Untitled

What a strange thing is loneliness, and how frightening it is! We never allow ourselves to get too close to it; and if by chance we do, we quickly run away from it. We will do anything to escape from loneliness, to cover it up. Our conscious and unconscious preoccupation seems to be to avoid it or to overcome it. Avoiding and overcoming loneliness are equally futile; though suppressed or neglected, the pain, the problem, is still there. You may lose yourself in a crowd, and yet be utterly lonely; you may be intensely active, but loneliness silently creeps upon you; put the book down, and it is there. Amusements and drinks cannot drown loneliness; you may temporarily evade it, but when the laughter and the effects of alcohol are over, the fear of loneliness returns. You may be ambitious and successful, you may have vast power over others, you may be rich in knowledge, you may worship and forget yourself in the rigmarole of rituals; but do what you will, the ache of loneliness continues. You may exist only for your son, for the Master, for the expression of your talent; but like the darkness, loneliness covers you. You may love or hate, escape from it according to your temperament and psychological demands; but loneliness is there, waiting and watching, withdrawing only to approach again.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand - “Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.”

…you are beautiful to me but must know that you are beautiful for yourself. You should also be aware that true beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which means that how beautiful you are to other people is always going to be subjective to who is looking at you at that time, and since you will always be looking at yourself first, you should find your own beauty and feel good about who you are.” She went on to tell me that I needed to take the time to identify those things that I found to be beautiful about myself but also celebrate what I thought was weird or unusual because those were the special things that God had given to me that made me different from everybody else. I learned how to appreciate, embrace, and enhance those special things so that they would shine rather than be hidden…We learned to love and identify with what made us uniquely beautiful.”

BeNeca Ward  (born 1976);

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”
— Bob Marley

Psalm 4

 ¹Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

 ²O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.

 ³But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.

 ⁴Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

 ⁵Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

 ⁶There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

 ⁷Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

 ⁸I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Almighty God, there are so many things about which I am grossly ignorant. There are so many things in my world that I can’t keep up. There are so many things about you that I long to know but I can’t begin to comprehend. Please, dear Father, give me more of you: Help me know more about you so that I may personally know you more completely. You are beyond me, so please deal gently with me as you reveal yourself. I look forward with anticipation to knowing you face to face in heaven, the Unsearchable and the Almighty God, my Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Way of Love

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,^a but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;^b 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 1. Don’t force a fit. If something is meant to be, it will come together naturally.
 
2. When things aren’t going so well, take a break. Everything will look different when you return.
 
3. Be sure to look at the big picture. Getting hung up on the little pieces only leads to frustration.
 
4. Perseverance pays off. Every important puzzle went together bit by bit, piece by piece.
 
5. When one spot stops working, move to another. But be sure to come back later (see #4).
 
6. The creator of the puzzle gave you the picture as a guidebook.
 
7. Variety is the spice of life. It’s the different colors and patterns that make the puzzle interesting.
 
8. Working together with friends and family makes any task fun.
 
9. Establish the border first. Boundaries give a sense of security and order.
 
10. Don’t be afraid to try different combinations. Some matches are surprising.
 
11. Take time often to celebrate your successes (even little ones).
 
12. Anything worth doing takes time and effort. A great puzzle can’t be rushed.

I went to a party, And remembered what you said. You told me not to drink, Mom So I had a sprite instead. I felt proud of myself, The way you said I would, That I didn’t drink and drive, Though some friends said I should. I made a healthy choice, And your advice to me was right, The party finally ended, And the kids drove out of sight. I got into my car, Sure to get home in one piece, I never knew what was coming, Mom Something I expected least. Now Im lying on the pavement, And I hear the policeman say, The kid that caused this wreck was drunk, Mom, his voice seems far away. My own blood’s all around me, As I try hard not to cry. I can hear the paramedic say, This girl is going to die. Im sure the guy had no idea, While he was flying high, Because he chose to drink and drive, Now I would have to die. So why do people do it, Mom Knowing that it ruins lives? And now the pain is cutting me, Like a hundred stabbing knives. Tell sister not to be afraid, Mom Tell daddy to be brave, And when I go to heaven, Put “Daddys Girl” on my grave. Someone should have taught him, That it’s wrong to drink and drive. Maybe if his parents had, I’d still be alive. My breath is getting shorter, Mom Im getting really scared. These are my final moments, And I’m so unprepared. I wish that you could hold me Mom, As I lie here and die. I wish that I could say, “I love you, Mom!” So I love you and good-bye.

I can be replaced By any pretty face I’m a temporary thing My fifteen minutes, they’re ticking away But I’m living for something more Yeah I’m living for something Beyond the walls of this world Beyond the walls of this world Well I know the sky is not the limit My soul wants to fly and You can free it Come on and let it soar Beyond the walls of this world Well there’s a hunger I have inside That bread alone can’t satisfy Let Your heart be my eyes And my vain ambitions die ‘Cause I’m living for something more Yeah I’m living for something Yeah I’m living for something more Something more than this Yeah I’m living for something Something Who said the sky was the limit My soul will fly and You will free it Beyond the walls Beyond the walls