Author: Lauras

My Word To Live By..

Admittedly I have been feeling a little heavy this week, a little dense, and/or a little heartbroken. I am feeling nothing like the word I chose as my word for 2019. I am determined not to stay in this type of day or week for much longer. But, these types of days or weeks do not like to let go very easily, so fighting I am. With that said, I mentioned in my last post, and I started last year, a tradition of picking a word to live by instead of making a New Years resolution. I find a word is something I can aspire to, as I know from experience, that I might never live up to completing or sticking to a resolution. So last year my word was giving, and I did not do to bad with that either. I even learned that it is important for me to give to myself, in order to have enough to give to others.

Before I bring in my word for this year, I thought I would tell you why I picked it. Towards the end of last year, I had the opportunity to do something I had not done in a long time; dance. It was at that moment that I realized, there were quite a few things that I had not done in a while, that I loved to do. My life had been missing much of the laughter and free spirit of a year or more ago. This is why my letter to Santa and my word for the New Year go hand in hand. In case you missed it, I asked Santa for fun. For the ability to do things with a child like abandonment. Can I make most things in my life fun, including work? I suppose it is all about how you look at it or the attitude you walk into it with. I certainly am going to try. That leads me to my word for this year; JOY.

You know I always like to define words and then see if I need to redefine them for my life. Thus, Websters Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires, a state of happiness, a source or cause of delight”. If I live by my favorite quote “Happiness is not in having what you want, but in wanting what you have” ~ Rabbi Hyman Schachtel, then I suppose I could or should be living in a constant state of joy. I suppose we forget sometimes to count our blessings and live in gratitude for that which we possess. Time to get back to that.

A few days after I had chosen the word joy, something was presented to me that made me know I had made the right choice. I was watching an interview, and the person being interviewed said something to the effect of us all living in joy (Jesus, Others, then Yourself). Good advice I believe. I always feel a bit of joy in my heart when I know I make someone else happy, when I freely give my love as Jesus did, and when I follow the laws before me “love God, and love thy neighbor as thyself”. I guess truth be told, joy comes to the heart of those that love.

Just sitting down and writing this has brought a little more joy to my life, as I enjoy sharing myself with you. So I thank you for stopping by, taking your time, and visiting. But, my goal is to have you participate, to leave a comment, or join the conversation. Maybe today will be the day that you let us all know the answer to one of these questions: What New Year’s resolution did you make? Or do you do like I, and choose a word? If so, what was your word? Do you think you will keep your resolution? Do you have another thought you would like to leave? Whatever your add on is or will be, will be accepted by those of us waiting. Feel free to leave an answer, a comment, a thought, some advice, whatever you want, just try to keep it positive. Until next time, or until you are ready, I leave you with this; may all your days be filled with JOY..

Goodbye 2018..

Last year’s New Years Day post began with me asking questions. Would I lose the minimal 10 pounds I need to lose? Should I resolve to finish my courses? Get my health in order? Or spend time on my career? As I end 2018, and try to hold myself accountable, I thought I would also make myself accountable to you. So here is an update for you as to my successes and failures.

The first I will say is a failure, as I did not lose any weight in this last year. However, I also did not gain any weight and am happy about that. This last year has me recognize my need to, and I am learning how to, stick to routines. I will have hope for this year to be active enough to drop what I need to drop, whether that means a walking routine or not.

I will not say my course work has been a complete success. But, I will take credit for some success. Although I have not completed my major course work, I am learning how to fit a few pages, slowly, in between all my other life things. And though the major stuff is slow and go, I did manage to add in some webinars and smaller courses to the year. Any expansion of my knowledge base is a good thing, and I take that one day at a time.

I will also consider getting my health in order a success, maybe also not a complete one, yet one just the same. I say this, as I have been fortunate to not have had a cold, the flu, a virus, or anything like that, in the last year. I also have found ways to maintain habits that are seeing me able to wean myself off a medicine I have been taking longer than a few decades. I am hoping 2019 will find me completely weaned. I am getting so close. Add in to these, that I am trying to find more holistic ways to keep myself healthy, and you can’t get better than that.

As far as my career, maybe I will let you decide where I land. I have managed without a steady income this year, as I try to add more knowledge to my former career path, as well as, shift into writing, which is something I enjoy doing. I have spent a little time heading towards becoming a certified bookkeeper, and using and learning how Quickbooks operates. I have also spent the year doing blog posts, and in recent months more often and with more consistency. I have begun making changes to my blog, and have been, and am researching ways to possibly make it an income source. I have taken some time writing, and putting in order, the pages to a book I hope to see published one day. I have a few more chapters to finish the writing for, then off to edit, and to find an illustrator or illustrators. In order to reach my goals I also must have a more steady income. Thus, I have spent much of the last three months looking and steadily applying for work. Nothing yet, but I remain hopeful in the what is meant to be will be. It gives me some peace in the realizing that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Not sure why, but excepting, it is what it is, and pushing forward.

I spoke about wanting to bridge divides last year, if not on a grander scale, then at minimal, in my own life. Have I made any progress in this area? Again this is something I am unsure of. What I am sure of, is I am making the attempt with each blog post I write. I also am making the attempt in conversations I have with every new person I meet. I will fight to continue to do so as time is fleeting and I believe unity is necessary.

Most fail to follow through with, or complete their resolutions; I am no different. That is why, last year I introduced something new into my life, thanks to another blogger who gave me inspiration. Their tradition was to choose a word on New Years Day to live by the entire year. WOW!! what a concept. So last year I started that same tradition for myself by choosing the word “GIVING“. True to my word, and my desire to feed someone hungry, help heal someone sick, give clarity to someone who could not see, and make sure someone who felt alone and lonely knew they were not alone, I gave. If not directly, than indirectly via the charities I chose to donate to. I donated to everything from disaster relief and firefighters, to education for children and sick children, to diseases of the elderly, cats, and wildlife. 2018 was a year I chose to give, to as many as I could, as often as I could. Major success.

I am learning that baby steps to goals are steps in the right direction. As long as I continue to make progress and keep courage, strength, fortitude, and love, I will get there. And if I realize I no longer have those goals, I still have the qualities to help me make the shift towards the new direction. That is me, so what about you? Do you have a story of success in your year? A failure you want us to know about and help you with? Was your 2018 a good year or a rocky year? and why? If in the last minutes of 2018 you are ready to share with us, please do. We are here waiting for when you are ready to share. If not, see you in 2019, with my word for the year. May 2019 be a year of great happiness, great health, and great prosperity for us all.

Our “Christmas Eve Gift”

Dear Santa,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am sending it with a lot of gratitude in my heart. Today, your busiest work day, I thought it would be nice to give you a little something; my appreciation. I want to let you know how much I appreciated your answers to last years Christmas Letter.

I am not sure if you remember what it was I wished for, but last year I asked you for time – more time, and boy did you deliver. For starters, I got to spend more time with my man. And as we never know what will happen in the next second, minute, or hour, I am learning to make precious memories, even if it is raking leaves. With that said, you must know that we accomplished a little cleanup and decluttering, and although we have much to do, I am being thankful for what we did get done. You gave us time to make some much needed repairs on everything from the home, to the autos, to the property, and you further gave us a little break time to spend with my husbands siblings, the significant others, and friends.

As for my family and me, you cannot possibly imagine what the impact of the weeks I got to spend with my siblings, nieces, nephews, and old friends did for me. The fun, love, and laughter that occur when we are together brings my soul to new heights. So thank you again, and again, and again for that time. You gave me time to write my blog posts, to work on my book, and to be creative, and you know I love all that. You gave me time to learn new things and connect to new people, and had me realize that every new thing I learn is a new opportunity. There are far too many things I can thank you for, too many for this letter for sure, so I will end my gratitude with these two things: time you gave me to search for employment. I may not have found anything yet, but I remain hopeful for the right thing to be brought into my life. Lastly, for the realization that time is an illusion and I choose what to do in increments in the now. Let me find ways to begin to choose wisely.

I was going to include in this letter my wish for this coming year, but you must already know what that is, as it has already begun today. My Christmas wish for this year was to have more fun, to live with childlike abandonment. My day started off in that direction for sure, as I got to defeat my first opponent right out of the gate. I wonder if you, Mrs Claus, and the Elves play the same game. My husband says the farmers used to play. Because money was tight, they would try to sneak up on their neighbors and say what they needed to say. Whoever won, got a pie, a casserole, some produce perhaps, or maybe just an extra hand for a few hours of work. Today we play for bragging rights. But, I wonder should we keep from giving unnecessary stuff and go back to the way the farmers played. Time maybe will tell that.

As I close my letter Santa, I thought I would leave something for everyone; information about the game we play. We call it “The Christmas Eve Gift” and it goes like this:

                       CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT

The clock has struck the midnight hour
The second hand ticks away
Taking us to 12:01 am
Of the day before Christmas morn
With everyone acting peculiarly 
As if they have something to say

From this point on, until the midnight hour
When Christmas Eve slips away
The phones will ring, and anything goes
In a game we all love to play

The players have changed over the course of the years
But the game remains the same
The quickest one, is who everyone fears
So try to get me first
Before I win the game

The funny thing is there are no rules
Or object to this game
Bragging rights is what you win
If you are the first to say:

"CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT"

By:
Laura Standrowicz
Copyright: December 2004

With a generous and appreciate heart, I wish you much luck and a whole lot of love to take with you around the world. Merry Christmas Santa ~ “Christmas Eve Gift”… Love You, Laura

Virginia, I Believe Too

It is that time of year that a question presented to an editor, and his response, again are published in articles, books, magazines, newspapers and yes blog posts. Mine will be no different. To follow you will see both the letter to the editor, and the editor’s response. I wanted to share them, to remind all of us, that there is more to life than what can be seen. It seems this editorial is more fitting in my life today than ever before. That is because, if there is one thing this journey has taught me or continues to teach me, it is to recognize divine right timing and synchronicity or serendipity if you will. Like, putting me in a place to be able to interpret, as broken as it may be, for someone who does not speak the language presented to him, but needs critical information, or like me receiving a text checking up on me, on a day I felt so unloved and so not supported. I always say we never know how a minute can change a life. I hope you begin to recognize your minutes. I hope you will also enjoy reading these as much as I. And I further hope you will take the time to really think about the message. Here goes:

             "YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS"

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in THE SUN it's so." Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? ~ Virginia O'Hanlon - 115 West Ninety-Fifth St. New York, NY - September 21, 1897


VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no chiildlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. ~ Francis Pharcellus Church - The Sun - Nassau & Frankfort Sts. New York, NY

Like Virginia, I used to find it easy to be skeptical about things in this life. I have found and am finding that there is truth and lies to everything in our human existence. Separating the two is pretty much impossible. But, in my stillness and silence, with an open mind and open heart, I gain more clarity. The things I cannot see and find hard to define are the things that give me faith, and it is with faith that I walk through my human existence.

Virginia, wherever you may be, I want you to know that One Hundred and Twenty-One years later, there are still people questioning the existence of Santa Claus, and there are still people, like Francis, letting them know that Santa Claus does exist. Given your chosen profession, I am sure that you believed the response in THE SUN to be true and thus believed in Santa Claus. I am here to tell you Virginia, “I believe too”.

It is my wish my dear readers, that this year and every year you experience some of the unseen wonders in this world, that you are able to celebrate them with childlike abandonment, and that you never forget to believe.

Have a comment, story, or thought you want to share, please do.

Concept Of Inequality

However you choose to believe we were created, I can only hope that you also believe it was with good intentions. It is in this thought, and in what I believe, that I say.. God is the good in us all. Imagine how life would be if only we believed or remembered this always. In the moments we realize this to be true, we find ways to love each other and to endure the struggles together, we are willing to sacrifice our own happiness in order to provide happiness to someone else, we are willing to look past the emptiness in someone to try to remind them of this fact, and we are more willing to forgive indiscretions and those that may persecute us. 

What happens in the moments we do not realize this fact, which by the way are far too many, we do just the opposite. We find ways to continue to hate, we separate ourselves so as not to feel the other’s pain, and we do anything but sacrifice; I’d say we protect ourselves, try to enrich ourselves, and worry about our own happiness before we think about the happiness of anyone else. Even worse, we allow someone’s emptiness to fester and grow until they do unimaginable things. And in our attempt to define words based on our status in life, forgiveness comes to the few, and persecution comes to many. 

Words like inequality. Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines this as “the quality of being unequal or uneven, disparity of distribution or opportunity”. I am sure the founders knew all to well mankind’s definition of inequality, as every time nations of the world forget who and what God is, they further the divide in their citizens. Hence, their attempt to build a place with the good of God in them and also governing their creation. As they say in the Declaration of Independence “We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in general Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states”. They further declare “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor”. 

Their attempt for a free society was to build a system of checks and balances, of separations of powers, and a system in which it’s citizens had some say and/or power in it. So, how did we get where we are? I think we got here because we completely forgot that God is the good in us all, and we have made every attempt to remove God from every public part of our lives; first and foremost our government and schools. Nations cannot control inequality. They never have been able to, and they never will be able to. And they further cannot force people to minimize it. Because, in the lack of appearance of good, we will always fight to survive. It is only when, we, individually, remember that God is the good in us all, that we will freely make the choice to bridge the gaps of inequality.

So as I go about my day today, I am going to desperately try to remember what and where God is. For when I do this, I also remember that God is in you too. Maybe one day together we will find a way to bridge our gaps. I hope you’ll do the same. Until next time, I would love to know how you feel, or what you think. If you get the desire to comment please do, we would love to hear from you. 

  

The Concept Of Equality

In many face-to-face discussions I have had over the years, in which all parties begin to speak truths about their status in life, I have always asked had they ever read their founding documents. The answer has almost always been no. Well, I ask, why not? With that said, and coming from the land of the grand experiment, where people are supposed to take part in the governance of themselves, it has been a desire of mine to bring these documents to you, or at minimal their concept. But how? When we are in such divided times.

I have known for a long time, where I have wanted to begin, and that is with the concept of equality. Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines equality as “the state of being equal”. When I read The Declaration of Independence, I am struck with the knowledge that that is where our founders also wanted to begin. It is apparent to me that they believed, as I believe, that we are truly only equal in rights provided by the laws of nature and of nature’s God. I will add that because we all have evil in us, we will rarely choose to live an equal human existence. In the Declaration, they acknowledged that there would be times when it would be necessary, to separate ourselves from political bands that have kept us connected to another, and get back to basic truths. They were smart enough to realize that it would be necessary, out of respect for the opinions of all mankind, for us to state clearly the causes that brought us to this place, that brought us to make this decision. Only then could we make forward movement. 

As humans, we find that truths in history can cause us pain, so we do our best to erase it, manipulate it, forget about it, hide it, or skew it to fit our narrative. We continue to say we must have discussions for healing, and I suppose we must. But, somewhere forgiveness must be given and excepted for true healing. Otherwise, we make a temporary fix, we remove or purge, and then, not so shockingly, we repeat. When I mentioned to someone that I wanted to start a discussion about how we were all created equal, they responded with “but we are not”.  In my next post I will address some thoughts on the concept of inequality. But, to that someone, yes we are created equal. It is what we choose to do with that creation, that brings on inequality. 

In my journey I have come to realize these truths: Our creator has given all of us a human body and it is scientifically complex in how it operates. Our creator has given all of us a mind to learn, process, use and think with. And our creator has given all of us a soul in hopes that we would connect it to another and share moments of joy, love, compassion, friendship, wonder, awe, and I could go on and on. These are where we are all equal, we all possess these things. The one other thing that makes us equal, is what I am learning is also the thing that divides us further from each other. That thing is “free will” our ability to make choices. Our founders expressed it like this in the Declaration “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (humans) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life (body, mind, and soul), liberty (freedom to choose), and the pursuit of happiness (choice making that brings us joy).

Governments are formed to ensure us these rights. What happens though when our choices make us unequal? What happens when humans in governments, whom are supposed to ensure their citizens equality, further exasperate the inequality? What are the inequalities? Can there be agreeable solutions for our survival with them? The founders, in the Declaration, stated this “Prudence (Cautiousness), indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes (those lasting only for a short while); and accordingly, all experience has shown that mankind are more disposed (willing) to suffer while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing (ending) the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations (infringements), pursuing invariably the same object, evinces (reveal the presence of) a design to reduce them under absolute despotism (power), it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government and to provide new guards for their future security.” 

Before we move forward, maybe we can further discuss the things that make us equal. I have stated the things I think make us equal, maybe you can think of others. Maybe you will be willing to share the things you have noticed in your life that show us on equal plane, or discuss mine. Maybe we can come to an agreement on the things that make us equal, and then begin the tough stuff; the discussion on inequality, whether inequality is good or bad, the airing of our grievances, and the compromises and/or fixes we can make. Along that journey, it is my intent to bring into the discussion, The Constitution, the compromises and decisions made by the founders – so we can see if changes need to be made or unmade.  As I said to a sibling once “you speak of moving a tree, but how do you know the tree needs to be moved, if you know nothing of the soil or environment to which the tree was originally planted”. I hope you will join me in starting at the beginning – “all mankind is created equal”. 

   

What Life Needs…

Water on the leaves, stems, ground, and roots of the rose bush
Water to nourish..
  • Light to guide the way
  • To the path we are to follow
Heart shaped clovers in a clover patch
Faith, hope, and love to make it all complete…. 

As we walk along our paths today, may we take the time to nourish someone’s soul and be the light that guides their way. Trust with our hearts and minds that we are where we are supposed to be. May we always find a way to help each other grow and flourish. It cannot be said enough, that we never know when the small thing we do, changes a life forever. Let us all make sure that small thing is a positive thing – a smile, a hello, a thank you, a helping hand, a kind gesture, an invite, a listening ear, so many things to choose from… Please choose wisely — Choose Love.. 

Hatred Corrupts The Vessel

Today I watched the funeral, of a former leader, of the nation I was born into. I became sad for a nation so divided, yet happy for a man whose heart, and soul, touched many. Although there were moments that made me laugh and moments that made me cry, there was a moment that so struck me to the core that I had to come share it with you. A simple sentence stated that made me think of another sentence, in a comment, to one of my original posts. The line spoken today was “hatred corrupts the vessel that carries it”. The line commented by a friend of mine was “hate the game, do not hate the player”. Today had a profound aha moment for me, or rather a questioning moment for me. Was I hating the direction that corrupt vessels have taken us? Or was I hating the vessel that carried enough hatred to point us in such directions? or was I hating at all?

As I sat and looked at the faces of some of the leaders, dignitaries, diplomats, princes, and kings that attended today, for the first time in a long time, I thought I really wasn’t sure of the answers to those questions. I had to dig deep, and walk in a truth, that if I was to truly walk my walk and talk my talk, than love had to rise to the surface. I had to separate things that have been done from the people who have done them. I had to believe in the existence of both love and hate, good and evil in them. I had to realize that, like me, when they walked in their moments of hate they corrupted their vessel and when they walked in their moments of love they redeemed themselves and repaired damage to their vessels. I recently said to someone who uttered the words “this world is full of evil and it is getting worse not better”, “that this was why I needed to love more, that I needed to love deeper, and stronger, and more steadfastly, for it will only be love that will defeat hate and love that will remove the pain that has caused the hate in the first place”. Maybe when we can find forgiveness for atrocious acts that put us and keep us locked in hatred, love can shed the light as to why they were done in the first place, than great change can happen for the better of all, not just some.

Watching this has made my heart-break for those whose vessels have not seen the light of love for a very long time. I cannot and do not want to imagine how or what they must feel. It breaks for the people of nations who cannot differentiate between the player and the game. Who are kept divided, confused, and uneducated to truths by vessels they trust that are corrupted by hate. And shockingly it also breaks for leaders of nations, of religions, of organizations, who because they are human, also have moments of hate that lead them to make decisions that corrupt the vessels that carry them. I wonder will any of this change? and when and how will it change?  Can I repair your broken heart? And can you repair mine? Can we repair broken nations together? And can we repair a broken world? I will continue to have hope that anything and everything is possible, and further hope, that I will always look to love for guidance, no matter how hard that might be.

I do not know what your thoughts might be on the matter, but I sure am willing and ready to hear them or read them, whenever you are ready to leave them. So join when you are ready and until then, I hope my thoughts are food for discussion that you may have around your dinner table, whether you agree or not. May your vessel not be heavy with the cargo of hate and corruption, but instead be light and flowing with the power of love.

 

 

 

A Soul’s Journey

When I started this journey, it was shortly after an incident that put me in tremendous fear of losing another love that I felt so deeply. At the time of the incident, and in months since, I went in search of answers to many questions. Questions like: “How will I make it on my own?”, “Am I strong enough or brave enough?”, “How will I move forward?”, “Who am I?”, and “What is my life’s purpose?”. I still have this love in my life and am thankful for it everyday, sometimes minute by minute. But, this quest for answers now has me being a much calmer, stronger, wiser, more confident, and more loving human being. Do I have moments that I am anything but these? Of course, we all do. We are human after all. Having faith in something much bigger and greater than myself, does help me to keep those chaotic moments to a minimum. It is not easy, it just is what I must do.

With that said, there are several things I learned on this quest, that I would love to share with you. They are as follows:

The first, is that we came into this human existence as light souls of love. With any luck, we will leave this human existence the same way. Truthfully, evil does exist in each one of us and it needs to be fought against. And love is the only thing that can defeat it. Let us not give up on that battle in ourselves, and with each other.

The second, is that our life’s true purpose is to make soul connections. It matters not whether the connection is for a minute, or an hour, or a year, or a lifetime, it just matters that it is. It is up to each one of us to make the choice to connect. As we all are aware, human loss happens. With it comes heartbreak, confusion, sadness, anger, and grief. It is terrifying to stand in the face of fear of connecting, knowing that our human outcome will always take us to this same place, and through these same emotions. I argue though, that the time spent sharing love, laughter, fun, joy, and whatever else there is, is worth my having to tread through the other things. I further argue that it is in the moments when we allow our souls to connect, that miracles happen, that the heartbreak, sadness, and grief begin to fade away.

The third, is knowing that love never dies, only our human bodies do. With that knowledge, I realize that in the moments I am still, that I am silent, that I open my heart and mind to any and all possibilities, that lost loves find a way to send me a message. A message that I will understand giving me further proof of this truth. Whatever the mode of transportation, you will know it is a message from them, by the simple fact it brings them immediately into your heart and mind; filling you up with wonder, joy, love, and sometimes laughter.

And lastly, is the true meaning of freedom. Freedom is not only allowing my soul to be open to connecting, it is also in allowing it to leap. When I walk through the fear of this, is when life has no bounds, that I realize that I can be anything I want to be, that with the help of these connections I can go to places I never imagined. I have heard it said that money buys freedom; NO.. NO.. NO.. Money makes us look at each other as numbers and data and increases our egos to make us compete. Pure and simple money buys us human survival, we cannot take it with us when we go. When we allow our souls to be free, that is when we are truly rich.

I will end with a hope that you will allow your soul to shine its light of love as brightly as it can, that you will allow it to connect as often as it wants to connect, and to who or what it wants to connect, that you will forever see and feel its connections, and that you will allow it freedom to fly and spread its wings. Your thoughts and soul connection are welcomed whenever they are ready.. Feel free to be and to add comments if you so desire.. Until next time – Peace Out.

 

 

What Is Rational Anymore??

Some days when I read about something tragic happening that did not need to happen, I just want to shut all my electronics off and live forever in solitary confinement. But, I know this is not realistic or rational. Now there is a word I want to define. Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines rational as “having reason or understanding”. Sadly, I continue to think that we are living in a very irrational world. Who do I blame that on? Myself for my contribution to it, and for allowing others to make me feel this way? Politicians and other people of power using their platforms to further divide? The media for feeding me this irrationality Twenty-Four/Seven? I suppose it is all of it.

I will begin with myself, the first person to have free will. I like to think that I behave and think rationally more often than not. I am human, however, which means when my buttons get pushed, or I am angered in any way, it becomes much harder to be clear, to hear and understand the entirety of the truth of someone else. It is then, that I must learn to have strength, that I must put the divine back into my life, and that I must learn to have faith and walk through fear to reach clarity, calm, and peace. Only then can rational come back into play. I heard someone say not to long ago, that they would change when someone else changed. Why? Why wait? Why do I need to add more irrationality into an already irrational circumstance? Maybe, just maybe, if in the moments of irrationality, I can somehow get to my divinely guided place of calm and clarity, well then, just maybe we can have a rational outcome. If I become the change, then maybe I can sway the circumstance back to rational. I will continue to try to walk this way and have hope for better outcomes in my life, and that is the best I can do.

As far as politicians and others in powerful positions, how rational is it, that you tell people who follow you to fight back, to kick someone when they are down, to be uncivil, to get up in other’s faces? How rational is it, when you go full throttle after the crimes of those you disagree with, yet ignore the same thing being done by a friend, peer, group member, colleague, etc.? A crime is a crime, no matter who commits it. How rational is it, when you tell a mass of people, that I would never vote for someone who does not have my skin color, or shares my religion, or my gender, or my sexuality? How do you know what I would do, and how I would vote, if you are not willing to get to know me. Getting to know me, would require divinity in your heart, and rationality in your mind. Maybe, just maybe, if you were not trying to control me, you might just see that I am open-hearted and open-minded as are many. I have learned in my life that great leaders make every attempt to lift people up as they rise, or even sacrifice to help others rise, they do not hold people down or destroy people to gain power. Irrationality belongs to those that do the latter.

As far as the media, I am a big believer in the freedom of the press, and realize it is the responsibility of the viewer, or the reader, to fact check, to look for truth, to supposedly trust and for sure verify. I am one that tries to truth seek and not just believe. Sadly, I am finding that increasingly as decades pass, and in your attempts to be the first to report on every tragedy, to politicize every tragedy, and to vilify those with whom you disagree, that I am feeling a huge lack of authenticity and integrity from you. I am feeling it is far more important to you to get viewers or followers, than to factually give me information. If truth was the point, than context would matter. How does America feel? What is the truth anymore? When you use your opinion to sway and facts are besides the matter, where do we go for facts? Oh I will continue to watch or read, I almost have no choice in that. And I will go to multiple sources to broaden my perspective. I just wish you, would put a little divinity and rationality back in what you report. That would make it a whole lot easier for a person like me to trust you.

Maybe you will find this entire post irrational, and maybe it is. But, for every life lost that does not need to be, and for every life destroyed that should not be, I find myself wondering why. How did we get here? Why do we stay so angry? Where have we put the divine; our God or creator? Why do we refuse to hear each other, see each other, understand each other? We must find a way to open our hearts and minds because that is where rationality is. Well this is my two cents and I am here waiting for your addition to the pot. When you are ready, I would love to hear what you have to say.