take. Dive in the water and see where you come up.