Just To Be Noticed...

Sometimes I like to watch people. I like to watch them walk down the street; I like to watch them as I sit for a cup of coffee at the local Starbucks; I like to watch them when they think no one is watching them. We are amazing creatures and I am reminded of that each time I look at someone.

When you go to a big city, there are a LOT of blank stares; people brush past you, you brush past people. There always seems to be a destination in sight, with no bother to look to the left or right; it’s just straight ahead…

Well…this is just a thought…what if the next time you were in a Big City, or…in the heart of the city you live within, and you DO look to the right and left…with a smile. The thing is…you NEVER know what that could do for someone…you never know what YOU paying attention to someone else could do…not only for them…but for YOU as well.

A good friend of mine recently went to England for vacation. When he returned, he told us of story that I’ve thought about A LOT; Please CLICK HERE to read it.

It basically tells the story of a young girl; a girl who wanted someone to KILL HER. She was so desperate, so distraught from SOMETHING in her life that she asked someone to take her life. It’s a rather heart-wrenching story because the person that she asked this question told her to ‘Piss Off’. After that desperate attempt, and yet another rejection, she jumped from a bridge, ending her life. I don’t understand it…I don’t understand how someone could be so callous and NOT try and ask this young woman what he might be able to do to help her in such a dire moment in her life.

I suppose there are many stories out there just like this one; stories of desperate people taking desperate measures, JUST to be noticed.

So...maybe watching people isn't your thing...but the next time you decide to look straight ahead...your destination the ONLY thought in your mind...PLEASE notice someone…

Ah...hogwash!

So I haven’t written for awhile. Perhaps it’s lack of something meaningful to write about; or, the fact that I’m trying to do more creative writing. I would really like to enter more writing contests. Not sure why…just a desire to write something...something more than just my meaningless thoughts…

…to be continued…

Believing For Change...

I often think that I’m pretty naive when it comes to the matters of the world. Not because I don’t believe they exist, but because I want to believe that they can change…

Discrimination and hatred towards others is probably the biggest naivety on my part. I want so much to believe that we ALL can get along…we all can make this world a better place, together…but I’ve come to learn that our differences are sometimes looked at as negative…I don’t by this!

I believe we all are unique and beautiful in our own way…we ALL have something to offer this world…we ALL have something to offer to someone else…so, why is it so difficult to accept those differences that make us so unique and beautiful in the first place?

I recently saw an incredible film that truly depicts a pivotal moment in history, but also overcoming adversity in the midst of change.

The year was 1935; the place was Marshall, Texas at a little college called Wiley; the innovator was a man by the name of Professor Melvin B. Tolson…

Tolson was a man of great character, a man of action. During such a volatile time in the depths of the Deep South, as you can imagine, he choose to make changes, look past the differences in others, and unified not only a group of young people, but an entire community.

His story is now a major motion picture called ‘The Great Debaters’.

The film revolves around the efforts of Tolson at historically black Wiley College. His intent was to place his Debate Team on equal footing with whites in the Deep South, but he did so much more than that…he brought together four young college students and taught them the power and authority of words. He gave them the tools to make a voice for themselves in a world that didn’t except them because of the color of their skin.

As I sat and watched this film, I thought about our society today and sadly, how much hasn’t changed in regards to acceptance towards ALL people. Yet, I think about what Tolson did, what these four young debaters did, and I believe that we can make a difference if we fight for it.

The story of ‘The Great Debaters’ is a powerful one, a remarkable tale that speaks great volumes of the perseverance and fortitude of someone who wants to change the norm…

So...addressing the present day...if we want to see change, we must ACT for change...we must first accept those who might be different from us and see them for the beautiful creations that they are...that we ALL are...

...perhaps then, being a little naive, isn't such a bad thing? After all...believing in change is perhaps the only thing that keeps me optimistic that in fact, change is even possible at all...

The Pages of Life...

So I’ve learned there are many things in life that you just CANNOT control. Perhaps you think that’s a good thing; perhaps not. But I think that we all want to have a little ‘surprise’, maybe a little ‘spontaneity’ in our lives. It keeps us guessing…and believing for that next GREAT thing…

I don’t think life has to be ALL planned out…what do you think?

I believe that God intended for us all to make choices, sometimes good and bad, to learn something. Whatever that something might be…LIFE LESSONS are what keep us moving…they give us hope and help us understand the ‘tomorrows’…those lessons help prepare us for whatever it is our future holds.

I guess we could ALL consider ourselves as authors; we’re writing the book of our lives and it’s a daily process. We write the day as the day goes…then, after the day ends, our pens are put away and we prepare for the next page…without ANY expectations, but hope that we will somehow, some way, make a difference…

Make the pages of your life matter...make them a story that MUST be read...because sometimes, things JUST happen and maybe, that's JUST the way God intended!

A Thought for the New Year...

In the words of the GREAT Winston Churchill...

Happy New Year everyone! Be diligent in your dreams, and steadfast in TRUTH...Be blessed...

Love Someone to God...

I’ve often thought that to SHOW love, we first have to BE love. Let me explain…

You’ve probably heard the saying, ‘Actions speak louder than words’; but do people really ‘act’? Do people really understand what it truly means to LOVE people first?

My friend Dave has come up with this profound revelation: ‘LOVE SOMEONE TO GOD’; a magnificent thought; perhaps absurd, but isn’t that what Jesus did? When He came to this earth, His whole purpose was to show the love of God; show the love of his Father, who choose, to send His ONLY son to this earth to die for us. He knew that his son’s fate was inevitable; He knew His ONLY son would have a dire death, but He still sent Him anyway; and Jesus accepted this destiny because He loved us that much, without even knowing us. What love? What grace and forgiveness? I’m baffled by this over and over again…

I often think that the least we can do is LOVE people without any conditions…because again, isn’t that what Jesus did all along? He didn’t even know us, but He died for us anyway…he LOVED us first…

Sometimes, words spoken from our mouths are needed; however, what a thought to LOVE SOMEONE TO GOD without saying a word…think about it…

Does it Matter?

I recently read a profound excerpt in a book called Balcony People; it's written anonymously, but I think, it could register with EVERYONE...because sometimes, what EVERYONE needs, is someone…

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club to discuss my hunger.
Thank you.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel to pray for my release.
Nice.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.
What good did that do?

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
But I needed you.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the shelter of the love of God.
I wish you'd taken me home.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.
Why didn't you stay?

You seem so holy, so close to God; but I am still very hungry, lonely, cold, and still in pain.
Does it matter?

-Anonymous

Merry Christmas!

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Time After Time...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about time. It passes so fast, sometimes without us…We look to the right, then the left and realize that another minute has gone by, another day has gone by, another year has gone; another moment has passed right in front of us, without even a blink…

I’ve had to learn in recent months to stop, take a breath, look around me and stand in wonder of the blessings in my life; my husband of almost eight years, who makes me happy in so many ways…my three sisters, which bring joy and laughter like no one else…my ‘married-into’ family, who I couldn’t ask for a better family to become a part of…and my best friends…you know who you are…which I wouldn’t be the same without you…

We run so fast, move so fast that we forget to stop and take a breather…stop and gaze upon a vast blue sky, or stare at ominous clouds that beckon our attention…

So, for me, I’d like to say that I am going to take more time and enjoy those blessings…those things that ‘time’ sometimes, strips away from us…

LIFE is like a box of chocolates...

Maybe LIFE is like a box of chocolates! You really never know what you’re going to get…

I think though…that’s the beauty of LIFE…that’s the beauty of another day!

Just a thought for the day...

Meant for Greatness?

Are we all meant for greatness? If you think about infamous people from the Bible: Moses, Noah; they were destined to do what they did. They didn’t ask for it, but they were chosen and they said ‘yes’ to what God had for them.

I’m a big film watcher. I get a LOT out of watching what directors and actors put on the Big Screen. Much like music, I believe there is a message...whatever that message may be, good or bad.

I recently watched an AWESOME film called Amazing Grace. It is about William Wilberforce, (24 August 1759–29 July 1833) the man who ended the British Free Slave Trade. He stood by this cause for the majority of his life, through his younger years, and finally, saw it abolished after 20 years of fighting for it. He never un-wavered, never gave in, and most importantly, never gave up.

God found him, chose him, and he answered. Just like Moses and Noah, he chose to walk in the destiny that God had laid out for him.

After watching this film, it got me thinking…are we ALL destined for greatness? Perhaps it’s not on the scale of William Wilberforce, but what if it was? What if God had the same idea for each of us? I think in our culture today, it seems so unfeasible to make a difference…just ONE person? But really...why not? We all are here for SOME reason...so why not let that reason be to CHANGE the world?

Lessons from the 80's...

Have you ever seen The Breakfast Club? It follows five teens during a day of detention. They each come into the day not understanding each other, but by the end of it, learn that they really are alike in many of the ways they believed they were different.

“Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us, as you want to see us...In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...and an athlete...and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal...Does that answer your question?”

Hmmm...what if we all saw ourselves as the very thing we think we're not? Then perhaps, just maybe, we might be able to walk in someone else's shoes...the shoes that maybe we never thought we'd wear???