GB-2 (subject: Judgement) "MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL"

         "MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL"

 Each day we stand before the mirror, we check our hair, face,skin,and teeth. We are quick to notice any blemish and judge our well being on what we see in the mirror, sadly in our "sight oriented world" we rarely spend a moment checking what is on the inside of us, our spirit, our soul.

 Who amongst us is not familar with that famous line in Snow White,  "mirror, mirror on the wall, whose the fairest of them all?" 
  The mirrors response of Snow White was a reference to both her beauty and her heart. For Snow White was as kind to others as her beauty was to the world.  Forced to flee deep into the forest, she touched each and every creature that lived there. She took residence with 7 dwarfs, each with its own  personality (Grumpy, Sneezy, Dopey etc) that required a higher level of understanding and acceptance. Despite their shortcomings (no pun intended) their open hearts, and selfless ways allowed their fondness and mutual adoration of each other thrive!

There is another type of Beauty that is so spectacular it blinds us with an explosion of joyful living. When one brings Joy, Hope & Encouragement into someones elses day , a mirror can only reflect a soul that is simply "the fairest of all".

 Aside from revealing the Beauty of Snow White, the magic mirror revealed one of lifes greatest lessons, which is, True Joy is most often found just beyond the point of "knowing to Judge"!

Wishing a non judgemental and joyful day to all!        Marc :)

GB-2 "Loyality" Thanks For Nothing (A lesson in loyalty)

      “THANKS FOR NOTHING”  (A Lesson in Loyalty)

         One day we were home from school and after having a boring catch outside, Alex invited Ray and me back to his house. No one was at his home. He opened the door and walked straight into the living room! The livingroom was decorated with hundreds of glass figurines and small statues.

 "C’mon, don't be scared, you guys can sit in here" he cajoled. Reluctantly, we sat down, and looked around us, stunned by the massive collection of figurines that seemed to be staring at us. Alex removed the tennis ball from his pocket, and began tossing it in the air. "Hey Alex , not a good idea" we cautioned him. He laughed, and then tossed the ball over to Ray.."catch!" he said (implying a dare to drop the ball). Ray caught the ball, and then tossed it to me. Call it pre adolescent Bravado, but we began tossing that ball around...faster...and faster...till, my toss to Alex sailed over his outstretched hands and made a direct hit on the end table! The figurines were scattered about, and one slid off the table and onto the floor! We jumped up and ran over to asses the damage. Alex leaning over the figurine exclaimed, "My Mom is gonna kill me!....This is her favorite horse and its all busted up!"I tried to mitigate the circumstance with "favorite horse? There must be 100 little horses here, and THIS ONE is her favorite?"   "You better believe it" said Alex..."She paid 200 bucks for this one...it's her favorite!"

     My stomach collapsed, I broke a 200 dollar horse! My Mom was gonna kill me too!...... "Hold on" I said as I tried to gain control of a situation that was going out of control. I began rearranging the animals that were on the table, trying to compensate for the empty space . "There!, Now she will never know her horse is missing..the display looks the same as when we first walked in here."   Ray nodded his head in agreement and we decided to bury the broken horse figurine in the backyard.

    The next day at school, Ray and I met up with Alex. "Boy is my Mom mad!" He exclaimed. As soon as she walked into the living room she cried out, "who messed up my end table?....and then  that is when she noticed her favorite horse was missing!" "What did you tell her?" I asked with panic in my heart. "I told her that I didn't know a thing...that maybe my sister and her friends did something to it".  "You won't ever tell her that it was us, will you?" I asked. "Nope" said Alex..."I don't squeal on my friends"

"Alex" I said with a sigh of relief, "you are the best friend that someone could have" I saias I placed my arm around Alex..."I really owe you"......

     Time passed, my gratefulness for Alex not exposing me played into our friendship. I would loan him nickels for candy and let him use my bike whenever he needed. 

    Several months passed, it was now Spring and just when that incident was as deeply buried as that horse, my Mother confronted me. "I just got off the phone with Alex's mom, and while she was working in her garden she found a broken horse figurine buried there. She says that you, Alex and Ray were playing one day and broke it....is that true?"..........  I was caught!  .... In shame and for Mercy I put my head down and   put my best puppy dog eyes on...."yes Mom....we broke it". 

 "Well, you will be grounded for the next month and I told her that I would share in the cost of replacing that horse..so you will be losing 5 weeks of your allowance money."   My head was spinning....I can't believe that Alex caved in and confessed...especially 5 months after we broke that horse!.....Grounded and no allowance for....  Five weeks? That's it? I got 75 cents a week.....how does that add up to 200 dollars?

      The next day came and at first, I did not want to even look at Alex.. Over the past 5 months,I had thanked him a million times, bought him candy, loaned him my bike...all that "Thanks" and gratitude..and what does he do?  Rat me out!  But I was curious about why I was only losing 5 weeks of allowance...so.... "Hey Alex!   Thanks for Nothing!...you couldn't deny it?"...... "No I couldn't" he said with his head in shame...."Besides, I'm the one that has to face her everyday...I am the one who hears her..I am one who is paying for this"... Then I asked about the cost of the horse...."oh, I made a mistake, the horse was only a few bucks..."  He put out his hand to me..."still friends?" he asked.....I slowly put my hand out there.."yeah...we're still friends"

   And so I learned....no matter how thankful you are and how grateful and loyal you might be to a friend, it is not a guarantee that they will always perform in a manner that is to your liking...there will be a time when they let you down.

 A  Loyal friendship is not one that is based on being grateful and thankful only  as long as the "thanks" are being repaid.....

The years passed, and Alex and I remained loyal friends. As we entered adolesence we shared the gossip and secrets of who had a crush on who. He was the first to know about a girl I had a crush on, and like a good loyal friend, he made sure that she learned of this which  had led me to a sweet kiss!

GB2 : subject: Longing "Mountain Of Knowledge"

  Its a simple lifelong longing, my thirst for knowledge. I must be careful as it comes in many forms ... here is one example..

Mountain Of Knowledge

One day I climbed to a plateau on this mountain, and as I was inhaling the soft breezes, I could hear cries coming from the side of the mountain. I went to the edge, looked down and saw two damsels were stranded on a ledge just 12 feet below!

 “Please help us” they sobbed. I rubbed my eyes, for these damsels in distress were no ordinary damsels, they were Wisdom and Peace!  I assumed that if I could rescue them, they would share their inner most secrets with me! “Help is on the way” I called out. I turned to a nearby tree and broke off branches and leaves and fashioned a vine. I secured the vine around a rock and lowered myself down to the ledge.

I held one arm open to Wisdom and said “come, place your arm around my waist and I will carry you up”. Wisdom approached and as she took the vine from my hand, gave me a nudge. “Do you really think that Wisdom doesn’t know how to climb?” she asked with a smile. In the blink of an eye, she climbed up to the plateau. I held my arm open to Peace, and said “come Peace, hold on to my waist and I will carry you up”. Peace approached me, and also nudged me to the side and placed the vine around her waist. “When you have Wisdom as a friend, you don’t need more”. In the blink of an eye, Peace was lifted up to the plateau. I looked up to see the pair looking down at me,”ok, very nicely done, please toss me the vine”. I said with a tone of defeat in my voice.   Their smiling faces disappeared and their laughter began to fade away. “The Vine!” I called out. Wisdom called back, “you don’t need a vine, you will figure out how to get back up, and when you do, you will be Wiser and at Peace with yourself!” As their laughter faded, I mused, yes, one must be very careful in what they wish for as it manifests itself in ways we cannot imagine! 

  How foolish to think that Wisdom and Peace would need me to rescue them!

It was  a lesson well learned!

Despite the years that have passed, the many lessons learned and the knowledge gained, I long for more! Yes, I still find my way back to that and  despite the bumps and those "sprites" that inhabit it, each lesson learned bears the taste of fruit I so long for!

Have an enlightened Week...towards the light......Marc :)

GB-2 "Things That Grow Wild" I SHOT THE SHERIFF

I Shot The Sheriff

  The Cerebrum!   That is the part of the brain that dominates all functions of the mind.  In my town, it is known as The Sheriff! Not a border can be crossed, not a single whim or fantasy can be engaged when this guy is on guard!

   The Sheriff, creates and enforces every rule I follow, and shadows my every move. Admittedly, this would be an easy job if not for the Hypothalamus. The Hypothalamus is the part of the brain that handles "desire". The Hypothalamus, often discouraged by the constraints, does not sit idle. It plans, it schemes, and searches for that one moment when it can break free, run wild, and has its moment in the sun!

 There have been times I have made that made dash to the border, and was left with no choice but to turn, take aim and shoot that Sheriff......only to find a deputy (guilt) in hot pursuit!

The Nature of the human spirit,  defined by invisible borders, designed to be crossed, so we may all find our way home.

Soulful Journeys, Marc J

GB-2 "TRUST" When Faith is Interrupted

Faith Interrupted

   When death, serious illness, and news of crumbling relationships resonate in my ears, my complete and unyielding Trust in the warm hand of the Almighty becomes interrupted.  Once again, I turn and look for a clue...could there even be one? Why are our hearts allowed to fall to the ground and shatter as if they were made of fine porcelain?  We were designed so precisely and with such complexity that a thousand scientists cannot duplicate. Yet, with all our precision, the world we live in so very fragile. In one second, our lives can change forever.

Any logical mind must ask, "what was our Creator thinking? Was he distracted in the middle of our conception and ovelooked this one aspect?" 

The answer  may be as close as taking a closer look at ourselves.

Please enjoy this with your next cup... 

    As my sons were growing up, they looked up to me for all sorts of answers, especially to their homework assignments!  When my youngest was 12, he saw me as a natural wealth of quick information. I was a virtual Encyclopedia!

    One night he came to me and said in a half whine..."Dad, I need help with my math homework...I really don't understand the problems."  ..... I always enjoyed being engaged and challenged...after all, eighth grade math was my calling! 

"Hmmm...O.K.....here we go....if x+4 =8, we'll move the x to this side, subtract that side...."  and to his relief, I unraveled this dark mystery for him . He was never amazed at my swift calculations, after all, I was Dad, I was supposed to know!

    Imagine my amazement when he came home from school the next day and waved the homework assignment in my face..."Look Dad, an "F"....all of YOUR answers were wrong! I can't believe it Dad...an "F"....!!....I can't believe I trusted you!

    My mouth fell to the open position and stayed frozen that way. Aside from the disbelief that I had incorrectly answered every question, was the fact that I let my son down..way down!  After rereading the questions that were asked, I understood that my approach to his assignment was all wrong, but that did not matter now. I asked him how much this assignment meant to the grade for the period. "Well, I was running a B-, but with this F, I'll be lucky to get a "C" for a grade.Now what do you suggest?"

   I had never let my son down like I had at that moment. There was no fixing this, I couldn't explain to the teacher that Dad was doing his sons homework and failed to properly follow instructions. I just looked at my son and explained that he would now need to work extra hard. He would need to be  better prepared for tests and do some extra credit work.  "You mean I have to do all that extra hard work because you couldn't do my homework right?"

     A parent is supposed to have the answers, it is the  problem solver, the parent is supposed to make the hurt go away...it is  not supposed to be the source of it.

Perhaps our Creator knew all too well, if he could solve all our problems for us, we would never devolop to our potential. We would have this complete and unwavering TRUST in his ability to keep our world steady and straight. Perhaps our Creator knew all too well, this abundant TRUST would prevent TRUTH, HOPE & GRATIDUE of flourishing in our heart. Without truth, hope and gratitude, our hearts would become lazy, reliant and irresponsible.

So tragic news which breaks hearts, and interrupts faith will always be a fact of life.We need to remember to channel the pain and despair to where it belongs. A place that lives deep with our very core, our heart which is where TRUST  resides.

Peace & Blessings, Marc :)

    

To all my friends  who have recently lost loved ones, to those who have loved ones battling a serious or life threatening illness, to those struggling in family matters, to all of those who face despair as if it were a permanent fixture in their day.....The Parent does not have all the answers, and to believe so only allows for a faith interrupted.

My prayers of a return and restoration to a peaceful soul~~~Marc