Author: Lauras

Jesus Would Heal..

Sometimes I just get sad by some of the things that are posted on social media that further cause a divide. Lately I have been seeing a post that I wanted to address here, instead of commenting on another site. The post reads “If Jesus were on Earth today, would he be at a Trump Rally or walking with the caravan?” One of the best things I have heard in my life, is that although Jesus did die on the cross to relieve us of sin, that is not necessarily all he was here for. They say, that Jesus real purpose was to teach us how to live, to give us an example to live by.

Some of the things that Jesus taught while he was here, are how to serve and not be served, how to be humble, and the need to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness.  He taught us that a good shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep, and to seek out those who wander off, for God does not like to have any of his children perish. He told us to forgive ourselves and each other, so that we may be forgiven by his father. He told us to do to others, that which we would have them do to us, and to love our enemies, as well as, our neighbors, and pray for those who persecute us. Most importantly, he asked us to do the will of his father; “to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind” and “love our neighbor as ourselves”.

Jesus had a divine nature, and we, well we, all have evil and good in us. This fact, makes it near impossible for us to do all these things, or to live in this way. I for one, am willing to try to do the best that I can in the life I am given. I will fall a good distance short, because I am human. And because human life is about balance; good and bad, yin and yang, love and hate, light and shadow, etc.. So my answer to the question that started it all, is that he would be at both. He would also try to be in every one of our hearts, souls, and minds, as well as, in the hearts, souls, and minds, of those that govern us, those that make the laws that we are requested or made to follow.

My thought is that if Jesus were on Earth today, he would be finding ways to have us find our way back to love and to solutions for the betterment of all. I like to think that maybe, just maybe, if we lived with God’s laws in our hearts, we would find a way to create laws in compromise, change or rid ourselves of laws that injure, follow created laws or pay the penalty, and realize that laws were meant to be followed or obeyed, not broken.

How we get away from a question and a divide like this, I do not know. I do know discussions need to be had, solutions need to be arrived at, and both of these need to begin with love in our hearts, and open minds. I know I am not the only one that feels sadness for a home so divided, or that is finding ways to add love back into their daily routine, so if you are too and you wish to comment, please do. We are waiting to hear from you. Until next time..

 

 

 

 

Unplug And Meditate..

Have you ever thought that there is something wrong when we are constantly bombarded with negativity. I suppose negativity sells. The problem is, that it is like a disease. It finds a weak spot, attacks and attaches itself, and then it grows and grows. Although there is some positivity out there, it is not yet powerful enough to counteract or even equal the amount of negative. I find myself some days being so weighed down by what I see, hear, and feel that I just need to find a way to break free. I find the longer I sit there and take it all in, the more angry, the more jealous, the more hurtful, the more hateful, the more worried, the more stressed, and the more depressed I get. So what is the cure?

Well, I am not sure there is one. I do know, however, it is very helpful to get away from it all and meditate. Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines this as “to reflect on or muse over; contemplate, to engage in contemplation or reflection”. I like to think of it as meeting my soul. As connecting to that part of myself that knows what is good and what is right. I like to ask it for advice, ask it what it wants, ask it what would make it happy or joyful. I find the more I connect to this part of myself, the clearer I think, the calmer, more peaceful, more powerful, and more alive I feel.

There are different ways to get to this place or state. I am sure you already know which one you prefer. Some people like to sit outside on their porches, with their morning cup of coffee or their evening whatever. They sit in quiet stillness and watch the sunrise or sunset. They listen to the birds chirp, the frogs peep, or the hustle of the morning and evening starting and stopping. Some people find joy and clarity on a bike or a motorcycle. Some, like Henry David Thoreau, prefer to walk in nature. They walk with joyful awareness of what is around them. They free themselves from the outside world and allow the sunlight, wind, moon, and stars to provide a place of serenity. Some like to find their quiet, still, happy place and go within. Some actually like to do it all. It does not matter to them the type of escape. It only matters that they can escape.

You’ll know when you are done as well. You’ll know when it is time to return back to the reality you live in. I even think you will be able to more decisively know what is good for you or what the right thing to do in your situation is. Getting to know your soul and feeding its need to be with you for a short time enhances your intuition. It surely will let you know when something is right or wrong. You just have to pay attention. And truth be told, if you take a little time each day to unplug and meditate, you will live a more balanced, more productive, and normally happier existence.

So if the negativity has got you heavy and down, lighten yourself and soul with a little meditation. Bring joy, reflection, clarity, and sanity back in to your daily life. You will definitely notice the difference. You may even get a little guidance, pointed in the right direction, a question answered, or a message or two. Be open and aware and accept it for what it is, your soul saying hello. I hope you try it. And I further hope that once you are done unplugging and meditating, and have read this, that you leave a comment if you want. We will be glad to hear from you. As I plug back into my day, I am sending you light and love to help counteract the negative in your day. Hope it helps and good luck with it all.

 

Divine Politics…

In the last few days I’ve come across things I wanted to discuss today. One was a prompt for people to get out and vote and the importance of that. One was how much of what is motivating us to do just that, is coming from a place of anger. One was the interchangeable use of the words mob and protesters. And one was a conversation about the Constitution of The United States, and the fact that many have not read it, do not understand it, or even do not want to read and understand it. All of which saddens me, as a person who wants to love, be at peace, and live freely.

I am glad that there are those prompting many to get out and vote. I have always thought this to be of great importance. I even wish that more born or naturalized citizens would participate. I do understand the feeling of what is the use, and feel this comes from a place of not knowing enough about the system, about how it was originally set up, and about what it has been changed into and/or is being changed into. Knowledge and participation are the things that can change this. So please begin to participate. With that said, it saddens me the amount of untruthful, biased, or taken out of context information that gets put out. So there is a necessity to do your own homework, research what you can, and converse with both those of whom you agree and disagree to know where they are coming from. This leads me to my next point.

If you keep me or us angry, we are more likely to believe our friends, our side, and share what is being presented, whether it be truthful or not. This is what I was tired of, feeling so angry, so heavy, so hateful, so afraid all the time. That is why I chose to take a spiritual journey, to search for truths, to find peace, calm, and love in myself and my fellow human beings. Then I decided to share with you things I have learned, things I have experienced, and questions I ask myself daily. And did this in hopes that you would share the same. I believe, that when we expand in this spiritual, loving way, we become more of a threat to a system that wants us divided in anger, a system that wants us to come from very destructive places.

Some truths removed from our lives, that our country was founded through recognition of, and under the protection of, divine providence. According to http://www.gotquestions.org, “Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8).” And that our rights were endowed upon us by our creator, not by man, or government.

What happens when you remove Divine Providence from governments and politics? You remove the part of us that was created in divine image, you remove wisdom and love. The allowance of solely our human nature stepping in to create laws, and to govern, means that although there may be love, there is also greed, power, corruption, anger, and hate. Isn’t what is needed the resurgence of our divine natures, our good natures, our loving natures, our spirituality to be put back into the governing aspect of our country and all other countries? Maybe I am just wishful thinking?

Sadly, when only our human natures are involved, and not our divine souls, we do things like lie, generalize, omit, insinuate, exalt immorality, confuse fact and fiction, redefine words to our liking, and equate words that should not be equatable. Let me define a few of these words for you according to Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary. The first is mob “a large disorderly crowd, a criminal set, to crowd about and attack or annoy”. The next is protest “a solemn declaration of opinion and usually of dissent, a complaint, objection, or display of unwillingness usually to an idea or a course of action”. The next is solemn “marked by the invocation of a religious sanction, marked by the observance of established form or ceremony”. The next is peaceable “disposed to peace, quietly behaved, marked by freedom from strife or disorder”. And lastly assemble “to collect in one place or group, to meet together, convene, gather”.

I bring up these definitions to have you equate them to what you see, hear, feel, etc.. I also bring them up so that you are able to compare and/or equate them to the actual words from the Constitution. Amendment 1 of The Bill of Rights “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances”.

Now I am not hear to tell you what to think, how to feel, or what to do. I am only here to present you with information, thoughts, and definitions. It is my hope that with love, we can begin necessary conversations. So as always, if you want to leave a comment, start a discussion, present a question, thought, etc. feel free. We can only grow when we open our hearts and minds. Until next time.

 

When Cooler Heads Prevail…

Today I want to tell you a story about something that happened to me, as I recognize signs or similarities in the goings on in today’s political world. With each authority figure that stands up, and with their platform, tells their followers to harass, to be uncivil, and to fight, I have become more afraid of something on a larger scale happening. I am standing up in an attempt to bring calm, light, and love back into the environment. Maybe my tiny voice will be heard by some, and maybe somehow we begin to find a way to forgive, to calm, to listen, to compromise, to have faith, and to love. I would say that people could get hurt. But, people have already been hurt and that has not changed the trajectory. In my world, more than one that stays steadfast in their anger and hate, is more than one too many for me.

I will preface my story with my belief that light always shines on the truth, even if that light is only a flashlight. I have found that when cooler heads prevail, and some are willing to seek that tiny bit of light, that things begin to change. Truths become more apparent as the light grows in luminosity, and personal responsibility, acceptance, apologies, and forgiveness have to come into play. My story goes like this: Years ago, I was harassed, put down, made fun of, and personally injured because a small mob decided to follow someone’s lead. Although I do know who started my nightmare, I was not privy to the information passed between them and the leader of the mob. Nor was I privy to any of the discussions between mob members. My only other knowledge was that I was taking treatment from strangers that I felt I did not deserve. And after too many months of this, I had had enough.

You see, up until the day I finally decided to stand up, anytime the mob appeared and began their antics, I removed myself as quickly as possible from the area. Some days I was not quick enough and suffered more than just mental anguish. I do not know who, or how many, in the mob knew that it had turned physical for me and truthfully I did not care. It was not important for me to know who in the mob knew I was being physically harmed, it was only important for me to save myself and have someone in that mob make a decision to have a cooler head, and search for truths.

The day I stood up to the leader and mob, and let them know I was prepared to protect myself from any further harm, was the day a tiny speck of light appeared in the eyes of one of the mob members. As they approached me for discussion, I tried to find a way to calm myself and give them an opportunity. In our conversation, they were able to tell me that they felt things had gotten out of hand, and they were able to answer some of the questions I presented to them. Of course I asked them why. I also asked if I exhibited any of the behaviors, or had spoken in any way, that would lead them to believe that what they had heard in the first place, was true. As is typical of mob mentality, as we were beginning to make headway, the leader came out to reign back in their mob member. This time, as I again made the choice to walk away, I was assured, from at least one mob member, that they were done with that mentality and they would be walking away as well.

That day it all stopped and something else began to happen. The light of truth began to increase and the members began to disband. The leader was to witness first hand the untruths that began my situation. So with humble heart, the leader apologized for what I had been through, and I made the decision to let it go. I have not forgotten, but I have chosen to forgive, if for nobody else or for no other reason than to lighten my own soul. I am learning that joy and love lift and fill my soul each time I choose to forgive and have faith. On the other hand, the memory is funny, in that it reminds us, what to do or not do the next time we are presented with a similar situation.

My story ended well because we all made decisions that brought us to the right place. I tell it to you in hopes that cooler heads will prevail in today’s climate, in hopes that we will seek deeper truths before we become part of angry mobs, and most importantly in hopes that leaders will find better ways to shine the light to truth, and bring entirety to situations for compromise, instead of being the catalyst for what an angry mob can and will do. I ask you today to think before you act, to research before you believe, and to try to become a part of a better way. If you have suggestions on what that better way is, or a story of your own, or a comment to my story, by all means come join in.

The Great Adventures…

Last night I was watching something that brought me to an aha moment. Across my screen came a phrase that said “Love is the Greatest Adventure”. After reading that and pondering on my past, I began to realize that my life had far more love in it than I had imagined or remembered. And if I would have chosen it, my difficult times could have been far less difficult. In the days when people are presenting truths from a place of fear, hurt, pain, anger, and hatred, a time when people are destroying others lives in their quest to they themselves heal, I have been searching for the definition of love and a way to present it in my life as a replacement for the others.

The fact is that evil exists. It is in each one of us and we use it to cause pain and destroy. The question is how do we defend or protect ourselves against it? How do we find the power to fight it when it is happening to us? How do we get over the wake it leaves behind if we were powerless to fight it? When do we stand up? How do we stand up? Are we justified in trying to destroy what it was that took our power away? Are we justified in presenting evil to evil? I think I could add a million questions and even then not know the appropriate answers. All I do know is that in the moments I walk in love, I am a happier, lighter, more joyful, fun-loving person.

In my search for how to define love, I came to understand that faith and forgiveness had to come front and center. It is difficult at times to love or show it, and I find myself in split seconds having to beg for faith and forgiveness to come forward, so that I do not do or say something I will regret. Sometimes I fail miserably, the other times though are so worth the struggle it took me to get there, in how they lighten my life, my soul, and my body.

I may have shared something with you in an earlier post, but after re-reading it and viewing it in a completely different light, I wanted to share it again. My mother copied these words on a piece of paper and gave them to me when I was sixteen. I have re-written them when the pieces of paper have gotten to frayed or damaged. I have, though, carried them on my person for nearly forty years. They are words written by Laura Hendricks and published, more than once, by Ann Landers in her advice column. They go like this: “What is Love?  Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses. Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals. If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough.”

I would like to think that I have kept all of this in mind in my chosen relationships, however, I am attempting to learn to broaden my scope. With that said, I am beginning to believe that love is so much more. It is the smile at the stranger whether he/she returns it or not, it is the kindness shown to someone in need, it is the holding of a hand to comfort or lead, it is the tears that run down your face when you share in someone’s grief, it is the time we take to listen to what others say, it is the taking of time in search of truth, it is the recognition of beauty in all that exists, it is laughter shared among strangers and friends, it is a simple hello, a held open door, and it is the seconds we let others know that we see them. Most humans just want to know they are not alone.

When I view my life in this light, as an adventure of love, I realize that I have been fortunate to recognize many moments with strangers, friends, and family alike. I hope you like me, will begin to notice, that those moments you would not have equated with love, truly are, and that love truly is the greatest adventure we can take and be on. So today, as you go about your day, try to recognize the positive you put out into the world, and realize those are moments of love. Spread those, relish in those, enjoy those, and try to repeat. As always, if you want to add, correct, enhance, or share yourself on one of my posts, please do. We are waiting for you to share your life with us.

Imperfectly Perfect or Perfectly Imperfect….

Hello all.. I am back home now and trying to get settled back in. I hope this means I will be out here more frequently, as it truly is my desire to be in a mode to make changes to my website; to get it to where I want it to be. While I slowly make steps in getting there, I will continue to talk to you about things that appear in my life. Today, I wanted to bring up something that came up a few times while I was on my trip. I am also reminded of it as I watch the goings on in today’s world. What came up was this: the realization that my trying to be perfect in what I do may be an asset, but it can also be a hinderance, and/or even a detriment.

I guess I should start with the definition of perfection. Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines perfection as “the quality or state of being perfect – flawlessness, completeness, maturity, saintliness, an exemplification of supreme excellence, an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence, the act or process of perfecting”. I ask can anyone even reach this? And if I keep it in my head that I must reach this, and then do not, then how much damage am I doing to myself? Does being perfect even exist in humanity?

Sadly, I am finding that in recognizing others’ talents and thinking I could not surpass theirs, I have not even tried to see what I am capable of. I realized I was doing this while home with “the artists” of the family. Do not think I do not recognize my own artistic talent in the way I write, I do recognize that. While I was home, however, I kept saying I cannot draw and that was because I viewed my siblings perfect artwork. Something, they themselves, would say was totally imperfect. Funny how that is, that we recognize perfection in others and not in ourselves. So while I was there and in a supportive environment, I decided to try to draw. Like them, I see the imperfections in my work. However, because I created it, I am learning to recognize that it is as it should be, and therefore, perfect.

Though I fail at times, I am trying desperately to not say I cannot anymore. Because the more I continue to say I cannot, the more I limit myself, and the more I put aside possibilities. How do I know I cannot? I will only find that out when I try. And guess what, shocking as this may sound, I will always find out that I can. Now it may not be perfect according to yours or anyone else’s standards, and that is okay. It will be perfect for me and my standards and that is all that matters. Just as I say this about myself, so should you. You should always believe that you can, you should try whatever it is you want to try, and most importantly you should realize that if it is perfect for you or to you, that is all that matters.

Now I am not saying, that we should not strive to be the best that we can be, or even that we should not compete for the title of best. I suppose competition can point out to us what our limits might be, or where we might need to improve or add in education. What I am saying is that we should not allow the definition of perfect to stop us from trying all kinds of things, from doing things we want to do, and from being the person we want to be. We will always be imperfectly perfect or perfectly imperfect because we are all human. So go be the perfect person you were created to be.

As always I invite your thoughts, comments, tales, anything you want to add. We can only grow when we decide to share ourselves and our information. With that said, when you are ready, I hope you will leave something for me and others to also think about, and do not worry about it being perfect to anyone else but you.

 

 

 

 

 

Pincing Myself…

I AM BACK.. And possibly will fluctuate in and out for a short while.. As I am finding that sometimes I just have to go it alone and bring you the information later, even though I really enjoy bringing you along my journey. I apologize that I have been away for so long, and thank you for being patient in awaiting my return. One day I will have this place the way I want it, I am determined to do that. I think it is needed. For now, however, there are other projects and life happenings that I must also squeeze in. Please do forgive me for any vacancies that occur in the interim.

To let you know where I have been and actually still am, I am back where it all began. I am with my siblings in the place I was born, staying in the house I grew up in. I came here to see them as I do not do that often enough. I came here to attend some family functions; a camping trip (in tents by the way-we are hardy, so no RV for us), a family reunion, and a wedding. I came here because being with them is always an adventure and fun. More than any of these reasons, I came here because my intuition told me I needed to. It told me that I would need the help I was to receive in moving forward. Prior to my journey here, for me this meant working on my book, or getting my blog to where I dream I want it. I never ever dreamed I would need help in ways I didn’t recognize I did. Of course, as it always does, it came in forms I never expected. One of these is realizing gifts that I have always had and been afraid to use. Sadly, I have been relying on others and know it is now time for me to use what I have been given.

Take for instance something I think all started coming out of the womb. I was a breach baby. Not a breach in one that comes out feet first. Oh no, I was holding on for dear life as my mom tried to push me out butt first. Since then I have always said that I was born under the sign of Cancer-the crab, and am truly one. Soft and sensitive to the core when I am out and about; retreating to my shell in any sign of danger. I do love my shell, my home, my safe spaces. I feel security in them. But, is there really security there or is it an illusion. Because the one thing crabs have that I have always been reluctant to use, are claws or pincers.

On this trip, I am realizing how dynamic life is to have provided me with many people who have loved, and do love me, that truly are fighters. These people have protected me for a very long time. Some have even tried to teach me necessary things for my own protection. I have kept their teachings in my mind and have always hoped not to have to use them. What I didn’t realize is that by not using them everyday or not wanting to use them at all, I was doing damage to myself and others. I still am reluctant to use my pincers or what I have been taught, but I am armed now with the knowledge that protecting myself, when it is necessary, is not me going out looking to harm others and there is a big big difference in that fact.

To pass a few things on, if you are like me, not realizing gifts, or needing to recognize that there is a difference between protecting yourself and harming others, I will tell you what I have learned. That is, that protecting yourself comes from a place of love and is necessary for survival, while harming others comes from a place of hate, and repercussions of that are never pleasant.  So if you find the need to protect yourself, and are searching for the knowledge of your gift, just look to the sign you were born under to know what that is. I have pincers and a shell, some of you have horns, spikes, stingers, strength and size, a second nature, the ability to judge fairly, knowledge, the ability to blend in, and yes even innocence. Recognize what it is you have and do not be afraid to use it to protect yourself; life can be ugly and sometimes a cage fight.

Rest assured, with all that I am learning here, if the circumstance presents itself for me to have to protect myself, oh I will. And if the battle is one I cannot handle on my own, then I will call in my friends who have always been there for me. I think, however, it is time I give them a break. It is time I realize that sometimes in life, the battle is mine to be won or lost. And to further realize that if the battle is lost, than that is a road I was not meant to be on, or to take, and that a redirection of course is necessary. Redirection, something else I am learning to accomplish and will leave for future blog posts.

So whether you are someone who already knows and uses their gifts, or someone learning like me, or someone yet to learn, does not matter. If you are here, I hope that you will take part and share your knowledge, and/or experience. And I further hope any comments left will be of benefit to us all. If nothing else, just a new perspective. Thank you for coming and as always I invite you to join in when you are ready. Until next time I am riding the waves, shell intact and now claws up.

Trying To Make Sense Of The Sixth One..

We often talk about, and are taught about, our five major senses and their uses. Our sense of sight and what it is we view with our eyes. Our sense of hearing and what it is we hear with our ears. Our sense of smell and what aroma wafts its way in. Our sense of taste and what is pleasing or unpleasing to our tongues. And our sense of touch, of what it is concretely we can feel. All of these are gifts of the body and the electronic part of it. And most of these, we often use to override, instead of work with, the sense I want to talk to you about today. We call it the sixth sense. Some call it intuition, and the dictionary defines that as “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning”.

I am not sure if I should say sadly or not sadly, I haven’t decided yet, that we all have brains. Our brains like to think logically and consciously, and they like to cast doubt. Maybe that is a good thing, maybe not. I am unsure of that also. I am still learning. I like to think that if only we could understand that we know we know, then life would be so much simpler. There wouldn’t be a need to verify what we already know to exist. Then we could use our brains to take the steps we know we need to take. Most of us, including myself, miss the sometimes subtle intuition that appears. And it is more horrifying when we miss the slap in the face intuition, and then have to look at ourselves later, and say “damn, how did I miss that?”. I don’t know about you, but I know that I quite often have to say to myself “HELLO… well duh – pay attention”.

And that is what it takes, attention and faith in yourself. Most people don’t like to talk about intuition, and others like to say the whole thought of it is crazy. Well using the words of one Billy Joel “you may be right, I may be crazy, but I just might be the lunatic you are looking for”. Because as I walk in trying to listen to, to find, and pay attention to mine, I am also wanting you to recognize yours. For it is when we trust that and follow that, that people we need, people who need us, lessons we need to learn, or lessons we need to teach, occur.

So, I ask you, have you ever been sitting somewhere alone, waiting on a friend, and all of a sudden just known someone was looking at you? That is intuition. The circling of the head and use of the eyes to see who it is, is your brain trying to verify. I will also add that if you slowly look around and view each person, you will also get a sense on who it was. Even if they are no longer looking at you. That too is intuition. All too often, however, we get the feeling we are being watched and we turn our head to see and do not meet any eyes and then think we are crazy. I am here to tell you, you are not.

Or let me ask you this, have you ever been driving home and had an urge to take a road not normally on your path? That is intuition. The sad truth to life is, most of us ignore that urge. Our brain starts saying “why do I want to go there? that is the long way home”. Only to end up in a two-hour traffic jam a few minutes after we ignored the urge. Or have you ever walked toward your phone, picked it up and then it rings? or there is someone already there saying hello? You moving to your phone was intuition.

These are just a few examples to give you of the existence of intuition. I hope you will give it some thought and begin to recognize it in your own life. I even further hope, you avoid the fear, that comes in learning to let it lead you in your life. And in admittance, I will have you know that I am following my intuition to put the thought of intuition into your existence. Why? I do not know. I may never know. The fact is the seed is planted and where the tree is to grow it will. As always I wish you luck and love in it all and invite you to comment or join the discussion whenever you get the urge. Until next time…

The Price Of Liberty..

In this digital age, most have the books they read, on some kind of electronic device. Call me old school, but I have always desired a library in my home. A room filled with books from multi-generations, where I can go and research or read; to see how life was, is, can be, or will be. As a writer, I find it fascinating how others think. How some can tell someone else’s story so eloquently, or how some have such a vivid imagination, they leave us all in awe.

Today’s topic came from a book I went to for inspiration. The book “Ask Me Another – The Question Book” was compiled by Justin Spafford and Lucien Esty, prefaced by Robert Benchley, and copyright in 1927 by The Viking Press, Inc. The books quiz topics are general, arts, literature, geography, science, mythology, American history, European history, current politics, the bible, and sports. It has two sections of questions and answers with each quiz having fifty questions. So how would I choose?

Believing in fate, I picked up the book and thought of a number between one and fifty. I randomly opened the book to a page and looked for the question assigned to that number. I opened to pages 276-277 and looked for question number 35 the first number that popped into my brain. Here is the question: “What, proverbially, is “the price of liberty”? Here is the answer: “Eternal vigilance”. I laugh, as I think that this is a question and answer really needed in today’s society, from a book published in 1927. Then I think, the Lord works in mysterious ways. So lets consider this question and answer.

I always think the best place to start is the definitions. So I looked up the definitions of Liberty “The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views”, Proverbially “referred to in a proverb or idiom”, Eternal “lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning”, and Vigilance “the action or state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties”. This is what I took away from looking up these meanings; we are supposed to forever keep a careful watch for possible danger or difficulties in order to remain free. Have we done that? Are we doing that? Keeping a careful forever watch? Or did we become complacent and trusting? And are we or have we allowed the erasing of reminders of the dangers and difficulties?

Wendell Phillips, speaking to the members of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, on January 28, 1852 said the following: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few. The manna (spiritual nourishment; Eucharist) of popular liberty must be gathered each day or it is rotten. The living sap of today outgrows the dead rind of yesterday. The hand entrusted with power becomes, either from human depravity (evil quality) or esprit de corps (feeling of pride, fellowship, and common loyalty shared by members of a particular group), the necessary enemy of the people. Only by continued oversight can the democrat in office be prevented from hardening into a despot (person who holds absolute power); only by unintermitted agitation (continuous brisk stirring or disturbing) can a people be sufficiently awake to principle not to let liberty be smothered in material prosperity.” 

You will notice that Wendell speaks of the spiritual nourishment of popular liberty. The founders, as do I, believed that liberty was endowed on us by our creator. Why then, have we removed his existence from not only our governments, and nations, but also from our lives? Congregating to profess our belief in him does nothing if we choose to not follow his law. He asks us this “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” and “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. He even gives us examples on how to do this. For if we thought about our neighbor in our decision-making, then we would normally come from a better place, a more righteous and fair place. And then wouldn’t we all have a share in liberty?

I will include, that God’s laws are not the easiest to follow and God knows this, as sin, evil, and temptation exist and we humanly cannot resist at times. This is when he tells us to ask for his help. Even then we still will fail, and this is when we must ask for, learn, and give forgiveness, to not only ourselves, to all others as well. I currently find myself at this exact point, being tested, with a situation in my life, trying to ask for his help and trying to find a way to forgive and follow his laws. I am finding, that just like liberty, it also takes eternal vigilance to follow his laws.

As always, I ask that if you have something to add or say, please do. In the meantime, I am trying to realign myself with God and Liberty, and hope you will take the time to think about doing the same. Until next time, you are wished love, life, and liberty.

**words in red above are the definitions of the words or phrases that preceded them – obtained from dictionary**

How Free Are We…

I ask this question as a person who once saw their country as the beacon of light on the hill; the lighthouse so to speak. But, the fear, the hatred, and the corruption run so deep and have divided us so greatly, my hope for its saving is waning. Maybe I should not be writing this today as I am still recovering from a happening yesterday. Sadly, I am not so sure what is more damaged my body or my faith in my fellow human beings, that I have loved so dearly all my life. I will not say what happened, just that with each passerby that did nothing and there were probably well over a hundred, I became more and more disappointed in humanity. I found the strength, however, to motivate to a location that led me to complete strangers, more than willing to assist and verify all was okay. By the grace of God, and divine protection, I am okay and any other damage could have been and should have been worse.

How does the happenings of yesterday lead me to talk about freedom? Well, the more I think about why people would not stop to help, the more I think about how we got to a society like this in the first place. Everybody afraid for themselves, everybody afraid of lawsuits, afraid of government or business repercussions, or something else. Who is to blame for that? The people whose agenda it is to divide us? The corrupt? The lawyers? The courts? The laws? The lack of education? Ourselves? Maybe all of the above. How do we fix it all though? And can we fix it? We say we are good, loving, compassionate people for the most part, then why do we not show that side of ourselves more often?

It is my opinion that maybe it all stems from us not being as free as we think we are. Are we free when a company denies us credit when our credit score is 810 and the factors hurting us are our revolving credit being too high at 6% of total available and we do not have any form of loan installment payments due? Are we free when we are forced into zones to be able to speak our peace and then punished in those zones when we do? Are we free when a business can decide who and how many are able to see or read what we say? Are we free when we own a piece of property that we pay taxes on which can be taken away by eminent domain, can have restrictions put on it as to use, or requirement of thousands of dollars in permits to do what it is that we want to? Are we free when we are a country that joins together to donate goods to another country that has had a disaster and those goods never leave our ports to their destination? I can continue, I think you get the point though.

I am more fortunate than most to have been born into the most free nation on the planet. We were that or are that, only because some pledged to each other their lives, fortunes, and sacred honors. They worked tirelessly, and divinely guided, to devise a system by the people and for the people. Yet what have we done? We did not pay attention, we became complacent, we removed the divine from it all, including the education, and we stopped teaching and reading the documents set for us to live by. When we do not know what it is those documents say, it is easier for us to be manipulated. Have there been mistakes and injustices made? Oh heck yes. And with each one we moved or move further away from the divine and endowed rights we were given and further into allowing man to say what rights who has and what rights who hasn’t.

Take for example, many do not know there are three branches of government. They also do not know the powers given to each branch, let alone why some branches were supposed to have vastly more power than the others. Because they do not know any of this, they cannot recognize when the power structure shifts in a way that hurts us all. I will leave you with an example of the shifting powers that divide us.

Lady Justice wears a blindfold, and carries scales and a sword for a reason. She is supposed to be blind to the people’s race, creed, religion, wealth, etc. that are before her, her scales are supposed to be balanced with honesty and integrity, and her punishment is supposed to be cutting and swift. So I ask you, is she blind when people commit the exact same act, yet receive different punishments? Are her scales balanced when judges, lawyers, and other government officials are allowed to choose what evidence is admissible and what evidence is not admissible. When we select facts are we presenting the whole truth with honesty and integrity? And lastly, how is the punishment swift and cutting when some are not punished at all?

It is my hope, in future days, to walk you on a slow path to knowledge of our founding documents, possibly through court cases that show how lady justice has changed, and into discussions on how to fix what is broken. Maybe again, by divine providence, we can find and fight our way to freedom; or maybe we will remain complacent, ugly, angry, and hateful. You decide for you, as for me, I will fight as hard as I can this feeling, that is trying to tear me from faith in all of you, and freedom.