ElegantEclipse's blog: "Just Things"

To Live Or Not!

What if you where told you had cancer? Would you chose to fight, or would you just let it take it's course? I often sit and wonder how would I answer that question. I sometimes think I would just let it run its course and then at others I just dont know. I have watched to people very close to me fight it. One was my father, whom died from it. The other is my brother who is still fighting it. He has been fighting for 4 long years, and yet his spirit refuses to give up. We almost lost him about a month ago, but he fough to get strong and have surgery, which has helped a great deal. I wonder sometimes were that inner strength comes from. Is it just the spirit inside him that is unwilling to let it beat him. Or has God just said its not time yet. I watch as he endures pain and treatment. Going in and out of the hospital. fighting for every day he is alive, and hearing him say that the worst day alive, is better than the best day dead. It is amazing what the human soul can endure. It is amazing how our struggles and hardships will bring us closer to the Lord our God. Even if you are not the most religious or spiritual person around, I think that we all have Jesus and God deep within ourselves. I know that there are a lot of beliefs, thoughts, and feelings about Jesus and God. However, you must admitt, when life seems the toughest, the worest, the hardest. We all turn to Jesus/God for guidance, even if some people wouldn't admit it. I gain everyday from watching my brother fight for his life. I see everyday, that even the worst day here, is still a good day. I learn strength. I learn that when God is ready then when we go. Not before, and not after that, but when he is ready.

The Power Of Words

Have you ever stop to think about the words that you say? When you are angry, is it not words that we use to hurt someone else? If one uses the right words you can bring someone to their knees. Saying something like you are a worthless piece of shit, can stab someone's heart and hurt them more deeply than if you were to hit them. Why are humans like this? Why are we not consciously aware of what we say? When Jesus was hanging on the cross, the physical pain his body was feeling was not enough for some. Some had to add to his suffering. They said harsh things to him to make the pain he felt , go to his soul. Even given where Jesus was, he did not use words to hurt them back. No,instead he ask his father to forgive them because they didnt know what they were doing. How true that was. We use words to get back at others. To hurt them in a way they will never forget. For some the hurtful words live with them forever. They feel the pain forever as well. So instead of wanting to get revenge and pay someone back. Maybe we could take a minute and think before we say something hurtful back. Maybe instead of hurting them we could love them instead. We could forgive them, because in their rage. In their anger, they know not what they are doing.

The one thing you can not isolate yourself from is tragedy and suffering. They will come no matter what. There is no way to avoid them. They will come in the own season, in there own time, and for there own reasons.When they hit, they will immobilize you and you will be overwhelming. When everything is going well in our worlds, which are small and a controlled experience bounded by our daily activities and rituals.When tragedy and suffering rare their heads, they shatter our tiny boundaries and break our worlds into pieces. When this happens, we feel as though we are living in a scream, where there is no exit, only echos. The things that seemed so very important yesterday, become unimportant and those daily things become petty and irrelevant. Then when we finally reclaim ourselves from them, we find we have changed. These experiences of tragedy and suffering seem to carry us into a larger realm where we see that which is truly important. This then becomes our responsibility to bring the knowledge back into our daily lives. It becomes a chance to look at life in a new perspective. The way in which we respond to tragedy and suffering shows our true strength. We should view these moments as moments of growth. They should be considered gifts, and we should use them as a way to reclaim what is important in our lives. As humans we are very resilient. We want health and not sickness. Your spirit, just as your body, will try to heal. The question that has to be ask is how will we heal? The time of grief and suffering have there own duration, depending on the individual. No matter the time frame, we must take care to shape the new person we are becoming. So never fear tragedy or suffering. Just as love makes you more a part of the human family, so do these two things. They can bring you your greatest creativity. They are the trail that make you a pure person.

SIMPLE TRUTHS- THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY THERE IS ONE THING THAT WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON WITH EACH OTHER AND THAT IS, THAT WE ARE BORN WITH A BELIEF IN GOD. WE ALL CALL IT BY DIFFERENT THINGS, SUCH AS SPIRIT, GOD, HOLY SPIRIT, CREATOR, ECT, BUT IT IS ALL THE SAME IDEAL. GOD IS DIVINE LOVE AND HE LETS US KNOW HE IS WITH US ALL THE TIME. HOW DO WE SEE IT, THINK OF THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU SIT ND LOOK AT NATURE IN AWE. HE TALKS WHEN WE ARE FEELING A LOVE BUT WE CANT PIN POINT EXACTLY WHERE IT IS COMING FROM. GOD IS THE MYSTERY OF THE BEGINNING OF TIME, AND HE GOES BEYOND THE LIMITS OF SPACE. IT IS THE SENSE THAT WE KNOW WE ARE MORE THAN THE PHYSICAL THAT MAKES US ALIVE. WE ALL KNOW THERE ARE SOME THAT WILL SAY THERE IS NO GOD. THAT THOSE OF US WHO BELIEVE ARE LOOKING FOR A FAIRY TALE OR CRUTCH TO HELP US THROUGH LIFE. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WE SHOULD NOT ARGUE WITH. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY LOOK FOR EXPLANATIONS THROUGH SCIENCE. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO THE CHINESE PHLOSPHER CHUANGE TZU SPOKE OF WHEN HE SAID "A FROG IN THE WELL CAN NOT BE TALKED TO ABOUT THE SEA." OUR TASK HERE IS TO STEP BEYOND THE WELL. TO LET THOSE ARGUE WHOM MAY WANT TO. WHEN YOU HEAR SOMETHING BEYOND WHAT IS HERE, DO NOT LET THINGS SUCH AS OTHERS BELIEFS HOLD YOU BACK. THERE ARE MANY PATHS FOR ONE TO FOLLOW AND EACH ONE LOOKS DIFFERENT. WE ARE NOT HERE TO LOOK AT ANOTHER'S PATH, BUT TO LISTEN TO WHAT OUR HEART IS SAYING AND FOLLOW THAT PATH. IN ORDER TO FOLLOW THIS PATH WE MUST ACCEPT WHERE WE ARE. FIND OUR SPECIAL GIFTS OF CHARACTER, WHETHER IT BE COMPASSION, SELF DISCIPLINE, OR LAUGHTER. WHATEVER THE CHARACTERISTIC, USE IT AS A STARTING POINT, BECAUSE IT IS A PLACE OF BELIEF. WE MUST FIND THE GIFT YOU HOLD AND THEN USE IT AND CULTIVATE IT. YOU MAY CHOSE A PATH OF SOME RELIGIOUS BELIEF, OR YOU MAY CHOSE TO HAVE THE PATH WITHIN THE SOLITUDE OF YOUR HEART. WHICH EVER PATH YOU CHOSE, JUST FOLLOW IT SO THAT YOU MAYBE COME CLOSER TO EXPERIENCING GOD EVERY DAY. SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS A STUDY. IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS PRACTICED AND TRIED TO MAKE PERFECT WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL. THROUGH PRACTING WHAT YOU LEARN, YOU WILL SHOW YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH. THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN WE WILL FELL THAT WE HAVE FALLEN BACK. HOWEVER, WE SHOULDN'T BE TO HARD ON OURSELVES. OUR WHOLE LIVES ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY. IN THIS JOURNEY WE WILL FIND OURSELVES IN PLACES WE HAVE NEVER BEEN BEFORE. WE WILL ALSO BE IN LANDS THAT ARE RICH IN THE POSSIBILITIES THEY OFFER US. WE SHOULD ALWAYS CONTINUE TO PUSH OURSELVES FORWARD. HOLD TIGHT TO THE FAITH IN YOUR PATH. FOLLOW IT THE BEST YOU CAN. CHANGE YOURSELF IF YOU MUST IN ORDER TO STAY ON IT. AS YOU BECOME CLOSER TO THE ONE, YOU WILL HEAR HIM MORE AND FEEL HIM MORE. DO NOT REFUSE TO SEEK GOD. IN DOING SO YOU WILL DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF THE DIVINE LOVE FOR HIM, YOURSELF, AND OTHERS. SO FIND THE PATH THAT GIVES YOU SUNSHINE EVERYDAY AND ALLOWS YOU TO GROW AND EVOLVE INTO THE PERSON YOU ARE MET TO BE. LET YOUR PATH LEAD YOU TO THE DIVINE LOVE. Dee Parenti All Rights Reserved

SIMPLE TRUTHS ON THE ELDERS It is said that you can see what a person is like, by watching how they treat their elders. It is funny that as our parents become older, they become people we have to take care of, just as they once took care of us. However, our elders are unlike our children. Our children grow up, develop their own lives and leave our nest. Our elders are the ones who took care of us as children, who taught us, loved us, and protected us. Unlike our children, our elders contain a wealth of knowledge. This is life knowledge from all the living they have done. Our elders mirror our own morality. A person who has a great heart will see the value of our elders, and serve them with gratitude. This is not easy given the times we live in. We hide them behind the phrases "The Elderly", Senior Citizens", and "Retired". We tend to shun our elders, instead of valuing them for their wisdom that all those years of living have given them. No matter what kind of life they have lived, it is these people who have watched the world form and shape into where we are now. There is no one other than you, who will know your life in the same way as you. It is your elders that have been with you since birth and endured all your trial and tribulations while offering unconditional love to you. We are bonded through time with them. These people also offer us a look into our own future. At one time they were you and in time you will be them. We carry the seeds of our old age with us at this very moment, and every time we think of our younger years, our older years are ever in our presence. Now, we must remember that just like every group, our elders contain those who are not concerned about you, but yet expect you to be concerned about them. When they are run upon, then we must just remember that they are dependent on the world around them and need to know they are not losing their importance. If you look they are some what embittered, because they have lost power to the now pending generation, their bodies are not what they use to be, and they are facing death.For many, these are the conditions of their lives. If you look though, under it all is wisdom that only years could have given them. We can not treat them as though they are children. In doing so we make them feel as though they are disrespected. True caring and respect will only mirror humanity and strength. These people still seek and value their dignity. They want to know that their wisdom and what the have help create, is not being disregarded. We should love our elders. We should rever them for the wisdom they retain. Serve them from the purity of our hearts, and learn the lessons that they can show. In doing so, you will have the knowledge of your past and gain the wisdom to understand your future. For the last 30 years of my life I have helped my parents and taken care of them when needed. My mother is 78years old and is a vitural hard drive with life things. LOL. My father died five years ago, but I was there while he fought cancer for two years. I do not regret anything I have done for my parents. Through having such a close relationship with them, I know who and what I am, where I come from, and have experienced true unconditional love from another human. To me, all those things are priceless and I could never give enough back. I love my mother. She is my best friend and I spend a lot of time with her. I share every little part of my life with her, every though and feeling. As always she is there supporting me. I love and cherish my elders. I hope all of you do too.