meeting of minds

i had my book club meeting tonight. my apartment building suggests a monthly book to read and discuss. we do discuss the books, but we also talk about our local community and world issues. tonight we discussed our government and the sad state we're in because republicans think x and democrats think y and there seems to be little compromise. we discussed what we should be doing about it.

our book tonight discussed the holocaust. what was the average german doing when atrocities were happening? for the many, not much. so in our turn, do we sit by and watch our earth be destroyed? our people go hungry? the economy struggle? i don't think the average american sits idly by as things go wrong. a lot of us try to do our part, but we're still not working as a group, as a nation. how can we assemble a meeting of minds [in addition to the many community groups or national groups] and find solutions to our problems? how can we get the groups to work together? i'm open to suggestions.

the kindness of strangers

when you need help, who do you call? no, not ghostbusters. do you have a list of family and friends who will do everything they can to help you? if so, you are very lucky. i am one of the lucky ones. i have family and friends near and far who would, and often do, go to the ends of the earth for me. thank you!

what happens when you don’t have such a list? what happens when your family and friends are unavailable? i highly recommend asking the person nearest to you, whether you know them or not. i have asked people passing me on the street, people in public places, and neighbors who hardly know me. i was about to write – every one of those people did what i asked and offered help beyond my initial request – but that’s not true. there was a woman at the mall once who said no to me. still, i must have asked more than 20 people over the years. one out of 20 isn’t bad.

thanks to all the angels who have helped me. life would be much harder without them.

time for peace

it's that time of year when we wish for peace on earth. will our planet ever be free from violence and war? looking at history, i have to say, it doesn't look promising. still, it is worth our most valiant efforts.

Martin Luther King Jr. said:
Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

i hope that one day people will try to solve all problems without violence. some people are trying. there is a group planning the Gaza Freedom March to take place on December 31. they are using non-violence to seek an end to violence between Israel and Palestine. this group is making a valiant effort.

my effort is mainly for my life, but i hope that by living peacefully it will resonate through the world around me. i do not watch the news. i try to not watch tv or movies based on crime or violence. i write to the tv networks to praise their non-violent shows and ask that they reduce the level of violence they produce for our 'entertainment.'

every little effort helps. what could you do? i'd love to get more ideas to put into practice.

peace be with you.

talking

have you ever noticed how big problems seem when you're imagining all possibilities? we search for a solution before we have all the details. for instance, my husband made a vague comment that sounded negative. i spent hours imagining what there might be behind that comment. had i done something? was i missing something i should have done? so i guessed a few things then went on to imagine how i might improve the situation.

well we finally had time to chat. i had not guessed correctly about the problem. all my worrying was wasted time. the problem was troubling but knowing the details eased my mind. finally we could look at the situation and think together about ways to work through the difficulty. granted, we didn't think of a solution, but talking made the problem manageable. we can move forward together.

i like this quote:

Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.
...Corrie Ten Boom

talk. get all the details. if you must worry, do it together.

stuff

i seem to be posting interesting things that are not my original ideas. i'll continue to do so because these messages support my goal. one of these days i'll add my own thoughts. in the meantime, check out this link:

http://www.storyofstuff.org/

i'm trying to spread information to improve our earth and our lives. i love my life and want everyone to have that same feeling, in the present and in the unforeseeable future.

making the world

this is a poem i received from Go-Gratitude, an organization promoting positivity:

"There is a secret
that almost nobody knows.

I will tell it to you
if you promise
to tell someone else:

The world isn't quite finished yet,
it isn't quite complete.

It's still
being
made.

Everywhere you look
and everywhere you listen,
someone or something

is helping
to make the world."

~ excerpt, Making the World by Douglas Wood.


the smallest thing, like a smile or a kind word, helps to make a better world. what will you contribute?

life is all about...

well, of course i don't know 'the meaning of life' for everyone, but i have ideas of my own. we are here on earth to learn from each other and become the best 'me' we can be. i feel this is true whether you believe in heaven, reincarnation, or nothing at all happening when we die. we learn from each other, not to get into heaven or have better karma in a future life. we learn to have a good life in the present.

all our lives we meet people and learn from them. first our parents give us the basics. then teachers impart knowledge. as we begin working we learn from our co-workers. we even learn from others out in public - on buses, in stores, in parking lots. we learn from interactions. if i smile and get a smile in return, i've learned that it makes me feel good, and so i do it more often. if i talk to someone who complains all the time, i learn that it doesn't make me feel good, and i avoid such people.

the most important learning though, is what we get from the people we choose to have in our lives; the family and friends we choose to spend time with. i've learned this lesson by watching my mother and grandmother as they made phone calls, wrote letters and got together with the special people in their lives. they treated others with love, and got more love in return.

as i'm writing, i'm revising my theory about life. yes, i believe we are here to learn from each other, but the goal is not knowledge. in becoming the best 'me' we can be, the end goal is love; learning as much as we can to feel love for ourselves, love for special people, love for our planet, and love for our fellow humans whether or not we agree with them.

i like this quote that sums up my thoughts:
Love doesn’t make the world go ‘round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
- Franklin P. Jones [ i don't know who this is.]

may you be blessed with such love.