Unity is Power

Well Hello followers

In my previous postings, I posted a meditative thought by John Donne The metaphysical poet and clergyman who was one of the most influential poets of the Renaissance. He was just as famous for his witty cutting poetry as he was for his enthralling sermons. John was born into a prominent Roman Catholic family from London in 1572. He was not a healthy child, and would lead a life plagued with illness. You can read more about him on

http://isu.indstate.edu/ilnprof/ENG451/ISLAND/text.html.

This therefore leads me onto my own thoughts about us as individuals needing each other.
It seems the older I get the more reflective I seem to become. Or maybe it’s because I am more aware of who I am, my surroundings and my path in life. Also I now see life from the perspective of experience, which has been a life long learning accomplishment. This therefore is a time where all my experiences, both the positive and negative have made certain impacts on my life. Therefore, I am in the wonderful position of being able to analyze and see life, hopefully, from a more balanced perspective.

I now have around me a small yet select body of wonderful people and friends, whose aims and purpose in life are very similar to mine. These individuals are all aspiring in some way to reach the pinnacle of their endeavors, trend setters, entrepreneurs, doing what they want to do, what is in their heart and what their spirit tells them.

To me, to be surrounded by a body of passionate, positive, ambitious, easy going and more importantly trust-worthy and genuine individuals is fantastic, because there is that synergy and energy which we all bounce off each other that is akin to success itself.

Remember that Success is 1% inspirational and 99% perspiration. So if at anytime there is the need to be surrounded by the right people, who can help me maintain that drive, even when the going gets tough, it is now. There is saying “surround yourself with like minded people” and this certainly rings true whatever you are going in life.

I have also come to realise the fundamental elements of the circle of life and to understand the meaning of “what goes around comes around”. I am not saying that I will not communicate with people who are not on the same path as myself, but neither will I be entertaining people who are fearful, negative and deadweights. Their time will come for exploration of self, healing and change and until that time, they are who they are and I have to respect them for being in that place.

I too had to go through a process of learning, and sometimes it was quite painful, in order to be where I am now, yet I know that that learning process is a continuum throughout life. Yet what is important and what needs to be recognised is that during this process we learn to adapt and change accordingly and not remain static.

The above can be qualified because I have been supported in various ways by several individuals over the past year, at times when my need has been great and I have been at the end of my tether. Yet at the same time, I too have been doing my part, however small, in supporting and helping others and unconditionally. Therefore, this very much identifies the fundamental elements of the circle of life that you do not give to receive, but you give unconditionally and more importantly to do so with love. There is nothing more selfish than to give with the mindset that it is on condition to receive.

For this week also, I have decided to try to make some new changes in my life. I want to become even more studious and learn to plan and see things through in a more structured way. Basically I am looking to improve myself as much as I can without beating myself up too much about certain things about myself that I cannot change, at this present moment in time.

Yet in the midst of all this pending change, I have realised more and more that whatever I do, the people that surround me are my support mechanisms who will inspire me, motivate me and keep me buoyant and focused and I can think of nothing more wonderful than this.

UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL

"AESOP"

No Man Is An Island

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

John Donne, Meditation XVII 1572-1631

Excerpt taken from the following website:

(http://isu.indstate.edu/ilnprof/ENG451/ISLAND/text.html)

Letting God Lead Us - In Love and Life

Sometimes, we need to read prayers like the one below to realign ourselves with the simple realities of life. I found this so profound and lovely and it helped me to put a few things about myself back into perspective.

It is not always about self, but about others. As sometimes, I have found when I talk about an opportunity. I must realise that it is not by my doing by God's will be done. I am just a vehicle. It is about letting God guide us and lead us so that in this humble state, we can never and should never seek to fulfill and nuture only the self.

For the beauty in life is to give and love unconditionally. Briefly... The year before I tried to put up barriers in terms of how I felt about an individual and yes, my defences had been up for a long time. Yet I found myself being drawn to this individual and I was fighting it. Yet with this internal struggle God spoke to me to say, be patient and love unconditionally. And yes, I struggled even more with this as I had been hurt quite badly a few years before and did not want to go there again.

As I tried to pull away and hide my feelings and even try to sabotage my feelings, God kept on telling me to be patient and to allow myself to love openly and unconditionally as this was something that was within me, only I was too scared to let all this pent up love within me fly free. And you know what? I am glad that I listened to that still small patient voice, and that I did not sabotage or push that person away because I am now in a place that feels good, where I can express myself to this person and where I know that for now, loving unconditionally in God's time, - I wont get hurt and that in his time, he will honour us with what we deserve and it is such a wonderful feeling. And to be quite honest, I believe that I have found my soul-mate. I had always asked God to provide me with not just a partner and in time a husband, but someone who is a friend and a soul-mate. I was not and am not prepared to accept anything less and God has honored that, yet at the same time, I must continue to hold onto God and listen to him, because sometimes people are in our lives for a season and for a reason.

Therefore, I would like to leave this with you.

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

- St. Francis of Assisi