XMAS Secret Santa

I had a wonderful Christmas and Kwanzaa celebrations this year.  My wife and I brought one another wonderful gift and  the boys were overjoyed by their gifts.  I think my most favorite part was our family Secret Santa game we played with the boys.

is the store we purchased our Secret Santa gifts.  I suggested the store, because it was inexpensive and it would give our family an opportunity to buy a nice, fun, and thoughtful gift for their secret recipient. 

 

 

 

So My Secret Santa was my Lovely Wife!  she brought an MP3 Player Holder for the Gym. 

 

Nyrere received a "Tony The Tiger" Alarm Clock from Me.

Achebe received a pokemon gum ball machine from Nyrere. 

 

Mandela got a ball from Achebe...

Shanickwa received a variety of Lip balms from Mandela.

 

All and All the Secret Santa was a hit.  The Kids loved the simple gifts.  My wife and I enjoyed the exchange.  Picking a store like 5 Below eliminates the cost issues and it is also fun.  We will make this a part of our yearly XMAS.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child."

What did I do so wrong?"

"I tried to do what she asked, what they asked, why can't I do what they told me to do." 

"I am Bad, I guess I am Just Bad."

The look of anguish was spray painted across my face as I stood in line.  Feelings of confusion accompanied the anguish as I surveyed the others in line.  Their stares were masked with a paralyzed confusion. We did not know what to do. Our gazes were frozen like a herd of deer caught in the headlights of semi-trucks plowing down on them from all directions.   So we stood still. 

"Oh I can run to my mom," I thought as I slowly and nervously look around to find her in what seemed like a sea of adults watching the show.  "Aw there she is," I signed to myself.  In my mother's arm, I felt the hope.  It begins to rise in my belly, and as it rose hope stopped and it died.  I think it lost its footing. My hope was washed away by the whistle and her blank look.  The deer was in her eyes.  The Son of Fire destroyed the maternal instincts and white washed and suppressed her with a hypnotic notion.  She could not sense my fear, confusion, and need for protection. She had been covered with detachment and void of instinct. 

"Maybe I can walk over to...” my thoughts were disrupted by the whistling sound.  The sound was followed by an eerie squeal of pain.  The pain tapped my attention on the back and diverted thoughts of salvation.  The thought of pain caressed me and leaned on my shoulder.  I swallowed hard to digest the feelings that were just feed to me.  As I closed my eyes, I heard the whistle again and this time my body danced to the beat of the whistle.    We shared in this torment.  Then I heard the transition. It went from a cry to a whimper and from scream to whines.  From good to bad.  From brat to child.  "Now he is a better child," I thought "I guess soon I will be."  The line moved forward. The whistles sound again.

The Choir rose and sang praises. I heard them say.  I heard someone say, "Spare the rod and spoil the child."

Technorati Tags: Child,abuse,family,love,happy,environment

My Observation

I often wonder what the world would be like if I lost the use of one or more of my senses or major limbs. Does the body truly compensate for the changes? Does it really strengthen the other senses to make up for the lost or missing sense?

On my ride home the other night, I had the opportunity to observe a blind woman.

  The young lady was about 5’1,” average weight and a cute disposition. Her hair was neatly braided and pulled to the back by a rubber band. Her most disguising physical attribute was he eyes and lips. Her eyes had a strong almond shape and her lips were full and complimented her face very well. At first glance, I had no idea she was blind. Her walking stick was the first indication for me. She stood there with confidence and by her self-assured pose, I could only assume that she was either born blind or she has been blind for some time. I observed her actions and I could only wonder about her coping skills with life. Is she angry? Does she blame God? Is she in constant fear of others (predators)? I did not have an opportunity to speak with her. Maybe if I see her again I will.

In her Shoes-

If I was in her situation, I could only feel or imagine fear at this point. I know that I would soon adjust. We all live in fear in one form or another; we spend most of our lives working around the fear. We mask the fear with denial and avoid it until it traps us.

Technorati Tags: Blind,woman,observation,bus,diary

A father’s take on things that matter most, by Mr. J

I enjoyed the following blog. It was very inspirational. Mr. J has a new fan. Me! His view of parenthood is on point. The Blog is directed to Black men, but the sentiments can be felt by all parents. Parenthood is such a wonderful task. All good parents evaluate their methods to ensure they are providing the best example, guidance and reinforcement for their children.
So click on the following link and enjoy Mr. J’s Blog.


iAMrj.com: A father’s take on things that matter most

Beyond the connotation of “Christian.”

Several days ago, I spoke with a good friend about my spiritual journey. I told her that I did not consider myself Christian anymore, (Read Journey to Enlightenment Blog to review my proclamation) and she thought I had gone to the dark side. She asked me if I was Atheist and I responded no.    I attempted to share my research and discoveries to date, but she would not openly listen to me. It seems that the mere thought of me letting go of the title "Christian" dooms me to hell.   

Note: As I began to write this blog, my ego tried over and over to dictate this blog. My Ego had me. I was thinking elitist thoughts and harboring a judgmental attitude.

. As I thought more about denouncing Christianity, I realized that I was completely wrong about denouncing my Christianity. I am learning about eastern philosophies and being feed by Yoga and Buddhism does not mean that I am not a follower of Christ. I believe that calling Me a Christian does not provide the keys to Heaven. Adhering to the word of God (Jesus) and his divine messengers throughout time will provide truth and insight, enlightenment and heaven.

As I continued my introspective examination, I began to realize that I was taking a pompous approach to my personal philosophical and spiritual discoveries. I was allowing myself to manifest an elitists attitude towards professed Christians. I felt that my journey provided me with an insight that no other person has discovered. How EGO driven is that!

I am a follower of Christ, and I am learning from the teachings of Pantanjali and the Buddha. I quite sure once I began to read the Quran I will absorb knowledge from Mohammad and Baha’u’llah. I believe more now than ever. The Lord provides his truth for all to discover and follow.

I am a Christian, but in this spiritual quest, I am learning so much now that I am moving beyond what I defined as the typical connotation of “Christian.” I am a student of God. I am absorbing teaching from Christianity, Hatha-Yoga, Baha'I, and Buddhism.

No one should follow religion blindly, and I hope my friend understands her own spirituality. Ultimately we must make sure we are living a fulfilling life and if our life is not happy, we may need to examine our spiritual path.

That's what I love about this journey for truth.  As your garden grows spiritually, you can continue nurturing and weeding out things that are not good you. Truth is the only absolute thing on this journey.

Note

Technorati Tags: Religion,spirituality,yoga,life,journey,christianity

On the Bus

I jumped on the Bus with my son today to drop him off at Ms Marva, and I began to realize that the Bus and its inhabitances had become a part of me. I spoke to the driver and smiled at the older lady and she reciprocated. Everyone knew my routine and they expected to see me and my son. As people got on the bus, I began to speak to people and smile and make small talk. I even had a lady of to give me the “eye”. J
There was a man on the bus who was offended by a older lady coughing. Because of the coughing, He opened the bus window and exposed the elderly woman to the crisp morning air. She asked him to close it. He got upset and went off on her, because of the coughing and the fact that her English was thick because of her heavy accent!. Everyone look at him (including myself) with disapproval and concern. I think that our distaste for his manners affected him so badly, that he got off the bus at the next available stop. Now I understand his concern for her coughing, but disrespecting an elder is not acceptable. He should know and understand that completely.
Now after the bus ride, I got on the metro and I smiled at the same familiar faces and spoke to the same people in Vienna. I thought to myself, “Wow all of these people are a part of my life and they affect me and I affect them. A smile from them can put me in a good mood and vice versa. When you feel like you are alone. Something reminds you your presence in the world

Journey to Enlightenment

Technorati Tags: Journey,enlightenment,philosophy,christianity,islam,pantanjali

 

Over the past several weeks, I have been doing quite a bit of philosophical and spiritual studies. I am reading to provide insight into God’s purpose for me and my family.

I was born into Christianity and I came up in a church that CLAIM TO TEACH the “naked truth.” The “naked truth” according to this Church was raw without sugar coats. This organization was a hell fire and brimstone Holiness Church. Unfortunately this brand of the so called “truth” left me empty, unfulfilled and hopeless.

As an 8 year old boy, my heart desire was to feel the God as others did. I have now become conscious and I will not fake my beliefs nor will I put on a show, but as God manifest himself to me and through me, I will share my gift with you.

I have now realized that God did not define us as Christians, Muslim, Buddhist or etc.., but humans have provided these titles and the religious bigotry. I believe that God’s truth is constant and true always. It does not matter what label is attached to it, or who proclaims it. It is still truth.

So with that in mind I officially become a student of God and his Truth. I will only follow his design. I will not be bounded by any belief system that promotes closed-mindedness, violence, bigotry, intolerance.

I believe that God has manifested himself through his son. I believe that Christ is the Son of God.

I am reading others such as Buddha, Mohammad, and Pantanjali as a part of my studies.

I plan to update my blog from time to time as I continue my Journey to Enlightenment.

John 5:39
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

A Day with Achebe

Can A Married Man Flirt?

 

                                                I had an interesting conversation with a friend yesterday. We spoke about flirting and its inappropriateness, especially when it comes from a committed or married person. My argument was if flirtation was meant only in kindness or jest then it should be acceptable. Her rebuttal was if it was not something that you could say in from of your wife then it was not appropriate. I assured her that I would not cross the line into forbidden territory. I do not insinuate a desire for sex nor ask for sex. I have too much Love and I am not going to disrespect my wife, family, friends or strangers.

I have to admit that I was a little offended, only because I always thought she knew that my comments are always mere playfulness and designed to foster good moods and smiles nothing more or less.

After the conversation I called MY WIFE and she was the one who explained me to me. 

I asked do you think I would cheat on you and she respond no, she did not believe that. She asked why and I explained the conversation between my friend and me. This is what she told me. She said YES you do flirt with women and what you may consider kindness or simple flirtation can be misinterpreted by a woman. She may feel that you are insinuating more. At that point, I understood exactly what she meant, but I figure that my female friends knew the line I did not cross.

I have always understood that most women enjoy compliments and a little flirting as long as it did not cross the line and turn to disrespect. I have always been known (or so I thought) to be the guy that you (male or female) could count on to help without a hidden agenda. Now before the angels come down and place the glowing halo on my head, I want to say that I am very much a man. I find women attractive. Physically attractive, sexually attractive, and some not at all, BUT I believe that being a 100% man means that you have self-control and smarts.

I believe that:

· Sexual attraction is natural and I embrace that, but I am not ruled by my penis. I rule it.

· My family deserves Love and stability. My wife and kids deserve a man who will work to keep our family united, safe, secure and loved. We do not need another set of young black males being raised with the father outside of the house.

· I do not put myself in any situation that will allow me to compromise my principles.

· It does not matter what the woman does, ultimately the decision to act is mine!

Note: I also know that many people have been approached all their lives by individuals who always have a hidden agenda, so when someone like me comes along, it is only natural to think that there is an ulterior motive.

Lastly, I have to admit there is a little selfish motive to my actions. When I take the time to compliment someone, ask how they are doing, or mention something to make them smile, it makes me feel great! I LOVE it. When I can make anyone smile or laugh. I get a joy, a sort of high from the fact that I was able to impact them in a positive way. I know it may sound a little hokey or contrive, but try it. Smile all day and compliment, help, and make people laugh or smile. I know you will feel great at the end of the day.

Restore Your Love

When was the last time you thought about what you wanted? More importantly when was the last time you pursued your desires? Most people dream about being happy, but they have no discipline and commitment to obtain it. I say this because I fight the same things that everyone fights. No one is alone in the quest for happiness.

These suggestions have helped me find the means to restore my love. I will share it with you. If any of it can help you, please use it.

The things I am going to suggest will take some getting used to, but they are necessary in order to move forward.

My suggestions will move you in a different direction and it will help you achieve your goals and dreams. In order to see the results try this for 30- 45 days and then revaluate your situation.

My Restoration Suggestions.

Give Up and allow God to do what he does best! Guide you!

1. Forgive yourself and learn your own worth. Only your self worth is important at this point. Remember the scripture, "The blind can not lead the blind less they both fall in the ditch." When you are stronger you will help others.

2. Anyone in your life that is poisonous to you or your peace get rid of them now. Do not write, talk or visit them at all. Do not let them visit you.

3. Have a dismissive attitude toward negativity. Do not react to it in a negative way. Remember you always have a choice to get mad or dismiss stupidity.

4. Begin an exercise regiment 3 times a week. You may want to try Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays for at least 30 minutes. Slowly increase the exercise time to 45 minutes or an hour.

5. You have to change your eating habits. What you eat plays a tremendous role in how you feel. White sugars are bad for the body.

When you eat sugars, the body works hard to bring you down off the sugar high. The body is so busy working on that it can no protect you fully from illness (you immune system gets lower) Here is a good comparison. Every time you eat candy, pastries and cakes Etc.., it is like taking shots of liquor. The body is fighting the sugar just like it fights the alcohol when you drink.

6. No more fast food! You must try to eat at the same times daily. The meals must consist of 3 regular meals and two snacks. Watch your serving size. The first week of eating will be the hardest, but I promise you by week two it will be easier. No white sugars or sweet treats. If you get a sweet tooth eat fruit!

7. Write on your Blog as much as possible. Express your true feeling and how your day went. This is important; because this will be the way you can look back and see progress.

8. Do 30 minutes of "personal time daily" Personal Time consists of you meditating and sitting still thinking about the present. Do not think about the future or the pass. Allow your mind to focus on you (not what you need to do or what you did). This time should be done in the morning or before bed.

9. No sex for a month- If bad relationships continue to occur in your life, then this is necessary. You are picking or drawing the wrong people to you. Your vibe is polluted and does not represent your true self. Your vibe may be the vibe of self-doubt, desperateness, loneliness, and fear. So if bad relationships are your "weakness," Sex only complicates it and clouds your judgment. You have to make yourself happy before you can share that happiness with anyone else.

10. No alcohol- same as sex- alcohol clouds your judgment

11. No Dates

Goals-

• Write down your goals and how you plan to accomplish them

• Begin your exercise and meditation (Personal Time).

• Begin your new eating regiment. (No sweets or white sugars)

• Join an online community and chat and blog. Do not do romantic chats. Look for someone who is on the same road as you. You need some one who understands.

• I love yoga. Try to find a yoga school in your area. You may find it satisfying.

Nyrere vs. The Volcano

 

Nyrere vs. The Volcano

My son Nyrere and I decided to do this little project this summer. He brought me along for this little ride and I decided to share this with everyone. He is my aspiring scientist. He dibbles in quite a few science based subjects. He enjoys rock collecting, botany, and studying insects. I suppose my boys as much as possible.

Please enjoy our experiment.

The Girl in the Bathroom

At a glance it looked like an electric night. At a glance, it seemed to be the remains of a night of fantasy and sexual expression, but vision can often be misconstrued by expectation or prejudice.

She stirred slowly on the bed. Her movements could be described as if she was a person returning to normal after a night of howling at the moon. Her neck even contained a dull ache as if she was attacked, bitten, and transformed into a foreign beast or monster. She surely did not feel like herself. She moved forward and propped herself up with her arm. She surveyed the studio apartment and began to recollect the prior evening.

Various exhausted beer, wine, liquor bottles and various shades of lipstick covered glasses rest on the floor in various positions. As she sat up completely and place her feet on the floor. Her toes touched several wrappers. She looked down in question, inspected and raised her head in disguise. On the nightstand she noticed her pack of Newport, reached for them, shook the box and discovered that the box only contained a half smoked cigarette. She frowned at the “short” and searched for a light. As she began pushed party favors off of the table hoping to discover a light, instead she found more wrappers. It was as if it was Christmas morning and kids went crazy opening gifts and discarding all but the treasures inside.

Shelia stared at the wrappers and proceeded to the stove to light her used cigarette. After it was burning and she puffed away the stall taste of the used cigarette, she walked to her bathroom and started the tub.

As she walked into the bathroom, that’s when she first noticed her. There was a coco brown sister as naked as Eve. And speaking of Eve, this coco beauty was the perfection of Eve. Her face was the vision of an angel. Her mouth was curved with a slight frown, but it was obvious that under the right circumstances it would be a devilish grin. Her nose was a button with the roundness and flare of her ancestors. Her long neck connected to soft shoulders, full breast, small waist, rounded hips and muscle flexing thighs. She was glamorous from head o toe. Shelia stared at the sexy bitch and turned her head in disgust. “That hoe always parties and show out,” she thought as she took a long drag of the Newport and frowned at the continued bad taste. Shelia disappointment was redirected at the young lady.

Shelia thought, “What did she do last night? I bet she was talking trash like she always does. How good she is. How no one has her skills. I bet any kind of money she went overboard again.” Shelia remembered there was several times she seen this girl in action at the parties in the past. Shelia also remembers that this girl drank too much. She always did. She needs, wants and commands attention. She would drink and talk shit to get attention. “Oh damn, all those wrappers on the floor! Not again!” She looks at her and the anger and resentment tinkle in her toes. As if she had stepped into the tub of running water and it was slowly rising. Her anger began to warm her body.

“That damn girl,” Shelia thought as her surveyed the room again and moved back to the naked beauty. She always feels empowered by the attention. Like Cleopatra who toyed with the affections of men only to die due to the poison (snake bite) of her actions. “Those guys last night did not love her the way she wanted nor did she deserve Love,” thought Shelia. “How am I going to find man to love me, when my roommate keeps screwing everyone? “

Shelia said to herself, “Going from man to man does nothing but leave you on the floor. I want kids and a husband. I have the capacity to love, but she messed it up with all this need for attention. I love me too. But I only need one. She keeps screwing everyman that comes around here. I am going to have to do something about that! “Just then her angry turn to grief, then pity. “She is so beautiful, look at her,” she thought, “if she could only stop giving it away.”

The combination of the running water and the burnt down cigarette caught her attention. She looked away from the mirror, flipped the cigarette into the toilet, and wiped the tears from her eyes. As she prepared to clean herself, she whispered in a breath, “I am worth more.”

What Happens to Love?

When it does not work, what happens to Love?

First, I want to commend all of my new friends for the love you are showing me with my short stories and commentary on Love. I believe that God has provided me with a gift of insight and I want to serve all my readers, by providing information from my heart and soul. So as you read my commentary, bring your “rake”and “pitchfork.”If there is any information that you can use, rake it in for usage, and if you disagree or there is not needed, pitch it away. Now on to the series…….

In Part 1 of this series, I stated that the only way to maintain a healthy relationship is to remove anything that does not foster positive growth or strengthen the relationship. I use a garden as the basis of my analogy. Soil and Field rep resents your spiritual body. The Spiritual body projects who you are to the world. The Physical body acts for the spiritual body. The Soul is the actual you. When your garden is clear of negative substance, whatever is planted will flourish.

As you read this series, you will notice that the majority of information I will provide will be for you and not your mate. The reason for that is simple: No one can make you happy! No one can give you love, integrity, honest, and selflessness. All of these things are in you! All of these things project from you to the world. W e project who we are to the world. God has provided all the ingredients to happiness and joy. We share ourselves with the world. Would you ever try to board a plane on a trip without your plane ticket? When the attendant asks for your ticket would you say that you expect the guy ahead of you to give his ticket? We are all on the same journey. We all must have our own tickets.

If you are looking for someone to make you happy, you will have a minimum amount of happiness in your life. The reason is simple: Your focus is in the wrong place. As you are looking outside your garden, your plot is unattended and overrun with such poisons as insecurity, jealousy, or low self esteem. Those negative substances distract you; poison your garden and choke the seeds of your relationships. Because your search is in vain, you miss out on quite a bit of your happiness. You are searching outwardly for something that is inside of you. Imagine that you misplace d your keys in the house. Where will you look? You will look inside your house. You will not go down the street to your neighbor’s house looking for something that is inside your home!

I wanted to make that point before I move forward. This makes the answer quite obvious to my readers. So let’s state the question again: When it does not work, what happens to the love? Nothing. The love remains constant even after the relationship is over. Remember, the love is a part of you (your soil) and the relationship (seed) is planted. The seed is not the soil and the soil is not the seed. They are both important to one another, but their make-up and roles are quite different.

Once a relationship (plant or seed) is up- rooted, weakened, or cut, and the relationship is gone, t here will be a time needed for healing, because something in your garden with a specific place and role is weak or gone. Now here is when many disagree with me. The average person is hurt or devastated and begins to build protective measures to safe guard themselves from being hurt again and again.

Many people begin to use those negative substances to build the so call wall of protection. The wall does not protect them; instead it creates barriers inside the garden that imprisons you and inhibits the growth of love in your soil. So the next relationship is plagued with the same issues and ends in the same manner or worst: we stay in an unhealthy relationship. If your garden is not address, life will be filled with more pain than necessary.

Here is a fact that I will place everything on: If you have cleaned your garden and you are doing your job in the relationship one or two things will occur. Your partner will begin to clean his/her garden, or circumstances will begin to separate you. Because there will be not be enough common ground to sustain the relationship. For example two Crack heads with co dependency issues are together, and one sobers up. Can the newly reformed addict stay with the current addict? No. If the recovering addict remains, he/she will probably slide back in to that life style. When we clean up our gardens, it is like sobering up. We are new, because we are experiencing intensity of feelings and emotions that we have not felt for a very long time. Our needs, outlook, and desires will change.

Quick Recap: Nothing happens to love when a relationship ends. The love remains constant. Why, because the Love is a part of you. It provides substance (food) for relationships it is not the fruit of the relationship. When changes occur in the relationship, it is important to allow healing after a relationship ends without allowing negative substances to gather and create emotional prisons and barriers.

Next question: Now that it is over, how do I prepare for a new healthy relationship?

What's in your Garden

 

by Hakeem Jamal

After talking with quite a few friends and examining my own relationships, I observed a pattern to my ill attempts at Love. Relationships were not working out for me or any of the individuals I know. I am not referring to callous people, but the average person in our society that should find healthy relationships and real love accessible. Love should be manifested in all aspects of their life.

Love seems so elusive, and somewhat ambiguous, and continued failure means that we are not defining Love properly because we do not know what it is or its purpose.  Because of this ignorance we categorize Love's placement wrong, thus its place and purpose is lost in our lives.

My theory of Love (and positive attributes) is this: Love is a constant in our spiritual bodies it is a necessity for a healthy existence. It exists in great numbers as long as we have the capacity for growth.

Your Garden

Many of us are not ready for relationships. We are not familiar with a healthy relationship. Our spiritual lives or gardens are ill managed. Poorly managed spiritual gardens are cluttered with negative substances and when Life (God's will) sows seeds in our rocky fields and hard soil we cannot maintain a healthy connection to the results of the seeds sown. The interesting thing is that we define the love as the seed, but Love is actually a part of the soil. Love is one of the many minerals in the soil that allows seeds to grow strong and provide fruit. Relationships, emotions, or daily occurrences are the seed sown in our garden. These seeds remain healthy due to the condition of our soil before and during growth. Adversity, Selfish Motives, ill will, negative emotional barriers or detach disposition are the stones and other foreign substances that pollute, obstruct, impede, and/or counteract the growth of relationships.

Our Spiritual bodies are the soil and our soil's richness is determine by levels of our positive (divine) attributes such as compassion, love, kindness, giving, etc.. The ills in our garden are fear, low self esteem, mistrust and jealousy. These traits can only harden you (soil). Spiritual bodies plagued with negativity do not allow the soil to become rich with love. So when seeds of infatuation are sown, they will not grow into a the healthest relationship. The ills in the ground are plague with fear, low self esteem, mistrust and jealousy and those trait can only hardens your (soil).

As I study the sutras of yoga and reflect on my knowledge of Christ. I realized that to discover what fosters love's growth is somewhat obvious, but preparing and maintaining yourself as a vessel for love takes work and dedication. Don't worry because it does get easier.

Love will flourish and enrich your life automatically when you are prepared. When the seeds are sown in an love enriched soil they will grow stronger than you can imagine. For example, God is not plagued with negative traits, so his love is dense and well concentrated.  It is all powerful.  This intensity and richness is exemplified in God's relationship to us.  How else can you give your son?Love will nurture the seeds that are being planted in your spiritual body.

Soil and Field represents your spiritual body. The Spiritual body projects who you are to the world. The Physical body displays or provides action for the spiritual body. The Soul is you

1. Positive Substances- Traits in your spiritual body that promotes emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental growth and positive relationships. I.e. Love, peace, compassion, etc....

2. Negative Substances- ills and foreign substances in your spiritual body that inhibit the positive substances from flourishing. Anger, hate, weakness, and low self esteem are examples of these substances

Examples of seeds sown into your garden are relationships, infatuation, task, ethics, and morals.

NEXT TOPIC: When it does not work, what happens to the love?

To be continued .

Contemplation

 

As I sit here again on the bus contemplating life and I realize that life is merely an interpretation of events, interactions and our surroundings. We look through the eyes of our mind and through that interpretation we determine what the true meaning or message being conveyed. For example, a bus filled with passengers witness the same accident. Each person will provide a common recount of the event, but there will be differences in the stories. Why? Because the experience was lived differently by everyone, the experience was not viewed through the same eyes of the mind. I believe that this applies in many aspects of our life experiences.

As I read more of the Yoga sutras, I am more inclined to believe that the understanding, education and the nourishment necessary to maintain the strength of a man’s spiritual being is found in all aspects of Yoga, Buddhism and Christianity. I suppose the other religions provide additional components of consideration. I will continue my reading and I report my findings.

My Mother

She must go deep in her well and pull out strength

 

Today I am writing concerning my mother.  Anyone that reads this blog, do yourself a favor, take the time to self-reflection. 

Tuesday I received a voicemail from my sister.  She sounded somewhat disturbed and stressed.   I instantly felt her vibe and knew something was wrong with my family .  She explained that she went to see if my mother was ready for her Doctor's Appointment and when she walked into the room, my mother laid on the bed with her eyes open, muttering  softly of nothing.  My sister called several times to my mother she did not respond.  According to my sister, mom's eyes do not blink nor did she move.  My sister called the ambulance and  my mother was taken to the hospital.

As my sister explained this to me I felt stress, concern, and helplessness  rise from the pit of my stomach.  I began to think in panic mode.  I thought, What am I going to do?  I need to go to Georgia, and see about her.  What is she is about to die? Several crazy thoughts came to mind.  So I decided to meditate. After I meditated,  I mustered up all my strength and walked out of my office on a mission to save my mother.

As I began to plan the rescue of my mother, I had a revelation of sorts.  We are all responsible for our actions or decisions.   The hero that my mother needs is within her.  She will not change and lead a healthier lifestyle until she decides that it is truly time.  She must go deep in her well and pull out strength. Once she says that it is time,  I can help by lending support, suggestions and encouragement.  I can not do anything until she determines it is time. Love is sometime letting go and providing support from afar.

 

The Lady on the Bus

As I sit here today and contemplating what to write about, I began to look around (I am on the Metro Bus)...  Each person seems to have a vision of the world around them and that world affects them differently. 

I love watching people and analyzing their outward appearance and mannerism to theorize about their personality and life.  There is a perfect subject on the bus today. 

Description:   A very attractive 35-40 year old lady is sitting not too far from me.  She is sensuous and classy and sexy mannerism about her.  Her outfit is coordinated from head to toe.  She is wearing simple thin strapped sandals with black pants and a gold blouse.  The blouse is opened enough to show slight cleavage.  Her toes and nails are carefully manicure and pedicure.  She accessorized her outfit with medium hoop ear rings and bracelets.  Her hair is in a ponytail with a pair of designer glasses perched at the crown of her head. 

My Perception:  She has the face of kindness and strength.  I would assume that she is a mother of young adults. Her demeanor seems to be that of a confident woman with a warm personality. She also looks like she is means what she says and she does not play! There was no wedding ring I guess that she is single because of divorce or widowed.  She has that appeal that men are drawn to, so if she is single it is by choice. 

I would have loved to converse with her to determine how much of my observations were correct.

I think that my favorite past time is definitely people watching.  I love watching people interact, and communicate aloud or in the silence of their body language.  The next time you are hanging out in a public place, take a look at a person sitting nearby began to break them down corroding to their dress, mannerism and interaction.  If you have time walk over to the person and start a casual conversation. Compare your presumptive vibe that you felt with the person and the actual vibe.  You will realize that it is a rare situation when you are 100% right about someone.  Personal Perception is defined by the experienced and education.