There's a great song by Norah Jones titled "Humble Me". I connect the meaning of the song to somebody who has hit rock bottom in their life and has no one else to turn to but God. This person sings about her hopes for herself, her problems and trials. I like this song because it exposes what most of us think and feel at rough times in our lives when we need some heavenly help.
No matter who you are, what your beliefs or who you look to for divine intervention, if any, we all have moments in our lives that get so dark that we have no other option but to look to some higher power to look for absolution. The older I get, the more I am tuned into religion to help me sort out my problems and my triumphs because I believe that after we part from this world, our journey is far from over. I am not saying that I am a devout Catholic by any means, but I do try and live a good life; help people when I can and impart some of my own wisdom to others. The inspiration for this entry today came from a conversation that I had with my coworker Janet last week about another person we work with. Without going into much detail, her cancer had come back with a vengeance and isn't looking promising at this point, but her attitude is that of a very strong-willed person. I know myself that being stricken with disease scares the life right out of you but what choice do we have but to either fight on or lay down your soul in defeat? Janet had made the comment, "Why do we go through all of the things that we do, only to end up surrendering it all in the end?" This made me start wondering about it, as I often do when I have moments alone in the evenings or anytime that I find my mind start to wonder off in the haze of the day. Picture this for a moment: Imagine the earth is one big casino and life is nothing more than a poker game. No one is exempt from this game and you are quickly dealt your hand of cards when you are born. We all receive cards that we don't want and sometimes you can't throw them into the pot to get better ones to play. But, if you are a smart little poker player, you will be able to use the crappy hand that the Dealer has given you and turn it into a winning hand. How?
Back to my coworker for a moment. This situation is all that rare these days; cancer is all around us and the few of us that are lucky enough not to be stricken with it should count our blessings and be thankful for the health that we have. This person who I am speaking about is very selfless, looks out for her co-workers and students alike and is very trusting. Why would God put this burden on her? It's said that we aren't given any more than what we can handle in this life and we all have our crosses to bare. Usually the lessons we are supposed to learn while we are here come in the form of pain, sorrow and hurt. I believe that adverse situations cause us to rise up from whatever it is we are going through in the current moment to pay attention to something bigger than ourselves. Whenever I am in church, all other thoughts and feelings go out the window and I am fully in tune to what's happening. It's a really odd feeling sometimes; the songs that are sung usually get me to start tearing up for whatever reason; I am able to feel more emotion in that small place than anywhere else and when I exit the building, I come away with a lot more than I did than when I entered, which is the goal. But I just find it very disheartening that people.....children, women and men around the world are stricken with disease and have insurmountable odds stacked against them that they MUST overcome in order to get to where it is they NEED to go. And where is it we all NEED to get to? Heaven? If that's the case, it's out of our control, and I think that's what scares us most of all, not knowing when or how and what we're leaving behind. There's a bible verse from the book of Deuteronomy 31:6 that says:
No matter who you are, what your beliefs or who you look to for divine intervention, if any, we all have moments in our lives that get so dark that we have no other option but to look to some higher power to look for absolution. The older I get, the more I am tuned into religion to help me sort out my problems and my triumphs because I believe that after we part from this world, our journey is far from over. I am not saying that I am a devout Catholic by any means, but I do try and live a good life; help people when I can and impart some of my own wisdom to others. The inspiration for this entry today came from a conversation that I had with my coworker Janet last week about another person we work with. Without going into much detail, her cancer had come back with a vengeance and isn't looking promising at this point, but her attitude is that of a very strong-willed person. I know myself that being stricken with disease scares the life right out of you but what choice do we have but to either fight on or lay down your soul in defeat? Janet had made the comment, "Why do we go through all of the things that we do, only to end up surrendering it all in the end?" This made me start wondering about it, as I often do when I have moments alone in the evenings or anytime that I find my mind start to wonder off in the haze of the day. Picture this for a moment: Imagine the earth is one big casino and life is nothing more than a poker game. No one is exempt from this game and you are quickly dealt your hand of cards when you are born. We all receive cards that we don't want and sometimes you can't throw them into the pot to get better ones to play. But, if you are a smart little poker player, you will be able to use the crappy hand that the Dealer has given you and turn it into a winning hand. How?
Back to my coworker for a moment. This situation is all that rare these days; cancer is all around us and the few of us that are lucky enough not to be stricken with it should count our blessings and be thankful for the health that we have. This person who I am speaking about is very selfless, looks out for her co-workers and students alike and is very trusting. Why would God put this burden on her? It's said that we aren't given any more than what we can handle in this life and we all have our crosses to bare. Usually the lessons we are supposed to learn while we are here come in the form of pain, sorrow and hurt. I believe that adverse situations cause us to rise up from whatever it is we are going through in the current moment to pay attention to something bigger than ourselves. Whenever I am in church, all other thoughts and feelings go out the window and I am fully in tune to what's happening. It's a really odd feeling sometimes; the songs that are sung usually get me to start tearing up for whatever reason; I am able to feel more emotion in that small place than anywhere else and when I exit the building, I come away with a lot more than I did than when I entered, which is the goal. But I just find it very disheartening that people.....children, women and men around the world are stricken with disease and have insurmountable odds stacked against them that they MUST overcome in order to get to where it is they NEED to go. And where is it we all NEED to get to? Heaven? If that's the case, it's out of our control, and I think that's what scares us most of all, not knowing when or how and what we're leaving behind. There's a bible verse from the book of Deuteronomy 31:6 that says:
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
I don't think it so much as to WHAT we're leaving behind as to WHOM we're leaving behind and what is coming next, if anything. You go through your life meeting people, making connections with friends, lovers and family; at some point these people will all be gone, but we all hold on to the comfort in knowing that everyone that has passed on, we will see again one day when it is our time to graduate to glory and be reunited with our loved ones that have been waiting for us. I have spent most of my adult life...and granted I haven't been an adult THAT long yet, but I have spent an awful lot of time questioning myself and my life. Why am I here? What is my purpose on this journey? What's yours? Do you want to help people or create inventions that help the human race advance itself for the better? Sounds like a first grade assignment into finding what you want to be when you grow up but those stupid little assignments we all had in those early years are ones that most of us still ask ourselves in present day. It kind of interesting if you think about it. How everything is connected in some way.
No one is ever alone in this world I've come to realize. Even when you feel there is no one out there who understands what you are going through, there are people going through the same ordeals as you. Take a look at your family and friends for example. For the kind of person that you are, these people were chosen to be in your life for some reason. Could you imagine having someone else's parents? Or friends for that matter? I feel that my family and friends are a concrete expression of all aspects of my personality, interests and life, put on visual display for people to see. I feel that they are a positive representation of the man that I am supposed to be. Each one is encouraging, supportive in my endeavors and gives me sound and solid advice when I need it. I feel that they are an extension of God's love in human form. Ever hear the term 'Earthly Angels'? Well, I think that's another job that we are sent here to be for people. I feel that some of us are called upon to be watchers and healers for other people. God will put that on your heart no matter what. We all have something that we can learn from each other; we all come from distinct backgrounds from different cultures; why not instead of pushing each other further away from us, we embrace the beautiful differences in each other and love one another? Is that such a hard concept for people? Turn on the news and see the plethora of shootings, murders, etc. and it seems that it is. But people care, they really do and good minded people will definitely make sure that we are all cared for in one way, shape or form.
I heard a quote once that said something like 'What did you do with the dash between the two years on your tombstone?' Trying to plan your life into what you want it to be is kind of counter-productive in a way. When you spend so much time investing on what you want to have later on in life, you tend to miss out on all the beautiful things that life is offering you at the moment. I think it's better to take things moment by moment and just enjoy it. That's what life is after all, a series of little moments all woven into the tapestry of your life.
I in no way intended this entry to be one that reflected my religious beliefs or have them thrust upon you. It's up to you to choose what you believe, but take comfort in knowing that someone if holding the puppet strings and is the eternal playmaker in this never-ending poker game. But if the world does end next month (I wouldn't hold my breath!), take comfort in knowing that the journey you have gone on has prepared you for the next step in your life, eternity.
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