Forgiveness

Occupied de pie

2011-12-07T17:06:00.001-08:00

Walking about on foot gives one a pedestrian view of things.

thinking the other blogs might be safer where they are. Not that they won't be vividly more entertaining...but all time is simultaneous, please hold!

2010-12-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

repost of Thanksgiving 2006

2010-12-28T16:56:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving; give a dog a bone (but not a turkey bone)
Someone shook my hand yesterday. Simple gesture, but it hurt like hell, because the day before I got GNAWED on the same hand by a stupid dog that doesn't like me, ya it's the stupid neighbors again. GRRRRRR The dog was on a leash, that makes it even worse, I checked with animal control.

This stupid dog is "unpredictable," says his owner, a guy who doesn't have any self discipline and doesn't know the first thing about treating himself well, so where is he going to learn how to treat an animal? He lives in a house that's a revolving door of tenants, Please socialize your animals and your children, if not for your sake, then for their sake. All it takes is a loving heart. And if you don't have a loving heart toward others, then please don't let your dog loose like nobody's hand matters except your own.

I'm just a casualty of the day. Not the most serious one, but it's a matter of perspective. I never thought a handshake could be so painful.

repost of October 2006

2010-12-28T16:55:00.001-08:00

October surprise
Talk is cheap. There's nothing quite so wonderful as being in the company of people you like, talking about things, whether personal or of general interest, that make people feel engaged in each other and in the world or with other people. Being isolated is a terrible experience after a while, it truly robs from the soul and engenders distorted feelings of sociopathic or narcissitic nature, for example, or just loneliness.

Seeing homeless people on our streets used to be a shock; remember in the early 80s when homelessness was a relatively shocking phenomenon? But some of the same people are still out there, and for others (including younger generations) it is a lifestyle that is one of the "norms" in the millennial paradigm.

When I am confronted in my car or bike with a homeless person holding a begging sign, or approached on a downtown street by a healthy or unhealthy person soliciting money for (a) a cheeseburger or (b) $25 for a room for the night, my automatic response is not to reward the behavior.

But I don't want to be unable to generate a human connection, so there's the rub.

If the only people you encounter are strangers on the street, you are not alone.

If you stay in your home you don't even encounter strangers.

And if you stay on the internet, your encounters, being generated in your own mind, are devoid of any flesh or blood other than your own. Even though they are real. Yes, the sweat, blood, tears of another exist in you, as Jesus could tell you if you could hear Him speak. But that's really not necessary.

If you want to meet You out there in the community, the best strategy is face to face. Not that I have anything against the internet. It's the one communication system that is shared by nearly everyone who has ever lived, isn't that fascinating?

Hope to see you in the City of Roses.

repost of 9/16/06

2010-12-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

8 AM, Saturday, September 16, 2006.

Night after night the drunks across the street are out on the porch, all night long, talking endlessly in loud voices about the things that matter to 22 year olds - "he never calls, i know he loves me, i don't get what i want, me, me me me meeeeee i'm screw screw screw screw screwed yada ya da da.." it's 7 AM and they're still out there. i went over at 5 AM and the fruity chick with nonstop beer looked at me like i was mad. well i was mad.

i started out politely, sorta, marching across the street and getting in the drunk woman's face, "look" i said, "give me your phone number so i don't have to get out of bed and get dressed to come over here just to tell you to go inside and get off the front porch and shut the fuck up." She looked at me with a hurt look, "Darling," she says, "why don't you come over when it's daytime and talk to me gently about this." "No" i say, "give me your phone number so I don't have to come over here just to tell you to shut the fuck up. All night, every night, it's the middle of the night, summer is over, go inside, get off the porch, you're loud, you're waking the neighbors, your actions are affecting a lot of people!"

The guy with her starts .. "it's 558-..." and she stops him. "No, darling, let's talk about this sometime, just come over during the day.." I get directly in her face, "if you don't give me your phone number, i'll call the police. Night after night all night long you're out here talking in a loud voice, people can't sleep - at this point the bad-tempered dog shows at the door - and your dog is a problem, give me your phone number, so I don't have to call the police."

I've complained about this situation to friends for a long time; they tell me to call the police; I explain that isn't the proper etiquette where I live in SE Portland, but at this point I'm realizing I have no choice. I'll give her one more chance to understand my message, but obviously I'm committing myself to a position and i'll have to carry through. I know how this stuff turns out when you don't carry through on your promise.

"I am telling you, if you don't give me a phone number so i can call over here in the middle of the night next time this happens, I have no choice but to call the cops." The male is telling her to give me the number, but she can't think of one quick enough. "It's 232.. no wait, here just wait, let me write down the number for you...it's 503 -- "(long pause) And tell me, I think rhetorically, why do Portland people always pause so long after the area code, I mean it's not like anybody has to write it down or isn't going to remember it -- everyone knows the damn area code unless you start out DIFFERENT like "971" poor thing -- she stops again. DAMNIT she's not going to give me the number.

"OK" i say as i turn around, step down the porch stairs and cross back to my house. I'm calling the police.

Which I did. The nice man at 9-1-1 said I have to call the non emergency number 823-3333, press 1, and you'll get right to us. So I did. That was great; usually if you call the non emergency you have to give a recorded report' apparently you get better service at 5 AM...thanks Portland.

So then I went back to bed and noticed it when the cops pulled up. Seems like a bunch of people came out to talk to the cops, I'm thinking great, the cops see, it's 5 AM, it's still dark, all these drunk 20 year somethings are outside trying to say they weren't doing anything wrong, and hopefully having the cops show up will be a bit of a deterrent??

So I tried to sleep, but the adrenalin made me get up and make coffee. So the paper came at 6:22, and damn if the drunk neighbors aren't out on the porch again talking. It's cold outside, this isn't 90 degrees like we had last week. CRAP. Don't they know they can't be outside keeping neighbors up till 7 AM? I'm going to have to work on this issue till something good happens. Hopefully the whole mess will clear up if I keep working on it.

Have a good day Portland!

repost of 1/23/2007

2010-12-27T17:05:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The tipping point.
A thousand years is just a moment of eternity ~
One thousand times that moment - just a day.
Our love is on the top ten list of time, dear
But this planet isn’t going far, today ~

For love is art, and art is for destruction?
And art makes angels drunk and fools gay.
Destruction is for fools, not for angels!
True love beats through it, more than I can say

More than a day, more than a time eternal
Our planet one of many built to last, dear
Destruction? Has it gone too far today, dear?
No darling, but it hasn’t far to go . . .

The polar ice is melting out of balance
The summer swelter winter chill of time
dramatic forces proving they’re still living
the throes of death or jolting our attention?
The choice is obvious, the choice is obvious

Get back into balance you extremist
Stop the drug and culture war, it’s all permissible
Eternity as humans on this Eden
Sure the hell beats atoms out in space.

Darling thou I know your heart is aching
Some things meant to happen never do
Caution plays a role in every risk-play
Feel all right, your role is famous too

Satisfy your hunger for salvation
You don’t need a Jesus coupon to believe that we are One
Get back into balance, you extremist
Eternity as humans on this Eden
Sure the hell beats atoms out in space

Darling though I know your heart is aching
Some things meant to happen never do
Caution plays a role in every risk-play
Feel all right, your role is famous too.

Get back into balance you extremist
Stop the oil and culture war, it’s all permissible
Eternity as humans on this Eden
Sure the hell beats probing outer space.

Go explore the planets all ye nations
Look around for they’re all looking too
All the planets that evolved got wasted
They’re out there looking for signs of intelligent life

Go explore the planets all ye mighty
Just allow the lowly to exist
Get back into balance you extremist
Get back into balance if you wish.

(c) 012107 forgiveness.com

repost of 12/26/2006 - "Learning to Forgive Yourself"

2010-12-27T17:04:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, December 26, 2006
learning to forgive yourself

Have you noticed how many people are affected by the desire to be happy and fulfilled at Christmas? Have you noticed that the number of people who truly are happy and fulfilled (any time of the year) is pretty sad? Yes, it's sad. You're sad; I'm sad; and it's not because we don't have everything we want in life, is it?

We actually do have exactly as much happiness as we are prepared to enjoy. Don't believe me? Ask yourself honestly, do you actually WANT to be one of those cheerful, gleeful, giving, sharing, always-ready-to-help-others type of person?

OK this is not what you wanted to hear, but if you really do want that lifestyle, it's right there for the taking.

Now then, let's go back to being miserable and stuck on our own deeds and the deeds of others. It's far simpler; it's reliable; we know where it leads; there's nothing unknown about it; it's safe; it's familiar; sure, it's no fun, but fun always ends too soon anyway; nobody stays in "fun" for long, right?

Just for today, I'm going to be as miserable to myself, and everyone around me (on the internet; at home; at work; on the street; at the grocery store) as I can possibly be, and I'll be afraid of myself (and everyone else) too, because Lord knows I don't control me, I can't possibly control me; it's not my fault; and none of my actions ever have consequences to anyone else, because they created their own reality. So whoever you are, People, just be on guard, everyone (including me) is probably out to make your life miserable.

Forgiveness isn't going to happen, is what I'm saying, until you actually can figure out how to have compassion and sensitivity for yourself.

And if you CAN do that, then it's not such a big step to comforting yourself.

And if you can do THAT, then it's only a matter of time that you will think long and hard about whether or not to forgive yourself. Or someone else. Or keep it in.

It's a choice, not an easy one. Make it tomorrow; today is still pretty rough.

I love you.

Repost of 10/15/2006

2010-12-27T17:02:00.001-08:00

If you choose to develop a practice of forgiveness, it can become completely unconscious or automatic for you. This is an element so needed in our world today. Like a precious element in nature, it is rare, but not uncommon! And the good news is that it is not a limited commodity; more of it can be created at the whim of a hat!

What will your life be like when you begin (or continue) the practice of forgiveness? The safest analogy is that it will be like being in love. There is great comfort and peace in being "in forgiveness mind."

When you can walk the steps of your life in the practice of forgiveness, toward yourself, toward God perhaps, toward your country, toward your neighbor, toward your enemy, toward your family, toward your friends, toward your community, toward the outside world, toward others, toward All, toward one individual whose despicable or dastardly nature hurt you, well, you will see....

When you practice forgiveness, others notice it, maybe unconsciously, but they know it.

Should you start close to home or far away? It's up to you.

FORGIVENESS EXERCISE #1:

First, imagine that it is You that you are imagining. You are both the one imagining you, and the one being imagined.

Comment: This is the essence of this practice. Can you see how it is possible to do this? Can you imagine anyone else doing it? How about your enemy? How about God? How about nobody at all? I can imagine nobody doing it!

You and I do not know a single newborn baby or ancient elder who is not fully experiencing the same forces of consciousness on earth as you are, i.e. they are changing. Things are accelerating. There is a shift of consciousness going on. Everyone can feel it.

FORGIVENESS EXERCISE #2:

Next, shift your perception so that this person you have imagined to be You is actually the other person, the one you wish to forgive.

FORGIVENESS EXERCISE #3:

Next, forgive that person. If this is too hard, start over at Exercise #1 and work on forgiveness of You. Once you have that part mastered, you can work on Exercise #2 again. It may take a while to master that, but I know you can do it. Then, go on to Exercise #3.
Posted

unforgiving weather

2010-12-27T16:38:00.001-08:00

weather can be unforgiving
yet the design of the planet is always toward balance
when the northern hemisphere is moving toward spring,
the southern hemisphere is moving toward fall

balance is what we seek, in all our relationships with ourself
and with others
when we are out of balance, sometimes we spin like an unbalanced load.

at those times, stop the agitation, rearrange the load, try again

eventually

things will even out somehow

2011

2010-12-27T16:20:00.001-08:00

We're excited to be starting a new blog for the new year. It's about time!

how Thought influences reality

2006-08-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

The way we think -- and make no mistake, we are all constantly in communication with ourselves with our thoughts -- and the way we project those thoughts onto others, influences science, the arts, education, religion, television, entertainment, and reality overall.

That's why it's helpful to increasingly become conscious: "What am i thinking, what am i doing right now?" because that is raising our level of consciousness, i.e. awareness.

In less than a minute, a minute of thought can make "waves" of consciousness. So believe it. You as much as anyone can influence the misty, ephemeral clouds of consciousness which circulate. Some are of little effect; others are monumental, of course. The world is interrelated, and you are part of it - just as you are as much a part of the internet as anyone else. Your thinking creates your world.

Now that Pluto has left the solar system, is it time for Jupiter to step up and be a planet? It is truly something to ponder just how much gravity and influence Jupiter has on us, but I for one have not given Jupiter much thought, because there was always that erratic, playful Pluto keeping my thoughts further out than Mr. Big.

Something different.

Here's a thought. Wouldn't it be simple to push the concept of promoting a value system in favor of "causing pleasure in someone else's life" instead of causing pain. Is the WAR MENTALITY something that has a place in this day and age? Do you have the feeling that people choose war as a way of avoiding or keeping their distance from pleasure?

Pleasure comes in many stripes and flavas. Ice cream cones for all, or take two cones for yourself and smash the other one in pluto's face; which is it going to be.

People who value Peace always seem to have a short run on Earth, and the good days are as limited as the run of a long Broadway Show. Your turn to shine, Jupiter. Stop being a bully. Make peace for a change.

That is to say, it's all about whether you decide to inflict pain on other cultures or people, or pleasure. Hate if you must, but there's a choice how you express your own life. You have a choice. You can still want to exclude that other person or race or culture or whatever, but you don't have to act on it. That's forgiveness.

When People (or Others) Disappoint You

2006-07-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

One of the techniques you can employ is to remember the times when the person actually accomplished the opposite of disappointing you.. they pleased you with the choices they made, or the results they achieved. But the simple fact is that when people disappoint you, that is something for THEM to experience, not something you absolutely experience..you have a choice.

It is sad, it is devastating, but ultimately the person who has to wade through their own terrible news is the one who created it, not the person who would "Deliver" terrible news to you. So unless you created it, no te preocupes, not for you to be worried (preoccupied) about.

And this is true even if you love and care for the person who is "owning" the terrible situation. Hey listen...you have to protect yourself. Whether it's a firearm, a movie ticket, a television program or a lottery ticket, it's up to you.

Maybe it's simpler than that..just reaching for some kind of acceptance. You will find that people can offer you more salve for your soul than a television program, for instance, but there is nothing more wrong with a television program than with a book. YOU need YOU and all these things you are paying attention to are very much a part of you. :)

Living by the Slice

2006-05-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

The atmosphere surrounding our Earth which sustains all of life is a "thin blue line" when viewed from outer space. How fantastic it is to be able to conceive of a perspective outside of ourselves, and thereby to understand how precious this margin of life is that we have.

This tiny slice of atmosphere is a miracle. God's love for us and for His creations (including us) is so miraculous to me. Whatever view of God you may have, across all the religious teachings, the constant is Love. It is as present as the wind; as the beams from the sun; as the desires of our heart; it is present.

Our experience of wind, and of the beams from the sun, is not the same from day to day or from moment to moment, so can we say that it is a constant? This will depend on your undertanding of language. Does constant mean "all the time, the same, forever more"; or does it mean it comes and goes. Or is there a hybrid meaning, so that we can know and trust that it is constant; the beams of the sun are available somewhere on the earth, even though temporarily not on our time zone or in our geographical location. The beams of the sun reach us in different intensity in different places, do they not? Spain is not Brazil, and winter is not summer, but we can know that the beams of the sun are a constant /in relation to Earth even if not in relation to our individual body or town at all times.

The winds across the desert may blow hot; the winds across the Antarctic may blow cold; and the wind may be still on some days and may be terrifying on others. But wind is a constant.

In this same way, the love of God is a constant. It is something we can know and trust, even when the circumstances that affect us on a particular day may not show a lot of evidence of the love.

If you are struggling with depression, despair, distress, distrust, disbelief, doubt, debt, danger or abomination, whether it is self-induced or at the hands of another, or perhaps at the hands of fate and/or God, then this is an awesome burden. All burdens end in death, make no mistake; but death is not the same as disease; death is not the same as depression; and death is not the same as bad luck. ALL burdens end in death, all lives end in death, not just the unhappy ones.

There are far far far more unhappy people and scared people than happy and brave in these times, but the choice is always there to move from one to the other, and the way to get there is not always by changing what you do, or what you think, but those practices can work. What I'm trying to say is that the way to get to the step that might make a difference for you is by changing your perspective; try to notice what you do; try to notice how you think; pay attention to the communications you make from yourself. Even if you cannot change your behavior before noon today, there will be a day when you can change your behavior by sunset, and that is your goal; one step, not completion or victory.

One step; today it is to pay attention to yourself, to what you do, not what you think about. Pay attention to what you do today and each day for awhile, and then see how what you actually do with your time...time is a resource we all have the same amount every day...will eventually determine what is going on in your life. Maybe today is Day 9,642 of your life; maybe you have 27,118 days left; maybe it is the reverse. But pay attention to what you do today, ok? And let me know when you see the thin blue line.

How we create the things that happen to us

2006-03-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes people who owe you something change on you and try to distance themselves from you. The way to turn that into forgiveness is to have a value system that includes "dumping on others" as part of the range of acceptable human behaviors.

But seriously, there is too much of it going on, and the next wave (the wave action of our generation moving through the centuries) is to wake up a bit more, now that we have been able to see, through the internet, what reckless behavior humans engage in. It is an opportunity to make some decisions about what is valuable and what is not.

I was heartbroken to see the nice dad risk it all on "Deal or No Deal" and lose money that his children had told him to take. But life goes on. That $76,000 will have to be erased from their ledger of "things that are owed to me" in order to go on to be a productive citizen, which I'm sure those children are becoming.

Sometimes you are just about being a lesson to other people. And that is a good thing. So for Heaven's sake, let's start taking our lessons. It's fun to play games. And that's what games are. And if you take seriously that you are here for some purpose, then it is acceptable that some people are here to play games, and others are here to work; just don't forget that this is life, and One Size Fits All. Everyone wears many roles throughout their lifetime.

You can choose whether to don the role of loser or winner, it isn't about what life brings you, it's about how you transform it into what you have chosen for you.

Forgivable errors

2006-02-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

Simple mistakes are easy. Anyone can make them. Like typing "foregiveness.com" into the browser instead of "forgiveness.com" and seeing what it does to the browser.

If you live one day at a time, you already know that some days you get a lot done and some days you don't, but EVERY day what persists in your memory is your overall mood and it leads right into the mood of the next day.

The rhythm of life is the daily rhythm, the insects and birds, the elements, the mammals, the noise of the city, the activities of the people. Where you are is in your community, and people in your community are interacting with the world in their homes, and in their churches and buildings, and in commerce. Telephones and the internet have made face to face contact less prominent, but it is the human breath that communities need in order to face the stress of living. People interacting with each other, both healthy and unhealthy, is important to the strength and immune system we all need to support the progress of healthy practices.

Since spring is coming, it is time to play outside.

Dog people can take a dog out to play. People who like to walk can always find places to walk alone. We heard about one guy who rambled cross-country talking to himself for 3 weeks on a manic episode; others probably make a lifestyle of taking to the road. It is only dangerous as much as we permit or choose it to be; the danger inhibits rampant meanderings of young teens, etc.

When we choose not to travel, we owe it to ourselves to be interactive with people in our own community. If you do not live in a town with wonderful people, you owe it to your town to make it become a community of people in agreement with each other, largely, about human values.

strengthening resistance

2006-02-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

What is resistance?
Resistance is instinctive.
Resistance is intuitive - pay attention to it.
Resistance is a skill which can be strengthened, just as any muscle. When we backslide against our goals, we and we alone decide how far to slide.

Will the path up the hill be just as easy the second or third time; perhaps even easier because we have accomplished part of it before? Yes, perhaps even easier. Do we still have sufficient motivation toward our goals? Perhaps the resistance muscle needs conditioning.

Resistance to what?
Resistance to temptation comes to mind. After all, this is forgiveness.com :)

Resistance to change comes to mind. Change is not easy. Sometimes we need change; sometimes we want change; but when we find ourselves resisting change then it's time to examine the change. What can we do about change? We can shape it; we can explore ways to accomodate it; we can do all of these things if we have developed and strengthened our resistance.

Strengthening resistance builds choices. And choice is a key component of having what you want. Wanting what you have, that's another thing entirely. If you are not ready to "settle" for what you have, and if you do not have what you want, then work on the things you CAN do something about -- building resitance is one of them.

A new Age of Discovery!

2006-02-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

These timeless values - Discovery and Exploration - have been the hallmarks of all the Ages of Man, but the discovery of the Planet beyond Pluto and the discovery of new and old species in Papua, Indonesia is a reminder that we are part of an endless stream of time and physics, which is ever-evolving.

Humans are on earth as animals and as spiritual entities, just as the entire stream of the Universe is as much spiritual as empirical. Put into practice acceptance who you are; many things you cannot change, can never change. Put into practice acceptance what you did; people can stress out over anything. Can you manage? is the question. Have your actions prevented another human from navigating? THEN HELP OTHERS. People who are helping others are part of the solution to the misfortunes (as Shakespeare said, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune) we have inflicted upon ourselves and others.

People who manage to rise above the pain of old trauma and unresolved pain are lucky. So many hundreds of people in your town are out on the streets every day, worrying about the same things, family, job, poverty, frustration; you are not new here. But the pink-swarbled gyrometric bird of paradise just got here yesterday. Or did it?

Noticing your choices

2006-02-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

So much of the decision-making process is beyond our comprehension. Are we making day-to-day and moment-by-moment automatic responses without recognizing that "by doing this" you have etched a road toward "that," which you did not want. Self correction is part of being on the path of your own choosing. I confessed; my sin was forgiven and I was absolved of it, meaning I did not repeat the sin. Today's lesson is to look up the word "absolution" and find out if that's what it means or not. Praise be to All Deities, Messengers and Angels, in Jesus' name Amen.

Forgiveness

2006-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

ggggggggggg
ggg
ggg
ggg
ggggggggggg
ggg
ggg
ggg
ggg
ggg
ggg
gggORGIVENESS COMES IN MANY STRIPES

Love is Hell

2006-01-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

"LOVE IS HELL"
in familiar block letters
on a black and white sign
on a familiar block

letters "L O V E I S H E L L"
on a F OR S A L E sign
a familiar Block Letter
White Sign-In
Black Love is Hell

and Heaven
answers
Heaven is Death
Gratefully So
for Love
is Hell

Tookie Williams is executed

2005-12-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

March 2006 update: Lawyers for another man on CALIF. death row were able to prove that the death penalty in California could not meet the constitutional standard of "no cruel or unusual punishments." So - no more death penalty in Cailfornia.

No one condones a killer.
But if one is a killer, one's life continues. Who among us is not responsible - speaking metaphorically of course - for the deaths caused by the actions of the disturbed, the angry, the hungry, the drunk, the poor, the corrupt? Who among us might not by "a simple twist of fate" be the one facing execution by the monstrous power of the never-infallible state?

A man who had dedicated his life to reducing the pull of egoism and domination on the undeveloped mind of youngsters who have no appropriate poles of guidance -- well that's a long way of saying something, but it has to be said -- Tookie Williams could have been an example of redemption who would have remained in prison the rest of his life, where he could have continued to be a role model and example to others who are sorely lacking in role models.

But Arnold Schwarzenegger decided that he had not shown redemption because he had not confessed to his crimes.

It's OK to disagree.

Thank you for reading the GOLDEN 50th post on this website. Happy holiday!

Acceptance

2005-11-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

"I can't seem to do anything for myself my life has been wasted and I just want it to be over. Everything is so messed up now and I can't fix it. I'm 35 and my life is basically over. "

Anyone can understand how things get to this point. Despair. Depression. Indecision.

The holidays often bring a sense of remorse and regret. As we get older, the opportunities which we sense have slipped away seem to be more obvious. Regret is a natural response.

Yet it is an opportunity to begin to see our lifespan for what it is - a span of time. In youth and immaturity, we believe that the only time that matters is the present. We can waste countless resources examining and studying the present. Living in the present is an illusion, for we live along a continuum.

It is only once we have gained some perspective (time and experience) that we can begin to put things into proper perspective, and begin the work of creating the present, not examining the present.

Thoughts do not create action. Action requires movement. Movement leads to change.

In your despair the future looks as hopeless as the present. The goal is not to have an instantly satisfying present; the goal is to see the present as part of a continuum. The only certainty in life is that things will change. They will not remain as they are. And although the curtain seems closed, what has happened is temporary; it is the end of one scene of your life. After a brief interval, the curtains will draw back again. What will you see on your life's stage next?

You, my friend, are the scene designer. No one else is doing the behind the scenes work in your life. It has always been this way, and for every soul ever inhabiting earth. Do your own behind the scenes work, if you want to like what you see next time you see yourself.

If you are waiting for someone or something else to shift your scene, why is that? Is that actually easier? Cheaper? Less scary? Whatever is keeping you from acting is also temporary, my friend, for you must act, and you do act.

Action, not thoughts, will create your day.

Taking Thanks

2005-11-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, consider the other side of giving...receiving. Have you received any thanks? How did you receive the "thankyous" that were offered to you?

Consider how you would like your offers of thanks to be received. And may your heart be singing today, tomorrow, and in surprising ways, singing with your gratitude, in whatever form it may take.

Singing..."I just want to thank you... for letting me... be myself :) Again!"

luck and fortune

2005-10-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

When a light shines on an individual, by fame or fortune, is there a rhyme and reason to it, or is it randomness?

Whatever life has in store for you, you can expect and prepare for only one certainty - your existence will change its course. Can you prepare for that?

Love Thy Neighbor as Thy Self

2005-10-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

What does it mean, the instruction among The Ten Commandments, to Love Thy Neighbor as Thy Self? Does it mean to pick and choose from among your neighbors the ones you like the most, and to bestow upon them as much friendliness as you can muster? Does it mean to love thy neighbor, but this only applies if your neighbor is a trustworthy and likeable sort? Does it mean to love your neighbor only if you love yourself? Does it allow you to hate your neighbor if you hate yourself?

Do you get to skip this Commandment if you really don't want to love your neighbor?

Do you have to let your neighbor know that you love them?

As far as we can say, we believe (1) you don't have to let your neighbor know how you feel about them; and (2) you don't have to do anything to prove your love for your neighbor, but (3) you don't get to make exceptions for people you don't like. LOVE REQUIRES YOU TO ACCEPT THAT YOUR NEIGHBOR IS DESERVING OF LOVE, GOD'S LOVE, HIS FAMILY'S LOVE, HIS COMMUNITY'S LOVE, and HIS NEIGHBOR'S LOVE, JUST AS HE IS.

He doesn't have to be perfect; we know he is not perfect. You don't have to be perfect. Love thy neighbor; take care of yourself; love yourself; work on loving yourself more; hopefully this will show the way to love God, family, community, and that troublesome neighbor just a bit more. Try it, one day.

WE ARE ALL NEIGHBORS. It's a small world, isn't it.