Tag Archives: inspiration

Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above

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From above, the perfidious Shari realizes her life is no different from the random litter of decayed leaves and trash that lay below her.

From Above life must change

Her soul feels dead.
She removes every trace of makeup from her cosmopolitan face.
She knows how draining it is to cover all the lines and lies
That play in her head.
With sharp scissors close to her head, slowly she snips.

Each lock of hair falls, like years of collected garbage…
quickly, she sweeps it all into the trash can.
She hears Leon Trotsky’s words reminding her,

“Life is not an easy matter…

You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea which raises you above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness.”

Sometimes if we look from above a great height, we may see unattractive spots in our own lives that need attention and cleaning up after.

As for Shari, life from above now means working hard to get her high school diploma and remain forever drug and alcohol free.

From above, how do you see life…as an easy matter to clean up or not?

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If you like this post, find more on how to participate here in the Daily Post| Weekly Photo Challenge.

More From Above photos:

Power of Forgiveness: A Young Girl’s Story

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Stained glass windows in the Mausoleum of the ...

Stained glass windows in the Mausoleum of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, California. Photo credit: Wikipedia

I used to think some crimes inflicted upon another person as too tragic and horrifying to expect forgiveness. Imagine a girl at the age of eleven faced with such an unspeakable transgression, but, instead of ill will, she chooses to forgive the one person who ends up brutally killing her.

This month, Everyday Gurus, B4peace challenge is to share something about forgiveness. I think it would be safe to say most adults, at some point, face having to forgive (or not forgive) someone who has caused some conflict or deep pain in their lives. However, what about the unforgivable offense: murder? Can you take someone’s life and then expect forgiveness? It seems impossible. However, for those not familiar with the young girl, Maria Goretti, her story best illustrates American radio host, Bernard Meltzer’s quote, “When you forgive, you in no way change the past – but you sure do change the future.”

Maria is a modern-day saint canonized in the 1950s by the Catholic Church. She grew up in Italy, and because her family was quite poor, she watched over her infant sister and maintained the housework while her parents and other four siblings worked for other farmers to earn a living. When her father died from malaria, to cut living expenses, Maria’s mother moved into a building shared with Giovanni Serenelli and his nineteen-year-old son, Alessandro.

On July 5, 1902, unfortunately, Alessandro attempted to rape the eleven year old, Maria, as she sat at home babysitting and sewing. Despite Maria’s desperate calls for help and protests to stop Alessandro, it was hopeless. She was first choked then stabbed eleven times as she told Alessandro, “she would rather die than submit to him.” It gets worse. Because Maria attempted to escape, Alessandro stabbed her three more times before running off, leaving her to her own fate. With the noisy commotion, Maria’s little sister began to cry and that led Maria’s mother and Alessandro’s father back to the house. Barely alive, the doctors found Maria’s multiple wounds beyond repair. Twenty hours after she was brutally attacked, she gained conscious long enough to say she had forgiven Alessandro and wanted him in heaven with her. How is this possible? Maybe Maria possessed the true essence on the power of peace as Robert Muller once wrote:

“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return you will receive untold peace and happiness.”

Although Maria did not live to see peace and happiness in her life, Alessandro eventually repented, begged Maria’s mother, Assunta, for forgiveness and incredibly, he attended Maria’s canonization on June 24, 1950. He lived the rest of his life as a lay brother working as the receptionist and gardener in a monastery. Alessandro died peacefully in 1970.

Whenever I struggle finding the urge to forgive someone who I feel dared to mess up my happy little life, I think about young Maria Goretti. Even though she could not change the past, her courage to forgive her murderer, Alessandro, changed his future, maybe even the world in a way, as the domino effect of peace fell into place.

“Let is forgive each other – only then will we live in peace.” ~Leo Tolstoy

♥ In gratitude, every year on July 6, one can celebrate Maria’s feast day. She is the patroness of youth, rape victims, young girls, poverty, purity and forgiveness.
♥ In gratitude for the example Maria Goretti left for the world, I leave you with Forgiveness by Matthew West.

Peace be with you always.

A Love Affair Changed My Life

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Oh, COOL!  I love the updated My Blogs page with the WordPress New icon button. Did you see how a push on the Inspire icon leads to a…voila, a question just like this one:

What was the one experience that completely changed your life? What happened? How did it change your life?

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Are you kidding me?? You know the ONE experience that turned my life upside down and inside out as– blogging! Yah, it rocks your world too, huh?

For me, everything before WordPress was like the famous nursery rhyme so common long ago–hehehehe. (Hey, is this nursery rhyme still sung to young kids today?)

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a (dreary) dream. 

I guess having a dreary dreamy routine type of life is okay, to a certain point; however, at some crazy moment, you need to hop off the dream boat and wake up to something more, and I mean more than the…drag out of bed, go to work, come home, crash, and get up and do it all again…and again…and again…and…

STOP the dreary!

Anyway, for me, I think blogging can foster the brain into a deeper thought process. It definitely helps to exercise the creative side of ourselves and for some, a fun way to add self-help therapy into their lives. Blogging dropped the whole world in front of me as I sent out post after post after post. Online friendships soon began and now, my journey down the stream turned from dreary to simply, dreamy!

nature's water source

The (dreary) dream life sunk to the bottom of the stream and instead, a renewed love life floated back up…oh, I still have to drag myself out to make a living, but my brain feels very much in the beginning stages of a passionate love affair.

Is your day filled with thoughts about your blog and does it run a bit like mine…”What can I share with my readers today?” ”What photos should I use…is my grammar/spelling correct?”  ”How do I add this…when should I post…what tags to use”…and on, and on…!

One thing I do know, if this love affair should fade in time, I experienced a dream life…even if for a moment.

Now, that is something to smile about, eh?

Wait, before you go…

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Curtain Call: Featured Blog:

Confession time. Sometimes I am plain lazy. Take for instance when I visit a new blog, instead of leaving a comment, I simply read the post, press the Like icon and dash out quickly!

*my head hangs in shame*

Thankfully, some time ago, I decided to stop my lazy, despicable behavior and leave comments starting with the blog:  Pencil Pilot.  I thought nothing of it until Emma, from Pencil Pilot, returned to thank me for making her day better after reading my comment. Can you believe it? It was a memorable moment in my blog life.

Like most of us, Emma’s life runs with some smooth to turbulent moments and she finds writing “lesson the stress and sting” when confronted with these life upheavals.

By writing and creatively posting, however, is half of the process of releasing stress. The other half comes when readers decide to share some “love” and leave a comment behind. Pure bliss, my friends!

Basically, what I am telling you is, do not follow in my lazy footsteps and please, take a few minutes to add a bit of chit-chat in a blogger’s comment box…you never know who will find your thoughts exactly what they needed to get through their day.

Emma, recently decided to post more often, YAY,  and deals with fear here: 1984 Daily Prompt.

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My Love Affair Lesson:

Some love affairs imprint deeply into a person’s soul and even if circumstances draws the heart away in a season or two, the experiences gained will live on forever like a perfect life dream.

As Kozo from Everyday Gurus would say:

{{{HUGS}}}

 

SUNDAY POST : Christmas

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I read a quote today by Kate L. Bosher:

“Isn’t it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for – I don’t know what exactly, but it’s something that you don’t mind so much not having at other times.”

Nativity Lights

Christmas: The gift of peace…you are loved.

My wish for you if somehow, you mysteriously find yourself lonely during this holiday season, for – what, it is not exactly clear, that your special gift at Christmas be the peace of knowing you are truly loved.

Christmas Gift

Christmas: The gift of love.

Finally, Agnes M. Pahro wonderfully defines Christmas and it is my word gift to you, my readers.  Thank you again for being my constant online companion bringing me daily encouragement and inspiration.

You are all, simply charming!

Mother Mary

Christmas: The Gift is born…”Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call be blessed.” ~The Magnificat…Luke 1: 47-48

“What is Christmas?

It is tenderness for the past,

courage for the present,

hope for the future.

It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.”

~Agnes M. Pahro

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Curtain Call: Featured Blog…

Jakesprinter: What is Sunday if you do not have your SUNDAY POST? If you blog regularly, you probably already know about Jake, the graphic artist/photographer and host of the weekly Sunday Post.

Every week, Jake throws out a little hint, for example, this week, Christmas (naturally, duh!) is the inspiration. You take your little treasure and unleash your creative mind! Once done, share your heart creation with the rest of the Sunday Post contributors.

Find more contributors and how to participate here at Christmas.

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Merry Christmas

2012