Dealing with Life's "Splinters" Ann Albers, 19 February 2025

​Hi All,

Today, the angels talk about those things that feel so big in our lives but are really "splinters" or tiny things in the grand scheme of our existence. I'll share thoughts and tips to help you minimize the impact of things that feel big but will eventually feel small in the future.

Have a blessed & beautiful week :)
♥ Ann

Message from the Angels
​
My dear friends, we love you so very much,

Many big things concern you in the world, but what often sidetracks you are the little "splinters" of upsets you encounter throughout your day—the little distractions, the little inconveniences, and the little things that someone said don't seem to leave your mind. We call these "splinters" because, like physical splinters, they are often extremely small in comparison to the magnitude of good in your life, but like those little splinters, they seem to compel your attention and cause you pain.  

As always, it is a matter of tuning.

Suppose you get a cold. You, the spirit, live in your body, and it is hard not to notice this cold. You feel,  temporarily, miserable. In the greater scheme of your eternal existence and your entire life, this cold is a small thing, but it feels huge since it is so very present to you. Your focus on its compelling presence makes it feel even worse.  So what to do?  As always, the answer is to focus elsewhere as best you can. You can tell yourself, "Yes, this isn't comfortable, and I'd much rather be well, but I think I'll use it as an excuse to nurture myself, to read that book I've been wanting to read, to watch those programs I've been wanting to watch, to put my feet up and relax and sip on a cup of soup." You can focus on the fact that maybe you're getting out of doing something you weren't so enthusiastic about after all. You can focus on the deliciousness of your pillows and blankets and that whiff of cinnamon in your honey and lemon tea. 

Suppose someone says something to you that stings. The other person may have no idea how their words felt to you. They may have been reacting, spouting off, or even saying something misunderstood. Nonetheless, these splinters can land in your mind and you can have difficulty getting these words out of your mind. In this case, you can intentionally and deliberately focus on other things you have heard that feel more pleasant and replay these in your mind. Can you pray for this person? Even if they did intend to be upsetting, that is still a cry for love. Can you say kind things to yourself?

Likewise suppose you are having a wonderful day then receive an email or see some upsetting news.  Again, this is small in the grand scheme of your eternal existence, but at the moment, it could easily wobble you out of your previous joy.  Again, broaden your focus beyond the upsetting situation. Look at the grander world around you. Consciously and deliberately look for better news.

As you broaden your focus beyond the stinging "splinters" in your life, you will relax and once again reconnect to the love that is far more present and prevalent in your world than the disconnections.  As you tune once again into love, you will be guided beyond your splinters with grace, or they will, like the physical splinters, work themselves out in time.  Put in more human terms:

The less you stress over any mess, 
and the more you look for the best to bless, 
the more easily you'll grow, 
and find your flow,
and that space, 
you'll enjoy the best!

We just delighted our channel with that little rhyme!  

Your splinters in life, dear ones, can feel huge, and yet in the greater scheme of your eternal existence, they are small, easily resolved by the divine as you relax, surrender them to the power that creates worlds, and await your joyful guidance.

God Bless You! We love you so very much.
-- The Angels

Message from Ann...

Hi Everyone,

Years ago, I met a large family of splinters that literally rubbed me the wrong way! An ex-boyfriend had left a few things behind that no longer worked. Among them was a large grill that I decided to place out on the curb for anyone who could use it for parts. As I wheeled and pushed the heavy item out of the backyard, I accidentally brushed against my very old wooden gate. It literally rubbed the wrong way and implanted an army of tiny wooden splinters in my arms and back that I'm sure, looking back, represented all the little jabs that I'd let in "under my skin." 

I had no idea how I was going to get them all out until some dear friends came over for dinner and, after dessert, spent an hour working on me in much the same fashion as the birds who pick bugs off the hippos' backs!  It was not fun, but these meticulous angels got every last one out, slathered me with salve, and then we went on to enjoy the evening. As unpleasant as the experience felt at the time, it led to love, laughter, and good conversations.

Other "splinters" in life have not been as enjoyable! There was a time I twisted up and had to spend nine days walking the house without eating or sleeping because anything else was too painful. My way of looking beyond that splinter was to watch reruns of old comedies until I could focus on anything other than the pain. Sure enough, once relaxed, my body took over and healed me.

Sometimes, the splinters have been the unkindnesses of life that play in our minds as if a rogue app has gone into "spinning ball syndrome" on our phones!  I can delete apps but not thoughts; however, I can focus my thoughts on something funny, better, or interesting, and that always does the trick.

It is hard to think of the things that bother us in the moment as "small," but the more I work with angels, the more I see their broad, eternal perspective. I have a bad past life joke that I've been  "roasted, toasted, sliced, and diced, and here I sit, and today is nice!"  I've had some horrific past lives (couldn't keep quiet at times when it would have been smarter!), and yet here I sit at a comfy computer, at a comfy desk, after eating a delicious salad for lunch with some leftover cake and fresh berries.  I guarantee some of the past lives didn't feel "small" or like splinters, and yet here we are, all that has passed, and even though I passed too back then, I'm back at it again... with a little more diplomacy!

So, no matter what you go through, the phrase, "This too shall pass," applies, and we can move through difficult things more quickly by broadening our focus, looking for what is good, and reminding ourselves that nothing painful will ever last. Even those who experience end-of-life pain are soon released into absolute bliss once again upon their transition.

As for me, I'd rather let the splinters work themselves out while I'm alive this time around!

Here are a few pointers to help you "work out the splinters" when something seems big in your life:

1.  Put things in perspective

These days, many are telling me about how horrible the world is, but I like to remind them that for most of us, our houses have not just burnt down, and our neighborhood has not been washed down a river. There are so many for whom that is the case, yet even those who survive such unthinkable disasters manage to put things in perspective. They're alive.  

I have seen and known incredible souls who, through their choice of focus, have worked beyond disasters that most of us will never know. In every case, these amazing souls have learned to put their tragedies in the context of a larger perspective. And without fail, they have found the silver lining.

If they can do it, we can, too. When something bothers you try to put it in a larger perspective. Don't give it as much "air time" in your mind, or imagine "minimizing" the screen as if you were watching it on your computer. 

The more we put things in an eternal context, the more manageable they seem.

2. Remind yourself, "This too shall pass."

No matter what we go through, it is temporary.  Even fatal diseases are temporary. Debt is temporary. Illness is temporary in the scheme of our eternal soul. Bad words that take root in our minds are temporary. Eventually our soul will guide us to think of kinder things.  Nothing bad will last forever, and although something might feel huge and horrible now, if you remind yourself of a few things, it will help the problem pass more quickly:

• The creator or worlds knows how to solve this.
• The body knows how to heal.
• Spring follows barren winters, even for the soul.

Look at nature and watch the cycles of life, knowing you, too, have cycles and nothing bad will remain forever. In fact the less we give it airtime, the quicker it will go.

3. Burn it off

Sometimes, you just can't let go of a painful focus. Someone says something to you. You feel terrified and can't shake it. Something upsets you, and you can't quite let go.  In this case, I do what I call "Burning it off." I give myself a free pass to rant, rave, journal, unload on the angels, etc., all in private, of course. I write, then burn, shred, or bury letters I would never send. I vacuum vehemently or weed the yard.

I've known people who bought cracked plates at thrift stores, smashed them, and then donated the shards to folks who make mosaics. I've seen people get their upset kids a punching bag.  Some people run, exercise, hike, or even watch sports and feel great yelling at the TV!

Artists have long used their medium to work out unpleasant feelings and writers can create dark poetry. I once invited the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe to help me write a poem when I was feeling particularly miserable in my younger days and it was a brilliant piece of dark turning to light.

Whatever feels stuck in your mind is energy that is all knotted up. It just needs to move and dissipate.  You can find a constructive, creative, or at least harmless way to burn it off, and that is another effective way to remove the "splinter."

There are so many times when something seems so huge, and then you look back, and it seems so far away. If you're in the middle of something difficult I like the angel's idea of seeing it as a splinter, something difficult but not big in the grand scheme of life. It does remove the drama, help us recalibrate more quickly, and eventually get you beyond it with greater grace!

That said, may your week be "splinter" free!

Have a blessed week,

Love,
Ann

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