Faith isn’t just about religion; it is about holding a confident belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. Most of us practice faith every day without even realizing it. For example – when you practice forgiveness – there is faith in that; when you place your trust in someone – faith is found there as well.
Faith is more than a word, it is a feeling; a physical sensation that is always there if you need it. It is easy to forget that we are all connected in this life. And, through that connection you can find the true meaning of having faith. If we consider that we are all brothers and sisters and we extend our hands in times of calm and in times of need, we will reap a strong and abiding faith for ourselves. Simple things are often profound reminders of what is important. Joel Osteen has written “…if you want success; if you want wisdom; if you want to be prosperous & healthy, you have to do more than just meditate and believe. You must boldly declare your words of faith and victory.” This is a clear message that in order to live life with an enriched faith, we must take action.Speak it out loud, folks!
More and more, I am being channeled to deliver clear and concise messages to those around me. I do not take this work lightly, but I do find that in following through in delivering the messages I am receiving, in turn I am realizing a deeper faith in my own life. I am still far from being what I hope to become, but I believe that I am on the right path and I will succeed without question.
“Be Faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”
This week has been chocked full. Despite the harried pace and stress, it ended with me feeling enriched as I had dedicated some time each day in the service of others.
This is an important part of the work I do to spread kindness and better my humanity. I greatly believe that by doing this important work, I will inspire others to find time to do the same. Each small contribution you make towards making another person comfortable, bettering a situation or investing in the future results in an abundance of good coming your way.
In the few hours I did have to spare this week, I decided to use them wisely by dedicating them to a friend in need. My unexpected reward was a brilliant return of my love back to me. Intangible as that seems the feeling of calm and serenity that followed was astounding. My dear friend, a beautiful soul, is now on her way to a week’s long vacation. There were many obstacles in getting her to the point of actual departure, but we held tight and got past every one. Now, she is beginning her adventure with a song in her heart. That’s the way it is with sisterhood, you just hold hands and run like hell to the finish line!
I hope this week has been fulfilling to you, too. Pearl Bailey sends a nonchalant grin out to all her fans. She has been beautified to the gills as Sissy is in town for a visit. Let’s see how long her clean pelt lasts. I am on a high myself with a house full of genuine love and a feeling of do-good in my heart. And that folks, is a very good place to be!
I think about you all the time. You have always responded to these thoughts with thoughts of your own.
On my morning walks, you meet me with soft lapping waves and a wondrous backdrop for meditative thoughts. On a hot island afternoon, your sun warms my shoulders and delivers manatees that float by my side nudging me to thoughts of the greatness of God. And, in the evening, you hand over a mango-drenched sky suspended above grey granite waters, and the music of the squawking seabirds seeking their last meal for the day.
How can I not love you? How can I not think of you all the time,
High above in the tree tops, this Great Blue Heron sits watching the sea – his stance is the epitome of Hope. Nature’s creatures are all spurned on by hope. It is one of the attributes that all of us earth inhabitants share, and share well.
By all definitions, hope is the feeling of expectation for a positive outcome. Why is it so important? Our dreams are fed on hope; an optimistic state of mind holds a light within us. When things in life go out of order, we rely upon hope to propel us.
Hope in the English language is an abstract thought tied to wishing or longing. The Hebrew word for hope “tikvah” holds a different connotation, it is more of a concrete thought like being bound by a cord or a rope – in other words something real enough to cling to.
At the 2004 Democratic National Convention, President Obama spoke beautifully about hope. He said, “…hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty – that is the audacity of hope…”. That is a powerful statement that we, no matter our creed, can use to keep the spark of hope alive and working for us.
I think as modern day humans we need to think of hope in a more eternal perspective – one that reminds us that this life we know now will end, and the new life we are promised will await us. Maintaining hope for good in this life gives us even more reason to have hope for all of eternity.
I’ve been thinking a lot about happiness and exactly how you go about finding it. I think there is a need for more happiness in the world. There are already so many struggles we go through on the highway of life, is finding happiness just another thing to grapple with or is it already there for the taking and you just have to unearth it?
We have all experienced happy days – days spent unplugged on the beach or in the company of people who warm us just by their presence. Is that enough? I say, “No”. I believe that in order to achieve locating and keeping happiness in your life, you have to plant it in your own soul.
You can begin by finding pleasure in everything you do – even the mundane. Start the morning with an intentional decision to choose happiness. Once you practice facing each new day with this attitude, your whole perspective will change. A meaningful morning routine will empower you. Turn away from an alarm clock and turn instead to a morning rhythm where you wake and meet the day on your terms.
Next, teach your soul new things. Learn. The act of discovery plants a positive notion in your psyche and expands the feeling of wonder within us.
Don’t forget to carry a smile with you as you go about the day. My mother taught me a wonderful trick that I have practiced every day of my life and will never forget. She told me, “After you have completed your morning toiletry, have combed your hair and readied your face for the day, look into the mirror and SMILE. Tell yourself that you are BEAUTIFUL, then do not look into a mirror the remainder of the day, instead carry that feeling of perfection with you.” Mama told me this not because she was all Zen back then, but because she wanted to build confidence in her daughters, and it worked!
Do you count your blessings? I mean, really count them 1-2-3? Being grateful is an easy thing to speak of – but the application of an appreciative feeling is something you need to set your mind to by focusing on the positive aspects of life. Happy people choose to express the positive aspects of life rather than the negative.
Affirmations are powerful. Don’t forget to make them part of your morning routine. Beginning the day with thoughts of ‘I am.. I can… I shall” are all actions that are meant to propel a soul to a better outlook. Remember, keep your affirmation based in truth, and select them so they address your current needs. Be specific.
Hold your tongue. That’s a big one. You will find humility in keeping criticism to yourself instead of lashing out. The next time you want to voice a verbal complaint towards a person, don’t. Choose the feeling of joy and peace in your heart instead.
Every single one of us was given natural talents, strengths, and abilities. When we allow our given talents to direct us, we feel alive and comfortable in our skin. Some of us are lucky enough to use our talents in the work we do, but if your career or life’s work does not foster this feeling, by all means seek it outside of your 9 to 5. It is essential to connect with our God-given talents in order to find happiness.
Connect to your soul by finding the quiet. A mental meditation several times a day will keep you aligned and moving in the direction of spreading your happiness to others.
Any finally, know that navigating life without angst is not a cake-walk, it takes practice. Pain exists and there is no escape from it. Remind yourself that there is good in everything no matter how bleak things look at present. Search deep to find the meaning in that which is paining you. Maybe… just maybe by connecting with the pain and dispelling it, you will be able to offer comfort to others in their pain.
I am excited to have you join me in finding and spreading happiness. If both you and I begin today by following the above tenet, the happiness we plant will grow to two more who will foster two more after that!
I want to share a beautiful story and one that stands as proof that there is, indeed, truth to the creed that I write about. Everything you are about to read really happened and is written exactly as it occurred.
I have a friend, a beautiful soul, who has been in deep despair. Despair is a hard and difficult cross to bear no matter where it comes from. My friend’s despair, which had another origin, was furthered fueled by excruciating pain resultant from a fall on concrete that she recently took. I was awakened to her plight and invested many hours in reaching for guidance in an effort to help lift this soul back up to an enlightened state. When I tell you I felt inadequate in dealing with this type of despondency, I am not exaggerating . Yet, despite my feeling unqualified, I felt like I was being called upon to lift this soul.
I put on a full-court press in calling to the Divine One. I asked for my friend to be able to ‘receive abundance’ in every sort of way. My prayer plead was such that I requested she benefit by knowing her value, beauty and worthiness without question. I reached out to her many times a day to deliver the uplifting messages I was requesting on her behalf. And, truthfully I wasn’t sure if I was getting the messages through, yet I persevered .
The doctor was finally able to see my friend today. There were many worries on her mind concerning the logistics in getting to doctor as my friend is alone. Together we approached each fear – from a parking space close by to the long walk down the corridor in the building. My friend also had a sense of hopelessness that this doctor would even be able to help in easing her agonizing and unbearable pain. I asked the Almighty to lift these fears she had, and then trusted that we would be delivered whatever was needed. Here’s what happened…
Upon arriving at the doctor – the parking lot was full with the exception of one spot which was in very close proximity to the door making the walk a short one. Next, my friend’s pain lifted as if by miracle (no pun intended), and she made her way down the corridor uneventful. Then, waiting in line to sign-in, my friend felt a brush over her arm and turned to look into the eyes of the person behind her in line who was a very relatable soul – a gentleman with a beatific smile and a soft voice. She said, as they conversed a feeling of comfort fell over her. Each sentence of conversation they exchanged seemed to highlight the connection being established between them. After several minutes of exchange, her place in line became available, and as she turned her attention to the receptionist this kind man reached down and squeezed her arm and said “Everything is going to turn out fine.” (hmmm…touched by an angel?) Moments later, after my friend signed-in she turned back to thank the man and he was gone. Nowhere in sight. Vanished in 10 seconds or less. How could that be – the waiting room was jammed full – and to make it through the crowd and reach the door in record time? Is that even possible? For an angel it is.
But wait, the story is not over. When my friend went into the doctor’s inner office to wait to see the physician her fears and anxiety of hopelessness returned. Next up, the kind doctor appeared and began his exam. He listened intently as my friend described the idiopathic yet piercing pain she was experiencing. Nodding, the doctor said to her, I know what you have – it is a ruptured medial [something or other] and proceeded to describe the pain, its path and its intensity in perfect manner. My friend was dumbstruck. ‘How do you know’, she asked and the sagely doctor responded ‘I know because I have had the exact same condition even though mine did not result from a fall but from being a life-long runner.’ Don’t worry, I fixed mine and I will fix yours.’ And, just like that the spirit of my friend, this beautiful soul, was lifted from deep, deep despair to exalted triumphant joy.
I am glad my friend is a believer. Now, more than ever. And for me? The validation of knowing my prayers were being delivered and at just the right time leaves me with such exhilaration and glee that I can hardly contain myself!
And, that folks, is what I have been talking about!!
“Listen to your intuition” – I began hearing that mantra from the age of 6 years old on. It was not an unreasonable request, my mother was a very intuitive soul and her innate insights served her well throughout her life.
It is not a trait or practice that I learned well, I was always in a hurry. Becoming intuitive takes practice, and time. You have to quiet your mind and settle, and listen to the message that is in the silence. It wasn’t until my mind was more mature that I was able to master this observance. Now, that silver has frosted the locks on my head, I am able to hear the quietude while in repose. I like the missives I am receiving. It’s like receiving a telegram from the Divine!
This morning, I received the message to turn my head to someone in need. The early hours of the day are important to me. I need to sit with my ideas and a warm beverage and ease into what may lay in wait. Sometimes I scour the news in an effort to increase my awareness. Finding the quiet is an important practice for any soul to be able to establish a feeling of calm and steady before ‘hitting the pavement’ so to speak. This is the kind of ritual that helps me to harness my approach to the rest of the day. It is in these moments that I take for myself where I create and give rise to the bettering of my humanity. In other words, I feed myself so that I can replenish and feed others. Take for example, I might ask for a strengthening of my communication skills in listening to a friend. Or I might ask for more patience and wisdom so that I deliver more loving words. I think in that morning hour, I am able to discover who and what I need to be for that day. This is an astonishing realization!
Each morning I discover that I am perfectly imperfect, but I also find that I am powerful. I seek each day to be the one that changes the luck of those I encounter just by my presence around them!
Mankind, we are a fallible sort. We demonstrate our
imperfectness every day. For all the many things we do right, the
counterbalance is our disregard to what is outside our door.
This country was built on the backs of immigrants. To be born an
American is to have descended from a foreign soul who arrived on this soil not
knowing the language and customs of the new frontier they faced.
This post is not about the politics concerning borders and illegal aliens, it is about the need to expand our brotherhood and instill more kindness in the world just by opening our hearts. I believe that the most important responsibility we have is to teach our children so that our ignorance, however benign it was, is not passed down. To inform about past atrocities that have occurred in the world is charting the course to, not only educate their minds, but to soften their hearts to the human community around them.
When I ask for enlightenment in my daily intentions, I ask for the next generation to re-balance the life they are given so that it is heavily-weighted in acts of kindness and awareness.
The Professor’s cousin/brother and his wife, also our best friends, are expectant Grandparents. Their one and only, an enchanting girl child, is with child herself. This is a glorious event in my circle.
I call this child, Baby Bella, there is a story behind that handle but for another time. My best girlfriend/cousin wife shared her daughter with me in everyway. Baby Bella waltzed into my life when she was just 8 years old. She took to me immediately and I recognized her heart without exception. Watching her grow and mature like a sturdy oak tree has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Sharing all the monumental events in her life – her Confirmation, her Sweet Sixteen, her falling in love, and her taking her vows at the altar – this devout and captivating child allowed me to witness it from front row center.
The remarkable and extraordinary element to my being the recipent of this unexpected life gift was that my girlfriend had just finished chemo as she battled through breast cancer; a time in life when one might hold on tightly to their one and only child. Instead, she drew me, a childless soul, into her daughter’s life and together we celebrated each up and down, just like sisters.
Now, this new mom-to-be is holding a gender reveal this morning. A creative new-age event where everyone shares in the surprise! Great news in my world is about to happen, I am waiting to hear.
I am always seeking to report stories about splendid people who personify kindness and unconditional love. I needn’t look futher than the story of Curtis Jenkins from Dallas Texas. His story left me with tears of joy and a grin on my face as wide as the State of Texas itself.
As I read the story of Mr. Jenkins, I studied his magnificent face of mahoghany colored skin and blazing white teeth. I immediately got lost in his soulful eyes. A tower of a man with hands as big as mitts, his exterior hid the kind heart that lay within his body.
Mr. Jenkins is a school bus driver. Some might scoff and say that job is menial, yet Mr. Jenkins (and the parents of the children he carries) see it as anything but… Despite the early morning hours of his pick-ups, and the weather sours he has to contend with, Mr. Jenkins has made it his purpose to turn his job into a teaching moment for ‘his kids’. He treats the students he carries like a family, and from that he has assigned responsibilities to each child that rides with him. Take for example, he has assigned counselor jobs, cleanup officers, safety patrols, etc. These assignments earn the students “bus bucks”. It is a teaching system devised by a humble man in order to fulfill a daily presence in these young lives.
Curtis Jenkins is a deeply devout married man who is doing important work. The most important is the talk he gives in front of the bus every morning. In his great oratory voice that takes on the quality of an impassioned pastor, Mr. Jenkins guides the children with statements like ‘Walk with purpose’, ‘Everyone deserves a chance’, and ‘Never count anyone out’.
His assessment of his life’s path is simple and spiritual: “I’m always walking in the light of whatever God has asked me to do.”
I say Mr. Jenkins is a modern day super hero and his investment in these children is breeding in them all the leadership skills this next generation will need to soar foward. Bravo Mr. Jenkins, you inspire us all!
