On The Tragedy in Aurora, CO

Just a simple thought from an Activist and Worker for Peace, who also at a very young age lost my Beloved Brother William, to the barrel of a gun, I guess it goes without saying, that I am an advocate for gun control (albiet, I vision the day when guns and weaponry of any sort will no longer hold any place in our collective consciousness as a society)...

And while I 100% respect the right of everyone to hold their own opinions and view points on

this issue, including those that are different from mine...in light of what has recently occurred in Aurora, Colorado, and out of respect for the trauma and terror that has been unmercilessly and senselessly visited upon this community...I would most humbly suggest that maybe some of the posts going around advocating the personal right to own, specifically, semi automatics and other extreme type of weaponry for personal protection (and I have seen an over abundance of them, recently)...at this moment, may be deemed inappropriate and ill timed and could be curbed for another point in time...

And just to add, in my humble opinion, once again...I personally, don't understand why it would be necessary for anyone to own, specifically, a semi automatic to protect oneself or ones family, anyway...Just my opinion...just saying...and a discussion for a later date...:)

Namaste'

 

 

 

The Right to Bear Arms...

The "Right to Bear Arms" is a perceived right, wraught by the mind of man, born from a consciousness of fear and separation...

The "Right to live in Peace, Love and Harmony at One with Each Other and Mother Earth" is a God Given right, bestowed upon us, through Grace, by our Creator...

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." ~ Jesus the Christ

"At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God. Non-violence is the means of realising Him"..."Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being."..."Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."
~ Mahatma Gandhi

I choose to exercise "MY GOD GIVEN RIGHT" to serve the ways of Peace, Love and Compassion...

 

REAL HEROES (LLJL)

Just sayin'...
And trying very hard to comprehend...

... I do not and will never understand this new trend of late of public fascination in what is being termed "American Royalty"...

(Which in itself is a contradiction in terms, as I believe the divorcing ourselves from Sovereign rule was the point behind the American Revolution, and the basis on which our country was founded.)

The fanatical obsession with Celebrities (some of whom, at least have measurable talent and truly entertain and uplift us and have, for the most part, contributed and given back to society)

This in itself, was out of control enough... but albeit somewhat understandable.

But now this worship and unnatural over-preoccupation of the likes of "The Kardasians", The Hilton's, etc, is the height of ludacrosity.

From all that I can decipher...(but maybe I am completely missing the boat, here)
They are self centered, spoiled individuals, who spend the majority of their time here on this earth, partying and spending ridiculous amounts of money on vain and materialistic pursuits...

And with all this money, from what I have seen, do little to nothing to make a positive contribution back to the society at large..

I mean, really, the amount that is spent on their shoes alone, could feed a small third world country...

Please...I beg...A little perspective!

Come on fellow earth travelers...

Lets put our time, focus, adoration and hero worship, if we must, where it belongs...

On those who have spent during their lives,
The greater part of their existence and resources in making positive contributions toward creating a better Planet and a livable and sustainable existence for ALL!

Broadcast Journalist and Author, John Quinones, a personal hero of mine, for so many reasons...not just as World Class Journalist, but mostly as a good and decent man who truly walks his walk with an integrity and generosity of Spirit, that is rare in these times, writes in his book, "Heroes Among Us", "...We're in the midst of a bad case of hero confusion. Sometimes it seems as if we worship people who haven't done much with their lives besides makes themselves famous or rich or both...

The everyday heroes who take big risks get lost in the shuffle. It happens a lot these days. But these special people deserve more...

While we can still look to the great heroes of our past, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. or Florence Nightingale, for inspiration, more and more these days our heroes aren't grand figures. They're our neighbors, our family members, and our friends. Our heroes are the magnanimous strangers who help us. They are the soldiers and police officers who struggle every day to defend us. They're the firefighters who never quit. They're the teachers who wake up every morning and step into the day with the hope that they can change their students' lives. They're the accountants, IT managers, warehouse forklift operators, checkout clerks, ditch diggers, ticket takers, plumbers, and bank tellers who put their lives on the line each day so that another person might live....

We all have precious opportunities every day, to act in a way that will make our society a better place. Let's open our hearts to them and act heroically. All of Us. Right Now."

~ Thank you, John Q! (Couldn't have said it any better myself)

The Aftermath of Irene

Just read a comment on a group wall that stated,
"News reports are saying that damage in NYC was not as bad as expected. I wonder how many people will realize this was due to so many prayers for this situation."

OK, I need to say here, 1st that I am a major believer in the power of prayer, That everyday, in every way I pray...
That every minute of my life is in effect a prayer.
...
However, I feel, there is great danger in the statement quoted above...

What of those who suffered major loss of life, injury and damage elsewhere...
Were they in effect, somehow not worthy or immune to prayer?

When will we realize that try as we might, we do not and cannot control all that comes into our lives...
I do believe, instead, there is indeed a greater plan afoot.
But we can not always know the reason why.
And that Trust and Faith require more than always realizing our desired outcome...
It requires joyous acceptance of whatever comes!

Remember the beginning words of the most revered Lord's Prayer,
that the Christ taught us to pray...

"Thy Kingdom come...Thy Will be Done!"

Please join me in sending out prayers of Love, Light and Healing to all those who were and are still being effected by Hurricane Irene...

And let us now focus on the greatest and most precious gift,
To do what we can to help alleviate the suffering caused by her aftermath,
By whatever means and whatever way we can...
Even if it is just through our prayer and positive intentions...

For the suffering of One is the suffering of All...

We are All One!

An Amazing Peace by Maya Angelou

An Amazing Peace by the "Beloved Angel" Maya Angelou

An Amazing Peace - Maya Angelou

Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.

Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.

We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?

Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.

It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.

Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.

In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.

We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.

We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.

Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
implore you to stay awhile with us
so we may learn by your shimmering light
how to look beyond complexion and see community.

It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
to translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ

Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues the coming of hope.
All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices to celebrate the promise of
Peace.

We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace.

We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace.

We look at each other, then into ourselves,
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation:

Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul

The Greatest Sermon is Our Life ~ Unknown

The Greatest Sermon is Our Life...

T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes.
This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college.
He is brilliant. Kind of esoteric and very, very bright.
He became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church.
They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

One day Bill decides to go there.
He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt and wild hair.
The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.
The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat.
By now, people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything.
Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no available seats,
he just squats down right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.
About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church,
a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill.

Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit.
A "godly" man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly.
He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this boy,
everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he is going to do.
How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy.
The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane.
All eyes are focused on him.
You can't even hear anyone breathing.
The minister can't even preach the sermon, until the deacon does what he has to do.
And now, they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor.
With great difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill,
and worships with him so he won't be alone.

Everyone chokes up with emotion.
When the minister gains control, he says,
"What I am about to preach, you will never remember.
What you have just seen you will never forget"

Be careful how you live...you may be the only "church" some people will ever encounter.

Shoes in Church ~ Unknown

Shoes in Church......Unknown

I showered and shaved....... I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat......... In a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in prayer......As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me..... Touching my own. I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side...... I thought, 'Why must our soles touch?'
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine... But it didn't bother him much.
A prayer began: 'Our Father'...... I thought, 'This man with the shoes, has no pride.
They're dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the side!'

'Thank You for blessings,' the prayer went on.
The shoe man said ... ............ A quiet 'Amen.'
I tried to focus on the prayer....... But my thoughts were on his shoes again.
Aren't we supposed to look our best. When walking through that door?
'Well, this certainly isn't it,' I thought, Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended........... And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud...... Sounding proud as he sang.
His voice lifted the rafters......... His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear. The shoe man's voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering....... And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached.... Into his pockets so deep.
I saw what was pulled out.......... What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft 'clink' . As when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me......... To tears, and that's no lie.
It was the same for the shoe man... For tears fell from his eyes.
At the end of the service...... As is the custom here.
We must greet new visit ors, And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow............. And wanted to meet the shoe man.
So after the closing prayer....... I reached over and shook his hand.
He was old and his skin was dark.... And his hair was truly a mess.
But I thanked him for coming......... For being our guest.

He said, 'My names' Charlie.......... I'm glad to meet you, my friend.'
There were tears in his eyes....... But he had a large, wide grin.
'Let me explain,' he said......... Wiping tears from his eyes.
'I've been coming here for months.... And you're the first to say 'Hi.''

'I know that my appearance.........'Is not like all the rest.
'But I really do try.................'To always look my best.'
'I always clean and polish my shoes..'Before my very long walk.
'But by the time I get here ...... . ..'They're dirty and dusty, like chalk.'

My heart filled with pain........... And I swallowed to hide my tears.
As he continued to apologize........ For daring to sit so near.
He said, 'When I get here...........'I know I must look a sight.
'But I thought if I could touch you..'Then maybe our souls might unite.'

I was silent for a moment........... Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison... I spoke from my heart, not my head.
'Oh, you've touched me,' I said......'And taught me, in part;
'That the best of any man............'Is what is found in his heart.'

The rest, I thought,................ This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am... That his dirty old shoe touched my soul