The Things That Matter Most in the End

I have been reflecting more than usual lately, moving through moments that can only be reached now through memory. Adi left for a few days to give her heart to a cause in the Hill Country, and she took our oldest with her, leaving me as steward of the house and keeper of the cats. The mornings have settled into a simple rhythm of feeding them, walking the beach, and drifting back nearly forty years to a time when life had not yet revealed itself. From where I stand now, many of the answers have already been lived, yet I can still feel that earlier place where everything remained unknown and quietly possible.

Our dreams are curious jewels, window-shopped in youth and purchased on consignment as we grow older. The cost is often more than we expected, and once paid, they feel nothing like we imagined.

So much has changed in forty years, so many beliefs challenged and quietly rearranged. As I reflect, much of what I once trusted now feels like a narrative, not meant to guide but to lead me away from myself. The world I invested in turned out to be a penny stock that could not hold its value when I finally looked closely.

It is the music from the past that brings me back. As the melodies return, the memories once etched to them follow closely behind. It amazes me how music marks the moments of a life, the loves that slipped away, the dreams of what might have been, and the quiet way everything unfolds over time. I think of my parents who are gone, and my brother and sister who left much too soon, gently receding into the Akashic Record of Time. So much has changed, and yet so little has been truly known.

Now my thoughts turn to my children and the paths that will open before them. I find myself wondering what might be worth offering as they step into adulthood and begin their own unfolding. Here are ten things for them to consider.

1. God: “I am not creating your reality, you are.”

There were times in prayer when I would ask God why so much darkness is allowed in the world. One day, in the quiet that follows a sincere question, something answered. I am not creating your reality, you are. We are not being handed a life, we are shaping it through what we choose to see, what we believe, and what we hold as true. The world can appear fixed and unyielding, yet our experience of it is not. It moves with our attention, reflecting back what we give our energy to. Even what we call darkness begins as perception, and whatever we continue to focus on has a way of taking root and growing. Our perception is the fertilizer that makes things grow.

2. Places don’t offer you a fresh start, your mindset does.

For years, I believed that if I moved somewhere new, I could begin again. I thought a fresh start required a new location. While it is true that certain places can resonate with us more than others, it is our mindset that creates new chapters. A move can feel like renewal, but if the mind remains unchanged, old patterns will follow and quietly take hold again. Heal the mind first, then move when it is in harmony.

3. Not everything you have been told is true.

It is worth remembering that people carry perspectives and agendas that do not always serve the whole. Learning to question what you hear is not an act of defiance, but one of awareness. When you begin to see that not every narrative is grounded in truth, you become less likely to follow out of fear or habit. Let your inner sense guide you, look beneath the surface, and follow your heart. Your intuition is the greatest radar you possess.

4. You can only be controlled if your mind allows it. Always remember, you are a Sovereign Human Being.

Your relationship with God is direct and personal, and it has always been available to you. There is nothing required beyond your own willingness to be still and listen. In silence, wherever you are, that connection can be felt without effort or permission. Many voices will suggest otherwise, but the truth has never been far from you. When you remember this, it becomes much harder for anything outside of you to hold power over your life.

5. Possessions end up possessing you.

We have been conditioned to always strive for more, to acquire more trinkets, and to lust for that which we currently do not possess. The quest is insatiable and comes at the price of our peace of mind. Eventually, all possessions end up possessing us as we lose ourselves in the endless pursuit of acquiring more. You have everything you need right now, and once you realize this, you are free.

6. Money is a spell created to separate you from knowing God is your Provision.

We are taught to place our trust in something that has no true substance, which is why it is called “fiat” money. The word itself reveals that its value rests on shared agreement rather than anything inherent. Yet we live as though it holds power over our lives. In doing so, we quietly agree to give that power away. Our true provision has always been God, steady and present, asking only that we remember. Trusting in this can feel unfamiliar at first, even unsettling, but with time it reveals something deeper. What you need has never been as far away as you were led to believe.

7. Success is a mask that when removed allows you to breathe again.

The idea of “success” is a hustle, created to keep us in constant motion, striving for something just out of reach. It promises fulfillment, yet often leaves us feeling like we have not done enough. When we let go of the illusion of success, we find we can breathe again, free from the weight of becoming. We begin to see there was never anything to accomplish. We are complete as we are. No amount of striving can make us more whole. We were whole to begin with.

8. Saying, “I don’t know,” is the pathway to understanding.

We were conditioned to believe we were smarter when we “knew” things. Yet it often takes a lifetime to see how many times our perception was off or intentionally misguided. In humility, when we are able to recognize the limits of our understanding, something opens. Our greatest strength is the willingness to adapt and change our mind. This is often seen as weakness, when in truth it is the quiet evolution of the human spirit.

9. Our actions will teach far more than any words we speak.

No matter how it may appear, people are doing the best they can with the awareness they have. It is easy to place judgment on others and question their choices, yet most are simply moving through life as they understand it. When you begin to see this, something softens. Let the way you live become your message, not through what you say, but through what you embody. Meet people where they are and become a forklift of consciousness, gently lifting them through your presence. With grace, meet them in the space they are in, elevate them, and remind them they are One With God.

10. In the end, the only thing that matters is love. Not the love you receive, but the love you give without reciprocity.

This is the lesson of all the great masters. When you live this, you become my Teacher.