The Delight of Spring
As the winter fains and nature begins the cycle of life, again, I am reminded of the eternal question and it's difinitive answer. Why are we here? Simple. To exist. You're probably thinking it's too simple, but you are wrong. We are here to experience life and to grow. In essence, to exist, there is no other purpose. Do you think it sounds crazy? Well you wouldn't be the first. Jesus himself was condemned to death because he taught a simplistic faith in a world full of rules and taboos. Yet, today we live by many of his teachings, so what does that tell you? In a world full of opinions, rules, and restrictions, rises a need to get back to the basics and remember that life shouldn't be this complicated. Humanity is the only creature on the planet that doesn't live in harmony with nature. We strive for betterment, yet all the while we ignore the very thing that sustains us, the earth. So, I ask the question again, why are we here? Is it to grow our technology? To make daily life simpler? To destroy the world? Because that is exactly what we are doing! But in each of us, there is an inherent need for simplicity; a slower pace to life. To experience, to love, to hate, to cry and to laugh, because that it what life is truly about.

If there's a will, there's a way.
When you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to get it. No matter what obstacles lie before you, there always seems to be a way to break through them. I truly believe that if you work hard enough and believe in yourself, what you want will come to you. The trick of it is not everything that you want, you should get. It's simple; when you work hard for something, sometimes you lose sight of why you wanted it in the first place. So just remember, think long and hard about what you want before you go after it.

True Knowledge
The funny thing about the people you meet in your life is that just when you think you've got them figured out, they surprise you. The truth of it is simple; just because you think you know someone, doesn't mean that you do. No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to think their thoughts, antisipate their actions or feel their emotions. The one thing to remember that the only person you ever have control over or truly know is yourself. So the next time you find yourself thinking you know someone, think about how well you know yourself, and ask if ever you've done or said something that surprised even you. Remember, we are on this planet to experience and share and learn and teach, but not to assume or impose.
Riss

When it rains, it pours.
Just when you think your situation is hopeless, something amazing happens to change it. Life is funny that way. There is a phrase I heard recently that goes something like this...
When you change the way you look at something, what you are looking at changes. Many times in my life I have run into problematic situations. Mostly, they are problems I created on my own. No matter how fast I ran, they ran faster and always caught me on the edge of my heel. Then one day, a wise man asked me a few questions. Why are you running from yourself? Why do you care what people think? Does it change the way you look at yourself? The answers were simple and obvious. Now, any time I feel like running, I stop, take a good look in the mirror and realize that life never hands me more than I can handle. Each time a situation comes up, I am reminded of who I used to think I was, and who I really am. When you change the way you look at something, what you are looking at changes.

It seems that everywhere you turn something bad is happening in the world, doesn't it? I mean, life is not bad, yet, it almost seems as if we (and I mean humanity) are on the brink of something big. Between the terrorist threats on the western world, famine, disease, and poverty, the world is changing. Like God and Mother Nature are trying to tell us something. Are we a plague on this earth? With a population well over 6 billion, and our raping of natural resources, do we really know what we are doing? Is God telling us that we need to find a different path? Something to think about.
Riss