Month: September 2018

A woman was standing in line at a local coffee shop when the two women in line behind her began saying derogatory things about her. They cut down her size, what she ordered, her hair, and more.  The woman fought back tears as she tried to imagine how two complete strangers, people she did not know and had never met, could justify saying such hurtful things.

When she reached the counter she told the cashier to pay for two extra coffees for the women behind her. No matter how hurtful those two women chose to be she was not going to stoop to their level. She was determined to treat them as she wanted to be treated even when they did not treat her with the same respect.

Taking the high road is always the right thing to do. She never said one word to the two women but she did post her experience and received overwhelming support. To date the two bullies have not returned to the coffee shop.  They got the message loud and clear and the woman did not have to confront them personally. She knows we cannot reason with unreasonable people.  People who so readily hurt others are hurting themselves so the action that will have the most positive impact is to bring a “higher awareness to the situation than what created it in the first place.” (Albert Einstein) So she choose to spread LOVE – which has a Divinely guided way of paying back the negative deeds of others while allowing us to take the higher road to be the change we want to see. (Mahatma Gandhi)

When my little buddy Austin was born his parents and all who know them were given a gift we did not anticipate. None of the prenatal tests revealed he would have Down syndrome – a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all, or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. Initially, it was easy to go down the road of sadness for how he will be treated, how he will live and thrive, how he will be happy in the world having to deal with physical growth delays and mild to moderate intellectual disability. But it did not take long for sadness to be replaced with deep joy at the gift his parents and all of us receive from knowing their special son.

Austin’s heart is so BIG he comforts those who are sad. He goes up to strangers and gives them a hug. He is always smiling, filled with joy and wonder. He is so connected to the kind, compassionate, loving part of his heart he beams LOVE in all directions. A LOVE so palpable, everyone with whom Austin interacts is touched by his presence and changed for the better. In my book, that makes Austin an angel who was created by LOVE to help teach us how to LOVE one another, with non-judgment, respect and kindness.

Personally I am tired of sitting around waiting on someone to rescue us from all that is wrong in the world.  So, here are five things I do each day, that if you do too, WE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD in a very good way.

1. Make friends with your neighbors, the people at the places where you do business, at the gym, post office, church, you children’s school. People who care for one another look out for each other, respect one another, and build strong, resilient and peaceful communities. Sure it may take time and effort but good relationships improve everyone’s life.
2. SMILE!  Makes people feel good and you feel good too.
3. No ego-boxing. We don’t react to negative behavior with more negative behavior. We bring a higher level of awareness to situations. We’re all going through something. Unless we or another form of life is in physical danger we don’t get involved in the bad, rude or inconsiderate moods of others.
4. Don’t make emotional, fast, or uninformed decisions. We cannot think clearly when we’re angry. It’s been proven by science.  So gather facts, be patient, and make certain the decisions you make are the best they can be based on being informed.  Never forget BREXIT.
5. Use cloth grocery bags and cut out as much plastic as you can from daily life. We’ve got a real problem with plastic in our oceans. Without clean oceans YOU AND I cease to exist. Let’s not leave this to our children and their children to clean up.

See it really is very easy to make a positive difference each and every day by being LOVE in ACTION.

One of the best lessons I learned is the importance of thinking for myself. Not to follow the crowd or make emotional and uninformed decisions. It is important to form my own beliefs based on doing research to seek FACT. I can’t rely on family, friends or neighbors to do the work for me. I must count on people who have more experience and knowledge in areas where I am a neophyte (novice). One area I need guidance is politics.

I am patriotic. I vote in every election no matter how small. I take seriously the job of electing people who are the best possible choice – those whose character values (honesty, openness, dedication, etc.) most mirror my own. But, to find the best people I must turn off the noise, the biased opinions of those who have an agenda, and seek fact by being careful who I listen to. That is why I watch The Rachel Maddow Show each day on MSNBC.

There is no room for error come November. We can’t think something like Brexit will never happen to us. God wants us to make up our own minds and hearts based on facts. That means God wants us to elect the best people of character.  I find Rachel Maddow inspiring, informative, knowledgeable, and invaluable for getting me the facts I need to vote.