DAILY TRIALS

Even though we may try to plan all things and arrange everything with extreme care, we will still have a lot of opportunities to exercise the virtue of patience. We can’t eliminate the unexpected or the unavoidable. In most cases our best weapon is our intelligent patience with both ourselves as with others. We will always have daily trials that at times will even cause bodily pains. At other times it may be a simple annoyance, disappointment, or cause anxiety. We would like to be free of these trials, but that is impossible. Patience and understanding are the keys to dealing with such circumstances, the key to peace and happiness is to know that our reactions should never be surprised, resentful, or saddened when things don’t go our way. We should try to gain more control of the situations and learning to deal with the trials will teach us the most valuable lessons in this life!

Our lives will have trials every day. We are always being tested. If we live well, our acts will merit a rewarding life. But the fact is that we will face the possibilities of success or failure. In either case, the outcome of these trials is determined by our own free choice! I was told a few days ago that our sub-conscience mind will save what we write and put our writings into action quicker than if we were to simply imagine or say them aloud. This may be the case but, I feel our words that we speak to each other have much more power to change our lives. I have felt more intense pains from slaps to the face from words spoken to me than I have ever felt from a hand. We need to be careful of what we say to each other in heated moments of boiled over situations. There are no accidents. There is the law of cause and effect in every situation. Our thoughts create our words and our words create the reactions and therefore the results.

Bullies! Why?

I was just at one of my friends’ blogs reading her story about 'bullies' and could not help but get a little angry! She wrote about the bullies in school and how it affects the kid getting bullied. It brought back fond memories from my school days. I was lucky to have a few older brothers who were much bigger than me, so I didn't have a problem with getting bullied, plus I like to think that I was just so easy going that no one wanted to bother me (no, I think it was my brothers). I remember sticking up and even getting into fights trying to help classmates who were getting bullied. My Dad always used to say that "if someone is picking on you they are just jealous” and it stuck with me! I truly believe that we treat others how we feel about ourselves. As kids (and even as adults) if we feel insecure or afraid we will lash out on others whom we feel are weaker! This is a sad thought, but one that we all must think about. We need to teach kids about love, respect, and friendship by showing it in our actions, teaching it in daily habits, and helping others who may be different from us. I never really cared about being “cool” or “popular” because I was lucky enough to have parents who taught me that quality doesn’t come in quantity! We are blessed to have a few true friends in this life, we are lucky to have the opportunity to teach by example, and we are required to treat each other with respect! It is our duty to be vigilant when it comes to stopping useless bullying that will scar for a lifetime. The best way to stop this behavior is to sit down and talk to kids about this issue before it becomes a problem. We must remember that we all strive for attention from one another, most times if we don’t get it we will act up in order to get attention, because bad attention is better than no attention at all (or so we think). Think about how many times while growing up that we would not bother our Moms for hours on end, BUT once she answered the phone we would start screaming or asking her questions while she was trying to have a conversation with someone on the other end; this was to get her attention because all of a sudden it wasn’t focused on us! There are to many suicides, drug addictions, alcohol abuses, and depressed people in our own towns, let alone the world that happens because of low self esteem, feeling alone, or even unacceptable. We can all make a difference just by teaching more compassion to everyone who is around us and even complementing someone when they go the extra mile for someone who may have needed that extra smile or helping hand. Try to make it a habit to focus on the good and don’t assume that your kids, family, or friends know that you love them unconditionally; remind them with a few extra hugs, a smile, and maybe even say it! “I Love You!”