A Contaminated Soul Healed

There are times in our lives that there seems to be no end to our hardships.  There is one mountain after another to climb. Sometimes each mountain seems higher then the one before.  It is so easy to get discouraged with the endless journey of hardship and bad breaks. If we let our hardships and bad breaks define our present and our future then the hardship will continue to progress into even bigger mountains.

I spent most of my life wallowing in my hardships and continuously focusing on my problems it was nearly impossible to see the good.  My thoughts consumed me day and night and I honestly thought that there was no end to the hardship.  I had accepted that this was the way of my life and that nothing would come easy.  Life was a battle a very difficult journey.  This journey was turning me into a very bitter and vengeful person. I did not have the capacity or the know how to snap out of it. It just kept perpetuating and eating away at my soul until there was virtually nothing left of it.  Just an angry bitter soul that did not even know what happiness was anymore.  Anger was the only emotion I knew and happy people just annoyed me. I felt robbed and cheated and hated life. I went about my daily business, but did so miserably.

Celebrating Life at Christmas

The Treasure Box of Memories

You know, I struggle with the whole Christmas thing.  Each year I seek more strength to get through it.  Not because I don’t like Christmas, but it sometimes is a constant reminder of the people I am missing.  I open the box of Christmas decorations and then I close it again. I must open those boxes at least a hundred times before I get the courage to put one decoration on the tree.  Maybe because there are generations of decorations in those boxes.  Grandparents, parents, children and now our own grandchildren.

Many of these decorations carry so many memories of laughter and unconditional love.  The smell of fresh baked apple pie or the turkey roasting in the oven it was awesome.  We danced and sang to Christmas carols even it we did not want to we did it as a family.  It was the one time of the year that we spent as a family.  If there was any animosity amongst others it was forgotten about on Christmas day, it was magical.

So, I finally wrestle up the courage to hang the decorations on the tree, but it has become such a process now.  It should be happy and magical, but I just can’t do it.  When I place those irreplaceable memories on the tree I cannot help but grieve for my loved ones that are not able to share in the memories anymore.  Its natural, right?  I mean I do have this sense that they are here and I am blessed to see the subtle signs like seeing dimes in the boxes, or seeing feathers, a special fragrance and lights flickering.  Its just not the same somehow there is still this emptiness inside.   I know its is up to me to create new memories and Lord I try, but I am dismayed with what Christmas has become.

My memories sometimes take me to a bad place in which I see my family members suffering, but so humbly.  Never once did they complain about dying or about being sick.  Each day, hour, minute and second was scared and even in the darkest moments when their health was ailing we remembered the good times and continued to laugh.  Facing death is very scary and it is something no one wants to think about, but its reality.  I suppose if you have had the pleasure of communicating with your loved ones on the other side it doesn’t seem so scary.  What seems scary to me is we have lost focus on what truly is important.

We frantically search for the perfect gift for the in-law that we talk about and snicker about behind their back, or we push and shove others to get that last toy on the shelf.  Never mind the parking lots, circling around just to get a parking spot and once you do then you must wrestle with sour crowds of people. Oh, yes and then X-mas, jeepers that is just so disrespectful to the season.  Yeah yeah I know its just the short form so I have been told, but its not right.  Keep Christ in Christmas.

So, as I place the last decoration with courage I smile and remember that the memories we shared were of love and laughter.  Sure, we could have wished for more time, but the time we shared was cherished.  It was not wasted on silliness.  Mind you my mother was a little outrageous, but her heart was always in the right place and she did it with an unselfish heart.  I would give anything to dance with her one last time on Christmas day. 

If you are blessed with family, this Christmas build a lifetime of memories.   Memories, kindness, and gratitude is much more prosperous in the heart then gifts are.   Remember Christmas is a celebration of a special life, a birth and we should be doing exactly that celebrating our life!

Destination Gratitude

Over the last several years I have engaged in active listening and observation.  These communication traits have enabled me to be a more descriptive blogger.   There are so many avenues to obtain information now a days.  We are so lucky today to have all of that information at our fingertips.  Whenever there is a debate there is a race to Google to see who is right.  The unknown is no longer unknown.  I wonder is this a good thing?  Some people on the intranet monopolize on other peoples hardships, but my goal is to inspire others to see the world a little different.  Especially if you are a the glass is half empty kind of person.  There is no underlying motivation just to lift someone up who may be down.

If any of you have read posts on my blog you will notice (most of the time) I write about the power of positivity and the profound impact it can have on your life.  I also write about the power of gratitude and the impact that this can have on your life as well.   This thought path really does have an impact on your future.  It is not an easy feat, but a worthwhile one.  Many people indicate that they are positive or grateful, but their worldly actions show otherwise.  I see so many blogs, videos, posts and articles on gratitude, but  rarely do the articles really depict the concept of gratitude.  Most of the time it is a cash grab taking advantage of vulnerable naïve people.

The best way for me to describe gratitude is to feel the graciousness in my heart when I awaken.  I am gracious to see another day.  There is an enormous amount to be grateful for.  Simple things like clean clothes, clean drinking water, health and family. Since my heightened communication skills I have seen and heard others proclaim their gratitude, but few really demonstrate or really have an inclination of what the feeling really is.  Because when there is opportune time to complain then they will complain.  Gratitude is within your heart consistently and does not surpass with miniscule events like poor service or unpleasant drivers.  Gratitude is understanding that not everyone has a great day and there may be a reasons that led to that incident.  Gratitude is walking away with a smile and believing and hoping that the other person will have a better day.  Gratitude is better not bitter. Gratitude is forgiving and not holding grudges.

In so many of my observations I have heard others say they are grateful, but they are mean, distrusting, gossiping,  and disrespectful towards others. This drives me absolutely insane because they are convinced they are grateful and positive. Perhaps to ease their conscience, but by no means is this a grateful nor positive attitude.   Some people artificially believe they are positive so that they may come into some huge windfall, but deep within their subconscious there is that voice that says you are not truly grateful and positive and think what crisis will happen to me next. 

Gratitude and positivity doesn’t just come because you say so.  Gratitude and positivity is a way of life every day all day.  You breathe, eat and sleep gratitude.  It’s not a simple as saying I am grateful today.  Actions must demonstrate the thought and as I said earlier this is a difficult feat.   I have seen so many people fall victim to literature, blogs and movies on the power of positivity and how it can immediately change your life.  This is a consistent life changing endeavor and it so easy to fall off the wagon as negative thoughts enter your mind constantly.  Keep persevering and believing, and you will notice a few less negative thoughts each day.  When your heart balloons with happiness each day all day then you have reached the gratitude destination.

Here is a cute little video to remind  you to be grateful for the simple things enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/powerofpositivity/videos/10153665590087371/

Living a Life Without Strife

Your Life Will Acquire A Windfall Without Strife

Are you living a life with strife?  Strife: Angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues; conflict.   It is so easy to allow strife into our lives when things don’t go our way.   Someone may cut you off on the highway and you may feel strife towards the other driver, but the driver that cut you off may be dealing with their own hardships.  They could have a sick loved one at home.  We generally do not know the circumstances of others and what is going in their lives.  The moment we allow strife into our life and our heart is the moment the negativity enters into our immediate future. 

Over the course of my life I allowed strife into my life many times and it was until years later all of that strife unraveled right in front of me.  I can guarantee you that if you wish ill will or negative thoughts onto others it will come back to you in the same form.  I cringe now when I hear people say I hope that guy’s toes fall off because I just know how powerful those negative thoughts can be and what they can do to a person.  Years later you may break your toe, or even worse lose your toe. It will come back one way or another some of us will get it and sadly some us never will.

There are so many people in our world that are perpetual complainers.  They are not happy unless they are complaining about something.  Complaining about the horrible customer service they received, or how the boss was a jerk only to them.   They are constantly a victim and these circumstances seem to only happen to them.  Why is that I always end up with the short end of the stick?  If you keep thinking that way then you will always end up with the tail end of the stick.  We all have bad breaks and sometimes life just does not go according to our plan, but if it was up to us then we would never face diversity in our lives.  Life would be perfect for all of us, but that is not the world we live in unfortunately.

It is how we face the diversity in our lives that define our future.  We need to know that we are not alone and we are not the only ones that face diversity.  There is no need to become angry, bitter and expel strife towards others.   It is real

ly not up for us to right the wrongs and seek vengeance.   We may feel some sense of immediate satisfaction in doing so, but in the end we are only bringing more negativity back to our lives.   It is okay to be upset, angry and disappointed, however we have to know that this is just temporary and if we believe that God has brought us to the hardship for his own reasons he will also take us out of the hardship greater and stronger.   

You see I had some serious doubts about all of this as I had immense strife in my life before.  I wanted vengeance and I was very good at seeking it, but I wanted to test this theory, the Bible theory as nothing was working.  Ultimately the t.heory states that it is not up for us to right the wrongs.  If someone wrongs you let it go I guarantee you will see the wrongs right themselves.  It is somewhat miraculous how it can happen if you just believe and the best part about it all is you do not have to do a thing.   I changed my belief system and I started seeking out God.  I studied his word and his advice.  Knowing that I was not completely perfect and I sinned occasionally, but I repent and knew I was forgiven.

What I have learned, continue to learn and will always learn is that the words of the Bible are both inspiring and loving if you allow yourself to believe it.  It is all how you interpret the words and how these words can have significant guidance in your life.  Especially through troubling times. Sometimes these words will be the only mechanism to survive that hardship. They certainly helped me in one of the most difficult journey’s I embarked upon.  I know that I will face diversity again, but I know that I will come out of stronger wiser and with great prosperity.  Sometimes I believe I am being tested and it is dependent on how I handle these hardships that will predispose my future.

There are the atheists or bible haters out there in the world that would argue my beliefs, but at the end the day it really doesn’t bother me what others think because I try very hard to just not to rebuttal and let it be.  As I said there is no wrong no right just an opinion that is all and it is not up to us to argue others opinions.  I do know that since I have been studying the bible I have had a sense of peace inside that I cannot even verbalize.  I suppose heavenly would the best way to describe it.  Life is not always a smooth sail along the waters and the process to solitude is evolving slowly, but it is evolving nonetheless.  I am so much more peaceful letting most things go. 

What I have learned recently is to let go of the negative influences in my life and move on.  There is no harm saying goodbye to the negative people or circumstances.  Trust me you will be better off and you will notice an immediate liberation in your life.  Unfortunately the negative people seldom see the good in the world. They are too focused on the bad. Rid your life of this conduct because as soon as you cross over to the gratitude side your life will begin to change in many ways.  It is not an easy battle to overcome because our natural tendency is to revert back to old behaviors.  It takes work, but the windfall is worth the effort trust me.

Extinguish the" Why Me" in Your Life

Faith Over Circumstances

Have you ever sat and pondered to yourself why?  Why does this continue to happen I mean I am a good person?  I am humble and kind to others why is it I just can't catch a break?  Why is it that others always seem to get all of the breaks?  The question why is probably the most frustrating question because some of us will never truly get the answer and some of us will spend the rest of our lives trying to figure it out or analyzing the circumstances.

One thing I have learned in my life is that you just have to accept the circumstances and know that the answers will not necessarily land on your lap.  Sometimes you have to embrace the hardships believing that the best is yet to come.  For some this will be difficult endeavor because it is so easy to let life control the now. We get caught up in the now and we perpetuate more negative thoughts.  The more we perpetuate the more we bring negative events to our lives, however this is not always the case.

You could be in the prime of your life and you could have all of the worldly blessings, but in an instance things can change.  Instinctively our thought will take us to the why, but that is when we have to believe that these hardships are only temporary.  I know this may be difficult and at these times is when your faith is truly tested.  It is natural to question your faith in troubled times, but I guarantee that these times are only temporary and if you believe this in your heart then blessings are on the way. 

Both of my parents died young of cancer and ironically it wasn’t until it spread to their brain we knew.  Yes that is right in both of my parents it spread to the brain.  More recently when my mother was diagnosed it was a dark time and the natural thought was why?  No God would do this right?  I truly did not understand and I was caught up in the why for some time. It just did not make sense. I quickly learned that I had to restore my faith that I had moved away from. Life was going great and in a moment it changed.  And I was an example of bad things happening to good people.   So many nights I pondered and when something this life changing happens in your life you tend to just reflect.

So I decided to change my thoughts and although the circumstances were grim I had to believe that this hardship was meant to strengthen me and that I would be blessed double for the trouble.  I know there are some people that think I am crazy and so are my beliefs, but because of my beliefs I have been blessed to have subtle interactions with my mother’s spirit. This has given me a sense of solitude that I cannot even put into words.  The unfortunate thing is if you don’t believe then you will not likely have interactions with your loved ones that have departed earth. (See the link below for signs of your loved ones)  If  I did not have my faith and spirituality I am not sure I would have overcome this! Knowing she is here is a gift.

Why is it when we are in a state of disarray we cry out to God and hope for a miracle, but when our life is going great we don’t?  So many people I have brushed up against in the last year thinks that I am some born again Christian, which I may be, but how many of you have prayed to God in times of need?  I am sure many!  The only difference is I pray now in good and bad.  I thank God for my blessings and believe that he is paving a very bright future.  I am grateful to have God in my heart in the good and the bad and there is no harm to say thank you instead of always asking for something.  God means something different to many of us, but just because I vocalize my faith does not mean I am crazy it means I believe in something!

Psalm 57:1

10 Signs a Loved One is Near

Hiccups In Life

The life we live on earth can be pretty hectic and stressful.  We tend to be in a rush were ever we go. We become impatient when we have to stand in a long line when shopping.  We sometimes take out our frustrations and impatience on the innocent customer service representative. The repercussion of this impatience affects not only just you, but all others who cross your impatient path. This negative aura follows you and has left a stream of  many impatient people in your destructive path.  This is our world, this is how many of us live.

On my commute to work I listen and observe others on the train.  Some seem happy, but the vast majority have developed frown lines of impatience and stress.  Very little seem content, at least on the commute. I often ponder why is this so?  Perhaps they are suffering a hardship, but then I think how can so many people possibly be suffering hardship.   Sometimes I just want to scream" Can you please be grateful? Why do you have to be so angry and abrupt." You have one more second, one more minute one more hour and one more day.  I would love to have another day with my hero my mother whom has parted earth.  I  am sure that my  happiness, zest for life and grateful demeanor irritates the  angry commuter which is very sad to me.

I have encountered some unbearable hardship throughout and more recently, yet instead of taking the high road to anger I choose to appreciate the simple blessing of more time or the freedom in our country.  Bitterness, anger and blame seem to be an easy scapegoat when your life is not going the way you want it  There are millions of refugees in our world that would be simply happy of having one minute of peace and freedom. They have fled their homes with nothing and can no longer have conversation with their neighbors. Everything they have worked for and lived for is gone. We are so spoiled that we have forgotten simple fundamental blessings.  People's time seems to be more valuable then freedom, a warm home and simple conversation with your neighbor.

Life will have hiccups along the way and  how we deal with these hiccups predispose our future. Hanging on to your anger or taking your anger and frustration out on others is not going to give you any harmony or peace in your life.  You are going to continue to bring negativity in your life. Similarly, the company we keep can also dictate our destiny.  If you surround yourself with negative people then the negativity will spill into your life.

We need to handle our hardships with grace and know that the most high, God, is with us through our troubling times. Sometimes you just need to ask for guidance to deal with this hardship with elegance and grace. This does not make you weak it makes you human. Test yourself for one day. When a negative thought comes your way push it out with a pleasant thought of gratitude. each day it will be easier and eventually you will notice the negative thoughts come less frequently. You will enjoy a happier peaceful existence which tends to be contagious to others. 

Don't Be Afraid of Who I Am and What I Believe

Listening is a powerful form of communication, but how many of you really listen? Being an effective listener is a gift so I have taken consideration to work on this weakness.  Even though I am engaged in conversation I can admit I don’t always listen.  My mind can wonder off for a moment, but in this moment the conversation may have its greatest meaning.

 

So why is this relevant? I tell you why it is relevant to me.  I have a long commute of two hours and forty minutes per day every day.   About twenty three hours a week. I have been graced by so many people of kind and caring personalities.  I cannot help but believe that this was a plan set out by God.  Why there are so many people that just want to talk and I gracefully listen to them. And I know they appreciate that I listen, absorb and sometimes offer up some Godly advice.  Yes that’s right Godly advice, but not the advice you may be thinking.

 So let me explain a little better. The last year had a profound impact on my life and I mean profound, words really cannot explain nor do it justice. Cancer once again had taken another precious family member of mine.  To date it has been four.  My grandmother, my father, my step-father and then my mother had succumbed. Three out of the four were below the age of seventy. It is in my opinion, the absolute worst thing to see, but then again that is all I have seen so this not meant to minimize other illness.   Each case is different and each has a different set of circumstances. My mother was probably the most difficult case to witness.  Her strength and valor were impeccable and unspeakable. My mother is my idol and is a true inspiration to me.  While she was sick I shared my blog and my Christian beliefs and she could not have been prouder. Essentially her illness and her death had a positive impact on my life.  I chose betterment and not bitterness.  I admit after her passing I slipped into a small downward spiral, but as quick as I slipped down I picked myself right back up.

So now back to the Godly advice above. The advice I give is to be grateful and count your daily blessings even opening your eyes in the morning is a mere treasure. We shall not judge others as we have no idea what their circumstances are, they may have a loved one dying.  Not to mention if you are going to cast judgments on others then you cast them upon yourself.  Lastly I advocate for forgiveness.  This is a hard one, but that anger and bitterness in my opinion is a poison to your soul and eventually your body.

It actually astounds me how many people are uncomfortable with the word Jesus.  Why is that do you suppose? If you celebrate Easter you celebrate Jesus, if you celebrate Christmas you celebrate Jesus.  It is kind of comical that if you believe and  go to church  for some reason others feel compelled to tell you that they don’t believe in that crap.  Why? Perhaps they feel that we are going to preach or perhaps they are living with some regret, guilt and fear.  Who knows?  Why is it people do not get uncomfortable when Kim Kardashian’s name is mentioned?    

 One thing I do want to clarify on my behalf is I have no desire to neither preach nor judge others who do not believe.  Essentially Jesus was a good man.  He healed the sick, helped the weak, did not judge, loved all, and forgave.  So If I want to follow in his footsteps so be it.  Being a better person and living a better life does make you a born again Christian it makes you a good Christian.  People who comment, or who are fearful should perhaps do a little research because it is evident of their ignorance to the bible.

One little interesting fact though that you will find on the internet is 86% of all money donated to the Church is provided to the community.  The highest of any registered charity.  So to those who think we are brainwashed into giving money so be it.  I like to see less fortunate people eat, have warm jackets, used laptops and many other services provided to the less fortunate.

The Church asking for donations is no different than the Canadian Cancer Society asking for donations.  So is the Canadian Cancer Society brainwashing you?  Maybe into believing that money goes into research,  they have a D rating and an enormous amount of monies raised goes into fundraising. The mortality rate for cancer is the same in 2015 as 1956 check that out too.  This is evident with my family.  As the donations increase so does the fundraising cost at the expense of the research.  So I would much rather see 86% of my dollar going to use.  

The long and skinny of it is regardless of what your beliefs are they are yours. As far as I know we still live in a Country that allows us to be us. There is no right no wrong we are all human beings so don't be afraid of me because of who I am and what I believe.

Interesting Read Below:

Moneysense Charity Grades

Where Your Charity Money Goes

CBC Cancer Society Report

The Gift of True Happiness

In Search of a Happy Heart

Over the last year I have evaluated my life and my previous transgressions and knew that there had to be a change.  I really needed to remove the mask and stop pretending like my life was a bowl of cherries when in fact I was dealing with some pretty toxic emotions.  Others would perceive me as happy go lucky, but they could not see what was truly in my heart.  I was good at wearing a mask of false emotion. I was not truly looking in my heart and evaluating what it took to make me happy.

This year brought some traumatic events and there were times that I was consumed with deep sorrow. My heart felt broken and I was not sure how to mend my heart. It is reasonable to feel loss and sorrow when you lose a loved one, but it was more than that.

I carried around bitterness, unforgiving, jealousy, strife, judgments and always felt some uncontrollable need to seek revenge on others who had wronged me. I would contemplate and conspire how I would get them back.  Although the outer me seemed happy the inner me was absolutely miserable and despite my many attempts to be happy inside, the other poisonous emotions would push the happiness out.

Then I wondered how many others were also wearing a false mask of emotion. I mean it seemed so easy to pretend to be happy. I thought what does happiness feel like? Sad to say I know. There would be times I would be at a social gathering and I would be happy in that moment, but I honestly did not know what true happiness was, and wondered if I would ever know. This was so troubling to me that I decided to pursue a mission of happiness and how to truly feel happiness in my heart.

Along my mission I was able to finally identify what true happiness was and have been working diligently to keep my heart happy.  The points below helped

• Letting it go. Not allowing people or situations to get to me.
• Focusing on the good and not the bad.
• Forgiving others
• Not to judge others
• Trust in God he will take me out of troubled times and he will take care of my enemies it is not up to me too.
• From the moment I open my eyes blessed to have lived another day, and that I can see the day!

Granted it takes work and perseverance and it is so easy to revert back and I have had a few setbacks but I can actually see the rewards of my discipline.  To give you an example I recently lost my job (which was a blessing) and had three interviews for three top firms in Canada. Two of the firms I was not warm and fuzzy about, but the other was a dream.  All of the interviews went well, but I had not received a call back.  I became discouraged but as quickly as I became discouraged I meditated and switched my thinking. Two hours later the dream prospect job had emailed me.  So it proves that if you place your trust in God he will help you prosper.

I now know what happiness in the heart feels like and it is a wonderful powerful emotion. Much more power than the negative.  It also has a much stronger force than the alternative. 

Spiritual Health

Airlifted to Uplifted

I received a devastating call the other day from my daughter.  Her father was in a serious car accident and was airlifted to the closest trauma centre.  Upon receiving the call I went into shock feeling the pain and heartache in my daughter’s voice.   At that moment I was feeling hopeless because as a parent you want to constantly shelter your children from pain.  That agonizing question “why” ponders through my mind, but after reviewing the wreckage it was a miracle one would make it out alive.  Thanks to the powers that be the injuries were serious but not life threatening.

At the time of hearing the news there was someone in my office and they had asked what was wrong.  I proceeded to tell them the news and they immediately felt sad indicating that they should not complain so much and should be grateful.    My response was that we should all be grateful and not complain about the minuscule things in life such as broken fingernail.   
I suppose that my life has conditioned me not to sweat the small things and that many human beings (thankfully) have not suffered loss or unbearable emptiness.  Perhaps if they did they would relish each moment and be kind loving people.  It is unfortunate that we only understand how sacred life is when we lose something.   We should not have to lose to appreciate the countless blessing we live with daily.

Lately I have been extremely aggravated with self-centered human beings.  It takes every bit of self-control for me not to say anything to them. The sad part about it is they do not even realize that they are consumed with themselves and it is truly heartbreaking.  However at the end of the day these individuals are spiritually starving and diseased and it is them who require saving. 

I have come to learn that some of the humans in society, that feel it is necessary to belittle, gossip, encourage ignorance; judge, lie and steal are very insecure and lack the spiritual health we should possess as humans.     A spiritually healthy person would never behave this way because of the inner security they retain.

Yesterday when I was at the hospital with my grandson I had noticed two brothers one in a wheel chair and the other pushing the wheelchair.   The brother in the wheelchair looked very ill and it appeared that he had sustained severe brain impairment.  I was feeling very bad for him and the struggles he obviously endured.   It reminded me once again to be forever grateful.  My grandson was so innocent and naïve to all of this thank goodness.   Then I saw three children all under the age of six running towards the man in the wheelchair they screamed “Daddy we miss you”.  I cried and was immediately uplifted by the joy in their faces and their fathers.  No amount of injury can erase a happy healthy soul.

Trusting God in Troubled Times

I have Fallen God Rose me Up!

I have fallen down and have had great difficulty to stand up on my own two feet again.  Each time I stand my knees are weak and my legs shake and I fall once again. This is actually a metaphor to my life right now. I have fallen on hard times probably one of the most difficult journeys to date. I have lost my best friend, my mentor (my mother), my dog has fallen ill and has lost his sight and more recently I lost my job.

Now I could choose to live in a constant state of pity and play the poor me trump card, which quite honestly is very easy to do given the circumstance.  I had succumbed to this poison for a number of months continuously asking the questions why God why? I sank into a depression and could not imagine a future of happiness. I mean why does this garbage keep happening and what is the purpose of this?

The only answer that I could come up with is it is a test of my faith and my commitment towards God.  There is a popular saying “God will only give you what you can handle.”  I cried out to him and pleaded no more please I cannot handle anymore.  Although I pleaded to him, unfortunate events continued to happen.  I thought to myself I am a good Christian and I am so not deserving of this hardship. I have often heard that bad things happen to bad people, but this is one of the most untrue statements.  Bad things actually do happen to good people.  These unfortunate events in our lives happen to all of us at some point.  There is no such thing as smooth sailing through life.

The light finally turned on!  What I have learned throughout my difficult times is how we handle the hardship.  We can ultimately control the outcome of our demise.  I realized that God sometimes sends us on a journey that may cause hardship, but as long as we put our trust in him he will guide us out of troubled waters and lead us into a more fruitful life all we have to do is ask for is guidance.

God does not want see his children suffer he loves them unconditionally and he can take you out of every situation if you place your trust into him. The problem is sometimes we are so focused on the stresses in our lives we do not count our blessings.  We forget to see what is right in front of our eyes. We are so focused on our own misery, which is very easy to do, and live in a consistent sate of negativity.  The problem is negativity breeds negativity and this will manifest in your life.  It is how we face these difficulties that can make the difference in our outcome.  We have to be poised and humble and know that this is life and things do not always go according to plan.  God has a plan for us and he can bring us out of any storm as long as we have the faith in him.

One of my many blessings is my intuition towards humans.  I have been cast many of judgements lately during my grieving process. I had succumbed to the poison and wanted to vindicate those who judged me, but thankfully God pulled me out of the wreckage and quickly reminded me that he is the only one that can cast judgements and he will vindicate. Those who cast judgements upon others will cast judgements upon themselves.

God has picked up his broken child and he has taken me on a path to healing, forgiveness and gratitude. I trust that he has plan for me to prosper and he will give me a life full of abundance because I have put my trust into him.  I await in joy because God has a plan for me!

Psalm 34:17
17: The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them: he delivers them form all of their troubles.

Biblical Reference Troubling Times

Labeling Jars not People

A label can be defined as: Labelling or labeling is describing someone or something in a word or short phrase. Wiki-Definition.

We are labeled as rich or poor, intelligent or stupid, healthy or unhealthy, happy or unhappy and so many more.  Labels lead to unnecessary judgments of others.

Our educational system will label kids with a learning disability, and this could have a profound effect on a kids self –esteem.  The only learning disability is that of the school’s curriculum and their method of teaching.  Now this kid has to live with the stigma of having a disability, and may continue through his or her life with this negative annotation.  They may feel that they are not capable of reaching their dreams because much of their life they were told they could not do it.  Bill gates is the wealthiest man in the world and he dropped out of college, so he is proof that success can be obtained regardless of a label.  The bible states that we shall not judge our neighbors is this not a judgement?

Another example is; when you meet someone new, one of the first questions you ask is, “What do you do for a living?”, another unnecessary label.  Many are guilty of evaluating someone’s self-worth by what they do instead of who they are.  Regardless of whether you are a cleaning lady or a high profile executive happiness is the true measure of self-worth. Many will oppose this and that is okay too I only write to educate on what my perception is and not to persuade.

Recently I have embarked on a journey to share my life stories and the lessons I have learned along the way.  I was blessed to have had a calling in my life, and I am ecstatic with my new journey of delivering hope to others.  This voyage is very fulfilling and uplifting and gives me great happiness.   Instead of celebrating my happiness I feel the skepticism by many.    Not that it will change my path, but this proves the labeling theory.  The only person I have to answer to is God and trust that he will guide me to the path of success as he has in so many ways along my journey.  From my knowledge of the bible God judges no one and forgives everyone.  We can judge the sin of others but we cannot judge the person of that sin. Each day when I awaken I have to remind myself not to label or judge others.  It has been a difficult endeavor and I do slip up, but I know I am forgiven.

Faith, belief and spirituality have been my guide especially more recently.  It has given me an inner sense of peace and happiness.  The best part of it all, is faith is free.  So if there is no God, heaven, or everlasting life (which I do not believe) there was no investment except happiness.  The moment you possess faith is the moment you possess happiness.  You have to remember that faith alone will not resolve all of your problems, but if you have faith then you have a guide to help you through them.  God sometimes gives us challenges, but all you have to do is ask for help without selfish intent, and be a disciple to him.  Which essentially means; loving others, forgiving others, and not judging others.  Pretty simple right?   For you skeptics and non-believers if you allow this gift into your life you will endure a happiness you have never felt before.  What do you have to lose?  Faith and belief is free.

Lastly, we are not a label, but a precious and unique human being, a gift from God.  The next time someone tries to give you a label remember that the only label you hold is that of Gods.

Gratitude Will Change Your Life! Read This Story and See for Yourself!

Blame and Complain or Live and Forgive?

As I was sitting outside enjoying the beauty of the sunshine and the heavenly earth we live on,  I close my eyes and absorb the beautiful rays of the sun.  As my eyes are closed I thank our father our Lord for the many blessings that are in my life.  I understand that, that life is not always an easy path and also understand that the path of troubles lead us into better times if we trust that God will guide us through them.

As my eyes were closed and I was counting my blessings I heard two gentlemen at the corner driving expressing road rage.  One gentlemen had said fu.. you, you fuc...goof you just did a u turn.  I immediately got up from meditating and looked at the two.  I was feeling bad for them both as they obviously have no idea what it is like to be grateful.  I mean the world we live in today can be somewhat troublesome.  We gripe and complain about everything, but yet we live in a civilization in which we have everything.   There are woman in the eastern cultures that are not even aloud to bear their face or they will be shot. There are people in the world that are starving, praying for food and fresh water and we complain when there is a water ban and we cannot water our grass.  I mean really?  What have we become?

We complain about the grey hair we have, but yet a cancer patient would love to have hair.  We complain about running out of gas or a flat tire and that we have to walk to the gas station, but again we have legs to walk there.  We complain about our jobs but there is someone who has been unemployed for years praying for a job.  We bear jealousy for others, but we do not look at we have and what they don’t.  We may be able to have children, but there are many people that are not able to conceive.  We live in a society where we constantly complain.  We sue corporations if our coffee is too hot, and win like really what kind of world do we live in?

This should not be our path nor our journey.   We are to speak the words of the Lord and not be jealous towards others.   We are too love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  Before we speak we should actually think about what we are saying, is it kind?  If not, there may be a time in which we should keep our opinions to ourselves.  In every hardship we encounter there is at least one blessing we can embrace.  Remember that blessing before you speak  ill towards others

I never used to believe in this, but I have seen the changes in my life when I jumped over to gratitude and the words of the Lord.  You see what we don’t understand is that the scripture is about kindness and spreading good deeds,  and not being judgmental, but to serving the Lord and living by his kind words.  My life has not always been a cake walk and I know that whatever happens in my life I will be kind and forgiving.  I will be grateful for the many things we have and not take them for granted.  I think if at least half of the world could adopt this mentality then we would live in a much better place.

I challenge you to wake up tomorrow and be kind and be grateful. Push any negative thoughts away.  It is not as easy for all of us and it will take some discipline, but I guarantee you will see the fruit of your perseverance.  Each day we face some kind of negative thought, but we have to understand that this is the work of our enemy and is a temptation of our will.  Jesus was tempted for forty days in the desert by the devil and not once did he succumb to the temptation.  Try it for twenty-four hours and see how uplifting it can be.  It is easier to blame and complain, but takes true strength to count our blessings. 

A Bump in the Road of Life

As I face one the most turbulent times of my life I choose to look at it as a bump in the road along my journey of life.  These bumps in the road are intended to build our spirit and our soul and if we were to encounter our lives without any bumps we would never flourish our spirit or our souls.

We can easily get caught up in the why me syndrome and this mindset.  This thought process will never allow us to flourish.  Each and every one of us have encountered bumps along the way of life.  Whether it be losing a loved one, losing our jobs, disappointment from our children, or financial difficulty this list goes on and on.  When we face these trials in our lives it is very easy to get caught up in the moment and focus on our grief.  We must remember that something good is meant to happen and although we do not see it immediately it does come to life eventually.

When my father passed it was one of the most difficult journeys for me.  I was bitter and angry I consistently focused on the why me syndrome and this lasted for several months. Then one day I woke up and said enough. The moment I changed my mind set was the moment my life began to flourish.  I received a promotion at work, purchased a new home and a new car.  This was God’s plan.  You see he is always there to guide you if you let him, and these bumps along the way are intended to strengthen us.

To put in greater perspective when you prune a fruit tree you cut away the branches of a tree. Although you are cutting away the branches you begin to see more fruit flourish on the tree.  Similar to what happens in our lives. The bumps are the branches being clipped away in order for us to flourish.  

As I embark on another difficult journey in my life watching my mother weaken with cancer and troubles with my career I know that this is another bump along the way, another branch being clipped away.  Although it is extremely difficult I have to believe that God is preparing me for a more fruitful life.

Just remember that you are not unique and you are not being punished.  Sometimes it may feel there are more bumps then you can handle, but you must believe that there is a plan for you to flourish.

Mother Nature Rears its Ugly Head Are We To Blame?

From the moment I awaken I am grateful to have opened my eyes.  I lie silently for a few moments and remind myself of the many things to be grateful for.   Something as simple as a bird whistling in the morning is a comforting pleasure.   I am grateful for the abundance of life forms and the wonderful landscapes that surround our planet earth.

Our planet is dying slowly and our children or grandchildren may never see the beauty of our earth.   Regularly  there are natural acts of disaster that have devastating effects on our earth.  I have often pondered why is this so?  Why are innocent lives taken?  How do these disasters affect our ecosystem and are they meant to happen to restore the stability of the earth?    I have even heard others say these acts are necessary to sustain our population, which I strongly disagree.

We as humans have taken our earth for granted we toss stuff out our windows,  pour toxic chemicals down the sink, oil spills in the ocean there are to many to list.  When it boils down to it the majority of this destruction is all in the face of greed and our earth is the victim to this greed.  Why can’t we see this?, because our need for money is greater than our need to breathe clean air.

 It is prophesized that our world will end from many acts of natural disasters.   From what I have witnessed over the last 20 years it appears to be the case.   Google it you may be astonished.  Perhaps that is why Mother Nature rears its ugly head by way of disaster.  A subtle hint to stop destroying the world we live in. 

You see if you dissect the word humankind, kind is the last word.   Kind there has to be some meaning to that.   The definition: of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person; indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane.   Many of us have forgotten to be kind hence the destruction.  Is this a warning to us to be kind to our planet?   As we consume our lives with greed and hatred humankind will be wiped out and then what will we call ourselves?  You guessed it extinct like many species already.  So breed humankind and not humanhate.    

The Gift of Life: The Glass is Half Full not Empty!

Each of us in life embark on a different journey or path and once that path has completed or we completed what we are here to do, then we move on we die. Death is something none of us want to think of, but it is part of our life and if you are spiritually healthy and have your faith you will view death as a beginning and not an end.



Life has taken me thus far on an unforgettable journey. This journey has taught me many important things and has taken me on a path of faith and spirituality. One of which after reading this blog some will be truly perplexed as to how I could still have faith after the many challenges and journey’s I have embarked upon.


The story of my survival absolutely has to do with my faith in Jesus Christ and his father we call god because without their continuous belief in me and my belief in them I would have shattered or ended up institutionalized by now.


My journey has taken me through unforgivable acts of abuse, financial hardship, disease and loss. And through all of this I have still remained positive and spiritually healthy. I believe my new path in life is to share my journey with others so that they may restore their faith in whatever they believe in or have started to lose hope or have lost hope all together. To look at life as a precious gift and that the glass is half full and not half empty. By understanding and truly believing that we have the power to send out in to the universe what we receive.


I have witnessed such unbelievable events along my journey we call life, which no amount of science can explain. Only the acts of our god can explain and the love I have bared for him since a young child that was abused. I often hear what kind of god would do that? Why would god let small children suffer from disease and death? Why do bad things happen to good people? I have come to realize that through our journey we may never completely have the answers to these questions and that could be perhaps the most perplexing thing in our lives to accept. I have now started to accept that there may not answers to some of the events of our lives and that is okay too. We just have to accept that we may never receive the answers and have the inner peace to accept that.