Annette to God:

Dear God, no words can convey our gratitude to You for what You do and are. Thank You for opening our eyes to Your truth each day. I'm sorry I've been so slow to catch on.

Even after I read Your latest reply a couple of times, I didn't get it until I turned to my husband, who then poured out his beautiful heart in an effort to heal my hurt and help me understand. I'm so touched I could cry. How can I thank You for healing my relationship with this incredibly beautiful, radiant soul whom you have blessed me with?

Thank You for bringing him into my life in the first place, dear God. What a gift You have bestowed upon me! How could I ever forget?

God, I see how You choose words that You know will penetrate our consciousness in just the right way to dissolve our misunderstandings. I just needed a little extra help, that's all. My husband "got it" before I did. When he reads Your answers to my questions, I see that it helps him understand himself better as well.

This evening I noticed he is blossoming more and more from communicating with You. His eyes shone with so much love as we had our little talk. This time we gave each other our undivided attention.

For me the key statement in Your answer was, "When you feel angry, upset etc., it is because you are not getting the control you believe you need…"

The ego may not like to hear it, but my soul hungers for truth, Your truth, dear God. That is exactly what I needed to hear. Now I see why You say expectation is control and how expectation can be unconscious, yet nevertheless still be control. No matter how unconscious I am of my motives, it is still control.

Now I also see how I continually set myself up for disappointment this way. Just because I'm unconscious doesn't mean I'm not responsible. And I finally understand Jesus' words about the lilies of the field and how this applies here. And about my recent trip to Florida and how I didn't have to know what food was coming in order to enjoy each day.

Well, God, now I need to give myself permission at long last to just allow life to happen each day without having to know in advance how it's going to turn out or whether or not I'm going to like what it brings. I would like to see what it feels like to live each day carefree, with a big "So what!" embroidered on my invisible T-shirt. Perhaps I don't get to make up the menu, but at least I don't have to cook it either. Maybe I can start each day by feeling gratitude to You, dear God, rather than squander my energy on attention to all the things I don't like.

Today I feel Your Being more. It's because You are opening my heart more and more to Your incredible love.

Your grateful daughter, Annette

God to Annette:

Dear Annette of My heart, I do not open your heart more! Through your understanding of My words and My love, you allow your heart to open more. It is your understanding. Yes, it is My grace, but My grace is always there, so it is your acceptance of My grace that is the key to your heart's natural state, which is open, opened wide, opened to everything. When your heart is opened to Me, your heart is open. Now you are openhearted.

Gratitude is a good place to begin the day. And to end the day. Yes, spread your day with gratitude. And you may be sure that I answer, "You're welcome."

In truth, dear Annette, gratitude is your gift to Me. Be grateful to Me for your husband. That is just right. Gratitude belongs to Me and no other. Be glad for your husband, but grateful to Me.

That is good, what you say about truth. Hunger for truth. Let truth fill you. My truth is the only truth there is. Anything but My truth is less than truth.

Cause and effect. Cause and responsibility. You can see now how recognizing your responsibility is a shedding of a great weight. Responsibility isn't something you take on. Awareness of responsibility is letting go of a number of things that held you back. Responsibility lightens you. Your awareness of responsibility lets all your gratitude roll in.

Tell your husband that I would like to hear more from him directly to Me. I hunger to hear news from Hans' heart. I hunger to hear his gratitude to Me which fills his heart.

What has your letter left for Me to say? I shall just soak in the wealth of your letter and enjoy it again and again.

* * *

Nancy O. to Heavenletters:

I am thrilled to see the progress made in the prison project just in the two weeks that I was in Canada! How wonderful! I will be happy to be part.

There is a wonderful man who has been doing prison work for decades in his service to the Buddhist tradition. I have a book written by him but will have to look for it. His project connects prisoners seeking spiritual help with seekers on the outside. He could give all the help and guidance we're seeking.

For the Best of God, add my vote for August 28 and 29.

Tina to God:

I thoroughly enjoyed Your answer about frustration (8/30). I too have believed that, if we are in alignment with Your will, we will be experiencing smooth-sailing. I am so glad that You cleared this up for me. You fine-tuned this so nicely. I can surely see frustration as a signal that my control is up and running again. I am getting lots of practice with mastering this frustration issue!

Since it is so clearly obvious that You give different advice to different HEAVENreaders, am I one of the folks who needs to spend more time in the back of the boat, or one of the ones who needs to be doing more service for others?

God to Tina:

Do more service for Me in the back of the boat.