Have fun today!!!

Whatever your idea of fun is today and provided you are not damaging yourself or others, indulge in it today. Laugh, joke, and be merry. There is no better way to leave 2013 behind and bring in 2014 than with happiness and cheer.

I hope you can all put your problems, cares, and worries behind you and move forward in the upcoming year. You've done the best you can considering your circumstances. My goal is to improve my circumstances in 2014 so that I can life a productive life from a more positive, uplifting platform.

I wish you all the best in the upcoming year. You can accomplish much during the year. If you do not accomplish much in the material world, maybe your spiritual life will improve. Cleansing of the spirit will most certainly provide you with much peace and harmony, things that the material world can only accentuate when used responsibly.

Don't let the "little things" slip away!

My goal today is to try, once again, to focus on the little, seemingly unimportant details in life. I will be on the lookout for a chance to cheer someone up, bring someone out of loneliness with a kind word or gesture, do a task for someone, sit and talk with a shunned member of society, and anything else that will get me out of myself and make someone else the most important person today. It is fun and, although I began it just a couple of years ago, I have found that I am never disappointed.

Getting out of myself, though it seems like it would drain me more than I would already be from staying inside my head, actually refuels me. The hardest part is putting selfish desires aside in order to let the light shine through. Good Luck!

Are you really happy?

I ask this not because I doubt whether or not you have much joy in your life. Rather, I believe it is important to check in with ourselves to see a) if we are happy or not and b) if we are happy for the right reasons.
It is okay to have all the extras in life that accentuate our happiness and enjoyment of life. I like them myself. Do they mask more sinister feelings? Are “things” used to bandage negativity? Can you stand being alone in your own presence and be comfortable with “you”? These are extremely important questions I began asking myself several years ago and what i discovered was a broken man who had the meaning of happiness all mixed up. I had to change so I embarked on a personal journey to discover the ingredients I would need to produce true, lasting happiness.
There are just a few components of happiness when incorporated together in my life, have produced delectable combinations of joy and happiness. First, I had to realize that I new very little about what really makes me happy. I had to surrender to the fact that what I was doing to bring joy to my life just wasn’t appropriate.
Next, I had to attune my mind and soul to what my inner, spiritual self was saying and commit to the guidance from that source. Some call it God while others name it many other names. This is the lynchpin of this process and true happiness cannot be obtained unless the individual accepts the guidance of this omnipotent and omnipresent force.
After I was ready to learn the teacher appeared and began a crash course on dealing with myself and others. The more I took care of my side of the street, the more I became willing to extend my hand to others. This was a crucial yet important move for me to make and was an important as fuel for my newly discovered happiness. I did not necessarily have to achieve a certain level of insight into myself to be of service to others. In fact, service to others was exactly what I need to become a more thoughtful, happy human being.
Service to others does not need to be expensive or time consuming. Granted, the more time you spend helping/encouraging other people, the greater your spiritual reward. Service can take the form of a friendly smile to a stranger or helping an elderly man or woman with their groceries. It can also entail large donations of time and money to a cause you hold dear to your heart.
Whatever you choose to do to help others, you will be rewarded. We should not, however, always look for the rewards we should or will receive from our service. I have learned that the good feeling in my heart and soul for making someone’s day is priceless. I have gotten to the point where I enjoy helping others regardless of what I think is in it for me.

Good morning everybody! Well, maybe it's good evening or good night for some. I wanted to wish all a Happy Holiday season and hope yours is filled with much joy and happiness. My thoughts are with all of you and I want only for  you to have the Holiday cheer today. May the remaining 364 days of the upcoming year be full of goodness and grace for all of you.

If you are not in a good spot this holiday season, my hope is that your tomorrow is less hectic and painful as today. There is a force for good in this world and I like to call it the Great Spirit. He (she or it) can do the impossible. You are not forgotten. Just continue to shine the light of the Great Spirit from within and take refuge in knowing that, no matter what hardship you have to face, your reward will be great.

I have experienced personal suffering and suffering at the hands of others and know how painful it can be. I never lost faith that something good would come out of my struggles. When I began listening to the voice of the Great Spirit within my soul (or gut), answers came like others told me they would. Whenever respect, love, and compassion are lacking or non-existent outside of you, go to that quiet place within and listen intently. There you will find peace and harmony with you and your creator. With this special bond and friendship, you can be reasonably happy in any situation and combat the ills and evilness that comes your way.

Sometimes we associate with the wrong people for years and do not realize they are the problem until the Great Spirit gives us a wake-up call. Sometimes he has to rattle us a bit so that we focus our attention on his will.

There are other times, through relentless pursuit of self, that we may paint our self in a corner and become angry, resentful, unhappy, or any other myriad of negative emotions. The solution to this is also seeking a better way to interact with the life. We can affect change provided that we do not live our lives solely based on what we can get out of it. By focusing on what we can put into it along with taking out of it, we are amazed of the changes in our outlook. Taking time to help someone in any way is well worth the slice of time it takes from the pursuit of our activities. I challenge all of you, despite how you feel at the moment, to do something kind for someone else. The payoff may not have any monetary value. Instead, it will have spiritual value that the Great Spirit can use to comfort you in times of struggle. It is like putting money in the spiritual bank. The rewarding feelings obtained from random acts of kindness will always be available to help you in a time of need.

I will keep all of you close to my heart this holiday season and beyond. One thing you can count on is that I will never forget the pain I have been through and will thus continue to hold you in my thoughts and soul.

Open Mindedness

I must apologize for the long hiatus from blogging on this blog. I have spent quite some time getting some affairs in order so I can make a stronger push for my future. I think it is important to note that a wonderful component to any plan is an open mind. I am not just talking about an open mind to our own plans but one that encompasses other people and unforeseen circumstances and situations. The holiday season is an exceptional opportunity to have an open mind towards life itself. We are never that happy to get things we know are coming to us. Okay, we can become quite happy. However, in the realm of the spirit, there is no happier and uplifting moment than when good fortune infiltrates our lives when we have no idea it is coming. Materialistic items are valuable to us but for this human being, the spiritual always trumps the material. Happy Holidays to everyone. May you be filled with the holiday spirit!

I think this is a fitting image for my blog. What do you think?

My day was exciting. I had the wonderful opportunity of spending it with mom and dad. Despite what happens in our lives, there is always time to spend with those we love. Whether it is a mother and/or father or any other family member or friend, we should use what remaining time we have wisely; rectifying differences held onto for years or simply putting the past behind us to clear the way for the breath of fresh air open-mindedness brings. I also spent time with a brother whom I am close with.

I also had an opportunity to work on computer projects and watch a phenomenal football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos. Finally, I ate well and was able to shower and put clean clothes on. Tonight I shall lay my head on a comfortable pillow and sleep under some warm covers. I am grateful to have these things. There are plenty of people who have none of this.

Gratitude in the simplest things should allow me to appreciate the larger gifts as they show up in my life. I know what it is like to have an empty spiritual tank and no "pot to pee in". I have stared death in the face and was granted salvation from the greatest plans I had for my life. When I sank deep into the abyss, I began applying spiritual principles in my life and have since received many blessings. This sums up a most of my struggle when I apply it to my life.

I hope every body has stayed healthy and out of harms way since my last post. In your absence, I have continued on my path of better insight and understanding of my fellow women and men. Difficult at times, my interactions with a myriad of individuals reveals many common threads.

Typically speaking, most individuals have ulterior motives when interacting with other humans. Whether it manifests itself in the beginning or the end of the interaction, each participant wishes to leave the encounter with more than they came with. Also, they want to gain more than the other guy. Few humans indeed are only out to help others, giving purely to give and expecting nothing in return.

I have crossed paths with many shady and upright people in my life. I have yet to find an individual who is free of this problem. Usually, these individuals have a soul sickness that drives them to covet and seek all things outside themselves. The problem with this type of sickness is the impossibility of satiating their soul.

Things from without will never suffice for the necessities of the spirit. Only the spirit can be satisfied by doing spiritual things. The greatest tool for accomplishing this task is selflessness. Giving of yourself and your possessions is a sure way to feel complete.

I am no hyper-religious fanatic. I have my beliefs about religion but do not think it is necessary to discuss them here. I believe it will only created divisions amongst me and everybody else. I will say that my views on service to others is crucial to not only solving problems with our neighbors, but also conflicts among the world's powers.  

Live Like the Big Cats

Good morning,

I heard a quote this past week that I thought you might like. It asks that we be "a thermostat in life rather than a thermometer". I thought that coincides well with the old adage that we "roll with the flow", not allowing specific instances in our daily routines to thwart our spiritual progress. I believe we are to check the monitor the temperature of all the areas of our lives and adjust our thoughts and actions accordingly.

This practice, if rolled into our daily routine, may prevent folks from doing strange, bizarre things in our communities. My hope is that we all learn acceptance of those around us flaws and all. I also hope that we learn to communicate our difficulties with the world around us more freely and openly. We can trust each other. This fact has materialized in my life. With what I have been through, if it can materialize in my life, it can do the same in anybody's life.

Remember tigers and virtually all other big cats are extremely observant, calculating every move they make. They conserve their energy for the important moments of hunting and defending their turf. I believe we can allow this beast to set an example in our lives. Let us observe diligently and conserve our energy and resources for those times that require much effort. In between, let us move around, head hung high in the air, with confidence but not arrogance. Have a great day!