Faith

Over the course of many years I have seen pictures and images with the word "faith" and every time I look at one, I always take some time to contemplate what that words means to me.   If you look up the word in a dictionary, one of the definitions is: belief that is not based on proof.  Since I am a person of strong faith and have been since I was a child, I also think about how it has transformed me over the years.  In my life, my faith was taught to me by my grandmother and reinforced via my mother as well, as it has provided me with a road map of sorts for navigating the unpredictable curves that come at you unexpectedly at times.  When I remember my first experiences with my religious Catholic faith during my formative years, my recollections of it were tied to a particular need that I had and how I could achieve that which felt far beyond what I could do in my human capacity.  I specifically remember praying about an exam in elementary school and although I had done my homework I did not feel confident about the outcome, so I remember how my faith was exercised during the course of that experience. What I have learned over the years is that I began shifting my faith from a place where it was tied to a need, to a more constant inner meditative state that focuses primarily on how grateful I am for what is currently in my life.  This is not to say that I don't have needs, however, my first thoughts now are to think about those individuals that have much more dire circumstances that don't even come close to my own situation.  I have strong faith that greater things will be manifested in my near future and it all comes from a place of strong belief in the good that is part of my life on an ongoing basis.  Considering the alternative which can be connecting ongoing demands that are never ending, which overshadow those particular things that are in fact adding prosperity and abundance to your existence, I choose to begin my day each day from a place of simple gratitude.  I also love the fact that I know that there is a much greater majestic power behind all things above all humanity, whom I know as God, that is orchestrating how every piece fits together on a map that we are not privy to viewing prior to its revelation to us.  Therefore, our strength in our conviction is what guides us in knowing that we are to pay attention to things that help elevate our thinking and act accordingly towards others as well.  I know that it may be a common perception that those with problems in their lives are the ones that need faith the most, in order to overcome their situation.  Yet, I have believed for quite some time that when you don't have issues or problems is also when one you are very connected to this great truth, as you can be grateful for being in that state while praying for the others that need additional strength and support.  With our world in its current existence, I believe it is the perfect opportunity to focus on why faith is so needed, so that we can have piece of mind in knowing that good will ultimately overcome all things and overshadow the darkness that may exist.   Regardless of what your convictions are, I hope that you can agree to the possibility that can be realized if we all were to share our good thoughts, meditations and prayers for one another to help elevate those that need it, while sending even more of those to the many that are most in need. I have deep faith in that we can still do much good on this earth and as part of our legacy to those that will come after us, I will continue to focus on doing good regardless of what other's actions are.  I also embrace all of the good hopes, dreams and prayers that we all have, as I look forward to all of them being answered, so that we can become yet another shining example what mankind is truly capable of through the strength found in people's devout faith.

Courage and Kindness

Last week, I was entranced by the recent re-telling of the famous story of Cinderella.  Although I knew how the story went and its magical happy ending, I was very inspired by the core message it presented to its audience.  In the story, Cinderella's mother teaches her from a very young age that in order to succeed in this world, she would have to develop and demonstrate courage and kindness. After watching the film and going for a walk afterwards I kept thinking about those two attributes and how powerful they were.  When you think about the word courage you immediately may think of a heroic instance, such as when a fireman who runs into a burning building to rescue people in the midst of all of that danger.  Courage can be defined by the situation in which one finds themselves in and taking a great leap of faith in knowing that one has to do what is inherently right, even if it means facing jeopardy and vulnerability.  We hear about the many people around the world daily who had to utilize courage in order to overcome their particular situation.  In thinking about the many examples of this, I was also reminded about the many instances of courageousness, such as when a person who is suffering physical and emotional abuse, that has to be fearless in walking away from someone that has hurt them.  Nobody ever wishes for anyone to be in such a dire situation that bravery is what will get them out.  Yet, we have a multitude of examples of these individuals who demonstrate to the world that things can be better and that nobody deserves to live a life that is full of pain.  In contrast to this, I then thought about the second pivotal word in this message and that was to be kind.  For this, I have to agree with how it was showcased in the story, as the behavior would have been learned by lessons that someone taught us at a young age.  I can recall many multiple instances when my grandmother showed me that kindness was an inherent trait that she had and it became a defining attribute of her legacy on this earth.  My other example has also been my mother, who through her own works and contributions has demonstrated that what she learned from her mother, also lives on in her and now with her children.  When I was growing up we did not have much, however, I can recall my grandmother making enough food to feed us and anyone else that may have shown up to our home on any particular day.  The kitchen like in most households, was where the centralized activities of our family were and having pots and pans filled with basic and delicious Mexican traditional recipes was something I took for granted.  I don't ever recall that any of the dishes that were prepared for us, came from some cookbook or handwritten recipe, as they were all crafted from teachings and memories handed down over generations.  Although we had many lessons on giving to others that were less fortunate, food was at the top of the list in providing a meal to someone that may not have had enough to eat.  I then had a flash back to the film when Cinderella is given scraps to eat and when she goes to her room she notices the mice in the room looking at her, she then overturns a cup on the floor, places a napkin over it to make it look like a mini dining table and serves the mice a small meal from her scraps.  I smiled from ear to ear when I saw this, as I knew exactly this type of kindness.  In our world today we have many examples that are not ideal in showcasing the good in humanity.  We constantly get a barrage of stories fed to us through the media that demonstrate how negative things can be. This is why I believe that we overturn that tide and make contributions that may be insignificant to others, but monumental to those that receive them.  Regardless of what the world may say, I challenge all of you to take moments through out your day to show what kindness is through your actions and words.  In addition, when presented with the opportunity also demonstrate your courageous side you have within, as we search for new heroes in our everyday stories and you may be the star of the next tale to be told.