…Life can be this never-ending, constant struggle for meaning, for purpose…we take so long ‘searching’ for it that sometimes, it passes us right by…we can miss it…
I love the show Heroes. Granted, it’s probably this ‘way out there’ phenomenon, yet it reveals this amazing portrayal of uncovering purpose, fulfilling a destiny that was meant for us, and only us.
We all want to be extraordinary; we all want to believe that there is something that WE can do to help ‘change the world’. We all believe that the impossible can truly be possible if we just believe…if we truly believe in ourselves…
So perhaps we’re all connected in that realm? We all believe that there is a purpose, something we’re meant for…It’s like that Dave Matthew’s song, Crash Into Me…all we really want is someone to relate to…all we really want is something to believe in, and perhaps, ‘crash into’…
Monday, October 22, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Living Life to the Fullest...Indeed!
Check this out: http://www.jen365.blogspot.com/
This woman is doing ONE thing new everyday for a year. She decided to do this during her 29th year, leading to 30. I have found it SO interesting reading all of the quirky and amazing things that she has done and is doing! I think you might like it too!
Talk about living life to the fullest! This woman is doing just that, and enjoying every minute! Hermi, this one is for you!!!
This woman is doing ONE thing new everyday for a year. She decided to do this during her 29th year, leading to 30. I have found it SO interesting reading all of the quirky and amazing things that she has done and is doing! I think you might like it too!
Talk about living life to the fullest! This woman is doing just that, and enjoying every minute! Hermi, this one is for you!!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Misguided Theory...
So I have this theory that perhaps, is a little erroneous, or misguided…I don’t know, but here it is…
When Jesus was on the earth, I’d like to imagine that he hung with the whores, prostitutes, homosexuals, drunkards, bastards, criminals, liars, cheaters…you get the point…
Anyway, I’d to think that he spent time with these people, loved them first, right where they were at. He loved them wholly, and conditionally, and in that, their lives were changed because he simply loved them first.
Ok, now I’m not saying he condoned their behaviors, their lifestyles, but he DID love them, despite their failures and shortcomings.
So…with that…what’s so wrong with US doing the same thing? Loving people, right where they are at? Why is it that we are so darn judgmental towards people who aren’t living the way WE think they should live?
Perhaps I am a little misguided with this, but I’d like to think that LOVING people first, with all their faults and failures, that change will eventually come, and lives would change...much like it happened so many years ago…
When Jesus was on the earth, I’d like to imagine that he hung with the whores, prostitutes, homosexuals, drunkards, bastards, criminals, liars, cheaters…you get the point…
Anyway, I’d to think that he spent time with these people, loved them first, right where they were at. He loved them wholly, and conditionally, and in that, their lives were changed because he simply loved them first.
Ok, now I’m not saying he condoned their behaviors, their lifestyles, but he DID love them, despite their failures and shortcomings.
So…with that…what’s so wrong with US doing the same thing? Loving people, right where they are at? Why is it that we are so darn judgmental towards people who aren’t living the way WE think they should live?
Perhaps I am a little misguided with this, but I’d like to think that LOVING people first, with all their faults and failures, that change will eventually come, and lives would change...much like it happened so many years ago…
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Through His Father’s Eyes
This is a short story I wrote a few years ago, for a class in college. Thought I would share it...
I saw Him stumble as he paced through the haze of the garden. “Why,” my Son asked staring up at Me while His companions slept in the distance. The air was thick, I could tell He wasn’t able to breathe steadily, but I knew what He must do. I saw my only Son’s tears hit the mist beneath Him and I couldn’t help but want to take away this burden.
He continued to pace through the dim lit night with distress in His words. He spoke silently for only my ears. “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want, only what you want.”
I knew this was the only way.
The crowd began to approach where He prayed. “Wake up quickly,” I heard Him say to the men sleeping. They stood in fear as the crowd closed in around them.
The moon shone on the men’s frightened faces, and the uncertainty was more than they could bear. The man called Peter pushed himself through to the front of the mob. Peter’s rage then turned on the men who had gathered there. As they tried to grab Him to take Him away, Peter lashed out and severed the soldier’s ear with his sword; it fell to the haze below. I knew his pride was too much for him.
“Put your sword away, for all who take the sword, die by the sword,” I heard Him say. I could tell He felt my strength.
The gang, which captured Him, now led Him to the Priest, where many civilians and leaders were now assembled.
The accusations against Him came spewing from every leader, every civilian. Two men began to shout, “He claimed He could tear down the temple and after three days rebuild it. This man is ridiculous to claim such things.”
It took everything within me to stay silent…this was too much for a Father to allow…
He continued to say nothing to their allegations. He remained silent, and then the Priest asked Him boldly, with a glare of disgust, “Answer me you fool! Are you the Son of God, are you Jesus of Nazareth?”
I nudged His heart, knowing He needed to state the truth.
“ I am who you say,” Jesus spoke quietly, never looking up.
The Priest was much too angry now. He lost his temper with the words spoken, which began what I knew He’d have to endure.
Many men and women spat at Him as they dragged Him into the courtyard. The torture, His pain would be much more severe now.
The Priest turned Him over to the Governor; I wasn’t sure if I could watch Him suffer. What would happen next was all too clear to Me.
The Governor began to question Him over and over, “Are you the King of the Jews?” “Are you?”
Their yelling I couldn’t bear any longer. I nudged His heart once more. His response would seal the reason He came.
“I am Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, just as you say.”
The Governor could find no fault in My Child; I knew he wouldn’t, but the people were shouting, ranting and raving for His death.
During the Feast for the Governor a prisoner, to be named by the crowd was to be pardoned. I knew Jesus wouldn’t be chosen.
The Governor then asked the people, asked them to choose between Jesus, who was a sinless man, or Barabbas, who was a rapist, murderer, and thief.
“Citizens, quiet please. Which prisoner do you want me to free: Barabbas, or Jesus, the so-called Christ?”
The crowd began to shout even louder than before.
“We want Barabbas, we want Barabbas!”
“Than what shall I do with Jesus,” the Governor asked, amazed by the people’s response to free Barabbas.
“Kill Him, nail Him to a cross,” the people shouted over and over.
“But what crime has he committed?” shouted the governor.
They yelled even louder now, “Nail Him to the cross, nail Him to the cross!”
When the Governor saw he was getting nowhere, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”
His final hours were too close now, but I knew that it would soon be over. I waited, I sat in anguish, and my tears fell through the heavens, clouds, and then to the brittle earth. It was time.
The soldiers stripped Him and dragged Him outside into the courtyard. They attached his hands with metal shackles, welded to solid rocks and stones where blood had been spattered before. It was all too real at this moment…
He never looked up at the soldiers. They threw a red robe around Him, mocking Him, His flesh clinging to the fabric…and now, they handed Him the cross he would soon hang on.
He wavered from side to side as He walked to His death.
They arrived on the hill where they ripped the robe from His beaten body. The flesh came with the robe, as His wounds were still fresh. Then, they threw Him to the ground. His back broke in two places as the cross beneath Him crushed his bones as he fell upon it. The soldiers began to pound His flesh to the wooden cross where His blood was again spilled, His bones again broken, His death now imminent.
After they had finished nailing Him to the cross, they began to poke fun at Him, throwing dice for His clothes and robe with his torn flesh still attached. Above His head they had posted the criminal charge against Him: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews’.
Alongside of Him, they also crucified two criminals. People passing along the road heckled, shaking their heads mocking Him: “You bragged that you could tear down the temple and then rebuild it in three days – so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”
I could have done it then, sent a legion of angels to His aid, but He looked up at me and His eyes told me to wait. My sorrow was unbearable. The heavens began to cry out…it was almost time.
He began to groan, tears streaming from His wide eyes. Then My Child cried out to Me, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”(My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”)
My tears began to fall more steadily now; people fled the hill where He hung with fear and uncertainty.
It was finally time…He breathed His last breath on earth…
My earth cried out for Him…the universe mourned His death…the earth shook with resistance to let Him go…but they would soon embrace His resurrection. Three days from then, the stone would roll away.
Why Him, you ask? It was the only way I could get to you, the only way for you to know my love. He was my Son. He died for you.
I saw Him stumble as he paced through the haze of the garden. “Why,” my Son asked staring up at Me while His companions slept in the distance. The air was thick, I could tell He wasn’t able to breathe steadily, but I knew what He must do. I saw my only Son’s tears hit the mist beneath Him and I couldn’t help but want to take away this burden.
He continued to pace through the dim lit night with distress in His words. He spoke silently for only my ears. “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want, only what you want.”
I knew this was the only way.
The crowd began to approach where He prayed. “Wake up quickly,” I heard Him say to the men sleeping. They stood in fear as the crowd closed in around them.
The moon shone on the men’s frightened faces, and the uncertainty was more than they could bear. The man called Peter pushed himself through to the front of the mob. Peter’s rage then turned on the men who had gathered there. As they tried to grab Him to take Him away, Peter lashed out and severed the soldier’s ear with his sword; it fell to the haze below. I knew his pride was too much for him.
“Put your sword away, for all who take the sword, die by the sword,” I heard Him say. I could tell He felt my strength.
The gang, which captured Him, now led Him to the Priest, where many civilians and leaders were now assembled.
The accusations against Him came spewing from every leader, every civilian. Two men began to shout, “He claimed He could tear down the temple and after three days rebuild it. This man is ridiculous to claim such things.”
It took everything within me to stay silent…this was too much for a Father to allow…
He continued to say nothing to their allegations. He remained silent, and then the Priest asked Him boldly, with a glare of disgust, “Answer me you fool! Are you the Son of God, are you Jesus of Nazareth?”
I nudged His heart, knowing He needed to state the truth.
“ I am who you say,” Jesus spoke quietly, never looking up.
The Priest was much too angry now. He lost his temper with the words spoken, which began what I knew He’d have to endure.
Many men and women spat at Him as they dragged Him into the courtyard. The torture, His pain would be much more severe now.
The Priest turned Him over to the Governor; I wasn’t sure if I could watch Him suffer. What would happen next was all too clear to Me.
The Governor began to question Him over and over, “Are you the King of the Jews?” “Are you?”
Their yelling I couldn’t bear any longer. I nudged His heart once more. His response would seal the reason He came.
“I am Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, just as you say.”
The Governor could find no fault in My Child; I knew he wouldn’t, but the people were shouting, ranting and raving for His death.
During the Feast for the Governor a prisoner, to be named by the crowd was to be pardoned. I knew Jesus wouldn’t be chosen.
The Governor then asked the people, asked them to choose between Jesus, who was a sinless man, or Barabbas, who was a rapist, murderer, and thief.
“Citizens, quiet please. Which prisoner do you want me to free: Barabbas, or Jesus, the so-called Christ?”
The crowd began to shout even louder than before.
“We want Barabbas, we want Barabbas!”
“Than what shall I do with Jesus,” the Governor asked, amazed by the people’s response to free Barabbas.
“Kill Him, nail Him to a cross,” the people shouted over and over.
“But what crime has he committed?” shouted the governor.
They yelled even louder now, “Nail Him to the cross, nail Him to the cross!”
When the Governor saw he was getting nowhere, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”
His final hours were too close now, but I knew that it would soon be over. I waited, I sat in anguish, and my tears fell through the heavens, clouds, and then to the brittle earth. It was time.
The soldiers stripped Him and dragged Him outside into the courtyard. They attached his hands with metal shackles, welded to solid rocks and stones where blood had been spattered before. It was all too real at this moment…
He never looked up at the soldiers. They threw a red robe around Him, mocking Him, His flesh clinging to the fabric…and now, they handed Him the cross he would soon hang on.
He wavered from side to side as He walked to His death.
They arrived on the hill where they ripped the robe from His beaten body. The flesh came with the robe, as His wounds were still fresh. Then, they threw Him to the ground. His back broke in two places as the cross beneath Him crushed his bones as he fell upon it. The soldiers began to pound His flesh to the wooden cross where His blood was again spilled, His bones again broken, His death now imminent.
After they had finished nailing Him to the cross, they began to poke fun at Him, throwing dice for His clothes and robe with his torn flesh still attached. Above His head they had posted the criminal charge against Him: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews’.
Alongside of Him, they also crucified two criminals. People passing along the road heckled, shaking their heads mocking Him: “You bragged that you could tear down the temple and then rebuild it in three days – so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”
I could have done it then, sent a legion of angels to His aid, but He looked up at me and His eyes told me to wait. My sorrow was unbearable. The heavens began to cry out…it was almost time.
He began to groan, tears streaming from His wide eyes. Then My Child cried out to Me, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”(My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”)
My tears began to fall more steadily now; people fled the hill where He hung with fear and uncertainty.
It was finally time…He breathed His last breath on earth…
My earth cried out for Him…the universe mourned His death…the earth shook with resistance to let Him go…but they would soon embrace His resurrection. Three days from then, the stone would roll away.
Why Him, you ask? It was the only way I could get to you, the only way for you to know my love. He was my Son. He died for you.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
I feel like flying...
You know, I’ve often wondered how it would feel to fly…to let go of ALL inhibitions and embrace the open sky…It’s rather unfathomable, yes, but also, enticing!
Out of ALL creations, I think the sky is the most beautiful, the most vast in nature, the most mysterious…it’s an endless horizon…whether crystal blue or covered in ominous clouds, it’s this amazing, breathtaking picture…NOT to mention when darkness falls and the most amazing picture is right before our eyes…
Perhaps they are only stars, but they are perfection at its best, if only for a moment…it’s as if you can stare into space and visually, see the hand of God…He placed each star, right where He wanted it…He created them for you and I, so that even for that single moment, we can see something that we as humans, have no control over…
So again, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to fly…to see those stars up close and personal, to see their beauty...their awe and wonder, which I think, God intended them to have all along...
Friday, October 5, 2007
Pursuit of Happiness...
“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.”
The above statement comes from an excerpt inside the pages of, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, by Elizabeth Gilbert. The book, along with its author, was recently featured on an Oprah Winfrey Show.
The book has reached far and wide…a phenomenon among women throughout the world.
I haven’t read the book just yet; however, in reading the first few pages, and delving into her interview she gave to Oprah, her personal agony is blatantly apparent.
Her personal, inner turmoil is revealed through her words, not only verbally, but within the pages of her book.
She begins with writing and speaking about a place of uncertainty in her life; what she really wanted, wasn’t what she really wanted at all.
I suppose in this country, there is a conditional element to ‘happiness’; we’re conditioned to think that when you grow up, you get married, by a home, have kids, and live happily ever after. However, as you probably already know, that doesn’t happen too often in the ‘real world’ where I live, where you live…I think ultimately, we have to fight for the things we want…and really, are the things we want, really the things we need?
As Elizabeth said, as noted above, ‘Happiness is the consequence of personal effort’; we strive SO HARD to attain what someone else thinks we need to be happy, when all along, we only desire to be ourselves; to be the beautiful creations that God already created us to be…
So…be happy…just being YOU!
The above statement comes from an excerpt inside the pages of, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, by Elizabeth Gilbert. The book, along with its author, was recently featured on an Oprah Winfrey Show.
The book has reached far and wide…a phenomenon among women throughout the world.
I haven’t read the book just yet; however, in reading the first few pages, and delving into her interview she gave to Oprah, her personal agony is blatantly apparent.
Her personal, inner turmoil is revealed through her words, not only verbally, but within the pages of her book.
She begins with writing and speaking about a place of uncertainty in her life; what she really wanted, wasn’t what she really wanted at all.
I suppose in this country, there is a conditional element to ‘happiness’; we’re conditioned to think that when you grow up, you get married, by a home, have kids, and live happily ever after. However, as you probably already know, that doesn’t happen too often in the ‘real world’ where I live, where you live…I think ultimately, we have to fight for the things we want…and really, are the things we want, really the things we need?
As Elizabeth said, as noted above, ‘Happiness is the consequence of personal effort’; we strive SO HARD to attain what someone else thinks we need to be happy, when all along, we only desire to be ourselves; to be the beautiful creations that God already created us to be…
So…be happy…just being YOU!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Hospitable LOVE?
Hospitality – Defined as what exactly? Why should we be hospitable?
…
I remember as a young girl my mom always tried to make our friends feel welcome, no matter if she thought highly of them or not. She always tried helping them in anyway she could as well. She just had a love for people, perhaps to just be accepted because her teenage years were plagued with turmoil and ridicule from her high school cohorts. Yet deep down, I believe she wanted to be the complete opposite of her parents. She wanted people to know that she genuinely cared for them. I think, that’s where I get it from. I have this innate desire in me to make people feel how everyone wants to feel: LOVED.
Why is that so hard for people?
…
God has made you, God has made me the way He has for a reason. For me, I want people to be treated fairly, the same as anyone else. Why do we discriminate? I think it’s a combination of things, but mostly, it’s ignorance. However, I’d like to think that deep down, inside each of us, we have a genuine need to be LOVED and to LOVE one another.
…
It’s amazing to me to know there is a God who loves us just as we are, right where we’re at. He accepts us, flaws and all, even when the ignorant do not. He loves us even when we don’t love Him back. He blesses us even when we don’t deserve His blessings. He forgives us even when we lack the strength to forgive. We knock and He opens the door, no questions asked. He accepts all, even after we’ve rejected Him. He returns to us, even after repeated failure. He gives us the strength to move ahead, to withstand the mayhem of a dying world. He LOVES unconditionally…
…
It’s a model we ALL should live by…LOVE, no matter what the cost…which I suppose, is the very definition of hospitable…
Hmmm…what a thought…
…
I remember as a young girl my mom always tried to make our friends feel welcome, no matter if she thought highly of them or not. She always tried helping them in anyway she could as well. She just had a love for people, perhaps to just be accepted because her teenage years were plagued with turmoil and ridicule from her high school cohorts. Yet deep down, I believe she wanted to be the complete opposite of her parents. She wanted people to know that she genuinely cared for them. I think, that’s where I get it from. I have this innate desire in me to make people feel how everyone wants to feel: LOVED.
Why is that so hard for people?
…
God has made you, God has made me the way He has for a reason. For me, I want people to be treated fairly, the same as anyone else. Why do we discriminate? I think it’s a combination of things, but mostly, it’s ignorance. However, I’d like to think that deep down, inside each of us, we have a genuine need to be LOVED and to LOVE one another.
…
It’s amazing to me to know there is a God who loves us just as we are, right where we’re at. He accepts us, flaws and all, even when the ignorant do not. He loves us even when we don’t love Him back. He blesses us even when we don’t deserve His blessings. He forgives us even when we lack the strength to forgive. We knock and He opens the door, no questions asked. He accepts all, even after we’ve rejected Him. He returns to us, even after repeated failure. He gives us the strength to move ahead, to withstand the mayhem of a dying world. He LOVES unconditionally…
…
It’s a model we ALL should live by…LOVE, no matter what the cost…which I suppose, is the very definition of hospitable…
Hmmm…what a thought…
Monday, October 1, 2007
Learning to Breathe…
I so often times take advantage of what I have. It could be taken in the blink of an eye…that absolute petrifies me, yet it makes me appreciate in abundance the amazing people in my life. My sisters are on top of that list…I am SO thankful that I have three of them…that they are all so unique in their own ways. They have their own opinions, their own causes, their own heartaches and pains; yet, when it comes down to it all, setting LIFE aside, there is this evident connection that all three of us share. I take advantage of that because I think, ‘there will be another day’, or ‘there will be another moment that we all will share’. Yet, how do I know that? How does anyone know that?
…Breathe…
I have two amazing people in my life that have lost siblings. They lost them at crucial times in their lives. Their connection, it seemed, was broken…their lives taken without an explanation. Why? I don’t know…I can’t answer that question when they ask…I don’t understand why people are taken from this earth when they are. I don’t understand why life must go on then, after, for those who are left here. I wish I could answer those questions. I wish I could take the brokenness away from them. I wish that I could do something…anything. In those moments however, I am reminded of what I do HAVE; what I still am so fortunate to have…and…as life ends, and new life begins, I’d like to think that we can be something for someone else. Sure…we can’t replace their lost sibling, but we can be their confidant, their friend, their sister or brother in spirit…and, in the end…those relationships that we are so auspicious to still have, especially those with our family, we can cherish those even more so than we did…we can embrace the moment and live each day like it was our last…taking each breath and making it matter…
…Breathe…
I have two amazing people in my life that have lost siblings. They lost them at crucial times in their lives. Their connection, it seemed, was broken…their lives taken without an explanation. Why? I don’t know…I can’t answer that question when they ask…I don’t understand why people are taken from this earth when they are. I don’t understand why life must go on then, after, for those who are left here. I wish I could answer those questions. I wish I could take the brokenness away from them. I wish that I could do something…anything. In those moments however, I am reminded of what I do HAVE; what I still am so fortunate to have…and…as life ends, and new life begins, I’d like to think that we can be something for someone else. Sure…we can’t replace their lost sibling, but we can be their confidant, their friend, their sister or brother in spirit…and, in the end…those relationships that we are so auspicious to still have, especially those with our family, we can cherish those even more so than we did…we can embrace the moment and live each day like it was our last…taking each breath and making it matter…
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Heroes...
I’ve never really been into the ‘hype’ of new television shows. It always seemed to me that networks built their new shows up, and just as soon as you got excited about them, they failed to captivate you like their ‘previews’ did.I work in television, so there is ALWAYS something new coming to the screen. I work for the local NBC affiliate, so I’m a little biased to that network. I must say, they’ve ‘brought it on’, if you will, this fall. With shows like Journeyman, LIFE, Chuck, Bionic Woman, and Heroes, their lineup is something to take notice of.
If you’ve never seen the show Heroes, I encourage you to check it out. It’s a show that I never thought I’d like, but I must say, after watching a few episodes of last season and being intrigued by the first episode of this season, I’m reminded that there is a certain element that we all have to ‘fit in’, yet there is something extraordinary about each of us.
“We dream of hope, we dream of change, so much struggle for meaning, for purpose, and only in the end do we find it in each other; in the fantastic, in the mundane, the simple human need to find a kindred, and to know in the end that we are not alone, and that all we need is each other.”
Monday, September 24, 2007
Angels...
I've been thinking a lot lately about life…
As the weeks, months, and years continue to pass us by, I fear that my contribution hasn't been all that it could be. So many times we get caught up in work, play, and really, in general: LIFE. It's an amazing gift, but have you ever wondered what if you didn't have another day? I know, I know, it sounds a little morbid, but hear me out.
Do you ever lay awake at night and wonder if you made any difference at all and if you didn't wake up in the morning, if God would say, 'Well done'. I don't know…All my life, I've had this innate feeling inside of me, to just want to matter in some way, to someone, to make a difference…
…Although, perhaps we never know who we really touch on a daily basis. It's amazing the people that cross our paths and just a simple gesture could make their day. As a really inspiring song by a band called Skillet says, "What will you do to help someone along the way? Just a touch, a smile as you turn the other cheek; Pray for your enemies, humble yourself…; In the midst of the most painful faces; Angels show up in the strangest of places".
What can we do more of to "help someone along the way"? What can I do more of to help those in need, just trying to exist in this place we call home, in this world of blank stares and people trying to 'get ahead', no matter who they step on in the process? I think that we can all be an 'angel' to someone, without even knowing it. It's our actions that speak the loudest, which can really show people how beautiful life can be.
I suppose this morbid thinking has a point…if I didn't wake up tomorrow; I'd like to think that somehow, some way my actions spoke louder than my words. And, furthermore, in the midst of the chaos that life can bring, I'd like to think that somehow, some way you and I can be more than just blank faces, stagnant stares, and greedy mongers, becoming 'angels' for the people we know and those we don't...
As the weeks, months, and years continue to pass us by, I fear that my contribution hasn't been all that it could be. So many times we get caught up in work, play, and really, in general: LIFE. It's an amazing gift, but have you ever wondered what if you didn't have another day? I know, I know, it sounds a little morbid, but hear me out.
Do you ever lay awake at night and wonder if you made any difference at all and if you didn't wake up in the morning, if God would say, 'Well done'. I don't know…All my life, I've had this innate feeling inside of me, to just want to matter in some way, to someone, to make a difference…
…Although, perhaps we never know who we really touch on a daily basis. It's amazing the people that cross our paths and just a simple gesture could make their day. As a really inspiring song by a band called Skillet says, "What will you do to help someone along the way? Just a touch, a smile as you turn the other cheek; Pray for your enemies, humble yourself…; In the midst of the most painful faces; Angels show up in the strangest of places".
What can we do more of to "help someone along the way"? What can I do more of to help those in need, just trying to exist in this place we call home, in this world of blank stares and people trying to 'get ahead', no matter who they step on in the process? I think that we can all be an 'angel' to someone, without even knowing it. It's our actions that speak the loudest, which can really show people how beautiful life can be.
I suppose this morbid thinking has a point…if I didn't wake up tomorrow; I'd like to think that somehow, some way my actions spoke louder than my words. And, furthermore, in the midst of the chaos that life can bring, I'd like to think that somehow, some way you and I can be more than just blank faces, stagnant stares, and greedy mongers, becoming 'angels' for the people we know and those we don't...
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Stop and Smell the Roses...
I received this not too long ago from a family member and I must say, I was moved. It’s amazing how life passes us by, and we don’t even blink. Stop and smell the roses…enjoy life with no regrets and believe in the dreams that once made you young…The first day of school our Professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm 87-years-old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the Student Union Building and shared a chocolate Milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.
She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester, we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three-by-five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."
As we laughed, she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are 19-years-old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn 20-years-old. If I am 87-years-old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose’.
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over 2000 college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
These Words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
We make a living by what we get; we make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Good friends are like stars, you don't always see them, but you know they are always there.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Unexpected...Freedom!
Sometimes, life can throw us the unexpected. Perhaps it's the wicked letdown from someone who says they love you; a reality check that you really didn't need from someone who really doesn't know the REAL you; OR perhaps, it's an unnecessary roadblock that wasn't supposed to invade at the moment it did.
Whatever the 'unexpected' is that you might be going through…in this moment in time…please know this: GOD can make ALL things work the way they were always intended to. It might not be the way that YOU wanted them to work, but realize this: GOD knows best. In the moment, it may not seem that way, but as you begin to come out of those 'unexpected', sometimes, catastrophic situations, you will begin to see that it's out of our hands. It always was; it always is. Perhaps that's a comfort, an even further uncertainty, but maybe it's something you needed to recognize all along…
...I don't' know…
What I do know, without a doubt, without an uncertainty is God is ALWAYS right by your side, cheering you on, lifting you up, breaking your fall, and most importantly, setting you free.
Be set free…
Whatever the 'unexpected' is that you might be going through…in this moment in time…please know this: GOD can make ALL things work the way they were always intended to. It might not be the way that YOU wanted them to work, but realize this: GOD knows best. In the moment, it may not seem that way, but as you begin to come out of those 'unexpected', sometimes, catastrophic situations, you will begin to see that it's out of our hands. It always was; it always is. Perhaps that's a comfort, an even further uncertainty, but maybe it's something you needed to recognize all along…
...I don't' know…
What I do know, without a doubt, without an uncertainty is God is ALWAYS right by your side, cheering you on, lifting you up, breaking your fall, and most importantly, setting you free.
Be set free…
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