Tag Archive for spirit

Let Me Dream

Starting in November, no matter who we vote in as President, I fervently hope the spirit of Martin Luther King., Jr. rests upon his shoulders and infuses his decisions with the fire to fight violence and its major cause, injustice, in our nation.  I dream that this spirit spreads from our leader to our lawmakers, who will then regain the respect of their constituents, who will, in turn, reject violence in all its dehumanizing forms and embrace justice for all of our citizens.  From there, they will demand justice for all other citizens of the world and pursue it in peaceful, yet effective ways.

This is a huge dream, even a foolishly optimistic one.  But, just imagine–if everyone shared my dream and worked to make it reality, what would our new world look like?

Let me dream.

A Different Kind of Christmas Gift

Start a new Christmas tradition. Each family member writes down a gift, placing the paper in a special stocking or wrapped box with a slot on top.  The gift should be for someone outside your family—a neighbor, another family, acquaintance, person you’ve heard about.  And the gift must be of time, not money or goods, a gift of self, not charity.  Examples: monthly visits to a nursing home for a year; driving a person to medical appointments until he’s well; helping an adult or child learn English or to read or write; changing the attitude of a prejudiced friend. (I can give you more ideas–let me know.)

Have a very merry Christmas!

Really Get into the Christmas Spirit

Found this in my news feed. 12 days of Holiday Kindness–what a great idea! Sure, it’s only 9 days until Christmas, but why not double-up some days?

Family–Personal Note

I’m excited. Family I love very much is coming for a week’s visit in a few days. We haven’t been physically together for two years. Phone calls, emails, and texts just aren’t the same.

Anticipation of the visit has had me thinking a lot about family, whether blood-related or friends we consider family…how much of an impact they make on our lives. They’re there, if only in spirit, in my joys and sorrows, to bounce ideas off of when I’m making a decision, to agree to disagree with on issues and concerns, to remind me to take better care of my health (because it matters to them), to respect me as a person, to let me be me and still love me.

Dear readers, I wish for all of you FAMILY!

“Giving” in to Tomorrow

Tomorrow is “Giving Tuesday,” a holiday designed to balance out the self-absorbed madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  On this day, business, charities, communities, and families enter into the spirit of giving.  EVERYONE can participate.  If not with our wallets, then with our excess food in our pantries or the second Buy-one/Get-One-Free item.  With that like-new clothing we loved when we bought it but know we’ll never wear.  With those toys our kids opened Christmases ago but sit in their boxes, un-played with.  With blankets and rain ponchos for the homeless who are about to be caught in what promises to be a harsh winter.  Or simply with the gift of our time: to help at a shelter or soup kitchen; to visit a lonely elder in a nursing home; to comfort a grieving family; to be with a troubled child.  I hope Giving Tuesday expands to Giving Everyday.  Besides, the spirit of this day turns the madness into a loving anticipation of a Christmas season packed with all the meaning it’s supposed to have.

Run-of-the-Mill Humans

Stephen Hawking was a great scientist. He had the world and future figured out and lived long enough to see some of it  confirmed. Sometimes he commented on humanity, as well.  Such as in today’s Thursday Thought quote.

“We are all different. There is no such thing as a standard or run-of-the-mill human being, but we share the same human spirit.” –Stephen Hawking

A New Christmas Tradition

Start a new Christmas tradition. Each family member writes down a gift, placing the paper in a special stocking or wrapped box with a slot on top.  The gift should be for someone outside your family—a neighbor, another family, acquaintance, person you’ve heard about.  And the gift must be of time, not money or goods, a gift of self, not charity.  Examples: monthly visits to a nursing home for a year; driving a person to medical appointments until he’s well; helping an adult or child learn English or to read or write; changing the attitude of a prejudiced friend. (I can give you more ideas–let me know.)

Christmas morning, as a family, open and read these “gifts” and agree to help each other follow through on them.  This is the kind of gift-giving that is in the true Christmas spirit, ones that make a real difference to the people who receive our gifts as well as to our own hearts.

Have a very merry Christmas!

The Real America

Sixteen years ago we proved that we are America strong, America compassionate, America resilient, America united, America tough, America protective.

A group of fanatics set about to bring us to our knees in fear.  But instead of creating terror, they unleashed the American spirit.

God HAS blessed America–through its people.

Quenching Compassion: A Plea to Readers

If you’ve been a reader of this blog for awhile, you know that I believe in the power of the human family when we join together to make this world a better place for all of us.  So I’m calling on your help now.

My state (CA) is burning up.  We have so many individual wildfires that they’re combining to make larger, more deadly, destructive ones.  And hot weather with blustery winds.  And a drought, with little or no rain.

People are losing everything they have.  They’re learning that they must find someplace else to live until they can rebuild their homes–and that insurance may cover only 10% of the cost.  Pets and livestock are lost or consumed by flames. Human lives are lost, both residents and fire-fighters.

What I ask of you is to send the human spirit of compassion and unity into the universe, asking for en end to the fires, adequate quenching and rejuvenating rain, and safety for all involved.  If you believe in prayer, do that.  Otherwise, send out good vibes, happy thoughts, and poisitive feelings.  Expect results.

This isn’t magic, just family ties.