Faith

Reduced to Your Possessions

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When I decided to live in a more present and simpler way, one of the effects that happened almost as a natural reaction was for me to rid of excess in my life, material and other. After evaluating much of my life in a systemic way, I started to let go of stuff first, and eventually, of every other thing that did not fell into balance with my life’s systems. Stuff was a significant area for me, years of accumulation, of excess. This act of letting go opened my eyes to many areas, and I became aware of how possessions dictate on one’s way of living, how people identify with their possessions, and ultimately, how one’s identity can be reduced to one’s possessions, by ourselves and by the perception of others as well. Our living is reduced to maintaining such possessions, and in a way, the stuff that was supposed to enhance living, ends up diminishing it.

I remember attending a funeral when I was much younger, and as I approached the widow to give her my condolences, I decided to wait aside until she finished her conversation with a couple. Without intention, I overheard the man asking this grieving widow how much she wanted for her late husband’s car. Obviously, it was not the time and place to ask that question. This scene stayed in my mind until today. It made me realized how people see other people after death, and how inconsiderate a person who is materially oriented can become. On a more recent observation of human behavior, I observed how a man who owned many vehicles was reduced to his possessions after he died. The next day, there were many takers looking to buy his vehicles. One of them, even checking out a motorcycle during the family service which was at the home of the deceased. This reminded me of the first incident that happened many years ago, its similarity, and made me think of how I would like to be remembered when I go to meet my maker. I am sure that most of us have heard stories about family feuds after a patriarch or matriarch dies, and of siblings fighting for an inheritance and relationships being broken for the same reasons. It happens in the closest of families.

I am not a minimalist, and I can appreciate beautiful things, but I don’t want my identity to be based on stuff, neither how other people might remember me by. When we approach the relation to our possessions as stewards of the material blessings we receive instead of owners or collectors, we become more grateful, but also more generous. We also learn to see people for their true essence and not their status or material abundance, and as a default, we end up having better human to human interactions once we remove the material filter.

Role Models, Where are They?

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I think that younger generations are lacking something that was very important for older generations – role models. Our society has decline in this sense, and instead, a younger generation is filling that void with role models found in Hollywood celebrities and even AI, wherever they can find the ideal, even when it may be a bit removed from reality. If you had an influential and positive role model in your life, count yourself blessed. When we are young, we might not recognize the significant influence of a role model in our life, but later on, in hindsight, we realize how blessed we were.

I had two strong role models in my life, both women, and they contributed much to the woman I am today. One of them, my grandmother, the strong, courageous, and righteous woman who raised me. I can honestly say that she was the living image of the woman in Proverbs 31. I learned so much character and wisdom from her (and much more) throughout my childhood and my early younger years, but her teachings lasted a lifetime.

As a young and married adult in my 20s, I met my second role model, a Jewish woman who introduced me to business concepts, an area of my life that had no previous exposure as far as learning. I value her teachings to this day because she inspired in me a learning for such things and gave me a view of myself that I never had before in that sense. She inspired me to dream more, for the first time.

These women, very different but similar in character, and from very different cultures, upbringing, religious views, education, and socioeconomic backgrounds, shaped much of my thinking in a positive way, and I am so grateful for having them in my life at an early age. When I think about what I consider a scarcity in role models these days, I see a correlation with the erosion of our value system as a society. Times may change, technology may modernize and influence the way we do daily living, but core values should remain and not get lost within a rapid changing culture. These are basic rules of engagement, of humanity and societal goodness that we ought to pass on to the next generation.

Is it Ironic?

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Sometime ago, I went to sign in on one site and had to verify that I wasn’t a robot. Instead of the usual pictures that one can hardly see, I was presented with a squiggly made-up word that I could hardly tell what it was for sure. After two attempts to decipher the squiggly words, I decided to use the sound button to listen to the pronunciation. Well, that did not help. What I heard was a cacophony of AI robotic voices, all at once but not in sync, a screech from hell, impossible to understand. It truly was creepy. The experience prompted this post. I thought, is this ridiculous enough? A robot verifying if I am human and not a robot. I found it a little bit ironic.

Sometimes, we take our humanity for granted; we don’t know if we will lose it one day. Will we ever merge with machine? I certainly don’t want to be around when we become one and the same. I am not referring to medical advances that help humans function due to a condition or illness, but of a complete merge of human and machine/software/whatever artificial that might be, at the brain level, where one absorbs the other. Symbiotic? I don’t think so. Sounds too sci-fi? Maybe, but I don’t think impossible. The reality is that technology is evolving rapidly, too fast. If you have not heard the speech of Geoffrey Hinton, also known as the Godfather of AI, (for his important and pioneering work on its development), at the World Economic Forum, or even any of his latest interviews, I invite you to listen to it. It is very eye opening. He has already warned the world of the existential threat that AI poses for humanity and what he thinks is a smart solution now, because we are running out of time. His credentials are impressive, and I invite you to know a bit more about him, so you can appreciate and understand who the one is warning us. I won’t spoil it for you with details on this blog post, but seriously, listen to him talk about this topic – he knows.

The day we lose our humanity, the same humanity given to us by our Creator, with it we will lose our essence, our kindness, our empathy, what makes us different, what we are. We will lose our divine connection. Isn’t it ironic? But Jesus said,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6

Life’s Clues

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I know that God looks after us during our entire life. Life’s little clues are proof of that, at least for me. Life’s clues are meant to steer us in the right direction, and to keep us out of heartache and trouble. They are always there, if one cares to see them. These clues always come at the crucial moment, before our mind is made up about a situation. They come as a series of visual clues, information we come across without searching for it but captures our attention somehow, strong enough to notice it. Clues also come as a comment from an unusual source, a stranger, or even as a comment from someone we know, but has no knowledge of the situation. Sometimes, it is the right word that you keep seeing over and over, everywhere. It is usually a subtle hint that we seem to notice but ignore many times. When we ignore these clues, in hindsight we see that these warnings were there, but we chose to disregard them. The effects of a wrong decision can last a lifetime. The longer you live, you learn to recognize these clues and to attune your perception, and you understand that a piece of information, however it may present itself, is there for a reason.

As a Christian, I see these clues as part of my daily communion with God, and seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my life, but there was a time when I was not completely connected spiritually. Now, I realize that God did care and sent those clues for me to see. Whether you are a Christian or not, or spiritually connected with your Creator or not, pay attention to those little life’s clues that are meant to save you disappointment and heartache in the long run; they are put there by your Maker who loves you and has your best interest in mind. Every time we say a prayer we become more receptive, aware, and perceptive. The more we strengthen our spiritual connection the more aware we become.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God: I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Photo by M.A.D.

The Miracle of the Luna Moth

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The story I am about to tell happened to me last year. I don’t know if you are familiar with the Luna Moth, but it is beautiful and large. Its wings are fluorescent lime-green, and it is supposed to be a nocturnal moth. Luna moths only live for 7 days, and although they are not rare, because of their very short life span, they are rare to see. I have only seen two during my lifetime. At night they seem to glow because their fluorescent wings reflect the light. When I first saw one, I was in awe at how beautiful it was, and I did not know what it was; I thought it was the most gorgeous butterfly. I looked it up and, in the process, learned about it. I learned that because the Luna Moth only lives 7 days, it doesn’t have a mouth; it doesn’t eat. During that time, it reproduces to continue the species. What a wonder of nature.

Last year, while I was walking around the garden, I saw a Luna Moth in very bad shape. Its wings were shredded into pieces, only a wing seemed almost fine, but not quite. The poor moth was struggling on the ground and could hardly move. It was trying to reach a part of the garden where there were more plants. I felt so sad for it, but I could not do anything to help because I was afraid to hurt it more if I picked it up or try to place her where she was trying to go. The Luna Moth reached a spot in the garden and stopped there. It stayed there. It did not move much. Feeling helpless, I said, “Lord, please, help this creature of yours; send your angels to help.” Then, because I did not want to see it suffering, I started walking back to the side entrance of my house. I have only taken a few steps when suddenly, I saw a Luna Moth fly by me fast; it just almost touched me. I watched it fly high into the woods. Immediately, I went back only a few steps to where I had left the injured Luna Moth. It was gone. I looked around and I could not find it. I looked around some more. I knew it could not have gone far in less than a minute or so. I couldn’t contain my tears, tears of joy. I was sure that God had help the Luna Moth and restored its wings. I was in the presence of a miracle. I gave thanks.

I thought about it the entire day, and night; I still think about it from time to time. That day, God showed me that He cares about all His creation, but also, that He is always present, and that when we talk to Him, at any moment, He listens. His love is immense. God is good.

Not Happiness, but Joy

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One can be happy and joyful; however, these are not the same. Happiness is expressed at a particular moment, usually when we have good news, have a good time, we obtain or accomplish something we want, or experience a moment that is pleasant and produces the feeling. Joy remains in us, whether things are going our way or not so much. Joy is a state of the heart, mind, and soul. It is inside and reflects on the outside. Happiness is determined by outside occurrences and how we process them and react.

I know a person who has been blessed in many ways; however, this person is always sad, bored, complains about everything and everyone, and says, “I have never been happy.” Even when there is nothing wrong going on in the life of this person, even when people try hard to please and care, the reaction is always the same, sadness and misery. It is very hard to relate to this person because no matter what you say to uplift, counsel, or celebrate, this person always finds a negative word to counteract. This person brings back any particular experience in the past that was negative or painful, even when it may have happened decades ago. At present, this person is experiencing many blessings and surrounded by people who care, and the only thing this person has to do is enjoy the blessings and the people around these blessings, but this is not how this person sees life, on the contrary, this person lives in a continuous state of misery, and in the process, affects the mental and emotional being of others. I truly have never met anyone else like this.

I relate the above story to illustrate that joy does not depend on circumstances such as monetary blessings, health, stability, or any other external factors. This person has all that at the present but cannot experience joy. Yes, as humans, we are fragile and we have moments of sadness and experience painful circumstances in life, sometimes, unbearable. We go through the emotions and feelings that are associated with a particular painful experience, sadness, desperation, anger, brokenness… and we grieve; however, it too shall pass. When we have joy in our life, we know this well, and we recognize our struggles, but also know that we can experience inner peace in the midst of a storm. In my opinion, the best peace is the peace and assurance that I experience through Jesus Christ. It feels like I am not alone to bear it all. This has been my experience in hard times.

One can be momentarily happy, but Joy lives inside a person and it does not depend on happy moments. Life, a gift from God, offers us an array of experiences that we must go through as part of our journey. One can fight it all the way and be miserable an entire existence, like the person I mentioned above, or one can embrace the journey with everything it brings, and find balance, peace, and harmony through letting joy in. May you open your life to receive joy.

Flowers (Photo by M.A.D.)

A Robin’s Tale

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Robin (Photo by M.A.D.)

Since childhood, we are conditioned to see things as useful, utilitarian, and with a purpose. We learn it from our parents, at school, and later on, from all the messages we receive from society. The messages tell us that things must have a purpose, a use, to be valuable. We learn to equate utility with value, and eventually, with how good or bad things are. It is a subtle message, one that can hardly be spotted in our minds, in the way we view and judge things/people/life.

The robins are back, a sign that the lovely weather of spring days will soon arrive. Although they have their place in nature, it is not obvious to me how they impact an environment. At first glance, they might not seem “useful” at all, but for me, it is a sight that besides beauty, it brings me joy, peace, and relaxation. For me, they are valuable. Things don’t have to always be useful to be valuable. The mere existence of those pudgy birds is enough. God made them perfect.

Sometimes, we judge ourselves, we measure ourselves with the same ruler. We judge our value according to how “useful” we are, to how much we do in a day, how successful we are in life, how much money or possessions we have, or not. We go a step further and we compare ourselves to other people, whom we also judge, and we mentally and emotionally assign ourselves a “place” in the timeline of success. We think that we are in a lesser position than we should be, or that we are not enough according to those imaginary standards.

The same God who created the robins created us with value to Him. As part of His magnificent and perfect creation we have a valuable place in it, whether we see it or not. Maybe if we can accept our being, the immense value we have to our Creator, we might not be so harsh unto ourselves, and maybe, we will start seeing ourselves and our brothers and sisters with the loving eyes of our Creator, who is the perfect source of it all, including us, and the robins.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well.”

Psalm 139:14

The Mystifying Nature of Time

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The other day, I had a conversation with my sister that made me think about time, mortality, and my perception of these. She watched a video in which a former supermodel now in her sixties, said that if she were to live until her eighties, she will have about 20 more summers to enjoy. Being about her age, the realization that 20 summers is not too many hit me. Imagine writing these numbers down and crossing each one as time goes by and realizing that 20 is such a finite number and thus, the fragility and brevity of one’s existence. Overwhelming on paper for sure.

Time is aloof. It is long, it is short, it is real, but also measured by our kind, by our humanity. It is freely given; it is used and misused. It is ignored when we think we have much of it but wanted when it seems scarce or limited. It is a blessing but a curse for many. Perception defines it, for every person differently; we give it meaning. It is constant but forgettable. It is natural but also, supernatural and mystifying.

Summers come and go. I never thought about them as a finite number. When I think of what I did last summer, much of it eludes me. Did I enjoy it? Did it just go by as any other season? For some reason, when you start numbering your summers, your life seems to have gone faster, time seems to speed up, and the realization of how fragile one’s existence is, and how special it is as well, certainly puts many things into perspective. Memories are markings of the passing of time. I guess that my point to all of this rambling is that time is a gift, a blessing we are given, and our days are not guaranteed. No one knows for sure what this day will bring, or if it will be the last, so in that sense, would a number even matter?

For us time is linear, but also, it is more than that. Just think of everything that happens at once in your life, with all your interactions, and the people in your circle and beyond, all around you, all interconnected in some supernatural and natural way. Live well the blessing of a new day and be grateful for the time that has been given to you; it is all a gift from above. I am certainly looking forward to this summer.

Photo by M.A.D.

Beauty of the Human Race

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Every New Year’s Eve, my husband and I watched the New York City celebrations on TV. It is something that has become a tradition and we enjoy very much. This year, as I watched, I realized something that although in plain view, escaped my mind before, and I did not give it a second thought. As I watched the crowd, I saw a sea of diversity, people from every ethnic background, color, race, age, gender … They were all celebrating together, smiling, dancing, hoping. At that time, these people were one in experience. I thought of it as one of the most beautiful things one can witness in a lifetime, the oneness of us.

The human race is so beautiful. The more I focused on each face on the crowd the more I felt this internal connection of belonging to something greater than myself. I saw hope reflecting; I saw such beauty in God’s creation. We are all different, but one race. We might look different, speak different languages, have different cultures, but we are one race. There is such beauty in that. In this climate of division and hate, let us realize that we came from one Creator who loves us all the same. Some of us might have fallen in darkness more than others, but we are loved the same. If only we could realize the mystery of His creation, that we have the breath of God in us, His light, and that just because of that, we are one in many, but also the wonder of being, of existing as part of His creation. If we could understand that each one of us was meant to be, we would feel more connected, and maybe we would understand that God does not make mistakes, or garbage, or less than … that would be denial of His own nature. We are all in this together and we are part of something beautiful, of something holy.

I leave you with a poem that I wrote years ago and came to mind as I wrote this post.

One in many

On this day I shall wish

many blessings, harmony

When the night gives in to day

and the day nestles the night,

we will be as one in many.

Shine your light for it will be

as the beacon one will see

Always seek your love to give

without measure, plenty and free.

As you give you will receive,

one in many it has been.

Me, You, It, one and the same,

Love, One Source, is One in many.

As you wish it will be done,

may you wish, joy, peace, and love

For it returns the wish to wisher,

two ten fold, as one in many.

***

Because Sometimes, Change is Good

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Where did the year go? For me, it was truly a whirlwind that swept me in many directions, expected and unexpected, some good, some not so good; however here I am, thankful for it all, and looking forward to next year experiences, whatever they might be. It is life; it means I am alive and open to God’s plan for my life. This is my last post for the year, and I was not sure of what to write to end the year. I did not want it to be another holiday post, so here I am, winging it. Just think of it as a conversation from the heart.

Sometimes, we let ourselves be influenced by others, whether that be media, friends, family, acquaintances, influencers, groups, religion, politics … You name it. Everyone has anything to say about how we should live and plan our existence, but when we think about it, nobody really has the answers. Life is given to us to experience and fulfill it, one day, moment, second at a time. When you think about it, it is beautiful. We were presented with this gift that we did not ask for, and we have the freedom to live it. Whatever things are thrown in the package, it is all ours to make something of it. We are all one big conglomerate in the human race; we all want to live a happy and peaceful, joyful life. We are more similar than not. Hate is a disease, it is sickness. Love is a cure. We decide. We might be influenced, negatively or positively, but we decide. We decide how to act, react, and what to let into our life, what we give our attention to, and how we live day by day. In the end, we only have this day, and sometimes, not even a full one; our seconds are in the hand of our Creator, but so are our blessings. Does it really matter if someone else has more than you? or if you did not meet your goals this year? Does it? When I think about it, and in the big scheme of the journey, it truly does not. I don’t know how long my journey is, no one does, so why not choose love over sickness, inner peace over discontent, gladness over bitterness, and hope, especially hope. The journey is meaningless without hope, and faith.

I hope that you embrace the holiday season and next year with hope, faith, and at peace with yourself, the rest will come when it needs to come. When God made you, he knew who he made, but also, your journey. Your journey is not meant to be stationary; it is meant to be full of change, and change brings growth, knowledge, and understanding, and with understanding comes kindness, and with kindness, love. In that sense, change is good.

I wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and may next year be filled with the kind of blessings that only come from above, the best kind, in my opinion. Merry Christmas! God bless you all.

Love and Light,

Inkspeare

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 NKJ)