You Alone Are Enough

You Alone Are Enough

Sometimes the only reminder

Of what we are supposed to do

Comes from those on the outside

Looking in toward you

Reminders of what is right

Reminders of not so much

Reminding us to be kind

To all our words do touch

Reminders come in all forms

Including some less kind

Some we may have looked over

Never expected to find

Perhaps the reminder is found

In witnessing something unjust

Or an experience or shock

From one we used to trust

No matter what the package

The contents are the same

No matter how it’s wrapped

The Truth is what remains

God sends us these reminders

Like a gentle nudge

When we are being stubborn

Simply will not budge

Like the story about the wind

Trying to force the man

To remove his coat

Making it hard for him to stand

But the man held on tighter

Until his fingertips turned blue

The wind gave all he had

He blew and blew and blew

The wind in its ego thought

He could force the man

To remove his coat

By gale forces across the land

Then out came the sunshine

Doing all that it does

Beamed down God’s light

Warming with His love

The man removed his coat

The day it had gotten hot

The sun remembered something

The wind had forgot

Embrace people with love

Their hearts will then move

God’s love is bountiful

Like this lesson proves

Reminders of God’s reasoning

We were brought to this place

Is found in the hearts of men

On a child’s sweet face

Today this is your reminder

Find caution in your speech

REALLY love your neighbor

By giving a smile to each

Brighten up a gloomy day

For a heart that has a frown

Like throwing a life vest

Before a soul starts to drown

Remember to remember to

Embrace a heart gone cold

Bringing sheep back to God

Into His loving fold

In closing I remind you

I know this task can be rough

But with God as your shepherd

You …yes you, alone are enough

The Sound of Silence

The Sound of Silence

    The end of humanity does not occur when man does evil…but when man sits and watches…yet does nothing.

We are armed with all the weapons that we will ever need to defend ourselves, from birth. We were created with love, but with that comes great responsibilities; we are responsible for holding the love of God dear and to give it too others. It is only when we look for outside implements or instrumentation that we actually go against our very purest nature. The very purest part of us is that with which we were created; over time depending on our circumstances and our will to accept that which others find acceptable…we can develop negative or destructive tendencies. This happens when we no longer attempt to communicate…with our very being. We were created with many means in which to communicate…with our mouths, lips, hands, eyes, ears, even our legs and feet…all can communicate what we are thinking and feeling at any given time.

For instance I can either speak to you using my mouth…orally creating vibrations which are expressed in words audibly detectable. Or I can just use my lips to mouth the words…with out a sound. Both are forms of communication…but one would actually take active reception. What I mean by that is…the person I am communicating to would really have to pay attention to what I am trying to relay to them. Not only that…but I would have to take my time and make my words easy to receive. Have you ever argued with some one speaking so harshly, and fast that even you can not even remember exactly what you said? Yet the emotion behind the sentiment is never lost…you are angry. However…if you had to take a moment and actually make your words clearly decipherable, due to an inability to yell, or orate any sound at all…then perhaps the communication would not be lost and the emotion would be more even tempered.

We often we use our bodies as a means of letting other know what we are feeling at the time…often without realizing it. We will point our fingers…which can be interpreted as accusatory or to place blame. We can cross our arms which can be interpreted as I don’t want to hear what you are saying, or I don’t want to disclose something. Of course these things could also mean other things such as pointing when giving direction or folding our arms because we are cold…but again, these are ideas that we are still communicating.

We can use our legs and feet to position our body in such a way to display our interest or disinterest with what is being said to us. If we sit facing away from someone it clearly states that I am not interested in what you are talking about, or telling me. If I tap my foot it may mean that I am impatient or running out of time. If I stomp my foot it can be out of anger or excitement depending on the dialogue prior.

But the most important communication tool that we are armed with is our ears.  How carefully do we listen to what is being communicated? If we were asked, could we mirror what we were told or asked? Often, we only hear the first and last thing that is said to us. Which is unfortunate because then we are missing out on the communication.

We often take these tools of communication for granted. When I was a child …to show us our many blessings my grandmother would blindfold us or have us cover our ears…to show us how carefully we actually listen or watch things. When your vision is impaired in that way…you would be surprised at what we hear that we didn’t hear before…a bird chirping, the snow crunching, footsteps in the distance…and trying to figure out who the footsteps belonged to. We learned that we had to listen carefully to tones and words, because we didn’t have the luxury of seeing a facial expression. When our ears were covered we had to watch things carefully because we couldn’t hear them…or our hearing was impaired to such an extent that it wasn’t clear. We were no longer rushing to say what ever we pleased but actually taking the time to try and read the lips and expressions being communicated to us. Now, of course, the entire purpose of this exercise was not to punish us, but to teach us that we need to take more time with life. We needed to take time to smell the flowers, to watch a sunset, to be more loving and kind with one another.

Why do we dislike the silent treatment? Because we want to communicate…but often we would rather wage war than take the time to actively listen and participate in a conversation. We would rather lash out than to calmly verbalize what we are thinking and feeling. Words can be like weapons…they can inform us or others…or they can cut like a knife. I can remember, as a child, hearing certain tones and unflattering words that adults used towards one another. They were not speaking to me, no one was calling me names…no one was angry at me. But I absorbed the words…it hurt deep inside of me…it felt like my insides were shaking. I felt violated, like someone had picked up a club and hit me in my stomach. Of course the adults that were doing this made up, they moved on…but I will never forget the feeling it left me with. I was scarred…and even now when I hear certain words I get the same feeling again.

We, as human beings have the power to create or destroy and we do so everyday. We build up people or we tear them down…every single day. The point being, with that knowledge…which will you choose to do? We have the power to make each day better then the one previous…just by opening our mouths, our minds and our hearts. We can leave loving embraces on the hearts of our fellow man or we can scar them. Keeping in mind very often when we scar people they lash out at others…leaving them scarred, as well. We create a cycle no matter which way we go…but we get to choose which road to take. All that I am suggesting is that we choose that which will help uplift and rejuvenate. If we leave loving kind words…they will resonate in people…and hopefully that will be the trend.

Does it sound like I am being unrealistic? Talking about love towards our fellow man…I have been told that it does. The thing is this…if being loving towards each other seems like a foreign idea…it is only because we have been living far too long with the idea that we must kill or be killed.

Let It Grow

Let It Grow

The things we take for granted

Like breathing fresh air

The lessons we are afforded

To make us more aware

Experiencing the first light of day

The night’s first seen star

Are often clouded by judgments

Taking away from where we are

The sound of a newborn baby

An unexpected smile

Signs of God all around

Making life worthwhile

Fresh morning breezes

Cool mountain air

The touch of his hand

The smell of her hair

The things we overlook

When seeking reasons to hate

The blessings we step on

The hearts we do break

The boundaries we enforce

Creating reasons to step away

Rationalizing the thoughts

Finding reasons not to pray

Never seeking forgiveness

Making it harder to give

Building false expectations

Getting harder to live

When will we realize that we

Are being given another attempt

But are accountable for our actions

We are not love exempt

If you cannot find it in your heart

To reach out to a soul in need

What will happen to the children

Oh, the hate we do breed

We teach them indifference

How to worship material wealth

Forgetting about humility

What a hard hand they are dealt

For we are all given

Tools to pass along

So we will all be in tune

Singing the same song

Count your blessings I beg you

Be thankful for each one

Before they are stricken from you

And your time on earth is done

For when it all is said

Finished and then

You will think about could have’s

What might have been

Be proactive in your life

Grateful in your tones

Watch your demeanor

Stop casting verbal stones

For the cost of hate is large

More than you can afford

It can cost you salvation

Promised by our Lord

In closing I must tell you

So you will always know

Inside you have God’s love

It’s time to let it grow

Wake Up

Wake Up

Walking around in a daze
Sleep walking through the streets
Barely acknowledging…hardly noticing
People that we meet

Every once in a while
We are startled by a distant cry
But eventually we shut it out
And continue walking by

I know we must not be awake
So we must be sleeping
There are people living on the streets
There are children who aren’t eating

Our daughters are sold onto slavery
…a sex toy for hire
Yet we move unaffected
While our lives are on fire

Children are gone too soon
The streets swallowing them whole
Gangs are their only family
The only one  they’d ever know

But when their lives are done
The streets keep going too
What happened to that family
The only one they ever knew?

The streets can seem enticing
Like a new breath of air
But when you are used up
The streets no longer care

We must get up from our slumber
Our children need us awake
They need guidance and love
They are making big mistakes

The promise of hope is grim
When the only thing you see
Is a parent being abused
Children stuck in poverty

Reach out your hand to the world
Show it that you really care
Gently realign its path
People are dying everywhere

People without homes
Abandoned children all around
Set aside the excuses
So called…standing your ground

For death cannot be undone
A corpse’s flesh never goes to court
All that matters is a child was lost
Nothing sensational to report

The world around us is so cruel
We might try and wish it away
But if we do that as adults
Where will children play?

Innocence too often stolen
Doors and windows can be shut
Children paying the price
Until we decide to WAKE UP

Our Savior’s Light

Do not confuse what I say
When I speak of divine light
It’s not about being black
It’s not about being white

It’s about knowledge of God
Not about racial unrest
For try as we may
We still fail to do our best

We may make excuses for
The differences we do share
But when did that have to be
The reason we don’t care

After all I didn’t decide
The tone of my skin
Was more important than
The woman I am within

How can a predetermined factor
Tell you how dangerous I can be
If I was a different race
Wouldn’t I still be me?

I don’t know when my skin
Became more important than my soul
But if you get hung up on it
You’ll miss more than you know

Light is about our Creator
Not about good nor bad
It’s about the blessings
The greatest gifts we’ve ever had

It’s the reason we were sent here
Not the thing that we see
It’s why we were chosen
Why we were meant to be

Light is about the path
Our own predestined way
It’s about the time we spend
Each and every day

Do we spend it wisely
Or do we waste it to death
Can we love one another
Or am I wasting my breath?

Because my hopes for man are high
I believe the violence can end
When you stop looking for my faults
And accept me as a friend

For everywhere the light touches
All places every where else
Is where God …he lives
We need to remind ourselves

Children are God’s gift
Yet we cast them aside
We bury them too soon
Today another died

Our women are battered
Victims of a loved ones abuse
How can she ever heal
It’s her heart that’s been bruised

Give God’s love with purpose
Whether it be day or night
Fill hearts with the warmth
Found in our Savior’s light

The Cost of Humanity

The Cost of Humanity

 

 

  By now, most of us have read or heard about the story of Jesus Navarro, the man in California who needs a kidney transplant; briefly, Mr. Navarro has private insurance through a job that he worked for 14 years and he has his own kidney donor…his wife. In fact, the only thing Mr. Navarro is missing is a green card. He is an undocumented resident, and has been such for at least the last 14 years. However, like it or not, the law states that he can not receive organ transplant surgery due to his citizenship status. To be specific, Mr. Navarro can not receive the surgery which will quite possibly save his life, but he can DONATE a kidney or any other organ…to save someone else…citizen or not.

  I am not disputing the cost of healthcare. I am completely aware of how expensive it is getting to be ill, every time I visit my doctor. It has been stated that the reason Mr. Navarro cannot have the surgery is because he may not be able to afford the medicine that will follow the procedure. This is definitely a very sad situation, not only sad but ridiculous when you look at the larger picture.

  This is not just an undocumented resident; he is a husband and father. He has a family that, without this surgery, will be planning a funeral far too soon. This follows me reading about, Amelia Rivera, a 3 year old who needs a kidney transplant and was denied because the administrators of the hospital said she was mentally “retarded”. SO…this child could possibly die from kidney failure, and because of her mental capacity. She is not eligible for a transplant.

  I know there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of Jesus Navarro’s in this country. It is actually that idea that prompted me to write about this.  I have never looked at human beings as countrymen or citizens of one country or another. I have never made a decision about one person or the next based on any monetary label. People are people; we are all different in one fashion or another.

  What I fail to understand is the logic behind having the ability to add years to a person’s life and then choosing not to. What have we become? When did a person who is not a resident of this country become expendable? We are so far away from where we are supposed to be, as human beings. This could not be what God wants for and from us. I was so disappointed in us, as children of one Creator, to know that the lines that make us different are actually becoming terminal. We are devaluing human life…placing a price tag on how much we will reach out for other people.

  Regardless of the politics behind the decision to not help these two children of God and others exactly like them, we should all be ashamed. We should find equal shame in the decision makers in these matters; and in those of us, who sit back and agree, by way of our silence.

  Love thy neighbor…not love only our documented countrymen…not only the healthy…but all walks of life. What is guiding us? When did we fall off of our paths? Often we get tested, it may be those very tests that display to our Creator what and who we really are. I pray no one gets judged based on these two cases, because the outlook looks grim.

  How much does humanity cost? Whatever the price tag…I pray that you can afford it. May the grace of God guide you all.