Embrace the Moment

by Bonnie Lee Mahler

Overview

Honor the Past, Release It,

Live the Present, Embrace It

Create the Future, Ignite It

- Bonnie Lee Mahler

I never would have imagined that life would take me on such a journey; I have experienced the depths of sorrow and known the essence of true joy! My life has been an amazing ride and it still continues to unfold in a magical way.

Out of the tragedy of losing my two sons, I have come to believe that it serves us if we Embrace the Moment-because that is all that is certain. I survived by taking each moment as a gift to learn and gain insight from. Our moments become part of us and make us who we are. I learned about having a positive attitude towards anything that comes into your life.

I chose to recognize doors opening for me and walk through them, even though I rarely knew what was on the other side. I chose to be courageous, which led to my healing through music as a Celine Dion tribute artist.

Through life's twists and turns and choices that I have made, I tell of the amazing story of finding the man of my dreams, a true love, and discovering paradise here on earth.

We all have the power to create amazing things if we have the desire and are willing to ignite our dreams and passions moving forward with gratitude! I have shared my most personal experiences-hoping that you will be inspired by them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504325349
Publisher:	Balboa Press
Publication date:	01/26/2015
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.39(d)

Read an Excerpt

Embrace the Moment

---

By Bonnie Lee Mahler

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2014 Bonnie Lee Mahler
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5043-2534-9

---

CHAPTER 1

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

—Unknown

So, here I am on Korean Airlines, flying over the Pacific Ocean on my way to Bali, Indonesia, a place I have only read about in travel magazines and brochures and have seen in the movies. I hear it is a worthy destination, a magical and beautiful retreat, with much culture to experience. Life is an adventure, and I am living another one! I had planned this trip for a year with my friends and have so looked forward to it. Bali is on the other side of the world from where we live and across the international date line. It will be a long, eighteen-hour trip: lots of time to read about the ultimate destination.

Bali is one of seventeen thousand islands that make up the country of Indonesia; eleven thousand of them are not inhabited. With 245 million inhabitants, Indonesia is the fourth-most-populous country in the world. Bali is rather small, with a population of three million. It is nicknamed the "Island of the Gods" not only because of its amazing beauty and generous nature but because of the Hindu belief that it belongs to many Gods and to the spirits of their ancestors.

By the eighteenth century, Balinese princes brought high priests from both Hindu and Buddhist religions from India. They adopted the three Hindu gods Vishnu (the guardian), Brahma (the creator), and Shiva (the destroyer). Everywhere you go there are temples. These are places of worship, and there are at least three temples in each village, one for each of these three gods. To please the gods, people craft pretty decorations from palm tree leaves and other offerings, such as flowers and fruit, to display daily. They honor the gods and believe that activities such as dancing, painting, and music make the gods happy. Bali has its own dialect, but since Indonesian independence in 1945, they also have a national language. Children learn to speak Balinese at a very young age, before they start school; in school they learn Indonesian. Everyone is bilingual.

Experiencing life outside of America would be a blessing to any American. My very first impression at the airport and in the city of Senur was of poverty. I immediately felt so appreciative of living in United States of America. I am grateful for my ancestors and the sacrifices that brought them from England to America, and for parents who raised me in Utah. I ask myself, "Why is this so? What did I do to deserve such a special circumstance, and what was I going to do to be deserving of that legacy?" I realized that responsibility comes with these blessings! I know I could choose not to appreciate what has been given, or I could move forward with a clear intention of building on this foundation and leaving a legacy for my own posterity.

My own life's experiences have led me to believe that we have the power and authority to create our life world, our reality. A person can choose to be happy by focusing on all the positive things in his or her life with gratitude. Embrace the moment! There are always things to learn and experience. The only thing in life that is a sure thing is change—constant change.

It serves all of us if we learn to go with the flow, to accept those things we cannot change, and to move forward with a positive perspective. I believe that's why we came to this physical existence, to learn, to discover ourselves, and to be creators. I believe that we came to manifest our own divinity to God. Our answers are within us, but we know that we never really arrive and there is always more to learn. We can discover the true power that is in each of us to create whatever we want, with God and our angels at our side waiting for us to ask for their assistance.

I have much gratitude for my parents who instilled in me basic value of integrity: be your word. If you say that you are going to do something, do it no matter what it takes. Other important values that I was taught were hard work, personal responsibility, service and compassion toward others, enthusiasm for life, and attitude. My mother always said that the three most important words in the English language are attitude, attitude, and attitude. These values have guided me through my life and are the foundation of my belief system.

CHAPTER 2

I had a wonderful childhood! I was born in Logan, Utah. I was raised in Ogden until I was five years old and then moved to Salt Lake City. I was the middle of three girls. When I was young, I was chubby, had big blue eyes, and a head full of blonde curls. I was a towhead. I was born pigeon-toed. I loved to dance, and my mother put me in ballet at a very young age to turn my feet out. I think that my feet were longer than I was tall, and by age twelve I was taller than all the boys. I was the girl that chased the boys, caught them, and held them down so that the other girls could kiss them. I became a real tomboy; I loved to do all the "guy things." I climbed trees, built forts, rode dirt bikes, and played ball yet loved playing dress-up and enjoyed my doll collection.

I also had a brother who was two years older than I, William Jr., or Billie, as we called him. He passed away when he was eighteen months old. My parents believe that it was a reaction to the DPT immunization shot. He died in my father's arms. My older sister was Melody Lynn; my little sister, Kathryn Marie. All four of us were two years apart. My mother was very busy!

Melody was the beauty queen; being beautiful always seemed to come natural to her. We called her our Cleopatra. She was gorgeous, with big, blue-green eyes, lots of thick, long eyelashes, plump rosebud lips, peaches-and-cream skin. Melody won lots of beauty pageants, and she was really into makeup and fashion. Moreover, she has been an example of courage, strength, and determination to me. She has a heart of gold.

Kathryn—we call her Kathy—was a doll. She was very thin and had beautiful dark hair and fair skin. Her bright blue eyes sparkled. Kathy was born with a hole in her heart and had one of the first open heart surgeries in Utah, back in the early sixties. She was one of the few children who survived that particular surgery. I always wanted to take care of her. Kathy is very giving and compassionate. She has always been by my side when I needed support. She is just that kind of person. We remain close to this day.

I only vaguely remember our home in Ogden, but I do remember when I was about four years old I got mad at my mother for some reason. I told her that I would just run away and that she would never see me again! She smiled and said, "Oh, are you sure? I love you, and we would miss you so much!" I was sure of it and ran to my room to pack my little doll's suitcase. As I filled the suitcase with what I thought I would need, my mother came in and said, "Please, let me help you. You probably will need a sweater," as she put one in my little doll suitcase. I was a little shocked that she was so eager to help me, but I continued to finish my packing. She hugged and kissed me good-bye and stood at the door waving to me as I left the house and walked up the street. I kept thinking, where am I going to go? It's so scary out here in this big world! I turned around and ran home to the loving arms of a wonderful mother who was teaching me personal choices at a very young age.

I was raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is part of who I am today. The values and opportunities for service were fabulous! I am thankful that I had that support growing up. My mother has always been very spiritual and has been a huge positive influence for me in growing in that capacity. I remember several experiences growing up that proved to me that angels walked with me. My mother used to tell me that angels sang when I was born; she knew I had a unique purpose in life. I believe everyone has a unique purpose in life. No matter what tough things I had to go through in my youth that is one of the thoughts that carried me through. I knew if the angels sang, I was supposed to accomplish something special. I didn't know what, but it gave me confidence and made me feel special. At that age I deserved to hear that, for it assisted in building my self-esteem.

We had a cabin in Midway, Utah, where I have lots of wonderful memories of growing up. Reflecting on being protected by my angels, it was there in those beautiful mountains that I had several such experiences. You could say that I was the accident-prone one of my siblings, or that I had to learn a few hard lessons. I was always stepping on rusty nails, getting into stinging nettle, or being stepped on by horses, and I even fell out of a truck going forty-five miles an hour! To explain that last event, one of the highlights at our cabin was to load everyone up in the back of our 1957 jeep truck, called the Freedom Flyer, as the sun was going down; we would drive all over the mountains looking for deer and other wild animals. It was so exciting! My dad had a big spotlight on the top of the cab, and we would shine that all over the mountainside. It was really bright. One night we had driven into town before our deer-hunting excursion, and as we were traveling back, at a good clip on a two-lane road, I got pushed off the tool chest in the back of the truck. I remember falling and landing on the roadside. I landed on my hands and right knee, and I hit my head on the road. I looked up to see my dad driving away! I jumped up and started running after the truck, dripping in my own blood! When my father realized he had lost one of his own, he backed up and jumped out of the truck. When he got to me, I fainted in his arms! They took me home to doctor me up. I was blessed that this event wasn't any worse. I was miserable for a few days, but I survived.

We rode Tote Gotes all over those mountains. Tote Gotes were the old-fashioned mountain bike that looked like half of a modern four-wheeler. They had big thick tires and climbed those hills easily. Often, we would pack a picnic and disappear for hours up into the hills! We loved to build forts, hike, fish, and ride horses. We even had our very own horse at one time. She was a beautiful Arabian/Quarter horse with two white-stockinged feet; thus, we called her "Goodie Two Shoes." My friend, Doug would ride his horse up from the valley to meet me at a pond located just down from my cabin. We would strip the saddles and take our horses swimming. I loved that! Afterwards we would ride bareback through the fields until the horses had dried off. Those were some amazing memories we created!

One of our favorite things to do was swing over the gulley on a log attached to a rope that my father secured to a big branch of a large tree. We climbed up to the highest side of the mountain, and away we went, out over the gulley. It was like flying! Mom and Dad told us never to hold on by our hands. My father said, "Always sit on the log, and hold on tight. You wouldn't want to fall off." One day we were swinging, and I was trying to impress some cute boys who had been showing off by holding the log with their hands. I said to them, "I can do that!" So I went for it, and at the highest point my hands slipped. I fell through the trees to the bottom of the canyon, probably about sixty feet! I still remember falling. I felt no fear at all. It was as if I were just floating through the air, and when I hit the ground, I had no pain. I know now that the branches of the trees slowed my fall. I felt my angel's arms around me. I have never forgotten that feeling of love and protection.

My father was at my side quickly, took me back to the cabin, and laid me on the living room floor. My mother dressed my wounds. We were high up in the mountains, with no phone at the cabin, and cell phones did not exist. (How did we ever make it through childhood in the old days?) As I screamed in pain, my sisters ran to the player piano and began playing the song "Born Free," singing it at the top of their lungs! Their singing drowned out my screaming and took my mind off the pain. I had friction burns all over my body and a gash down my back. I recall my father saying a prayer over me, blessing me that I would sleep, and I did. I learned the value of obedience to my mother and father that day. I also realized how I was protected and that I still had a life to live. I was so high up and I fell so far that it really amazes me that I am here to tell that story.

I realize now how important our childhood experiences are. Our experiences are internalized, becoming part of who we are. Ages one through seven constitute the most important time for a child to absorb everything that is beautiful and positive in life, through all of their senses. It is important that parents and teachers are sensitive to that. I am grateful to my parents for allowing me to experience so much at such an early age. I was given the opportunity to participate in the arts, dance, music, sports, and outdoor activities. We were able to choose what we liked by experiencing it all. It also brought balance into our lives. We were taught to work hard and productively, but when it came time to play, we did that with enthusiasm.

I watched as Melody constantly challenged my mother in all kinds of ways and then learned from her experiences. We had a nice big garden that had to be weeded, so every Saturday it was our routine. My mother gave each of us a tablespoon, and we sat on the ground to dig dandelions from our lawn, one by one. It was a tedious job and something that we didn't enjoy too much, but I realize now that my mother was teaching us discipline and hard work. On this particular Saturday, Melody decided she was going on the bus into town with her girlfriend to shop instead of working with the rest of us. Melody did ask permission to go—several times, in fact—but my mother continued to say no. Melody paid no attention to that and went inside the house to get ready. About an hour later, she came out dressed in her black-and-white checkered skirt and jacket, her hair perfectly done in a flip, and her white gloves and purse in hand. In that day and age we dressed up to go downtown. She said, "Mom, I'm meeting Wendy and going downtown, okay?" My mother, without raising her voice at all said, "No, I told you we are working out here in the yard today, and you are not going downtown." Melody began to cry, having a mini tantrum, saying, "But I'm all ready to go!" My mother had the hose in her hand, watering her roses. Without saying a word, she turned around and hosed Melody from head to toe! I remember that lesson probably as much as my sister does!

I believe that the greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change their future by merely changing their mind and their attitude. In my family we were never allowed to whine or fall into a victim mode. Mom would say, "Grow up and put a smile on your face. That is life! If you think life is easy, it will be hard, but if you know it can be hard, it will be easy. Life takes courage, and when you believe in yourself, everything is possible." We would work through our emotions without imposing them on others, in our own space, usually the bedroom. I believe my mother's tough-love approach was to prepare me for the future and the experiences that I would have. I also think I was blessed with a positive gene, as I tend to look at life in a more positive light. My life has opened up many opportunities for me to share my enthusiasm for life.

I remember when I was nine or ten we lived in Salt Lake City. We had a beautiful home on the corner of Laird Avenue and Thirteenth East. We had a patch of clovers in our lawn, and I told my mother that I wasn't coming in until I found a four-leaf clover. I stayed out until after dark with a flashlight; I just knew that if I didn't give up, I would find one. Everyone thought I was just being stubborn, but guess what? I found what I was looking for! My very own, four-leaf clover. It was my first real lesson in determination. Decide what you want, have passion, and do not give up! I'll never forget the feeling of accomplishment. That has motivated me many times in my life.

When I reached twelve years of age, my awkward stage, I had low self-esteem and was learning about being a teenage girl. I was just trying to figure out growing up. I felt that I was the ugly duckling, compared to my sisters. I was chubby, awkward, with glasses and crooked teeth, I felt very insecure with my appearance. Melody and Kathy would tell me, "Don't worry, Bonnie; you have a good personality." But I wanted so badly to be pretty!

I remember asking a particular boy to the girls' choice dance after school. I was so excited that he said yes! I made a new dress, and my mother gave me a beautiful cat broach to wear on it. The day of the dance, this young man came up to me and said he had a dentist appointment but would meet me at the dance. I stood and waited through the whole dance, and he never showed. I was devastated and so embarrassed. It sure didn't do much for my self-esteem. I walked home with a broken heart and cried the whole way. When my mother consoled me, I told her I was ugly and that no boys liked me, that I would never have a boyfriend. She proceeded to teach me about visualization. She said to think of myself as beautiful: visualize it, believe it, and I would become it! Whenever I felt insecure or doubted myself, I would visualize how beautiful and smart I really was and not allow others to intimidate me. I learned to step forward, not back, to face the challenge of that feeling that comes from ego. I have used that lesson in my life over and over. I have gratitude for a wise mother who took the time to love and share with me.

(Continues...)

---

Excerpted from Embrace the Moment by Bonnie Lee Mahler. Copyright © 2014 Bonnie Lee Mahler. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgments, ix,
Introduction, xiii,
Section 1 - Honor the Past, 1,
Section 2 - Live the Present, 27,
Section 3 - Create the Future, 81,
Section 4 - A Hawaiian Romance, 125,
Section 5 - Living with Enthusiasm, 155,