Making Time

Making Time

Once upon a time

In a land far away

There were parents

Who made time to play

They sat down to dinner

And bowed their heads to pray

Then asked about school

And the rest of our day

They made time for their children

One and all

There was no problem

Too big or too small

They spent evenings together

And when nighttime fell

They rested comfortably

Knowing all was well

It seems long ago

And a fairytale dream

But those who remember

Know just what I mean

We should make time

Give thanks and praise

Make your children a priority

Every single day

Work and all else

Should always come last

Because when children start growing

It happens so fast

And what fonder memory

Would you want left behind

Than a child who remembers

A parent who took time

Time to say I love you

To say what is wrong

And listened to the story

No matter how short or how long

We all need to feel needed

And when you are a little one

Hugs are like flowers

And I love you is the sun

So take care of your young hearts

They need you to say

How important their lives are

And you love them always

Layers of Love

People are similar to onions. We all have many layers and there is not one simple trait or characteristic that will be the determining factor as to who or what I am. When we peel back the first layer you will find the physicality that attracts us all. It may be our shape, height, hair or eye color that draws people to us. But we must realize that this is a temporary fixation, eventually there must be more. For us to decide that what we see… is all that matters would be a sad truth. After all how can a physical feature tell you what kind of person I am? There is nothing about my eye color that will give you information about what kind of intelligence or spirit that I have. I didn’t stand in the line for eyes and request a specific color. It was chosen for me, at birth. Now on the opposite side of the spectrum, every week I can go to the pharmacy and choose from hundreds of boxes of dye which will alter the color of my hair; just as I can readily change my eye color. These changes however do not change that which I really am. It just makes me feel more appealing to myself or others; nothing about any of these parts of me will give you any insight as to me, as a person. If you are caught up in the curve of my spine or the way light shines on my face…you will be missing out on the many facets of me.  The contents of my heart and depths of my soul have been growing and evolving since the day of my birth…this is where my Creator lives; and therefore is the most important part of me. Unless you are willing to peel back the layers of what makes me…me. The essence of who I am may very well get lost. How many people do we over look, daily…simply because they do not have the “look” we are comfortable with? We will glance at them and decide, based on some ill advised judgment that they are not for us. What a shame it would be to miss out on the experience of another because we have narrowed our perceptions of people based on what we have grown accustomed to. Some of the greatest messages ever conveyed have come from the most unlikely sources. How disappointing it would be to not be aware when your message is coming to you. A specific hair color and tone of skin does not define the contents of our hearts and when we believe that it does…we become the losers in the scenario. The experiences of others can be like road maps for us. They can relay the traumas of their lives and we can learn from them so that we may never have to know the pain first hand. Who is to say what venue will be used to relay the message of God to us?
  Does the home I live in tell you who I am? It may tell you something about my income bracket or about my taste in décor…but is that all you want to know? There is some information that you can get from my home…such as my social preferences; rural locales over urban neighborhoods, mountains as opposed to the ocean, a gated community over a cabin in the woods, a bus line over a skyline. You may see what brings me peace or what is important in my life…for example I may prefer the sight of basketball courts over the sight of horses grazing in a grassy field. You may be able to tell if I have an eye or wallet for high end architecture…or maybe you can just tell what was important to me at the time that I moved in. I, however, will go out on a limb and tell you that all you learned…was my address. And what if my address was a homeless shelter or a park bench? What would you know about who I really am by that discovery? Perhaps if all you were searching for was information to use to degrade me or demean me…you will leave satisfied; but even that is only a portion of a story and if you are content with that…maybe you weren’t ready to know me anyway.
  If you had knowledge of my religious affiliation does that tell you who I am; I can understand how you may think that it might…but I will gladly show you how that is not enough information. It is never enough to know how or even if someone prays or worships because we have preconceived notions and ideas about religious or spiritual people. For instance, if I tell you that I am Jewish and on Tuesdays…I only eat pancakes…you may think that ALL Jewish people only pancakes on Tuesdays, but is that true? Of course it isn’t. But we tend to think that all groups of people are exactly the same. But all Christians aren’t the same, some are more devout than others and some don’t even believe the same…this is true of most people and most religions and philosophies.
  We are not the same and while we use our differences to separate us…it is how we were created so it is also makes us the same. We are as alike and dissimilar as snowflakes. Snowflakes are the same…they are, after all, snow. But snowflakes, when closely examined are completely different from one another. Do the differences of snowflakes separate them? Do we not still make snowballs and fall to the earth making snow angels with those very different snowflakes? So with that example we can say that even though they are different…they serve the same purpose. We are exactly like snowflakes. God made us with the same elements…love and peace; and while we have similarities…bones, blood, and skin, we are still different. Does that make one better than the other? Of course not, the only difference is that snowflakes do not spend their existence pointing out the “faults” in other snowflakes…and we do.
  Do yourself a favor…the next time you are tempted to point out how different someone is from you…or you them…count your similarities too. We all have our own journeys to take and the one constant of truth in that statement is that our path will forever be illuminated by God.

Breath of God

Breath of God

Love one another

Is that too much to ask?

Give from which we receive

That is all HE asks

Uplift your brothers and sisters

Gently wipe away their tears

Make amends for the cruelty

We have caused for so many years

Don’t just say you are sorry

Touch one another’s heart

Reach out and love someone

Begin playing your part

Smile up toward the heavens

Realize your true path

Embrace your differences

Let love be the aftermath

Wash away tears with smiles

That can be carried like a crown

Lift each other towards God

Stop tearing each other down

Know that we all are loved

Regardless of how it may seem

This is not a request

And this is not a dream

The true meaning of life

Is that it begins today

Don’t fear getting lost

Or forgetting your way

For life begins when you

Lay down your murderous rod

And set aside your anger

By inhaling the breath of GOD

I Protest

I protest

  I think, growing up, I just believed that everyone lived as I did...in my own remote part of the world. I thought good would always prevail and that we would all love each other. I was raised to believe that we were all supposed to watch out for one another. When I moved out of my comfort zone, however, I learned that the “real world” was full of all of the things that I never fully understood. There were abundant injustices going on all around us. I found so many fingers being pointed in blame that very few people were coming up with viable solutions. I looked in desperation to find my path in all of this. It took me a minute to catch my bearings, but once I did...I began to protest EVERYTHING! No, I didn’t picket or camp out overnight. While those options raise awareness, they do not necessarily bring about change. I began speaking up and writing about the world and its social issues. I spoke up even when no one else seemed to be. I always understood that not everyone would see my point of view...but it did not deter my course. The only pointing that I ever wanted to do was the pointing out of injustices and wrongs that were occurring and re-occurring on a daily basis. It is not about the evil of man but the evil of his actions; since I have always been of the belief that man is inherently good.

  As I looked around me I saw a world filled with anger and void of humanity...or at least our actions gave that impression. I rarely saw people behaving in loving ways just for the sake of being loving; rather I saw people verbally and physically attacking one another just for the sake of the kill.

  The world is filled with people and while we live so far away from one another...we are amazingly similar. We may have cultural differences...but our human nature is very much the same. I found that for most of us, we can see other people’s situations clearly while still viewing ourselves through a thick London fog.

  For instance, we may chastise a parent for speaking harshly to a child while we are waiting in line at Wal-mart; yet we go home and do the same to our own children, within the confinements of our houses. What makes this any different? Is it okay to speak to your child or anyone else for that matter, anyway we choose as long as no one else sees or hears it? Is this a matter of us being too harsh about some one else’s behavior...or us not being harsh enough about our own? Is the shame in this, how people are reacting to us...or is it the fact that it occurred to begin with?

  All of this brings me to the purpose of my writing today...the writing topic of whether or not I have ever protested anything. I think that we all could find a cause or reason to speak out against one thing or another. We only need open our eyes and hearts to see a world full of people reaching out...reaching for understanding...compassion...and concern.

  Growing up I couldn’t imagine that I would ever be one of those people speaking out against anything...however growing up...I was unaware of the true evils of the world. I knew nothing about how people would use any reason to pray upon unsuspecting victims. People will verbally annihilate a person without giving them a second thought. For some reason...we began to view people as objects...numbers...or statistics. We failed to remember that we are talking about our fellow man...our brothers and sisters under God. I have watched people use other’s hardships and difficulties as ammunition. In this war of tongues, the true victor is easy to spot...because they aren’t crying. But at what price was this win? I have witnessed the laughter of evil at the expense of another individual. What would cause another person to rip at another person’s self-esteem like this? Pain... Pain causes us to strike out at people that we love and we will even strike at those which we do not even know. Tearing other people down, can temporarily makes others feel invincible...but it is just a bandage on an open wound. So the cycle continues...and it breeds anger and hate. It spreads faster than you can imagine...until suddenly, before you realize it, you are in the middle of it.

  I protest verbally about many things...and yes there are so many causes that there probably wouldn’t be enough time in my life time to do justice to most. So my protests are on the roots of the problem...otherwise we are tossing a blanket on what is wrong. I had to try and see what element was missing. What was the common denominator that linked all of these atrocities together? One day, the missing link became painfully obvious.

  I want you to try and bear with me on this though, because you might want to roll your eyes and shake your head when I tell you my solution. The determining factor behind every problem that we are faced with is that we do not love. We do not love ourselves and we do not love others. And ironically we will fall to our knees and pray to God for the things that we may think we want or need...yet question it when we do not receive them.

  I can explain my solution, because if it is left at that...the message may seem too basic. You are partly right though, love is basic. Love is the basis of everything we touch, see, and feel. Love is the basis of who we are.

  Love mends bridges; it does not blow them up. Love repairs relationships; with others and with Our Creator. Self love is important because it does not speak to our egos...it appeals to our hearts. Loving ourselves does not mean that we think that we are better than anything else...that is vanity and many people confuse the two. Love of self, includes how we take care of our bodies...which are temples...temples of God. Love of self is the way in which we verbally touch others...through kind and responsible speech. Love of self includes humility, respect, kindness, and gratitude which are exhibited in the way we act and react with others.

  Love is not divine judgment. And when I say that I mean, it is never our place to judge what we think, believe or expect what God Himself will judge. We are not in a position to say what God will or will not forgive. Keep in mind that while we might feel certain that a person’s sins or transgressions are something that God will judge harshly...in your moment of judgment...God is also judging you.

  We must always remember who we are...and our purpose. If we love one another...we are doing the work of our Creator. Loving people is what we were sent here to do. Yes, I know that it is not always easy...but then again if it was easy...we wouldn’t have so many books reminding us to do it. If we think back to childhood...we might remember that the most important lessons were not easy but painful. How many times did you have to be told to not touch the stove before you learned the lesson? Or did you learn a more powerful lesson the day that you touched it while it was hot? The burn was a painful memory, but it was far more effective than we may have realized.

  The painful lesson that we are being taught now is clear...when we do not love one another...chaos prevails. We find that we are in wars, our brothers and sisters struggle with famine and genocide, our Earth’s animals are being killed off, our oceans, rivers, lakes and streams are being polluted. We find justifications for treating people badly; blaming race, religion or various other diversifications. In fact, if we trace back every single horrendous deed done in history...we can see how love and understanding could have made it better.

  You may not know what my personal struggle is like...but you could try and understand. The important thing to remember is that understanding my plight...does not lessen yours. You and your life is just as important as mine is. You do not matter more or less depending on where you live or where you are from.

  I can love you a million miles away...and I can prove it by NOT condemning you. I can love you merely because you exist. I can love you for our similarities, as well as, our differences.

  I can love you...because with love...and God...All things are possible.

 

My World

My World

  Today I want to extend an invitation to you…it is an all day pass to visit “My World”. Don’t worry everything that you will be needing in this 24 hour period will be provided for you. The only stipulation is that you have to leave behind all of your pre-conceived notions of what you think life is really about.

  The first thing that you will notice in my world is that everything is natural…the food tastes better…the air smells more clear…and your mind and body will begin to feel lighter. Do not be alarmed by these changes…these are just adjustments that you will feel when only the love and peace of our creator is free flowing around us. You will notice that the only sounds that you will hear are the birds singing and crickets chirping in the distance.

  When you walk with me we will watch as children are playing together…laughing and running. They aren’t calling each other insulting names or bullying each other…because in my world parents do not speak harshly of one another…so the children remain innocent.

  In my world when the television is turned on there is no bad or destructive news. There are no people protesting or rioting…because my world never got into the shape that your world did. In my world all people are treated fairly…regardless of what they look like, sound like, and no matter how or if the pray.

  In my world we will all sit together at one huge table. We will join hands and give thanks that we woke up today…and we were able to once again join hands…like the large family that we are. You will find skin tones of every hue and our hairstyles and textures will be varied. We will wear different types of clothing…all of which is acceptable…and peaceful. We will dine on foods from every corner of this beautiful earth…and everyday will try to eat something that we had never tried before. We will discuss our day and our plans for the future. We will laugh and sing and talk about our history.

  When we get done eating we will sit around a huge fire pit and talk to our children and listen to the elders tell stories of times past. Our children will ask us about a time when our world wasn’t such a beautiful place. They will ask if it was true that people were killed and maimed because of where they were from…or because of the color of their skin. The children will ask if there really was a time that we chased people out of nations because of their religious practices and beliefs.

  We will all get very quiet, so much so that the crackling of the fire would be the only sound you could hear. Then a soft older voice would say…”sadly, yes…that is so”. The elder would go on to tell the children of a time when we killed those that we could not communicate with…out of fear. He would go on to say that we chose to not only avoid…but banish entire groups of people…to places where they had very little hope of survival. A silent tear would roll down his cheek as he went on to say that we used war as a means of taking care of a problem…killing innocent men, women and children.

  Another elder man began where the other left off stating that when man was unsatisfied with destroying each other…he began destroying the earth. He said that man would dump trash and oil in our many oceans…where our creator placed aquatic beings…until they had a hard time surviving. Man did not even stop when huge whales would beach themselves onto the shores trying to get away from the trash in their homes…the oceans. And when this was not enough he took large ships and dumped oil into our waters…making complete cleanup virtually impossible. Man cut down our mighty forests…leaving animals and living organisms no where to live. He built sky scrapers and interstates…he tore down natural bridges and rock formations. He killed not only his own kind but the mighty animals that had roamed the earth for hundreds of years before him.

  He committed hate crimes…and hid himself behind a mask…sheet…or badge. People no longer felt safe…children cried. There was no place that any one or anything could hide. Man made excuses for wars…yet cried when they too, were attacked; never learning that any animal will turn on you when cornered.

  When asked the old man said, “Yes, the fighting finally stopped”. The fighting stopped when entire nations were destroyed…and bodies of the citizens were lying all around…in their homes…fields…streams. But the victors of this destruction…never found peace…for our creator was angered and as those people destroyed HIS earth and loved creatures…so HE destroyed them.

  One boy laughed…lightening the mood. “Wow, I’m glad it isn’t like that here”. And we all agreed in unison. What is this place anyway? This world is called Heaven.

  And I brought you here today to show you that you still have time to fix what you have broken. It is not too late for you to make amends. You get to go back to your world and make a difference. You can start loving each other right now. You can mend fences and tear down borders anytime you choose. You can decide to be proactive in your life and the lives of those around you. You can stand up…and after you do…others will stand up also. You can create peace starting in your own home…and then in your neighborhood. If everyone did that then there would never be a need for the tragic ending that will inevitably happen…given our current course.

  Understand that loving is our natural course…we decide to destroy. We decide to hate. Now you must decide…where do you stand?

Building Bridges

Building Bridges

  There are people that will come in and out of our lives...and while we may notice there absence, it is my hope that we will not miss the lesson in the experience. We are often saddened by the loss, whether it is through death or people just moving forward. It is my hope that with this we can eventually rally around what they contributed to our lives...be it something profound...or something as simple as teaching us to laugh at the things that don’t kill us.

  Laughing at adversity allows us to own whatever the stimulus might be...it makes us pro-active instead of reactive. Most people consider reactions to mean we were caught off guard...where as being pro-active infers that we were always ready for anything that may come our way. It gives us strength in the eyes of others...and re-instills the ideas that we are blessed and highly favored. Who doesn’t feel more secure with the knowledge that we are not alone?

  Life can definitely send some jabs and upper cuts our way...but the question is simple...are we so busy trying to patch up the injury that we no longer are looking for the next blow? Did we learn the lesson? There are those people who just sit and wait for the opportunity to present itself...and the opportunity usually tends to be isolation.

  You may say that you aren’t isolated...but let’s re-examine that thought. You may be physically surrounded with numerous people...you have more contacts in your cell phone than most people get holiday cards from...but are you free of isolation? It’s is ironic that these people are called contacts...yet very few actually touch us.

  What is isolation? Generally speaking, isolation occurs when a person sets themselves apart or cuts themselves off from others. You might still think that you don’t do this...but do you? How many people on your contact list...are you truly touched by; keeping in mind that “contact” generally means the state or condition of touching?

  Do you isolate yourself from what happens around you? Do you turn off the news or ignore news articles about things that you find disturbing or negative? Many people do. It can be emotionally taxing to watch how others suffer everyday...perhaps looking the other way will allow us to go on with our day, at least. Who really wants to read or watch stories about homelessness, or crime? Who wants to hear day in and day out about the famine in Horn of Africa...and who can bear to see those poor children dying? We have our own problems...and I do not think for one moment that people who think this way are callous or uncaring. They are human. But they are humans who have chosen to isolate themselves.

  Why do you think that so many people rallied around the recently executed Troy Davis? After all, he was found guilty of killing Mark MacPhail...why did he deserve any support? My best guess is this; Troy Davis...showed us that people are not expendable. I don’t think that anyone was supporting a murderer...they were supporting a human being. People gathered together by the groves...to unite for a common cause...to love their fellow man. Troy Anthony Davis woke people up. He made us look at our justice system with clarity...as if we had been walking around in a daze for centuries. Even if for just that moment...we didn’t want to isolate people. We actually wanted contact. We wanted people to know us...and us them.

  From this...conversations started...not just angry debates...but calm intellectual conversations. We started talking about everything! We wanted to know more. If you had a situation that was causing your frustration...I wanted to know about it. Your life began to matter to me. Even if for just one moment...we started remembering that we are supposed to love each other. Inadvertently, we began to “Occupy our Hearts”. The ice around our veins began to slowly melt. It was beautiful.

  Troy Davis reminded us that true justice will only occur when balancement exists. When the scales are tilted...it does not solve anything. He reminded us that only when we live in a society where we are not prejudged for some physical, financial, or religious difference will true justice happen.

  Ultimately, if we were to try and say that these biases do not exist...we are only further proving the fact that we are living in isolation.

  When this world was created...it was populated with living organisms that were molded to our Creator’s liking. We were chosen to live here...and we were chosen because we are all compatible. We can all live here harmoniously...if we so choose. Our problem has never been that we are not being able to love each other; the only problem is our own pre-conceived notions that we are better than another being. We are highly evolved creatures...we have learned how to communicate...we have invented machines to make life simpler. We have sent man and woman into space. We have raised children who would become future diplomats and literal geniuses. Yet we are the only living organisms that refuse to live together...without trying to destroy each other. There are millions of species of animals...that get along better than we do. And we will be the ONLY group of living organisms...who place themselves on the endangered species list. We would rather kill each other off into distinction than to learn how to live harmoniously.

  This is not the end of our story...but if we don’t make changes...it very well could be. Love life...make changes...say hello to someone you have never met. Hold a door open for a complete stranger...get to know your neighbors. Embrace your differences...you might learn something that will enhance your life. You may touch another person by just smiling at them. Encourage the conversation; offer each other loving solutions to a world full of problems. Take the initiative; it is what God has been waiting for all along. If we spend more time building bridges...we can spend less time building prisons.

Imagine

Imagine

  Imagine what it would be like if we could love without borders. We weren’t separated by boundaries, or titles. All of our countries were nameless…our eyes oblivious to colors and hues of one another’s skin tones. The color and textures…styles and length of out hair was just thought of as a way to further beautify ourselves…and not used to identify our differences. Our accents could change depending on who we were speaking to…and every one thought that it was cool to be able to look and sound differently at a moments notice. Wouldn’t it be nice if religions had no control over how we treat each other? Or if we did not use our religions as reasons not to be kind or loving towards one another? Wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a world that taught its children to love EVERYONE, no matter who they were or what they looked like? Imagine that we never had to live in fear…that we could just love each other openly…without judgment. We could just concentrate on being kind and peaceful towards one another…without any ulterior motives.

  I know this seems like a crazy fantasy to you…unrealistic. It’s okay for you to say it…often I have been told that my ideas of what mankind is supposed to be is a childish fantasy…something to be laughed at.

  But I have seen children, of different race, creeds and religion…just playing together. Not asking who or what they are…not shying from one or the other out of some unfounded fear. I watched them for hours before…listened to them giggling and swinging, climbing on playground equipment and going down slides, playing jump rope or four-square…doing nothing but being children. It made me think how they can do something that their adult counterparts have not learned how to do. And at that time a young girl , about 5 years old wearing a blue t-shirt and a pair of blue jean shorts with straight blonde hair pulled back in pony tails tied with blue ribbons came up to me and asked if I could help untangle the jump rope for her and her friend. I, of course, said I would be glad to…and asked which one was her friend. The little bright eyed beauty said the little girl with her hair in braids…the one wearing the red shirt. I told her that I still couldn’t see her…as there were a few children with that description. And she laughed and said…she’s the one wearing the leather sandals and is jumping up and down. It was at that moment I realized everything that I needed to know. The reason these children were able to live in harmony was because they didn’t realize their differences. That little blonde hair girl never once said to me that her friend was the little African-American girl with the braids, or the little Asian girl with the red shirt on…she was just a little girl with her hair in braids with a red shirt and sandals that was so excited about me fixing the jump rope that she kept jumping up and down. And how you might ask were these children able to play in harmony without racial discord, or religious indifference? They were able to do so, not because they were different than many of us were, at that tender age…but because they hadn’t yet realized that society doesn’t want them to love each other. The young minds hadn’t yet experienced hate due to race, religious views or geographic location. They didn’t think anything was wrong with playing with children who spoke with accents unlike their own…and there was even a child there who was unable to speak at all. And yet they still managed to communicate with one another…without frustration or biased views. They didn’t hold one another responsible for their parents not working…or for some terrorist attack…or because they had to go to bed at a certain time. They simply enjoyed each others company. They played and held hands…the chased each other, and if one accidentally fell, the others rushed to help them get up. It was simply not just the most perfect day I had experienced in a while…but it was enlightening. Enlightening because they showed me that the people who tell me that my vision for mankind…was NOT an unrealistic fantasy. These people had simply not experienced these young highly evolved beings…whose greatest fear was to be called away from play…to go home.

  The beautiful things that we need to know are all around us…we just need to remember to open our eyes…and my hope is that we do it before it is too late.