Together / Alone
Each year during this Holiday Season quite a few families get together to exchange presents and to share kind words. Also during this season a number of people find themselves alone. I thought this year to make a few suggestions in how to make the holidays more enjoyable and reflective.Together
One of the most important things for us to do on this holiday and all holidays is to preserve the memories of these occasions. If possible make sure there is a camera available....or, even better, have a video camera. While these devices are recording they may not appear to seem like treasured moments at the time, but as the months and years roll by they become priceless documents of our lives. Around the trees and fireplaces feel free to share family stories....a wonderful way to fill the home and surroundings with laughter. Many of us only get to see certain friends and family members around the holidays. Make the most of it, and remember to share some Love because as we all know, someone next year may be missing.
Alone
For those of us out there alone this time of year don't wallow in despair....create your own celebration. Go to the store, shop for some goodies, rent a video...and head home to sit back on the couch and surround yourself in your own atmosphere. Some other suggestions for those by themselves.....turn on the trusty old computer, visit some of your favorite websites, or send an E-mail or place a phone call to a few friends. One nice way to never feel alone is to have a pet...bird, dog, cat, goldfish, etc. They become family. If you need to get out of the house, and feel the urge to give, visit a children's hospital with stories or gifts, or help serve food at your local church or synagogue...there are people much worse off then you.
Many of us are blessed, but because of our problems we forget. We as human beings are only really here for a short while. Embrace those you love, cherish the memories, try not to dwell on the "down" moments...there always seems enough of them to go around! even during the happiest of times. This Holy season is a perfect time to look back and plan ahead......and give thanks.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS from my heart to yours,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Together / Alone continued...]
Stay the Course
We all have our goals, dreams and ambitions. We all want to succeed at something, somewhere along the way in life. In most cases, it is rarely mentioned that the road to success doesn't necessarily come easy. Flashed before us each day on television are an array of personalities labeled "the best that can be." But as we peel back the covers, the stories are revealed to show that the climb up the ladder was not always smooth. Perhaps it is true "good things never come easy," but they can and do happen.I could sit here and say that once you set in motion a plan or a goal, that everything is going to go your way and family and friends will be so happy that they will leap for joy and unconditionally give their support. Yes, many of us do have friends and family that do smile with approval, but just as many don't. That's just plain reality. As the Bible quotes "The Truth shall set you free." Once we accept this scenario, the defense mechanisms are in place to protect us from most surprises that come our way. Our expectations stay grounded. An example is a story I heard from my local convenience store owner, Jack. About ten years ago one of his customers won three million dollars in the state lottery. The first thing his customer did with his winnings, believe it or not, was to purchase the most expensive, best-looking hairpiece for his head. It always bothered him that he had lost his hair at an early age. So Jack said to the lucky-winner "Oh boy, I bet you lost alot of friends since you've won the money." A sadness came over the winner's face. He said, "Friends I have, it's family I lost." He went on to mention, "You would not believe how many people hit me up for money in my family. I never expected this to happen.....but if I realistically gave everything that they asked for all the money would be gone. Not only do you hear from brothers and sisters, but also second and third cousins whom you've never met." What the winner eventually decided to do was to set up a living trust fund for his children and grandchildren. He had to accept the fact that from here on in some in the family would not have a kind word to say about him. Many of us, once in awhile, purchase a lottery ticket...but do we ever stop to think, or are we prepared, for what can happen if we win? The same can be said for our own successes....just be prepared.
The backbone of most endeavors is hard work, planning, and determination. Sometimes we may feel like we have a hundred people with us....other times we feel totally alone. What keeps us going is faith, belief, and focus. These are the ingredients that can sustain us through any storm. Hell may break loose around us, but if we "stay the course" we will not lose sight of our destination.
We're really not much different from trains, boats and airplanes. They start their journey toward a destination.....and onboard are maps, time schedules, weather information, etc. Before setting off they must know where they're heading and expect to arrive. To the best of their ability, they are determined to get there.
Life IS a journey.....choose the ride wisely.
Love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Stay the Course continued...]
Stop the World I Want to Get Off
Every one of us at some point in our lives gets overwhelmed by the pressures of everyday life. In many cases family and friends depend on us to carry out our daily duties in a timely fashion. Things don't always run smoothly, and one mistake can spill over to others, and before too long our mountain of errors can look like something that is almost impossible to overcome. We become our own worst critic. Life is not perfect....we are not perfect, and at some point it's okay to say "Time out, I need a break."A car can be driven for miles, but eventually the gas tank has to be refueled...so too the body and soul. To take time out doesn't mean you're a "quitter"..it's not a sign of failure. Even the most successful people will tell you, to get to the next level sometimes you have to recharge the batteries, to provide the thrust to soar through the clouds. The body can only be driven so far without a rest...after awhile judgment becomes hazy, and the immune system, on overload, finds it harder and harder to keep things running healthy. Perhaps inside our bodies are meters that can easily tilt towards the red. It's up to each one of us to not let that happen...to "cool the engines." We can only go so far on "overload."
Each week plan ahead....jot down each day the important things you want to accomplish and while doing so ask yourself, is this too much for me today? Probably you are the only one who understands what you have to accomplish on a daily basis....be kind to yourself. We all ride on this merry-go-round of life....some can take going around ten times without a break, while others can only handle five. It's a wise person who knows when to say "I need a rest."
We love our friends, we love our families...we want to be good citizens...we don't want to let anyone down. Sometimes these tasks become difficult for any human being. We watch the evening news and after awhile our minds start tuning out. We read the daily newspapers and more and more find ourselves gravitating towards the entertainment and sports sections. Why? Maybe it's our mind's way of saying "I can only take so much." We can't stop the world, but we can stop ourselves from overloading on it. Whose life is it, anyway?
Rest and Relax,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Stop the World I Want to Get Off continued...]
People As Liquids
The way we look at people is very much influenced by our upbringing and role models. We seem to have quite a few preconceived ideas at formulating and predicting who people are and how they will affect our lives. Bad experiences tend to leave unpleasant memories and enjoyable experiences leave us with memories that warm the heart. Life can get confusing at times...it's very easy to mistake what's good as bad, and what's bad as good. Ultimately we must find ways to develop detours around these, in some cases, damaged perceptions of our minds.It may sound a little strange, but sometimes we have to trick our minds in order to open the pathways to true perception. One way to do this is to look at people as liquids. Example, if you meet somebody for the first time, look at them...what kind of liquid, meaning flavor, color, and fragrance do they have to you? It becomes very interesting when we look at people as liquids because you are using forms of sensory perception you don't normally use. Most of the time when we meet people we observe what they're wearing, their hairstyle and sexual appeal, etc......generally surface input. These things rarely show who the person truly is...the "essence" of who they are. Just because somebody doesn't know how to color-coordinate their clothing doesn't mean they're stupid...it's just something they didn't learn or it wasn't important to them. What matters here is who do we allow to enter into our lives on a long-term basis. I recently read an article that mentioned that up to ninety percent of your happiness can be based on who you choose as a mate. As you can imagine, these relationships have a profound affect on our lives. If you meet someone and see them as a liquid that has a metallic, bitter taste, and then you meet another person who you see as a liquid that flows like a clear mountain stream, which person would you prefer to spend time with?
Whether we care to admit it or not, most of the power that we have in our lives we freely give away. The more you "take the bull by the horns" the more responsibility you assume over your life. Many of the articles I write are written as a way to empower people to take control and take back their lives. When what we're doing doesn't work, we must seek out other ways around life's roadblocks. In this case, seeing people as liquids.
We all have a say in how our lives turn out, but that can only happen when we're in the driver's seat. By all means, have God as your co-pilot. But God has given us the power of Free Will for a reason, to develop our own families, relationships and lives. Isn't it interesting that so much of our bodies are made up of liquid?
Let the river flow,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [People As Liquids continued...]
Universal Laws
There are certain Laws that govern the Universe. Some call them "Laws of God," or "Laws of Truth," but they are in place as a form of checks and balances to try to naturally keep our reality centered. These Laws can work for us, or against us, depending on what position we have placed ourselves, in context with the dimensions of our existence.Every person has chosen a position or a placement of time and space to exist in. Why we are "where we are at" is because of our experiences and eventual choices that progress us towards the future. If you're happy where you are in your life, you know that in order to stay in that "bliss" certain measures must be taken to keep your life in check and running smoothly. Yes, accidents can happen, but if the right rules are in place your ship of life will gradually revert back to its chosen course. If the other side of the equation is true, that a person is not happy where their lives are at, or where it is heading, then I'm sure they know changes have to be made. And in life, change doesn't necessarily come easy.
The moment you decide to implement any kind of change in your position in the context of the Universe, be it thought, physical, or spiritual, the atmosphere around you will also change. If a person is in a bad relationship, there has been built up, over time, components to keep that situation in place. Upon change, those components will be altered and in most cases, the change will not be welcomed. In fact, most of the time when you decide to change your life
It's not hard to understand why many of us after awhile feel like pieces on a chess board with somebody else moving us around, when in reality perhaps the movements that are made are with our cooperation. It's not easy to rock the boat, but sometimes in our lives it must be done. The Universe has in place Laws that personally hold us responsible for the decisions we make. When we make mistakes, those mistakes can be corrected with the implementation of corrective choice.
I believe in Forgiveness, and I believe in a Loving God. I try to keep this in mind in all the choices I make that affect my life. I don't always get it right, but there's alot to be said for trying, because eventually trying becomes easier, which finally leads to success.
We have the power over our own lives. In some cases we just don't know it. We were never told that this lack of knowledge has allowed others to take advantage, but the Laws of the Universe are in place to help us, when asked, to build a better life.
Seize the day,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Universal Laws continued...]
Peaks and Valleys
No two humans are alike. We all have different dreams and ambitions, but sometimes that doesn't seem to translate too well in this world. As we emerge from the womb each one of us grows at different rates, both physically and mentally. Our achievements and set-backs position us all at different levels on the scale of life. Why is it then we are told by the powers that be that we must succeed at our given talents by a certain age, or we have "missed the boat.,".... Lady-Luck has "passed us by."It would be wonderful if all of us miraculously came into our higher self at the age of twenty or twenty-five, basking in our glories and being anointed as the "next big thing." Society would put us at the head of the table, and say "See, this is who you can be." Jerry Seinfeld recently told a joke on his HBO special. Jerry said, "Isn't it interesting, when you sit in an economy seat on an airplane the flight attendant in first-class pulls the curtain and gives you a look that says "Why don't YOU make more money so YOU can be here?" Maybe you will, at a different point in your life.
In the music business quite a number of artists have peaks and valleys. The Bee Gees, for example, were the hottest thing on the planet twenty years ago with "Saturday Night Fever", disco-disco-disco! Shortly after that nobody wanted to play their records. To quote Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, "We couldn't get arrested." This past year the group released their CD "Still Waters", and they were seen in a highly successful HBO special. They're back on top. Perhaps so too do our lives follow the same course...ups and downs and back up again. The most important thing of all is not to give up. To really appreciate the top, you sometimes must taste the valley.
Ages, stages, ups, downs, peaks and valleys are forever a part of the quilt of our lives. Society may not want us to believe it, but we do indeed peak at different times. It's never too late for dreams, for goals, for expanding. We're all supposed to "get better with age", like fine wine. Well that wine starts as a grape that needs to be nurtured and cared for...then lo and behold, one day the fruit of the labor bursts forth. So too can we, when the time is right.
Each year the average life-span of human beings grows longer. This in itself presents us with a great dilemma. If all we do is concentrate on the first quarter of our lives, and look at it as the be-all and end-all, then what do we say to a man or a woman who is fully functional at eight-five years of age? You don't count? Hopefully we can begin to look at age as an advantage, not a curse.
Age with Grace,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Peaks and Valleys continued...]
Reminders
It is very important for us to remember we are spiritual beings. Dangling in front of us everyday are the temptations of our physical world. If you eat this, wear that, or drive the ultimate car you will find total happiness. Well, sad to say that kind of happiness is very short-lived, needing a constant supply of finances to maintain such a level of "bliss." To have true equilibrium we must strive to stay "centered." The further we divert from that center, the more confused and fragmented we become. As spiritual beings the core of who we are and what we represent here on earth is the essence of Heaven. Do we rise to the occasion, or abandon the gift we have been given? We have no shortage of reasons in this world to give up, but what we can never have enough of are the reminders to go on.Our spirits need encouragement. Some find attending church, praying, meditating or taking a quiet walk as ways to stay spiritually focused and centered. Others feel replenished doing humanitarian work in their communities. The search is to find and maintain inner peace in a world of contradictions.
Throughout our lives, constantly we struggle with the balance between peace and turmoil. Seventy-five percent of one, and twenty-five percent of the other, looking for the magical formula that will make everything "right." We crave to prolong our moments of well-being, only to see them disappear as the pendulum swings. Perhaps with enough reminders we can make that pendulum stay still a little longer each time. The center, where calm prevails. We decide what we choose to remember. Peace can survive through any storm if the maps we use return us to our center. Each one of us write our own blueprint of life, updating as we go along. Written between the lines are the reminders that we choose to repeat. A prayer, a commandment, a phrase....the words or memories that help us to carry on. In this world, we as spiritual beings need reminders to remember who we are.
Try to remember,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Reminders continued...]
Clues
I think many of us would agree that life is truly mysterious. One never knows what can happen on any given day. Perhaps a positive way to look at this situation is to see Life as a form of a mystery novel, where the Writer leaves clues to solve the puzzles along the way. Discovering each clue of the mystery gives us a greater understanding and control over our lives.All around us are the clues....the trick is to allow yourself to see them. Observe how a plant grows. The seed must be planted in rich soil, cultivated with water, and drenched in sunlight. The supply of these ingredients have to be added frequently. If not, the plant suffers. Are we plants? No. But there is a significance to the working mechanism of a plant and how it shows us one of the clues of Life. We too need nurturing to grow, or we suffer.
It's kind of baffling, this Game of Life. Constantly you are told how to think, how to feel, how to act, and how to live. What works for one person may not necessarily be right for someone else. Some parents would love their child to become a doctor or a lawyer, but not everyone is meant to be. How many of us torture ourselves into trying to become something we are not? The clue here is, what does your heart tell you to be? I don't believe we are here to lead miserable lives, but it's amazing that many of us end up doing just that. There are answers, solutions, and clues to solve our problems, but it's up to us to find them.
All around us is air....we can't see it, but we can feel it and breathe it. Air provides wind for energy, and can deliver one of the most destructive powers on this planet. Not bad for something we can't truly see, but we know it's there. Without air we die. Can the same be said for Hope, Love, and Compassion? There must be a reason why we have been given senses to take in information. Maybe to help us find the clues?
We may never totally solve this mystery called Life, while we are here. But each piece of the puzzle that we find strengthens us and empowers us to go forward. Are we meant to become good detectives? A group of Sherlock Holmes? "Elementary my dear Watson, Elementary." Are the answers to the complexities of Life so simple that they elude us?
Share your clues,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Clues continued...]
The Seven Steps
There is a little recipe that I use in my life that I have found to be helpful over and over again. I call it "The Seven Steps." I use it as a blueprint for each new endeavor or project I am about to embark on. I have also found it useful in my personal life. I hope you can find it beneficial too.1. FORGIVE YOURSELF. Many of our pasts are filled with bad choices and mistakes. We're not perfect, and we have to admit to ourselves "That's okay". If you've hurt somebody, by all means, say you're sorry. The important point here is to accept the mistake, correct it if possible, forgive yourself, and move on.
2. CLEAR THE DECKS. There are always reasons why things go wrong. It's neccessary that we realize sometimes we do things and surround ourselves with negativity. It can come in the form of a bad habit, or bad relationships, but one thing is clear, if the level of negativity is not decreased it becomes very hard to continue a forward progression.
3. CHART A COURSE. Ask yourself, "What is it I want to do?" "Where do I see my life heading?" It's very difficult to sail a ship without charts. You never know where you may end up..... perhaps in a port where you don't belong.
4. LINK THE DAYS. Don't look at your plan as a huge mountain to climb all at once. See the days as links in a chain, that when strung together become bold and strong.
5. POSITIVE INPUT. I cannot express enough how important it is to surround yourself with positive influences. They are the fuel for your dreams. Create a little library of books you can constantly go to for re- inforcement. Have a chat with a supportive friend...it can work wonders.
6. WORK HARD. Nothing truly good comes easy. Anybody who tells you it does....beware. Working hard on your goals gives you a tremendous sense of accomplishment, once they are realized. To move down a road, you need "drive". Not too fast, or not too slow. I'm a big believer in "cruise control."
7. CELEBRATE EACH STEP. Each milestone on your journey, have a celebration....you have earned it. It's okay to pat yourself on the back. Every celebration on the ladder of success builds momentum, and you'll discover there is alot to be said for momentum. It creates a wave to push you further forward.
These are my points of reference I try to follow in my life. Even when we fail, it's so important to keep trying. The effort justifies our reasons for being.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [The Seven Steps continued...]
Shield of Armor
I believe each one of us wears a shield of armor. Hopefully, we choose to fight on the side of Good, not Evil. Whether we like it or not the decisions we make on a daily basis are projected outward, reflecting on ourselves and on others. These decisions paint a picture of how people see us on this planet. Yes we are human, and we all make mistakes, but it's very important to learn from those mistakes so that the image we hold of ourselves is as close to the true image of ourselves as possible. The condition and strength of this shield of armor can be greatly affected by the choices we make.It's very interesting that as we age and grow older we begin to come to terms with what we haven't accomplished and the mistakes we have made. Much of the time we spend punishing ourselves for our failures, and then we allow others to do the same. Why this focus on what we haven't done? I don't really know. If we look at it from another angle the glass is half-full, not half-empty. It's important because the health of our shields depends on how we take care of them. If we abandon and neglect these shields of armor we become weaker and ultimately defenseless.
Life is a battle that in many cases is not fair, but we fight on. The enemy is the feeling of being alone. You are not alone. We are all soldiers of one kind or another, choosing sides as we go along. Alienation eventually leads to anger, withdrawal, depression and defeat. We fight together on many grounds, a human army searching for answers.
If we are truly God's Children, there is meaning to these battles of life we fight. Much to overcome, much to rise above. How we get there is up to us. Free will prevails. We all get wounded, but if our shields are strong the wounds heal faster and we live to fight another day. Some people spend their lives inflicting wounds, taking no responsibility for the hurt they cause, while others choose love as their legacy. I believe Love makes a person grow stronger, while Hate robs a human of their strength.
How do we have strong shields of armor? Coat them with Love, Compassion, Awareness, and Faith. These are the true weapons against Evil. We are all tempted by Evil everyday..... hopefully we make the right choices. Armor that is stronger than steel, gleaming with Love, can be seen from many miles away, a beacon of Hope to show that all things are possible. Add a helmut of Faith, and no force can defeat you.
Take the time to Love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Shield of Armor continued...]
Circle of Friends
One of the great things about writing a weekly newsletter is that it gives me the opportunity to connect with a number of people whom I consider my friends. Each week I receive many E-Mails from around the globe, every one equally important, regardless of economics and/or social position. The Internet gives us all the ability to make the playing field equal. Many of us have started "Buddy-Lists" as a way to stay in contact with those we enjoy communicating with. Quite a number of people have also mentioned to me that for the first time in many years they get to chat with members of their families that they haven't seen in ages. Used the right way, E-Mails and Websites can build stronger foundations and increase the Love between us all.In the past, the way to get messages to people included pony express, trains, planes and boats, many of them having to cover vast distances to get their letters and packages to their destinations. Before, when you composed a letter, first you had to write it, seal it in an envelope and provide postage. Over the course of 3 to 7 days your thoughts and wishes would arrive at the doorstep of the intended. Those were the days of "delayed messages." Today, with good access, that same message can almost instantaneously arrive in the mailbox of the same person through an E-Mail. Why is all this important? We are running out of excuses for why we don't communicate more. It always takes the first person to make a bold step. We all have friends and family members that we would love to talk more to, but because of life's interruptions time can just go by, and then one day we may receive a phone call that fills us with regret. Think to yourself, who in your life would you enjoy hearing from on a regular basis? Granted, that would take an E-Mail account, but with all the cyber-cafes popping up around the world and many at work having Internet access, all that may be needed is to make the initial connection. It's already happening. Some families and pals get together weekly in chat-rooms. They learn about things that they never knew about each other. I guess sometimes the screen can provide an interesting alternative to a face to face meeting.
Alot of us have so much more Love to give if we only could find the time and the means. These "little" computers can do tremendously "big" work. Each day can be a new beginning...it's never too late to build a circle of friends.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Circle of Friends continued...]
True Education
How much do we know and really think about what affects us daily? Yes a good education is valuable indeed, but how many questions get left unanswered or perhaps not even asked in the halls of learning? Over 50% of what affects the quality of our lives depends pure and simply on finance and our understanding of it. The way we handle the money we make can become the difference between night and day. Balancing checkbooks, investing, paying bills, etc. are skills that we must have to be responsible for ourselves and our families. Without this insight we eventually can lose control over our destinies.There are many illusions floating around out there. I being in the music business can use one as an example: Did you know that 97% of CD's released each year never make any money? The bulk of the profit is based purely on that remaining 3%. Just because you're on radio or television doesn't mean you're making money.
Most top money investors will tell you that over the long-term the best place to invest your savings is in the stock market. How many people out there have you met who are absolutely terrified of investing one dime in the stock market? Isn't it interesting that some of those same people have no problem taking five dollars a week to buy lottery tickets?
Why is this important to mention? Because I don't hear too many people talking about it. If you're not rich, you're considered "not smart enough." That's not true...you just didn't get the chance to get your hands on the right tools. Well, it's never too late. Each week set aside a little time to look over your finances...see where all your money is going. These days budgeting has become a necessity, but in some circles it's looked upon as a dirty word. It's not. It's just smart. I think it's also important to put aside a little time and or money to either give to charity, or do something good for someone. Believe me, it comes back tenfold.
I wish money didn't matter, but unless we find another way to exchange finances on this planet, we're stuck with it. Take the bull by the horns and learn as much about it as you can. That way, the ball is more in your court. What consoles me in this train of thought is knowing that someday we will return to a place where no money is needed....where only the goodness of our souls and the history of our hearts will matter. God doesn't care if we make a million or not...I believe He cares if we were responsible towards the people we love, and ourselves. It's what we do with our money on this earth that shows part of who we are on the inside.
Take the time to learn,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [True Education continued...]
Walls of Resistance
Isn't it interesting how, each time we decide to do something that we consider profound or productive with our lives, almost instantaneously this huge brick wall starts to rise right before our eyes. The wall has a voice that says "Where do you think you're going?" " What makes you think you're so special?" and "Where do you get off trying something new?" This wall can officially be called The Wall of Fear and Failure. But with enough belief and determination one can walk right through the wall.There is tremendous encouragement out there to not try anything with your life. Give up, and crawl back under your rock. Don't dream, don't hope....you'll only get hurt. But I believe, in order to accomplish anything of worthiness with your life, you must be able to take the knocks backwards, because for every two steps forward, you will get knocked back one. If you surround yourself with the right people, and positive input, a force field will eventually develop to lessen the effects of the attacks. The pearl can only be made from the friction of the sand.....beauty will come from adversity, if you can weather the friction.
The wall can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The wall that stands in front of us eventually, if not dealt with, becomes a larger wall in front of our children. The more we don't accomplish, the more falls on the shoulders of the next generation. One incredible source for inspiration is to look into the eyes of a child. Those eyes contain much of the wisdom that makes it possible to see through walls. The child believes all things are possible. So must we.
Walk through the wall,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Walls of Resistance continued...]
Wounds
You start to feel an aching in your arm, you unbutton your sleeve, and you notice a cut or an abrasion on your skin. Dealing with the shock you begin to ask yourself, how did this happen? What did I do or didn't do? After the discovery of your wound the first thing you reach for is an antiseptic to cleanse it, to limit the chances of infection. The wound then must be periodically watched and cared for to help the body's healing mechanism respond. Over the course of a week or two the wound starts to heal and the scar begins to fade. Then one day, lo and behold, you look at your arm and see nothing where the wound once was. Sometimes a scar does remain, perhaps to remind us of what happened so that the same thing doesn't happen again.Why is this important? Because whether we like it or not, the wounds of life need to be handled the same way. Unexpected things happen to us all the time...some can be avoided, others not so easily. It's how we treat those problems that determines the level of healing that occurs. Someone once said that we are all basically "wounded children looking for ways to heal". Yes, some of us do have wonderful childhoods...but why is it painful memories from that period echo throughout our lives, even in the happiest of childhoods?
In many cases, the lack of healing of the wounds in our lives brings about addictions, and other forms of abuse. Wounds on top of wounds. After awhile the original wound becomes invisible. Eventually the scab must be removed to see the foundation of the infection. From there the real process of healing can begin.
Blood, hair, flesh and bones...this is what physically we basically are. But, who is in control of this body of ours? The thoughts, the dreams, the hopes? That, I believe, is the Soul. To me the Soul provides the energy that flows through the body, and sometimes our Souls get wounded and need healing, too. The Soul needs the input of Faith, Love and Hope.
In life, it is important that we take care of our physical needs. We all need a roof over our heads, and food to eat. But without the caring of the Soul, we become nothing more than ships adrift on an endless ocean. No port or harbor to shield us from the storms.
Take the time to heal,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Wounds continued...]
The Links of Life
All of our emotions and actions are interconnected. Our emotions bring about decisions that thrust energy and thought into action. At the other end of the spectrum the work that we partake in has a profound affect on our feelings. These two components, emotions and actions, greatly shape our quality of life.When a problem arises many times we focus on the one specific area that needs adjusting at that moment. What becomes clear over time is that once one looks under the surface, the roots of a problem become more apparent. An example: If I have a toothache, I'm fully aware that my tooth is bothering me, but what I don't focus on is how or why I got the toothache in the first place. If I like consuming a lot of sugar in my diet at some point there's a good chance I will develop another toothache. So off we go to the dentist to fill the tooth that is infected...but the true origin of that infection can go untreated. Another example: Have you ever noticed you almost always start to come down with a cold or get sick when you are under severe amounts of stress? You take your medication, and after a few days you start to feel better. But if the stress levels are not reduced, how much longer will it be before you encounter another cold? We spend large amounts of money in society on medications of all kinds, some very much needed, others avoidable. What we have to ask ourselves is, how much of what happens to us is linked to our emotions and actions?
The same can be said about the people we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. We all probably know someone at work who has nothing nice to say about anything....after a couple of hours around such a person you start to feel like you want to scream. The information that we absorb affects our life and eventually has to be released. Our emotions can affect our health, but so too can the people around us, not to mention television, movies and music. I enjoy listening to certain types of music. It would be naive of me not to believe that music doesn't affect the quality of my day. Anger needs fuel to increase. Be aware of what you take in.
I'm a firm believer in the importance of the link between the physical and spiritual world. I can't express enough how vital the balance between the two is needed. So much of life is lived between the two. Right in the middle. The pendulum consistently swings to the physical and back to the spiritual. Percentages increasing and decreasing at will. There is no one entity unto itself. As the world becomes smaller, the links between us grow stronger. It is up to us to determine if those links should bloom like a rose, or strangle like a weed. We all live in the garden.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [The Links of Life continued...]
Factories
We all own a factory. This factory of ours runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There is very little room for "down time". How this factory runs and what it produces is basically up to us. The upkeep, the maintenance and the production levels are ours to uphold. The buck stops with us. This human factory represents our body and soul.Each morning we rev up our engines, turn on the conveyer belts and shift the gears of our machinery into action. Decisions are made on what it us we are to make today and what impact our product will have once it leaves the building. Mistakes will be made, but through re-evaluation the proper corrections will be put into place to improve upon the design. Some factories run better than others, but each one in its own way is connected to the marketplace. Yes some fail, but with the right funding it's not impossible for a new factory to rise from the ruins of an old one. The funding and the growth of our factories are not based on money. It involves belief, convictions and the will to rise above the doubts and fears. You can throw enormous amounts of money at a problem, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the trouble will subside. How we manage our factories is the key to continued success and long-term growth.
Why are these factories important? Because the products that they produce are consumed by the general public. What each one of us puts out does have an effect on the rest of us. Our factories are eventually held responsible for what they distribute to the masses. Over time, the positive and negative effects of the products return to the front door of our factories. What goes out in one form or another does come back. The world needs good factories. We can never have enough of them. Even after we are gone, what our factories manufactured will remain.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Factories continued...]
All We Have is Now
The past is the past.....and no matter how much we worry and concern ourselves with what has already taken place there is basically very little we can do to change it. We can make amends, apologies and seek atonement for our acts but memories are etched in stone. The future stands before us like a blank sheet of paper, yet to feel one drop of ink. What are we left with? The given moment, where everything is centered and all our hopes and dreams exist. So few of us focus on the so-called "now"....most of the time we are engulfed with our mistakes from the past and overwhelmed by what awaits us in the coming days. It doesn't have to be that way. The power for us is in the present...that is where we can truly make a difference in our lives. Like the championship sports team that wins the golden nugget, as they look back they see a string of victories that have led them to their moment in the sun. As we look towards the coming months the work we do today is our springboard into a fulfilling future. The first day that the championship team played its first game, the vision was firmly planted on the road towards the ultimate trophy. The link between the past and the future is the present. The present affects both, because the present becomes the past, and the present also sets the tone for the future. Each day truly is a new day...if you faltered yesterday, you can start anew today. Your dreams are not over, just merely delayed. Embrace the moment, it can change your life.Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [All We Have is Now continued...]
Solutions
Many days during the week problems arise. By the time you get to Thursday you begin to feel overwhelmed and looking for a way to escape the pressures and discomfort. It can be very easy to feel surrounded by fear and negativity.....but at those trying moments, that's when who you are and what you truly want out of life comes to the forefront. It's understandable why so many succumb to the problems and fade into the background of despair....does it really have to be that way?Life sometimes can look baffling. We come into this world as naked children, looking hopefully to two people to teach us all we need to know and take care of our vital needs. Some call it the "luck of the draw" while others call it "destiny". As we evolve as people other things come into play; economics, health, religion and education. If any of these links become weak, how we grow can be drastically affected. I know life is not fair. Fairness in many cases is determined by laws and policies of the countries a person is born into. Our happiness as citizens of this planet then can be influenced by who we love or who loves us. At that point hopefully we have amassed enough knowledge and well-being to pass it along to the next generation. Many feel powerless over these conditions, and it's not hard to see why quite a few of us run into roadblocks.
If I'm a negative person in nature I could just say, "That's the end of the story"....but if I'm not my mind must start to look for answers and solutions. How I arrive at finding these solutions is the search for the meaning of what life is all about. I don't believe we were put here to be born, raise a family, collect a paycheck, and then one day die. The Creator who fashioned this existence with all this ability had to have something else in mind for creating Life. To truly overcome the problems of Life a person must assume at some point the power of his or her own existence. People are not perfect...but they can learn to be better. The human heart can rise to the occasion if it desires.
After a hard week at work many of us look to the week-end to recharge our batteries and in some cases lick our wounds. If the car breaks down, it must be fixed, if the refrigerator is empty it must be filled, when the heart runs dry it must be replenished. You have the ability to find the answers...there are some out there who may call you "fool", but the true fool is the one who sees emptiness. Life doesn't have to be empty. You have a choice in how you fill it.
May your cup runneth over,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Solutions continued...]
Illusions
A magic show is something many of us enjoy watching and participating in. The magician's sleight of hand and the ability to pull a "rabbit out of the hat" can truly be based upon the art of illusion. What is seen before the eye may not necessarily be what is real. So too in life do these concepts apply. Much of what we perceive as success and failure are based upon the information we absorb through our senses...well, at times those senses can be manipulated. The magician can also be at work on the television screen, movie screen and radio. The hand that can be quicker than the eye can pass before you hardly noticed....but the subconscious mind misses nothing.... that is where your library of personal information is stored. An accumulation of your thoughts, theories, and rules that you use to determine future decisions is all locked away in that part of you that is submerged. About twenty years ago a test was conducted on a television audience viewing a two hour movie. Every minute for one frame a picture of a container of popcorn smothered in butter was flashed upon the screen. Well, after about fifteen minutes the majority of that audience started craving buttered popcorn. When interviewed later many stated they didn't remember seeing any picture of popcorn! Therein lies the subconscious mind. Many of us want to be successful in life...but what is success? That depends on who you ask. To some, being in the news and "famous" constitutes Many of us want to be successful in life...but what is success? That depends on who you ask. To some, being in the news and "famous" constitutes success. To others, it involves having large sums of money at their disposal. But our true opinion of what defines success is based upon the mass of information we have accumulated over the years, and how we have sifted through it to arrive at our definition. The question is, has all this information been accurate? It's okay to re-examine. To look at things from a different angle. You may discover something you missed the first time around. What may have looked correct at first might be flawed upon second observation. Why is this important? Because it puts you firmly in the driver's seat. It is your body, it is your mind, it is your soul. It's important for us to see truth, not illusion.Take the time,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Illusions continued...]
Keep on Truckin'
Here we are about halfway through the year. Many of our New Year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside, but perhaps some of them took hold and came to life. Each year we make promises to ourselves to implement changes that are necessary for us to lead a more fulfilling and productive life. Each succeeding month we are met with a barrage of reasons to abandon our goals and somewhere inside we seek to find the strength to fight the negativity. Well whatever it is you've been trying to accomplish with your life this year, "keep on truckin"...with the right amount of persistence and energy the walls that try to stop you do start cracking. There are basically two ways to look at life....either it is within your power to bring about changes to better your life, or sit in a chair and do nothing and let the world dictate the changes for you.I call this essay "Keep on Truckin" because like the trucker, he or she has to press on through the darkest of nights through all kinds of weather to get the job done. If you know some truck drivers you'll know this is not always an easy task. The trucker knows that he can only drive a certain amount of hours a day before a rest is needed.....but along the road there are many other "compadres" who battle the same elements. Well as you battle to accomplish your goals in life you will find you too have "compadres" who share your vision. We all need fuel and the ability to take care of our "rigs"... sharing information at "rest stations" we recharge each other's batteries for the next leg of the journey. Faith is a necessity, for without belief there can be no end to the road, the accomplishment of the mission. For me that entails Faith in Myself, Faith in Mankind, and Faith in God.
We're all really not so different...there are those out there who capitalize on building barriers between people, but most of us really want a little fulfillment, to take care of our families, and leave behind a little love. Some of us have been so beaten down by life that we wonder, why bother? Well the obstacles only win when you quit. You can be a winner. If your truck breaks down, or gets a flat tire, there is help, and once the repairs are made it is possible to turn the key, start the engine, and get right back on the road.
Have a great trip!!
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Keep on Truckin' continued...]
Shine a Light
It seems very easy in life to allow darkness to creep into the picture that represents us. The darkness is a place of no answers...a place full of confusion, negativity and despair. To arrive at this place sometimes all it takes is making the wrong turn along the winding road of destiny. When one is surrounded by darkness the senses are impaired...the direction to proceed becomes vague. It's easy to get lost.I know all of this may sound bleak, but many live with these feelings everyday. Some of us, including myself, at some point in our lives know far too well this touch of emptiness. But it can be turned around. The one thing that darkness fears more than anything else is Light. Light reveals, Light uncovers, and Light heals. The world of darkness is an atmosphere full of smoke and mirrors...once Light penetrates, the illusions have nowhere to hide. In your home tonight go into a room with a flashlight and turn off all the lights. Once your eyes soak in the darkness turn on your flashlight and shine it around the room. The beam cuts through the darkness like the blade of a knife, and the darkness recedes. The same rules apply in life. Once we allow Light to engulf our surroundings, over time the brightness grows stronger. The pupils of our eyes begin to adjust and take in more information. In our world there are truly for us different forms of Light. Physical Light, which includes electricity, fire and sunlight; Mental Light, which represents knowledge, information, wisdom and determination; and Spiritual Light, the relationship between the human being and God. These are our weapons against the darkness. At certain points in our lives we call upon these components, individually or collectively to help us find our way. They are available for the asking.
Each day there are always more than one reason to dive into the pool of darkness. Every morning we all must turn on our Lights to show each other and those beyond this world that separately and collectively we can shine a Light bright enough to be seen throughout the Universe. As our eyes become adjusted to the Light we will be able to see the bigger picture.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Shine a Light continued...]
Mortgaging Love
Have you ever experienced "mortgaged love?" An emotion that is offered to you with conditions and strings attached. If you have, you're not alone. Many of us as we walk through the corridors of life see trinkets and seductions disguised as Love, but True Love is something that is supposed to be given freely and unconditionally. There are some out there who have not learned this.I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who was telling me of an elaborate plan that her mother used to extract money from her. At first it would start with comments like "You know I love you, and I would do anything for you". This would then progress to "I've been having problems lately...I'm not happy, but I know that people who love me want me to be happy, and I know what I need to be happy. The only problem is, it costs $5,000." Do you get the picture? Eventually my friend felt so guilty that she had to send a check for $5,000 to her mother, or she believed her mother would think that she didn't love her. My friend explained to me that she could guarantee about 2 to 3 phone calls like this each year, every time for a different amount of money. Each time she would go through the process of putting money on the side for her mother's needs, making sure that her husband would never see a trace of what she was doing. What started out as "love" turned into a form of emotional extortion and betrayal. I know sometimes people we love hit a bump along the road, and need to borrow something, but usually that ends up being a one time occurrence. When it becomes habitual, we're talking about something entirely different.
Each one of us has to, in one way or another, find the balance between spending and saving. Too much of either is no good. Individually it is up to us to find the right allocation. It's important not to develop the habit that when in trouble, "so and so will bail me out", because whether we like to admit it or not, every time we ask, we attach more and more negative baggage to that relationship. My friend Mark entered into a partnership in a glass company with his buddy Sal. After about 6 months he discovered Sal was lifting money from the company checking account. Upon discovery Mark confronted Sal and asked him, "Sal, why did you do this?" Sal's response, believe it or not was, "There's a sucker born everyday." Where on earth do people learn to do such things? Mark told me Sal had been a life-long friend...he was totally devastated. It's obvious Sal mortgaged his friendship with Mark. There are some wonderful people in this world who will go out of their way to help others. But there are also some who will go out of their way to take you for everything you've got. One of the most important lessons to learn in life is to know the difference.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Mortgaging Love continued...]
Input / Output
As many of us are creatures of habit, who go about our lives that are surrounded by adventure, risks, beliefs and convictions, much of what we do is affected by the information and experiences of our today and yesterdays. Many of us think that the thoughts and ideas that our minds generate on a daily basis come directly from ourselves, with no intervention or influence from the outside.....we are who we are. Well, sometimes it isn't that simple. Our minds, for a lack of a better word, are like little sponges absorbing much of what we take in through our senses, and the scary part is we're not always aware of what's coming in. The subconscious mind takes over where the conscious mind leaves off.Everyday our minds are continuously bombarded with information from people, places and things like television and radio. The substance from these influences have a direct impact upon how we react and how we see the world. Our job is to continually be aware that self-monitoring is vital for every one of us to stay in control and balanced. Recently there's been quite a few cases of children killing children. When interviewed, many of the accused have a reoccurring sentence in their interviews. When asked why they did such a terrible thing, their eyes become blank and they speak the words, "I don't know." Nowhere in our lives are we more vulnerable and exposed then when we are children. We listen to EVERYTHING. Our habits and responses are developed at this crucial juncture. Here in America I know we live in a free society but each one of us has a responsibility to personally monitor that freedom within ourselves and our children. The children look to us for the guidance that is needed to help develop their minds. No man or woman is an island. We all share and interact with each other daily. What happens down the street or around the corner is important to us, not just what happens in our own homes. If not addressed, those problems down the street one day ring our doorbell.
Have you ever gone to the movies and seen a picture that was so disturbing that as you left the movie theater your mind was haunted by the images? Two or three days later you still were in the process of getting over the shock of what you saw. Well, life works the same way. As we wear coats to protect ourselves during winter, and open umbrellas to shield ourselves from the rain, so too we must remember to wear a helmet of awareness to protect our minds... A helmet that is made from Love, Insight, Compassion, Faith, and Healing. I'm not saying to shut ourselves off from the world....but it's very important to process the information coming in with objectivity. What's the benefit from all of this? You start to see that the filtering system makes us become healthier...and as we become healthier we become better people, not only for ourselves, but for others too. The energy that you put out becomes more positive and more fulfilling. You begin to feel like part of the answer, not the question.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Input / Output continued...]
Wings
If you look at small birds a couple of days after they've been born you will see them flapping their arms, trying to imitate their mother, who can easily fly around at will. Over time they develop wings but still they need the training and guidance to fulfill their dream of enjoying flight, just like mom. In the early days of airplane development people like the Wright Brothers tried over and over again to build a machine that could sustain flight. One day in a field the Wright Brothers were able to make their small man-made craft accomplish flight for just a few minutes. What's rarely mentioned is the amount of time that was put in to create those few small minutes. Yes, it takes work, dedication and belief to get wings.I believe each one of us were born to fly. I know, humans can't fly...physically that is, but who knows what wonders of flight can be accomplished by our souls and minds? It isn't simple to just fly....just like the Wright Brothers, it can involve many hours of set-backs andfrustrations. Like small birds, we stumble, shake our heads, and wonder, "Why doesn't this just come easy?" You're not alone feeling this way...many of us out there battle the same obstacles everyday. The world is not a kind place to learn to fly, but it's not impossible. You can find a way. Why is all this talk of wings important? Because for our dreams, hopes and beliefs they need a means of flight. That falls on our shoulders...the very place where wings take hold. Once the weight is removed from the shoulders, the wings have no impediment to flight. Like airplanes, when we become airborne we run into things like turbulence, wind-shear, and mild storms, but after awhile the air becomes smooth and peaceful. As our wings become stronger we learn to fly above the storms, and in some cases be able to see them coming. What a wonderful sight to see the sun, gaze at the moon, and feel the Heavens. A Oneness with everything.
Spread your wings,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Wings continued...]
The Ruins of Love
As long as mankind resorts to violence, he has not learned his true path. The human consciousness must evolve beyond violence to solve its problems. If not, we are admitting to ourselves that we are nothing more than a stone's throw away from the caveman. On a planet that has more Ph.D.'s then ever, when diplomacy fails, the only solution we see is war. In war, there are no winners, only motherless children, families without food, rivers of blood. Hate rules over the ruins of Love. In the aftermath all that is left are wounds that take years to close, and populations that return to prayer to try to understand "why?" We live in a world where many people of different faiths on different continents weekly visit churches, temples and mosques to give up praises and thanks to God, each group choosing a different path to that one God. No different than children in dispute in a schoolyard, we often see the ultimate answer as violence. Surely, we can find a better way to end our differences than that. Yes there is a price for peace, but what is that price, and for what kind of peace?The same thing occurs in the home. A husband and wife have a disagreement and eventually it deteriorates into violence while children watch, and neighbors hear. At some point hopefully the two sit down with a counselor to discuss their problems, and they discover that the violence resulted from lack of self-love, fear, and anger. A relationship where communication broke down. War not only takes place on the battlefield....but also at home.
Could it be that there is a similarity between the disputes that occur between nations and those that occur in personal relationships? Should we tell a couple who are having problems that if they don't work it out, kill? The world is made up of human relationships on a planet that is getting smaller. Is there still room left for violence? If violence begets violence, then who wins?
In Prayer,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [The Ruins of Love continued...]
Changes Don't Come Easy
The minute you sit down and initiate changing something within you or around you, the world that surrounds you instantaneously will start to react to those changes. Life always involves changes...but the power to change thought and events is one of the gifts that each one of us possess. As we evolve in our lives we develop patterns and habits that over time feel very comfortable...almost like a security blanket. Then lo and behold you wake up one day, you look in your closet, and see a collection of clothes you no longer desire to wear. You look in the mirror and see a hairstyle you want to change. It may seem like mundane things but even these simple adjustments are going to cause a reaction. In our minds we develop mental images of the people that we come in contact with on a regular basis...so too do they of us. They expect us to look a certain way, behave a certain way...to do what's "expected." All remains tranquil and calm as long as things go "accordingly." For many of us the minute we make changes all hell breaks loose. Mental images have to be adjusted, perceptions have to be rearranged, the expected becomes the unexpected. We look around and we wonder, "What the heck is going on?" I recently saw the movie "The Truman Show"....Truman woke up each morning at the same time and went to work the same way to the same job. All looked fine and rosy and perfect until one day Truman decided to go to work a different way. He started to become aware that life and the people around him were not always what they seemed. To him, he was the same person....little did he know his life was really a world-wide T.V. show with everybody watching his everyday movements. His town was a T.V. set. I know our lives may not be like Truman's, but there is a similarity to the expectations that we allencounter each day.Once you sit down and say to yourself, "This is going to change", forces will come to bear upon you to either quit or change your mind. Sometimes the force can come with good intentions, but from fear of you becoming someone else. Other times, the force can come from someone not wanting you to move forward in life. You may have set-backs, but if you continue to press forward the changes that you've implemented will begin to take hold. I'm talking about good changes...ways to improve life. Isn't it interesting....that many good thoughts and ideas have been met with tremendous resistance. Take the Internet and computers for instance. How many people do we know are absolutely terrified by them? Yes there are some people using this technology to do bad things, but look at how many of us talk to each other every day a half a world away. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself. Embrace change.....it can be your friend.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Changes Don't Come Easy continued...]
Emotional Freedom
There are quite a number of things that can affect the quality of each day....a meeting that doesn't go according to plan, a bill that needs to be paid, etc., but one thing that seems to stand out above the rest is how we truly feel about ourselves. Our inner personal feelings act like a compass to show us which direction to take. The contents of those inner feelings and the mixture of those emotions fall on our shoulders. I know life is not perfect, and yes, bad things sometimes happen to good people, but overall how we look at and think about who we are and what we can do has a profound affect over our lives, and the lives of others.We are deeply affected by how our parents feel about us. Also true is how siblings, family members, and friends view who we are to them. In a perfect world, with everything equal, where fairness reigns, there would be no need for concern of how all these people can impact on our lives.... but as you know, this world isn't perfect and neither are we. Many of us so easily can get caught up in chasing the acceptance and affections of those we hold dear to us. In some cases, how other people feel about us becomes more important than how we feel about ourselves. Therein lies the case for emotional freedom. Love is a very powerful word that can be used in many different kinds of conversations. But in some cases I'm afraid we're not talking about Love....but rather Control. There are some out there who use Control as a very destructive weapon. On the insecure and fearful, this can become a life-changing experience. Emotional thievery at the highest of levels. How you feel about yourself is replaced by how they feel about you. So sad, but so true in many cases. I know we do have good people in our lives, but it's important to see the difference between those that give and those that just take.
A healthy heart and a healthy soul are the main ingredients to provide emotional freedom. It isn't easy...it takes work...but each day you will find yourself moving closer to peace and tranquility. The things you have to let go of may be the hardest. Guilt, Anger, and Pain have to be shed and released to give room for Love, Hope, and Healing. I find tremendous strength in prayer. It is my way to connect with God, and find a better understanding of who I truly am. Others may find a deep conversation with a close friend or loved one.... but the main point is people that really love us are happy for us when we move ahead. And those that pretend to love us need to control, trap, and stagnate our growth. It is up to each one of us at certain points to re-evaluate the people around us.....a reality check. The truth shall set you free....
Take the time to love your self,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Emotional Freedom continued...]
Closure
At certain points in life it's very important to stop, observe, and look forward. To continue on along the road of life some things have to be shed and left behind. It may not be easy, but in some cases vital to make certain choices to start new chapters and end others. In other words, closure. Flowing through our minds everyday are strands of memories that we use to chart the course to our future. We rely on these memories, some good, some bad, to help show us the mistakes we don't want to repeat and offer guidance for the decisions we make on a daily basis. It's never easy....but to evolve as a person is a necessity to keep life fresh and enlightening. To arrive at these decisions sometimes it may entail sharing your thoughts with a loved one or close friend, or spending time in prayer with God. Balance and Guidance is needed to allow the body and soul the energy that both require, to grow. We all have had those relationships that haunt us to this very day. It could be a bad experience during childhood or first experience with love that went wrong. We always seem to ask ourselves, "Maybe if I only had tried a little harder it could have worked out"...some people carry these thoughts with them to their dying day. Bad experiences are important if they are used to help us understand life a little better, but in many cases they are held onto like cherished battle scars that we don't want to let go of. At some point for healing the door must be closed and the memories replaced. The more positive thoughts you let flow through your mind, the more you can accomplish. I have a friend named Eddie...he's a mailman by trade. Recently Eddie mentioned to me he can't believe where all the time went. This week he is retiring from his job of twenty years. He said "Jennifer, it feels like only yesterday that I was pitching baseballs in Little League which turned into me receiving a try-out to pitch for the New York Yankees. The day of the try-out I was very nervous...so nervous that I blew it. Can you imagine if I'd made a good impression that day, hey, I may have pitched for the Yankees! Been a star! But look what happened....I ended up being a mailman". I said to Eddie, " There's nothing wrong with being a mailman". "But", Eddie replied, " It's not the Yankees". The memories of those days haunt Eddie to this day...in some way it leaves him feeling like a failure. Isn't it sad that from those days of Yankee try-outs on Eddie looks upon as wasted time. What he failed to mention to me is that he has a wonderful wife, with three beautiful, grown children. The haunted memories overshadow what matters most. If he only could have closed that chapter of baseball in his life it would have allowed him the vision to see the real contributions that he has made since then....to his family, friends, and to the neighborhood he has so valiantly delivered mail to these past twenty years. There are many Eddies out there....brave souls that feel one failure negates everything thereafter. Life comes upon us in stages and at the end of each stage some things are not meant to be carried forward. Like the river that flows to the sea, it's important that the water not get blocked....but when an obstacle occurs a strong hand is needed to continue the journey. We all must at times clear the path and leave the past behind.Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Closure continued...]
Courage to Live
I receive many letters each week from people telling me how they persevere through and overcome the obstacles that they face in life. Each obstacle that stands before us looks like a huge mountain that we seem incapable of climbing...but if you gaze across the land and look very carefully you can see many people climbing those mountains. It takes tremendous faith and conviction to press forward through all forms of weather that we face in this life...bless all of you who muster the courage to battle on.Isn't it interesting how easy it is to give up, roll over and quit in life? For every one reason to continue there are ten that tell us "Don't bother"....."Do you know what the odds are?"...."Are you crazy?" Well, some of the most important ideas and inventions have been created by people who were told at the time they were either crazy or dreamers. One example that comes to mind is Thomas Edison. Recently on a PBS Profile it was mentioned that Edison had to devise a way to market electricity for people to find it useful! He went to Wall Street to explain to the companies that it would be much safer and cost-effective for the lighting to be changed from gas lamps to electric. At first they thought "This guy is out of his mind".....thank God he persevered to explain to them step by step what an important form of energy this could be. I believe there are other people like Thomas Edison out there today...and just as importantly, we need them to state their case....you never know, it just could be an idea that you have in your own mind.
While many of us try so hard to move onward and upward there seems to be so many naysayers. Everywhere you look there seems to be more re-enforcements for quitting than for trying....you start to believe, is all this work really worth it? Well if it's to progress you or society forward it is worth it. Jealousy, rage, and anger comes in many different shapes and sizes....and I'm afraid to say sometimes the people closest to you have a hard time seeing you succeed. We are all damaged in different ways....some try to repair the bruises, others try to inflict them. That is why it takes courage to live. Any way you can, surround yourself with thoughts and people who can become a protective armor against the negativity and doubts that bombard you everyday. It can get you through some of the most trying times, but you will learn from those times....and press on.
It is so easy to be a nasty person...it takes a lot more courage to be kind and good.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Courage to Live continued...]
Extremes
Many of us chase our dreams, strive to accomplish our goals, and climb the mountains that stand before us. It's wonderful to have expectations, but it's also important not to set those expectations so high that they are almostimpossible to achieve.
If you follow the market on Wall Street, you'll notice many times the head of a company having a meeting with analysts to help guide them in projections for the coming quarter and year. The company executives take it very seriously on how the analysts perceive the future of their companies. Take a company like Microsoft...they usually beat their earnings number by at least three to four cents per share, but if you listen, each quarter Microsoft is notorious for "talking down" the expectations of the future. In doing so, the estimates are attainable. Another case in point was a recent interview with singer/songwriter Billy Joel on the CBS series "60 Minutes." The interviewer asked Billy Joel, "Are you a happy man these days?" Billy replied, "I may not be totally happy, but there is an awful lot to be said for contentment...I feel I'm in a good place in my life."
Many of us strive to be happy....but it's so important to set realistic levels in our lives that are also attainable. I don't feel that it is realistic to believe that I will receive EVERYTHING that my heart desires in this life. If I look at the top of a mountain, and I set out to reach it, I may be only able to go halfway....and when I reach the halfway point and look up, I may feel like a failure, but when I look down and see how far I've come, I can say "Oh boy!" Same thing applies with the worst case scenario. Some days everything seems to go wrong....but that night when you look back somewhere inside all of the turmoil appears a silver lining....a reason for why you went through that turmoil and what was learned. In our world today there is number one, while everyone else is a loser. That is an unacceptable premise to me...it is geared to failure. It's just fine being number two, ten, or one hundred, because what those numbers also represent is some level of success. So somewhere inside the distance between one and a million sits many of us.
While you set your goals look to a level that is possible. Realize it all comes down to one step at a time, bit by bit, inch by inch. But those inches and bits all add up, and in that exists all possibilities. If you don't accomplish all you want in life, but you do find success in quite a few endeavors, like Billy Joel, you may also say "I may not be totally happy, but there is an awful lot to be said for contentment...I feel I'm in a good place in my life."
Enjoy the journey,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Extremes continued...]
Passion
There's a lot to be said for Passion. I guess I could define it andmention its meaning to me, but the best way perhaps is to tell it in the form
of a true story.
My father's passion for most of his life has been his love for sailing. He built his first boat at the age of eight...and from then on the love for boats and the life of the sea flowed through his veins and never diminished. Like many of us, he too tried to push away the calling of his passion....he tried different kinds of work, but time and time again, his love for the sea kept beckoning. When he first married my mother he went to work for a semi- conductor manufacturer. Money was good, but each day he was called upon to perform tasks that went against what he considered his calling. Year by year he continued at his job, and his family grew to include four children. I remember each night him coming home exhausted, having little energy left to devote to his children. It wasn't his fault...to him a man had to provide regardless of whether he liked what he was doing or not. Most week-ends he would rush out to his beloved boats to enjoy and recharge his batteries. We as children didn't know what was going on, but I guess somewhere inside we knew he was hurting. Eventually that hurt caught up to him in the form of a bleeding ulcer. After half of his stomach was removed he turned to my mother and said "I've had enough".
Thus began the journey to fuse his passion for sailing and providing enough income for himself and his family. He tried a few different lines of work before arriving at the ultimate answer....Selling Boats! As I look back I can see that my father found much peace when he began his own boat business. I can say that the business has become very successful, but why wouldn't it be? True passion is not work. It's a wonderful thing to dream, set goals, and embrace our passion....but I know we live in the real world, and bills have to be paid. Maybe somewhere within life is the possibility to combine economic stability and our blessed gifts. One thing that's for sure is that following your passion involves taking risks....but, the greatest risk of all is not even trying. That can develop into anger, pain and bitterness, which can be inflicted internally and on others. The saddest thing of all is to look back on our lives at the end and say "If only....". It doesn't have to be that way.
Listen to your heart,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Passion continued...]
Deflecting
Each morning we rise, gather our thoughts, and prepare for the day ahead. We shower, select our clothes and head off to the breakfast table for the nourishment that we need to start our day. We search for ways to shake off the sleep that clouds our eyes...it could be the morning newspaper, or just a casual conversation with a loved one. What we truly are going through is the preparation for what awaits us outside the front door. Upon opening that front door, at any given moment we can be bombarded with positive or negative forces....so each morning we start to select the armor that we need to fight the battles of the day.We live in a world of all different kinds of people, with each one choosing how to look at a given opportunity or problem. Recently I had an interesting conversation with a friend where she told me a story that troubled her. She was waiting at the bus-stop on her way to work. It was a rainy day so there were about three or four people in front of her in line. As the bus stopped to let passengers on my friend wanted to board the bus as quickly as possible so she wouldn't get wet. Suddenly the busdriver said to her "Stay out there on the curb". My friend replied "Could you please let us on the bus so we can get out of the rain?" The busdriver answered "I don't really care if you get wet...that's not my problem." In the busdriver's mind he had his own system for how people should board and exit his bus. The passengers waiting to get on the bus had no idea what was going on. After a little commotion all safely boarded the bus. My friend could not shake the thoughts of how she had been treated by the busdriver. I met her shortly before she entered her place of employment, and she said to me "This has just about ruined my whole day." She was shaking with anger. Upon hearing the story I replied "Every morning each one of us go about our day...the chances of everything going according to plan every time is close to impossible. To expect it is not being realistic." All of a sudden a look of relief came over her face...her expectation and the pressure she had put on herself had been lowered. She said to me "Thanks for listening...I guess I may have blown things out of proportion."...and I replied "Don't we all?"
Most of us wear all kinds of armor everyday to deflect the arrows that are shot at us. There is tremendous strength in having the right outlook and protection against the forces that try to hurt us. Yet sometimes because of how we react to things the forces can be internal. There are many things we don't have any control over....but our outlook and determination to fight on, that we do have a say in. Deflecting those arrows that seem to strike at the worst moments is one of the keys to finding inner peace and happiness. It's so important that we find and maintain the love and compassion within us, which really can give us the strongest armor of all. That is why in life you can never have too much Love and too much Tranquility. It may come from prayer, a loved one, or a close friend. Wherever the source, breathe it in our bodies and souls cannot get enough.
Take the time to love, fellow warriors,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Deflecting continued...]
Real Love
We've all experienced emotions from people under the disguise of Love. As children, many of us were chastised, sometimes as we were told "This is for your own good." Well, in many cases it is left up to the discretion of parents and loved ones to decide what discipline is needed and under what circumstances it applies. Some parents do a wonderful job...they provide the foundation and atmosphere needed to stimulate growth and personal well-being, but others, I'm afraid, as many of us know, have no idea how to raise children. In our society we learn from experiences....the giving and receiving of Love in life is something that we accumulate along the way. If the Love is positive it sends us off on a path that can be both rewarding and enlightening. If the disguised Love is negative, we enter a doorway of abuse and torment. These are the two main roadways we travel upon in life. As we continue on our journey, depending on the roadway traveled the weather either becomes clearer or stormier.As we enter adolescence our exposure to Love expands. Many of us fall in and out of Love throughout our teenage years...those memories, for myself included, are carried with us all through our lives. All of these experiences are stored in memory banks within our minds...they are the pool of knowledge that we draw on to decide what is Love and what isn't. As we continue on our journey we constantly add and subtract to these files of memory...to better understand, from our perspective, what we truly are experiencing.
This is all a wonderful picture if the knowledge and Love is powerful and positive. But problems start to arise with each successive negative experience. Our minds start having difficulties differentiating between the good and the bad. Therein lies, for many of us, the greatest challenge of life....how to learn from our experiences, retaining the positive and learning not to repeat the negative. This becomes more and more important as we evolve into developing new relationships and starting families of our own. The student becomes the teacher. Each teacher imparts knowledge from their own experience.
If we look at our cities, states, and countries many of the problems that exist have been brought about in one form or another by the lack of Real Love. Pockets of people searching for reasons why they feel in pain and alone. Their anger and sadness convinces them to strike out at the society that they feel has abandoned them. Yes there are rules and laws we all have to learn to live by, but a wounded heart has a hard time hearing any message.
Take care of those you love, offer help when needed, give from the heart. This is how the seeds of Real Love are planted. You know, not only are germs and disease contagious....but the spores of Real Love can travel far and wide....across many borders and boundaries. In the words of John Lennon, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one....I hope someday you will join us, and the world will live as one."
Take the time to love
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Real Love continued...]
Accepting Joy
How many of us have a problem letting our hearts and souls be replenished with happiness, security, contentment and joy? With so many roles we play each day in society it's so easy to put up the barriers and assume a defensive posture. Yes, we do have to protect ourselves but does that have to entail closing off the pathways into our hearts? A recent conversation I had with a friend touched upon these concerns. She told me that whenever she did something for herself that made her happy, quickly that happiness turned into doubt and then guilt. It was very hard for her to allow the full experience of joy to fill her heart. She actually believed she was not "worthy" of these feelings. Now my friend is a beautiful person....if that can happen to her, it must happen to many. Today in society we are so bombarded with negativism, it has become an accepted solution to many problems. It's so easy to give up and not try to improve a situation.Joy and happiness are wonderful things...they give us energy to battle through troubling times. Everyday we fill up our reserve fuel tanks with energy...what kind of energy we put there is really our decision. Anger and fear provide negative energy....but for many of us there is no limit to the level of anger and fear we allow to fill our consciousness. It does matter what you think and feel. It does affect the quality of your life and others. Positive energy comes from laughter, love, hope, and peace. It puts you in a relaxed state to reflect and enjoy yourself and the world around you. Some find these feelings threatening, because it's so much harder to control a person who feels complete and loved.
Empowerment is one of the greatest gifts to give oneself. Joy and love are some of the positive fuels that will help you move forward and strive. Accept the things that you need to propel you into the existence that can be beneficial to your life. Let them fill your heart and soul....you can never have too much positive energy. Look around you, and look above...you may be surprised, the answers may be right there in front of you. Spread your arms and let it in.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Accepting Joy continued...]
The Human Layers
We all come into this world as pure loving souls....creatures that upon entering, through the senses, instantaneously start taking in information. Even at an early age, we start developing internal rules to live by.....influences that shape our thoughts and dreams. As we grow each year the knowledge and experiences start to take on layers around an initial core that is the center of who we are. Progressing through life, we continually add layer upon layer as ways to accumulate a form of library and protection as a reference for us to move forward.Think of your life as an onion....as you can see, there is the seed in the center and spiraling around it are the skins or layers. As the onion grows the layers are also increased. Why is it when we peel away the layers of an onion, we cry? And in many cases when we peel away our own layers, tears are also shed....the foundation of what we truly are is the core and as we live we add good layers and bad layers. Many times with all these skins around us we forget that the pure child (core) stays within us until our passing.
I recently had a conversation with a friend, and we were exchanging words to express what we thought about certain issues. After about fifteen minutes both of us began to realize that certain words had different meanings to each other. Isn't it interesting...we both spoke the same "language", but within that language it was so easy to be mis-understood. As a human family we have so many barriers...language, race, religion, emotions, etc. It's so easy for conflict to occur. No wonder people take each other the wrong way.
As we live our lives adding these layers that accumulate within us it's important to take time to peel them back to see the core of who we truly are, because with all the information floating around out there some of our most important thoughts and feelings sometimes get lost within the layers. I often end my messages with the words "Take the time to love"....the word "time" is very important, because in this busy world to stop and listen is vital to truly experience love. The ultimate human experience is to surround the core with Love.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [The Human Layers continued...]
Fair Wounds
One thing we tend to do in society is assign value to everything. A house is worth this amount, a car is worth that amount, etc. When we are talking about a material object I guess it's fine to assess a dollar value so that in the real world we can attach a monetary price tag to it, but it becomes dangerous when we start attaching the same concept to human beings and relationships. The jobs we perform, the relationships we build, and the goals we set have very profound value to us....but isn't it strange that somewhere along the way the value concept is also assigned to those ideals we hold true to our hearts. Today a persons yearly salary has become more important than who a person is. Each one of us receive a different paycheck each week...but should the amount of that paycheck determine our contributions to humanity? To some people we know, it does.A schoolteacher's starting salary in New York City is around 30,000 dollars...a stockbroker within the same city could walk away at the end of the year with commissions and bonuses easily around 100,000 dollars. Both jobs are important...and contribute vastly to our society..but is one better than the other? I believe not...they are different, but one is not better. Society on the other hand has somehow looked upon life as a kind of ladder...each person being assigned a different step...some at the top, some in the middle, and lo and behold, some on the ground floor.....without the possibility of even getting a foot on the first rung. Maybe I'm a dreamer, but there's something terribly wrong with this picture.
It takes all kinds of people to make a world...each one contributing in their own way. Whatever it is that you do to contribute in a positive way to yourself, family and the world has meaning and value. Embrace it. You don't have to play the game. At the end of our lives, I don't believe God says "Congratulations, you made 10 million dollars! Have a seat to my right...but You, what happened? Only 200,000 dollars? Have a seat in the back!" Almost sounds like a Twilight Zone episode, doesn't it? Ultimately, we are judged by the amount of Love we gave, and the amount of Love we let in...the true definition of Fair Value.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Fair Wounds continued...]
Sleepwalking
How many of us out there, myself included sometimes, spend a good portion of the day not quite awake. A friend of mine's father owns a convenience store, and he told me that every morning quite a number of his father's customers come in and pay him for the morning cup of coffee and newspaper. One morning my friend said to his father "Hey Dad, why is it a number of people don't speak or return your "good morning"? His father replied "Don't be offended son, they don't even hear or see me some mornings". "How is that?" asked my friend. "Well you see son, they head out of their house, stop here along the way, and then head down to the train station. It's possible that they will repeat the same process for maybe twenty years....I guess after awhile it all becomes mundane".Whether all of this is mundane or not, it is still life. Many of us are so bombarded with pressures of the day that after awhile we start "zoning out". I think the problem with this is that in some way we are being robbed of time. Whenever I meet somebody who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness one of the main statements I hear over and over again is "If only I had more time". Isn't it ironic that those who believe they have all the time in the world so freely waste it, while those who have so little time left cherish every moment.
In our busy hustle and bustle world each day there seems to be so many things on our minds...taking care of our spouses, kids, homes, work, and paying those bills. After awhile we begin to ask ourselves, Are we living? Or are we bouncing from chore to chore? There has to be a way of keeping it all in perspective.
We are born, we grow as children, we establish relationships, careers, and then one day we pass on. How we fill the space and time in-between is up to us. Each one of our lives has meaning. Yes it is important to be responsible to yourself and to others, but I do believe we are here for more than getting a paycheck each week. Life is something precious....a wonder to experience. With it we can grow. If you find yourself sometimes falling into patterns that you do over and over again, shake it up. Once in awhile it's okay to walk a different way to the train station, order two cups of coffee instead of one, read a different newspaper, etc. Why is this important? Because it forces your mind to focus...because you are now performing a different task. Human beings on the whole resist change...but without it we just will repeat the same thing again and again. We have more value than that.
So this week try something new that you've never done before. It may surprise you. Inside you may start to feel new sensations, new thoughts, and see life from a different angle. Yes we all may still sleepwalk sometimes, but with a continued infusion of new thoughts and experiences we may find ourselves doing less sleeping and more walking.
Take the time to enjoy,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Sleepwalking continued...]
The Valley
Picture life as a valley between two mountains. Within that valley is the soil that can grow Love, Hope, and Dreams. As we look upon our valleys do we like what we see? Is there room for more growth? You see, for things to grow in the valley of life it takes care, nurturing, and feeding. To get our valleys to be plentiful one cannot be afraid to get their hands dirty. The soil responds to hard work. If all we do is sit and watch, our valley becomes wild...undisciplined....and before too long overcome by weeds. If care is given, the weeds cannot grow because upon sight we can remove the danger.The valley can be a strange place with its own set of rules, but to be good gardeners we must respect those rules, for as we plant seeds we must know that the climate and the environment can affect the growth. It's important that we share with each other knowledge of how to grow a greener valley, because all of our valleys are inter-connected. There are always people traveling through and in many cases leaving behind their thoughts and influences...sometimes good, sometimes not. The soil rewards those that plant well. It brings forth radiant colors that can been seen from miles away. To respect the soil, is to respect life. The Heavens provide the water that is needed in our valley....from it comes the rain that nourishes the green gardens and blossoming flowers. Without the clouds, even with hard work the flowers would stop blooming and before too long all that would be left would be dust.
If we are to enjoy the fruits of the valley, it takes a combined effort of earth, man and Heaven. Each one important to the health of the valley, for the fruit to be abundant. Heaven provides the sun and rain, the soil provides the foundation, and man provides the planting and harvesting. Yes there can be floods and catastrophes, but the valley can be repaired with the right amount of care and love.
Each day each one of us gets up in the morning and upon opening our eyes is the valley which we have created for ourselves. It doesn't have to be perfect...perhaps it never will be, but the work on the soil is important because from it good seeds can grow. There is work to be done everyday in the valley...sometimes it's hard, but by the end of the day, it feels real good to see the sun going down and the valley looking so much more alive.
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [The Valley continued...]
Pass It On
We all make choices everyday. We react and assert ourselves to everything that occurs to us....we then in turn, through our actions, express to the world who we are, and what we want to be. It's kind of strange really, but in the short term many of us tend to focus on the negative things that happen to us, but as we look back we start to understand why things happen the way they do. I guess it's important to look upon problems and mistakes as a learning process so we can grow and try not to make the same mistake twice. Every one of us in one way or another is accountable for our actions...what you say, and what you do to others does have a cause and effect. Each one of us has not only the power to affect our own lives, but also the lives of others. We may not think it, but we do.Wouldn't it be wonderful if each time somebody did something nice or kind to us we would automatically turn and do an act of kindness to another? Yes I know in this day and age in some corners kindness and consideration are looked upon as weakness....when in reality they are strength. It's very easy to become enraged and inflict hurtful words and acts upon people. In these cases there is no need for control or rules of life to acknowledge. Kindness and Love, on the other hand, on a continuous basis, are much harder to accomplish because they involve a lot of thought and an overcoming of rage and uncontrollable anger. Being kind to someone else has an interesting benefit. It not only makes the other person feel good, but leaves a warm feeling in your own heart. It gives you a sense that your life matters...you have the ability through your actions and thoughts to help others...isn't that a wonderful thing? I think all of us are in some strange way "athletes of the heart".... we are all relay runners. We start the race and somewhere along the line we have to pass the baton on to the next runner, and hope that they run their leg of the race as well or better than we ran ours. Why is this important? Because the human race can only win if we perform well as a whole. We are not separated here...we are all inter-connected....so an act of kindness to someone else also benefits you and me.
I believe God put each one of us here to find out who we are and learn how to Love others. If all we do is allow the ego to rule, we fail. Brotherhood and Sisterhood are very important words. It's up to every one of us to let them live in our hearts. No act of kindness is too small. The next time somebody smiles or says hello don't be afraid to smile back. Lord knows, this world needs more smiling faces!
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Pass It On continued...]
The Spiritual Revolution
Everywhere you look these days there are television shows, books, newspaper articles and music etc. with one thing, in one way or another, in mind.....Spirituality. With each passing day the hunger grows for answers. Many are searching for the reasons why they are here. The publishing houses say they cannot release books on this subject matter fast enough. James Van Pragh, author of the book "Talking To Heaven" was a recent guest on the Larry King Live show on CNN. The response was so overwhelming, Larry invited him back faster than any guest who had been on his show before.All these things are not a coincidence...something is definitely going on here. Some say it's because the baby-boomers are getting older...others say it's because we're approaching the Millennium....perhaps so, but one thing is very clear....mankind is starting to look beyond its physical boundaries in larger numbers. The world around us is getting smaller because of technology, like the Internet....the distance between each one of us is shrinking fast. Maybe deep inside we all know we have to start looking at each other with more humanity.
People are starting to return to their churches and houses of worship in growing numbers, while others are taking up yoga and meditation to release the stresses of the day. Many are seeking out ways to better connect to their spiritual consciousness, and practice rituals that can keep them focused on a Higher Power.
If in the sixties we had the Sexual Revolution, I do believe we are now entering a span of time of self-discovery, brotherhood, and enlightenment.....a Spiritual Revolution of the mind, body and soul. I believe Humanity cannot continue to progress unless it embraces the fundamentals that we live on more than one level. Maybe all of us deep down inside know that if this planet is to continue for the next hundred years with the technology that is evolving, we are going to have to find better ways to understand each other and get along. "I am right and you are wrong" no longer works....but did it ever?
I'm reminded of the original Star Trek television series, each episode still repeated in many countries. Remember each week how we used to see Captain Kirk and the crew come to terms with all these different life forms? It wasn't easy....but as Mr. Spock used to say, "Logic must prevail". Well, it's not easy here either! But let's hope humanity prevails. From what I see and the letters I receive, I believe it will.
"Live Long and Prosper",
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [The Spiritual Revolution continued...]
Possessions
Do we really own the things we possess or do they sometimes in some way own us? We attach so much of who we are and our memories to objects that we "possess", so that when a certain vase is accidentally broken it becomes us who is shattered. Should it really matter in the greater scheme of things that the vase is broken? Nothing else has really changed...the memories that we've attached to this object remain, but the only difference is the object that represents those memories is now gone.I live in a house that was built in 1830. There have been approximately five families who lived here before me. As I look around the rooms there are contributions that were made by those families that still remain to this day. I too will make my contributions to this house, but at some point the house will be passed on, hopefully, to someone else. I cannot help but feel sometimes like a care-taker...even though I am the owner. I accept that with a smile and I hope that the future families of this house receive my contributions as joyfully as I have embraced the ones from the past.
Through the years we all accumulate objects and possessions that we hold dear to our hearts. It could be something that we came across on a holiday or something left behind from a relative who has since deceased. Yes they do matter to us for the memories they hold, but if we lose them somehow, do the memories disappear? It's wonderful to have things that matter to us, but it's also important not to allow those items to start "possessing" us. We attach so much importance to them that we start to forget what they really represent. It's nice to have nice things, but when we are gone, what happens to them? Do we pass them on to our children or loved ones and hopefully they enjoy them as much as we did, or will they see no value in what we treasured? Is an object just an object...in reality, yes. What changes that is what we attach to it.
In the past month across America many people have lost in some cases all their possessions, through floods, tornadoes, and the ramifications of El Nino. Life's accumulations gone in a matter of moments. We know the images...heartbroken people on television screens, searching for reasons to rebuild. In most cases, the story ends with the person saying "We may have lost all we have, but thank God we are alive". Some are not so lucky...they feel the true sense of loss...someone has died.
At the end of the day, all we truly have is each other. The relationships we have built up over the years that mean so much to us. We still have our memories, even though we may not have the objects. But what matters most are the lives we have touched and the others who have touched us....that is priceless
Take the time to love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon [Possessions continued...]
Centered
Have you ever had those days during the week or month where everything feels "just right", a sense of peace comes over you and just about everything flows. For a lack of a better word, I call this state of mind "centered". I've always wondered what it is about those days that leave me with a tremendous sense of fulfillment and satisfaction......then, just as easily, because of something I experience, the feeling is gone. I start to feel a little left or right of that center...not quite "there"....not "in the pocket". I think many of you know what I'm talking about.Being centered is really a sense of oneness both spiritually and emotionally. It's an understanding of why things are the way they are, and how we can discover solutions to the problems that grip our lives. Those problems are what constantly tug at us and pull us from our center. Just as easily as there are reasons for why things go wrong, there are also reasons for why things go right.
What I try to use to keep myself centered is something I call "re- enforcements". It could be a certain book that makes tremendous sense in giving me a positive outlook on my life, or a conversation with a certain friend who t