What if?

What if the race we seem to be bent on winning was not about...

Power, Arms, Money, Federal or State control?

What if a person's worth was not defined by their political color of choice?

What if race, gender, religion, ethnicity, place of birth, socioeconomic level, intelligence, or last name didn't matter?

What if where we live, what kind of car we drive, or who we know didn't matter?

What if difference on any of the above topics was not enough to sway respect for another human being?

What if we treated others as we desire to be treated?

What if the poor were not considered a drain and the rich were not considered thieves?

What if those who mourn the loss of a loved one were consoled no matter their religion or nationality?

What if soulful humility was more important than power?

What if a those who strive for justice were not considered to merely have an agenda?

What if mercy was held in high esteem, not only for those who agree with us, but for all?

What if those who desire innocence were not treated as witless pipe dreamers?

What if peace doesn't come by war?

What if when we are bullied, it was a sign of our individual strength rather than due to a weakness?

What if the benefits of our beliefs were applied to the outsider?

What if we respected one another?

What if our offence at diversity reveals more about our own heart than those we are offend by?

What if we loved our enemies?

What if our enemies loved us?

What if we respected humanity, animals, and the ecosystem of our planet?

What if we are more alike than different?

What if forgiveness was freely given?

What if how we love one another was esteemed more valuable then our political, national, religious, racial, or gender views?

What if our reasons for allowing love to trail behind our way of thinking were faulty?

What if protecting our rights is not more important than the person who lives next door?

What if we believed that our strength was gauged by the degree we love?

What if we really believed that love never fails?

What if?

Will we really be less for loving more?

Morning Musings

Woke up this morning feeling just a tad bit shy of happy. Some call this frame of mind gloomy, glum, blue, or just feeling down. I call this frame of mind... soul hunger. Yet, today is cloudy and rainy, so I wonder if maybe I am just under the weather. Do I have that Northwestern SAD ailment? You know, Seasonal Affective Disorder? Am I grieving a loss of some sort? Or could it be as simple as I didn't sleep well and I'm tired. Perhaps, it's a combination of all the above. Who knows.

I sighed, which took more energy than I felt I had, then with a burst of energy, I threw off my blanket and slid from bed. My feet slipped right into my slippers as if I had a honing device on my toes that led my lower extremities into this cushiony haven of plush delightfulness. I felt my shoulders sag as I exhaled, this time with a breath of relief. I then stood, grabbing my robe and donning it with a swoop of an arm that reminded me of a time in my childhood days when flexibility didn't seem like a cuss word.

A smile finally graced my face as I chuckled at my silliness before padding into the kitchen to make my morning tea.

While waiting for the water to boil, I ventured into the living room to gaze out the window. Awe never seems distant when I take in the stillness of the morning. I raised the window a little and listened to the birds jointly making small talk to one another. All the chattering and squawking caused me to wonder if this is what Capital Hill sounds like prior to a session being called to order. I couldn't help it; another smile crossed my face.

Turning toward the sound of steam escaping from the kettle, I left the window and headed for that first sip of hot tea that either scalds my throat or sends a ripple of relaxation throughout my soul. I hope this morning it will be the latter.

Soothing, is a word used to describe the comfort of a good friend... or a warm cup of herbal lemon tea on a cold, dreary morning. Today, I think, it may be both. For today, after my morning ritual, I'll get all gussied up in my jeans and sweater to go to work, and then, I get to spend some relaxing time with my family. My precious mother, my awesome nephew, and my dear sister from Alabama are here in California visiting for a couple weeks. The only way this could be better is if my other two sisters and their families could join us, too. My mom and five sisters-friends in one room. The level of joy would only be surpassed with love and peace.

The miracle of connection is the most important element in our lives. My mom, all four of my sisters, and their families secured a place of residence in my heart many a year ago. How I wish we could all share this days together. At some point I know we will.

In the mean time, as I return to my bedroom to prepare for the day, I find my mood has lifted to a contented happiness. For I have a quaint, little home in the midst of a beautiful countryside, I have clothing,  tea, memories, and so much more to keep my body and soul warm. And most importantly, I have the love of my family as well as my friends to bolster my heart.

This morning, in a twinkling of an eye, my sour mood was changed to one of contentment. I have much to be thankful for. My soul is fed by the connections of my heart. So, I'm pretty sure today is gonna be a good day.

I hope you have a good day, too. 😊

Hope

When all else fails, remember to remember the hope and the excitement you felt at the beginning of your journey. Don't despise either of them, because no matter what path you take they will always propel you to go further than you ever thought possible. And one day, you'll realize, they believed in you more than you believed in yourself.

We don't own hope, we don't grow it, and we can't really destroy it. Hope always makes herself available. Within our longing she plants a seed of excitement in our hearts, which is as close to the feeling of joy as we can get. Hope always holds out her hand, looks us in the eye, and whispers, "Grab a hold. You can do this. I believe in you."

Hope offers us the ability to see beyond our eyes, because hope sees all our potential and encourages us to walk in it.

There is a storeroom of hope, which can never be emptied, available for each of us. It only takes a spark of longing to propel us into our future.

Never give up. Hope is more than a word; with it and with our dedication, our dreams become tangible, our hearts swell with joy, and above all, hope brings life to our souls.

Hope believes in you; and so do I.

Run after your dreams. Don't give discouragement a foothold. Be persistent. Set goals. And work hard... for today's dream can be tomorrow's reality. Hope knows that; do you?

Grab a hold of hope today, dedicate yourself daily, hone your skills as much as possible, and finally, enjoy the ride!

Enjoying the Moment

When did I misplace the innocence of just being?

This morning I had a couple visitors. When my landlord came by to install some smoke detectors, his kids came with him.

I gotta tell you, these kids, who are three and six years old, are a couple of cuties! As the installation took place, the kids and I busied ourselves with playing the piano, looking at books, reciting the pledge of allegiance, and writing and hiding notes in a treasure box.

Both kids were full of questions, observations, and imagination... they are full of life.

From the moment they entered my house, I could tell they felt at home, and that made me feel great. They automatically gravitated to the piano, and I have honestly not heard interpretive jazz, such as they played, in a long time.

While the older one played the keyboard, the younger one perused my bookcases and picked out all her favorite books. The two tomes we enjoyed the most were a Bible and a pictorial book about the planets and moons in our solar system.

Once all the questions were asked about, "What do the words say," and, "Will you read it to us," the kids switched activities. The three year old headed toward the piano and the six year old explained to me why he thought there was a ring around Saturn... very interesting, indeed.

Toward the end of this conversation, I looked over and noticed the light weight throw I had drapped over the back of my rocking chair had now become a cape for the pianist. When I asked if she was cold, I was informed that her super power was her piano playing. I absolutely concur.

Next we talked about why the pages in the Bible were so skinny and soft. And somehow this discussion reminded the six year of the pledge of allegiance he learned in school. I was asked to recite it with him, and afterward was told I did well for an old person. Ha!

Toward the end of our time together, my heart was happy as I heard the little one say, "Donna, I love that you're our neighbor!"

To which I replied, "I love being your neighbor, too."

Kindness, innocence, inquisitive minds, imaginations, and giggles made this "old lady" feel a little younger.

What I enjoyed the most in these little ones is their spontaneity in just being.

After our goodbyes were said, I realized, as I folded the throw and replaced books back in their proper places, that in life's routine, I have misplaced the innocence of just being, of just enjoying the moment.

I want to live in my moments more often. I want to just be.

We Belong to One Another

Am I able to see past my world?

Only when I know I'm not the center of the universe.

Can I see past my country?

Only when I realize humans, just like me, are scattered across the globe.

Can I see past my state?

Only when I travel beyond its borders and see the beauty of my country.

Can I see past my city?

Only when I experience the uniqueness of a neighboring town.

Can I see past my family?

Only when I interact with my friends.

Can I see past my friends?

Only when I acknowledge a an unknown soul.

Can I see a person?

Only when I accept that no matter what, we are all a part of humanity.

Can I be known?

Only if I say yes.

Can I say yes?

Yes.

We belong to one another.

You Belong

What is the love of God if not

Nature in all its splendor...

The stars as they stand as sentinels in the sky...

The kingdom of animals whether wild or domesticated...

And people... women, men, and little one's as they grow with nature, the galaxy, animals and all of the human race.

What is the love of God if not the a forest or desert, four seasons, a flower or brook, shooting stars or black holes, a dog or a dragonfly.

What is the love of God if not a smile, eye contact, a handshake or hug.

What is the love of God if not how we honor one another and say, "You belong."

Living Peaceably

Living peaceably is a daily choice. I don't claim to do it well, but my awareness of my resistance to it is slowly dawning on me.

Anxiety demands my time, energy, and well-being as it crowds out objectivity, connections, and joy... all the while causing my soul to shrivel.

Peace waits to be invited in and brings me the ability to rest and breathe while being in the midst of chaos, heartache, or anxiety. Peace expands my soul and allows me to retain a welcoming stance toward myself and others.

I'll continue to practice inviting peace into my daily life. I'll take responsibility when I realize I haven't. And I will ask my soul and others for forgiveness when I find I have chosen a posture of defense rather than love and acceptance.

I may not be able to control or change the circumstances life brings to me, but I can choose how I will respond to it.

I'm finding if my patterns of life are static, non-changing, that is essentially the life I am choosing.

I can either live as a victim of my own or others choices, or I can accept the varied moments life offers with grace and in peace. It will always be my choice.

I can live in peace today while hoping and advocating for change in the circumstances I find myself in. Peace and hope are not contrary to one another, they compliment one another.

I am the primary beneficiary of my choices; others are the secondary.

Peace for now and hope for tomorrow can only benefit us all.

Chocolate Addiction

Emailed to my boss:

"To Whom it may concern,

Can we please cut back on the unending supply of chocolate candy found in every reception area on our work campus? These tiny morsels of deliciousness are the bane of my existence! For example: York Peppermint Patties are down-right dangerous, along with Twix, M&M’s, Dark Chocolate Milky Ways, Snickers and don’t even ask me about how many of those damn little bags of Gummi Bears I can fit into my pockets, not to mention my mouth! Know that the previous examples of delectable lovelies are listed in order of addiction, however, the most diabolical drug that is masked as candy are the chocolate covered pretzels found in the health department tucked covertly behind Gina’s computer.

I made a visit to our local drug addiction counseling center for aid with this compulsive behavior and they basically laughed in my face before suggesting Weight Watchers. As I left the building I actually heard someone sing, “If you want to get skinny, go see Jenny.” In my humiliation, I was confused, until I heard Jenny Craig’s number being shouted out as I slinked away like a guilt-ridden dog after being caught eating its own poo.

In my extreme stress, I confess, I had to eat another candy bar… okay, I ate two, but I saved the third until I arrived home. My point is… this is a cry for help! Please, if you value my physical and emotional well-being, you will fill the candy dishes with vitamins and perhaps, carrots. The skinny person hiding behind my cellulite is begging you… just as Princess Leia beseeched after exhausting all her other options, “Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”

For the love of God and all that is holy, please hear my plea and deliver me from this torturous cycle of despair and blubber. Be my Obi Wan!

Thank you for considering my request.

Sincerely,

Donna

P.S. This was written during my lunch/snack break, but do not fear, in my desire to communicate with you, I did not neglect to intake every tantalizing tidbit of tastiness the candy bowl had to offer."

Questions

Would I trade my values for power? Would I stay silent about wrongdoing to protect my position? Would I minimize evil because of my disdain for another's opinion?

These are questions that I must answer. Those answers will alter the course of more than one life.

Choices I make today are a stepping stone leading toward tomorrow's paths.

Fate cannot be altered, however, my destiny is subject to the choices I make each day.

Truth and integrity matter. They are the strength within a person as well as the strength of their bond within their community.

If power rather than values,  position rather than integrity, and alternative facts rather than truth are the methods and means I choose to form my destiny then I have sided with darkness and opened the door for chaos and instability.

No matter what my political leanings are, I hope I choose people over politics. I hope I choose love over hate. I hope I choose peace over violence. I hope I choose to walk in integrity and to walk in truth... for the good of myself and the good of my community.

Anybody can promise me the moon, but what I need is the wisdom to know how to walk in community on Earth. I suppose that wisdom begins with a choice.

Apathy

I've come to feel sad for the person who turns a blind eye to the pain that marginalized people groups such as Muslims, Jewish, Latinos, Blacks, Transgender, and other folks are experiencing in our society.

And yes, mixed in my sorrow there is anger. And that is my challenge. Anger is not bad, but I refuse to allow it to motivate a desire within me for retaliation. I'd rather it move me toward compassion.

To do that, I have to remember the days and plight of my own inability to empathize with those I didn't understand, which is just a more palatable way to say... those I did not take the time to know.

Apathy is a reaction. It stems from isolation and is empowered by fear. And it flowers into indifference.

When I realized my reactions were my choice, I began to choose to react differently.

Yet, even knowing my own experience of apathy, when innocent people are being hurt, empathy is not easily given to the ones who willfully ignore or shun instead of aiding those who are being mistreated and maligned by bullies.

In those times, I have to remember... if we cannot love our neighbor, we are showning we do not love ourselves.

And that is truly heartbreaking.

Although turning a blind eye is a pattern we get stuck in, our feelings do not have to remain frozen. We do not have to stay in that pattern. The truth is, it is a sorrowful condition when we find within ourselves the inability to love and show compassion for one another.

The best way to overcome apathy is to make a deliberate choice. Choose today to meet, get to know, befriend someone in one of the groups I've mentioned.

We have to allow friendship to move us from being frozen to being fluid. Brotherly and sisterly love (friendship) has an awesome affect on our souls. We hurt when those we care for hurt. We rejoice when they rejoice. We stand up for our friends. We are connected by our affinity toward one another.

Giving and receiving love are no small things. They have the ability to transform our lives.

To those stuck in apathy, I challenge you to go be a friend. I know you can. You are worth being loved and your love for others will bring healing to both you and them. I know this to be true because I've lived this. My apathetic heart was changed by my friendships.

American Dream Vs. Heaven's Teachings

I don't think that the "American Dream" is the same as "Heaven's Teachings."

Historically, people have been welcomed into America to pursue a dream of success and prosperity, which many say, are a direct result of hard work, determination, and initiative.

In Heaven's teachings, people are welcomed to freely live enfolded in the love of God, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Each are gifts and can never be earned.

In America, greatness seems to be associated with the mastering of a talent, skill, or business... all of these have the potential to bring fame, along with, of course, fortune.

However, if a person wants to be great in God's kingdom, they must be the servant of all.

Here in the USA, as much as we wish it wouldn't matter... color, ethnicities, gender, sexual orientation, economic and social status do matter.

In the kingdom of heaven, those things are not even considered. As the Apostle Paul said, per The Message: " In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us, you are all equal."

Here, the American dream is attained by tenacity, competion, or just a doggedness to achieve no matter the cost.

In God's kingdom, again per The Message, these words in all likelihood, will continue to be a guide for its follwers, "Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead."

I've been a Christian for many a year and I can tell you that never once has my nationality had anything to do with my religious beliefs. Nor has my religious beliefs asked me to maintain my standing as an American to grow spiritually.

I'll acknowledge that my religious beliefs do guide my political philosophies. However, in and of themselves, my beliefs and my philosophies don't make me a better American than any other American who believes or thinks differently than I do.

To be clear... to pursue the American dream is both an opportunity and a choice, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Christianity. In fact, as we have seen, they seem to be the antithesis of one another.

If we use a convoluted version of Christianity and nationality as a standard to judge the character or sincerity of a person, we are using a faulty gauge which automatically will produce faulty results. It also reflects more about the person who is judging than the one being judged.

And just as importantly, it is a flagrant misrepresentation of God and his kingdom. Whether we are talking about the here and now or the eternal, God will be found where the religious ones fear to tread... among the everyday and ordinary people.

When we distort America by our biases, we tarnish our reputation because in that distortion liberty and justice have cease to be for all.

And in the process we lose credibility when we distort God's goodness to obtain our desires. And yet, even in our faulty representation, He will always and forever remain good and faithful to all.

The American Dream and Heaven's Teachings are two completely separate ideals and they should never be commingled.