The Survivor’s Prayer
If you want to survive the worst of times, rely on that small voice within you to do it. Follow that voice to your ultimate talents and creativity. Because what has been found is that creativity and knowledge flourish when times are difficult. It seems that the rock pushed under the earth the longest turns out to be the most beautiful diamond. Perhaps it is the same with people.
These are the times when diamonds can be created in great numbers. Each of us has the light of God and therefore the ability to shine before the world as our Creator intended. Regardless of what faith we have, what denomination, even those who believe that God is within mostly can recognize that the guiding voice we all share speaks firmly to us when we struggle. Out of that struggle can come our truest realization of who we are, each a spark of God. Out of that struggle can come divine inspiration. Great artists who painted the most beautiful pieces of art, our masterpieces, suffered mightily at times. That doesn’t mean we should seek to suffer, but instead of looking abjectly upon our fate, we can look within from which comes our greatest strength.
Through the expression of one’s art and one’s service, the ultimate prayer is given. When we use our talents to help others, educate others, guide others, or give others pleasure, there is an intrinsic value that returns to us. We give to others and receive in turn, the very joy in the act of our creating. So it is that the musician smiles and sings along with what he or she has done; the artist looks back at the canvas in the joy and awe of that creation. Somehow those who create know that they themselves are limited and that the gifts that come seem to manifest themselves unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, on a crowded street at dusk or on a lonely road that seems to go nowhere. Many times creativity comes at the beginning of wakefulness in those early morning hours. Perhaps it is then that our prayers that stir in the night are offered up, and we begin anew to transform ourselves and each other no matter how our lives may be at the time.
That is the prayer we need to remember, the prayer that says thank you for life itself, for our talents for our many and diverse gifts. For it is through these gifts, these prayers that come from what we do, can allow us to ultimately survive.
The ones who tune themselves into the whispers of God, hear the voice in everything they do. That’s the motivator, that small voice within us that says you can do it. You can get past it. You can get on with it. Your mission is ahead. Let nothing stop you. Put obstacles aside and focus on your riches. The messages come in whispers; your responses can come in shouts that are manifested by your products, your creations, your service, your dedication to what the God within and without allows you to be.
Political Lies Set Bar Low for Social Standards of Behavior
Lies are harmful, on personal and community levels. Multiplied many times over they can create wars, economic dysfunction and major crises. These days folks can lie, cheat, steal, and do almost anything and get away with it, in politics, in government and in personal life. The response “mistakes were made” takes the place of “fessing up.” But my Mom would say about any of these things, “There’s no such thing as a little murder.” I heard that statement many times as a kid when I used a variety of made-up stories to lie to her about why I came home late after school. Mom would catch the lie, and I’d be reminded again about murder. When I asked her what she meant, I was told just to think about it for awhile, along with what I’d done. I think that advice is good these days and that there are ways we can reduce lies so that we improve our relationships and our government. If a Sarah Palin lies, or John McCain, Joe Biden or Barack Obama what kind of standard does that set for us and our children? People on the news regularly help set a tone that our children can see and emulate.
To change our behaviors and attitudes requires a change of heart that we can’t do by ourselves. Inner guidance comes from within. With love in front to lead us, truth can prevail and destroy fear that provokes lies. The advice about lying that came from our Mothers and the sages of old is valuable eternally and must be our direction in order to solve our problems on every level. We need to demand that of our politicians as well as of ourselves so we can get about solving the serious problems that lie ahead of us.
Growing Old with Grace and Purpose
So you’re tired of working and want to retire, but you don’t have enough money saved; and you aren’t old enough. Sixty-five, that magic age of leaving work, is the goalpost where you anticipate hanging up your dancing shoes and putting on shoes designed for golf. But things happen, as they say, when you least expect them; and you may need to work when you hadn’t planned to. Then there’s that boredom that drives many senior citizens back to the workplace, either as volunteers or re-careered folk who consult, run businesses and strike out in entirely new directions from a previous career. And rather than making you old, this turns out to have the opposite effect. By staying with the “herd,” you can remain as young as the rest of it.
No where is the thought of youth belonging to the old who remain involved better depicted than at a local convenience store in the town where I live. The proprietor is embodiment of all the good principles of work put together with a love that is duct-taped firmly on everything she does. Mrs. Berryman, age 79, works 12 hours a day at her shop, with celebration that she can, not complaint that she has to. She has had the shop she owns and manages just three years; but she’s never stopped working, except for the brief recuperation she required from cancer that took part of her jaw four years ago. Her whole life has been a busy one, full of taking care of children, hers and many others, including those with disabilities. Mrs. Berryman does her own shopping, drives to and from her home 15 miles from the store, buys her own food, and takes care of her own personal affairs and still makes time for church attendance. She also doesn’t forget to vote during each election..
One must wonder, reflecting on the life of Velma Berryman, who has the better life: the bored occasional golfer wandering around hoping to do something that will continue to make his life meaningful or Velma Berryman whose life has never stopped having meaning and purpose and goals. For her work is life-giving and healthful. It all depends on an attitude that is associated with being grateful for one’s life at every age and stage.