Giving Thanks

Well, Well, Well... Hello...

I realized that it had been a while since I last posted & have really felt compelled to write lately. Funny that I would come back to notice that was the subject of my last post, lol! This holiday season has really been a time of reflection for myself. Not only of all the great friends & family I have been blessed with, but also the road I have traveled to this point & the road I am now on.

The past couple of years have been a challenge, such as life. If asked when I was younger if I had ever thought I would have experienced as many things by the age of 28 or even in my lifetime, I would have definitely said no. The thing is, that after all that I have been through, I am able to look back & be thankful for who I have become & feel proud for the emotional development I have made. I believe that it is not what someone goes through, but who they chose to become & how they handle the challenges of life that define them.

I believe that my mother did a good job doing what was necessary to raise us in the environment we were in. That being said, I also understand that no matter what the situation or details of my upbringing when I became an adult it became my responsibility to chose how to act & how to be an adult. I will be the first one to admit that I have made mistakes, but that is also part of life & I accept that I will make more mistakes but I also know I will become better from every experience & make less as time passes. So, as you all enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, I wish you the same peace & sense of accomplishment I have when you look back & give Thanks!

Thank you for following & thank you for being friends! Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas W. Scott

Compelling

There are many things & times in life that compel us to chose a particular course of action. People can also have an affect on the decisions we make. I am happy that I have recently met a woman that, while making me a little nervous, has really been intriguing me through her outstanding attitude, style, & ability to communicate. We recently decided to officially become boyfriend & girlfriend.

What we all want in a partner is as diverse as each one of us. If you know me very well, you know that I am very particular & specific about what I want in life & in a woman. I could make a very long list of things, but I will spare you from that, lol! I am lucky to have met this new woman & actually did so in a way I never would have thought. I met her through the internet website eHarmony that does some of the leg work for you to help match you on some of your core wants & emotional attributes. As I said, I would have never thought that I would ever try something like that to meet someone but I'm a very open to trying new things & optimistic about the possibilities that arise from my openness.

I am very happy to have met this new woman that is both compelling & fascinating to me! This is one example from my life of how stepping outside of the normal & trying something new can provide you with enriching experiences & relationships. I hope that if you have been considering stepping outside of your comfort zone & trying something new that my experiences will help you make that step, because I know that there are great things waiting for you as well. Hope you have a wonderful day! Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Trust

Trust is a major part of life & having any sort of meaningful relationships. I recently told my story to someone I care about & they asked me if it has affected my ability to trust others. I did not even have to really think about this question for more than a split second. The reason is that, even though something very wrong happened, I want to be in control of my emotions & my life.

I know that if I took time beyond the time I took to heal from the experience I would ultimately be giving up my power over my own feelings. The fact is that any time we hold onto bitter feelings & allow them to bring us down we are giving away our power & ability to be happy & that is not fair to us. Bad things happen to good people & to bad people. That is just the way the world works. Harboring negative emotions about these things just gives those who wrong us power & they don't deserve anything from us more than to remember how we got into the situation that hurt us so we can avoid the same thing again.

I chose to not be shaped by the world around me, but to rise above the influence & be the change I want to see in the world. I will go to school & become a physician, start the children's charity I want to, & give back to as many children as I can in my life. I will change the world one person, one life at a time & that is what I hope for. Anything beyond this is a victory beyond my hope, but never touching my dreams so that my dreams stay big & my heart remains happy & open. How are you changing the world? Could you do more? Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Am I Easy Going or Going Easy???

An interesting question for sure! Am I easy going or going easy? What do I mean by that exactly? Well, I am pondering if I have a very refined ability to judge character in people that allows me to quickly align myself with those that excite & compliment me or if it is my attitude that attracts others no matter who they are. I would agree if someone told me I have an amiable personality. I have never had a problem quickly making friends in a room of strangers.

Well, good for you right? So, what? The thing is that this is not always a good thing & something I have to watch, because for every great person or few there are sometimes people that are not who they seem to be. In sociology/psychology, we learn about personality & communication types in people. The one that can sometimes sneak in is the chameleon. This personality & communication type always agrees & can seem very friendly & trustworthy, but many times they have a hidden agenda that they may be looking to work you into. So, we just have to be cautious about who we let into our hearts & lives.

We all make judgments at some level & that is okay, because we have to decide what is best for our own lives. Who we chose to let close can have a large affect on our perception of how happy we are. My amiable attitude & demeanor comes with a little caution because I want to make sure that I continue to surround myself with people that enrich my life & who's life I can enrich in return. This means that I have to ensure that I am easy going & not going too easily toward relationships that are not in line with who I am & want to continue to be. One of my favorite sayings is something I pray for you all, "May God give me the Courage to change what I need to, the Strength to endure that which I cannot, & the Wisdom to know the difference!" Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

How to Fly...

So, I am going to actually tell you how to fly all on your own, no machine required. I will use myself as an example. My goal is to help provide real-life examples of what has brought me to where I am today. As with any of my posts or thoughts, you always have your own free will to agree/disagree & to utilize the knowledge I have gained about the world in my short 28 years in it. I feel compelled to share my experiences to help you maybe avoid the same mistakes or maybe overcome other situations where the same principles may apply. I speak candidly & from my heart, not filtered with frosting, but honest & raw with LOVE.

So, to the subject at hand...how to fly. I call it flying because it is my description of how to live above the influence of the world that surrounds us day to day. It is on my mind because over the past year I have been closely evaluating my life to answer the question, "Why am I here & what brought me to this point?" To do so I had to break down my own emotion, the relationships I have or have had, & apply them to formulate a plan to align my direction with who I truly am & want to be day in & day out.

I had to start with the relationship I thought was, "the one." The fact is that I made some mistakes in judgment about that person. At the core of me, I like to fix things either with my hands or heart. The problem with this is that it led me into a relationship with a person who was fundamentally different from the person I am really looking for. The person was not happy, not mature from a relationship standpoint, & on a different value system than me. I am a happy person, know precisely what I am looking for in a relationship, & believe that marriage if for life not just for as long as it feels good because it is overcoming life's challenges together that brings us closer. So, first point here is that you must never compromise in the aforementioned areas. Life is too short & there is no other way to succeed except through being happy with yourself & leading a positive life.

Secondly, I had to evaluate my career aspirations while excluding all variables except my happiness. I was asked by a close friend one day, "don't you think you could earn as much if you stayed on the same path?" The answer would probably have been yes, but money can't buy happiness & can't cover up dissatisfaction. So, I decided to give up the comfort of my current position to push myself to become what I truly want to be...a physician. Why a physician? I want to be a physician because I LOVE to help heal others, like I was trying to do in the wrong aspect of my life. My career is where I can feed my desire to help HEAL others!

Third, & not necessarily in this order but more in tandem with the my other evaluations, I began to evaluate my emotional state & direction. I became very sad after my split because it not only affected my feeling of success but it also attacked my belief system. This resulted in one of my hardest & best realizations. One major thing that was reaffirmed is that at the core of things is that we can only control our own actions, beliefs, & emotions. Yeah okay, not so much of a big realization you think, but it is because it helped me understand that although my relationship was not successful I still was because of the way I conducted myself never straying from acting out of LOVE & integrity. It was the other person that was unsuccessful! On the subject of my belief system, I realized that I really never compromised my belief & that it was the other person.

In essence, the process I described above is my own death to the life I was living. I had to die my former self to really become who I am inside & realign my life with that person. So, this is how I learned to fly, in a sense, & live above the world around me while living out the life I want & feel I was destined to live. I hope that at some point in your life's challenges you are able to take comfort in my words & experiences, so that you continue to make that key decision every morning when you wake. The decision to be HAPPY & full of LOVE. It will not always be an easy decision, but the fact that is the the sun will set & rise the next day. Life is too short not to be HAPPY & LOVE. So, go ahead, give in, be happy & enjoy your flight!!! Peace, LOVE, & HAPPINESS to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Me Nervous?

Me Nervous? I think so... Why would I be nervous? Someone has actually managed to make me nervous! They have done so in a relatively short period of time too. They have done so without even knowing it either. How you ask, simply by being themselves.

As I open up, I know that no matter what they think of me that I am a great person with a lot to offer. The thing is that when we open up, it shows we care, we show our flaws & open the door to judgment. I could relate the feeling to the one we get when we are in competitive situations. Sort of like butterflies... I like it, because it affirms my ability to keep an open door & open heart.

I believe that I may have been born with one of the greatest birth defects, a heart that is overflowing with with care for others. I try to focus on letting those around me know how much I care about them & feel like I succeed when I see my feelings reflected. The person I have met is reflecting GREAT & I am LOVIN it! What will happen, who knows but what I know is that I am really enjoying the opportunity to get to know this new person & looking forward to getting to know them better! On all your journeys, may your mind & hearts remain full & light! Peace, Love, & Happiness to you always!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

A Wonderful Person

This post is inspired by the meeting of a wonderful person. I recently have had the opportunity to meet & begin to get to know a young woman that is both inspiring & refreshing. Oh, nice & big deal right but why is this noteworthy you ask? There are a couple of reasons that this young woman puts words on my page.

First & foremost, from what I have gotten to know about this woman is that she is the product that is advertised. A little quirky, adventurous, sweet, thoughtful, caring, & self-aware. I could go on with adjectives to describe, but think those give you a general idea. This woman also has a quiet side that you can feel through the calm presence she exudes. All around I have to say that I am impressed with this person & glad that I have had the opportunity to get to know her.

The second thing that great is her self-awareness. Self-awareness is defined as the awareness of one's own personality & individuality. This woman knows what she wants & is comfortable in her own skin, a novel idea, but there are altogether too many people that compromise & lose their way in a sense. This is a comforting trait, in todays society, to see in a person because you feel assured that what you see is what you get.

So, I guess I just wanted to take the time to write about this wonderful woman because I know how little these sort of things get talked about. There is altogether too much focus on darkness in the modern media & this is a note about someone who brings light to the world through their presence. I sincerely encourage you all to take time to not only enjoy those who bring light to your life, but that you also take time to let them know because we are not guaranteed any set amount of time here & the one thing that I believe makes people fear death is the "I wish I would have's," related to expressing LOVE." If you LOVE, you never lose! Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!!!
Thomas

The Revival

One definition of revival is a restoration of force, validity, or effect. There are times in our life when we go through revivals of spirit, of purpose, of direction. These times can be due to the effect that other people or circumstances have on us, or they can be a result of purely our own decisions. Either way, we come to a cross road where we have to chose how to react.

There are many ways we can chose to react. Our reaction is indicative of the type of person we are. We can chose to react out of anger & seek revenge if we were wronged. We can internalize our shortcomings as failures & act out of anger in self-destructive ways. We can self-medicate to try to cope with the things that have happened. Lastly, we can reach-out to others to help us deal with what has happened that has upset us.

The thing is that people aren't stuck in one band. People can change & can begin to make better choices. The force that drives us all is LOVE & that is what life is all about. It is when we lose focus on the LOVE we always have within us that we begin to act out of character & make bad decisions. Many times, I believe, we try to put life into a box with our presumptions & expectations. The fact is that many times we cannot know exactly how things will look until we find them. I believe that the better avenue is to focus on staying open to the fact that things may not always look exactly how we thought.

This focus on openness allows us to more fully experience all that life has to offer to us. It allows us to be able to embrace all of the revivals we will have in our lives. The fact that we have revivals does not mean that we, at some point, lost our direction or made a mistake but maybe more that we needed to discover or experience something more to allow us to fully experience & accomplish all that our God has set out for us. So, for all of the revivals to come in your lives I cheer for you & your ability to fulfill your eternal destiny. Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!!!
Thomas

Dying to Live

I believe that it is very easy to get into the groove of life & just go day to day. We begin to live below our potential. Without fail, this begins to wear on us & lessens our happiness. We can either choose to go on in our current mode of life or make a change. The choice we make will shape who we become, but what remains constant is who we truly are inside.

The fact is that sometimes we have to die to our current mode of life or direction we are headed to begin to live again & realign our direction with who we truly are. We cannot be perfect 100% of the time, but what we can do is learn from where we have been & what we have gone through. Realignment does not mean that we necessarily made a mistake, but does mean that we have learned & are taking steps toward becoming what have the potential for.

It is not always easy to die to your current mode of life either, because sometimes it takes you making a couple of steps back in faith to make the leap forward. I recently made the decision to give up the comfort of my current mode of life to journey down a different path that I felt I was called to do. I do not have all of the answers to how everything will work out, but I do know that I have the faith & ability to succeed at whatever life brings. I wish you all the strength to endure what you must, courage to change the things you need to, & wisdom to know the difference. Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!!!
Thomas

Too Thick of Too Thin

There is a definite balance between these days between spreading yourself too thick or too thin. A recent movie totally reinforced this... The movie is "I Love you Man," because it focuses on the relationships outside of the whole marriage relationship. It is a very funny movie, but it is also a much deeper movie that focuses on the deeper level of same sex friendship.

This is not a male or female specific issue, because friendships outside of your marriage relationship are important too. Everyone has someone that they can call & talk candidly. It does not matter if it is a brother/sister or just a true friend that they can share their innermost fears or doubts with. It is important that we have relationships with the same sex we can just open up with & communicate with, without fear of reprise. These relationships give us the autonomy to gauge our true feelings.

The importance of these relationships is completely valid & significant. If you are wondering about your close relationships, take a look the ones you have. If you think you could use one more friend, I challenge you to make one. I have been blessed with a great group of true friends that I know I can open up with & completely feel comfortable with. I wish you all the same success in your relationships & as always the same Peace, Love, & Happiness.

Bless You!
Thomas

Shooting Stars

Shooting stars are amazing & at most fleeting. Much like shooting stars, life & many of its moments are fleeting at best. So, we have to ensure that, while we are learning from our past & planning for the future, we take time to live in the present enjoying the time that we are given to enjoy our friends, family, & friends we are still to meet on our journeys. I have noticed that some of the best times & most amazing people go much before I would ever wish them to.

There is one saying that, "life is what happens while we are planning." I do not know exactly who said it, but it captures the same point that we cannot plan everything out & it is just as important if not more to be present & actively live in the present. This ensures that we don't miss all of the great moments & people that are set to touch our lives. I believe that I am here to help others & don't feel a strong need to worry about money, success, fame, or any of the other things that are pushed so hard in the media that is all around us. I have made it to this point in my life, in my opinion very successfully, putting my focus on doing the best that I can with integrity.

I know that whenever my candle goes out, my light will shine on in the lives of all those I have been graced to come to know or meet. So, I don't live in fear of the end because I live saying what I need to & making sure that those in my life know how I feel. I make sure to embrace those fleeting moments & relationships with Love & Happiness. Today, I challenge you to have those tough conversations with the ones that you love that you tell yourself... I can do that tomorrow. We are not given any guarantee on our time here, so let's make sure we take advantage of the time we are given & when we do we can feel all the joy of living to live & not living to die. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Walk for a Cause, Run for a Purpose

There are times in life when we chose to walk toward or away from things & there are other times when we feel the need to run. Our reasons for going in either direction can be surface deep, preferential, or deeply personal. The fact is that with all situations & experiences when we strip away all that we have invested we are still left with the emotion & feelings from these times. In these times of change we have to be courageous & let our clarity & integrity define us.

When we are going through tough times, many if not all of our supporters try to steer us toward putting things behind us, moving forward, & looking back less. I know from experience that it is all together too easy to just focus on what we feel we have lost & not realize that, while we may have lost something or someone in a physical sense, we do not & have not lost the most important part which are memories from the times that gave us feelings of Love & Happiness. Like "Little Wonders," these memories & feelings are always ours to remember & use to learn, grow, & perpetuate in others. There are millions of people in the world that battle crippling sicknesses & diseases that we can help cure.

This past weekend, I participated in the annual Susan Komen 5K run/walk in my city to help fight breast cancer. The event raised over 1 million dollars, had over 28,000 people register, & over 2300 runners that chose to be timed. I had a leg injury that did not allow me to run for over a month & a half before the race, & I only got well enough to begin to prepare for the race the Monday of that week. During the race, I had to fight internal & external battles to keep myself going toward the finish line. At least 5 times, I had to slow down to a walk during the relatively short 3.1 mile distance. In honor of all those that have to fight this very serious disease & in honor of myself, I did not give up & would return to running as soon as I could catch my breath.

I finished this event 192nd of the timed runners, 27th in my age group at 22 minutes & 58 seconds, & knowing that next time I will do better. The fact is that I finished & I did not give up. I did so for all of those who have fought this disease valiantly but lost their battle, those who are winning their battle, those who will battle this disease, & to prove to myself that I could win my internal battle to finish proudly. Whatever you have to or chose to walk or run toward or from, remember all of the "Little Wonders," that make you Happy. When you do & that smile crosses your beautiful face, remember this & pass it on. Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all.

Bless You!
Thomas

A New Beginning

I am sure you have all heard the saying it is never too late for a new beginning. I believe that this phrase holds a great deal of truth especially in America. It is very common for people to change their tastes, careers, or even spouse. The generations before us were very different in this aspect. In these generations, people would make a decision on these sort of things & live with their choices.

I cannot say exactly why earlier generations made decisions & stuck with them. From my interactions with people that made their decisions work, they seem to have a pride for the decisions they made. On the flip side, if things happened that set them back or if they had to they had no problem starting over. I have found myself at a similar crossroad in my life & have made the decision to try to do more & not settle in the middle mode of life. I believe that I have much more to give & the only way to do justice to myself is to let go of the middle mode of life I am in.

In three weeks, I will begin down the road to becoming a physician so that I can help people even more than I do currently through marketing & selling software that helps improve the efficiency & safety of the care process. The past two years with my current company have helped me evaluate many different medical specialties. I have two interests which are dermatology & surgery. I have identified the school I want to go to as well, which is N.Y.U. in Manhattan, NY.

I am very excited about my upcoming journey, but cannot lie & say I am not a little nervous. I have been thinking about & planning this for over a year now. I also have to laugh a little, because I wanted to even more after being exposed to how challenging the medical profession can be. I have always been attracted to a challenge & not surprisingly have always managed to attract them. I am also excited about getting to live in NYC because I have been attracted to the city ever since the first time I got to visit it. Some people are intimidated by the energy & atmosphere, but I find it invigorating.

I am 28 years old & I am letting go of the of the strings that hold me in this middle mode of life to become what I believe I was truly meant to be. I am doing so because I believe that it is never to late to begin again & never too late to make a good decision. Maybe you will just see this as a story about someone else, or maybe this will inspire you to do something good for yourself that you have been holding back on doing. Thank you all for reading & choosing to follow my posts. Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

The Real Deal

What is your real deal? Today, I read a post from a woman stating that she was thinking about leaving her husband of 5 years & companion of 10 years. She stated that the reason was that her husband had changed his attitude from wanting kids to not wanting them as she brought up the subject recently. She went on to tell that he said he was afraid of not being a good father & among the other reasons from the amount of work they take & how hard they can be.

She then went on to recite a very common female desire to bear children & being envious of her friends that were having children. From what she wrote, I saw multiple issues colliding that I will lay out here. I will outline some of the issues that I saw. You can make your own conclusions, but I hope that it provokes you to step back & take a look from a different perspective on your important decisions.

First of all, the husband obviously is either making the excuse to try to get out of the relationship, he & his wife have grown apart, or he is just scared. Either way, he needs to man-up & get to the core of what his real issue is with having children & deal with it because children are a gift! On her side, I see one major issue when she states that she is envious of her friends having babies. I totally understand the innate desire that many women have to bear children & I have the utmost respect for those who chose to.

The problem I see is that she is stating that it is the thing to do, like there is one way you should live. This leads millions of people into chasing the Jones' their whole lives. It is an easy set-up for dissatisfaction & even depression if one of your pieces doesn't fit into your life's puzzle. She is letting something outside of herself define how she feels about herself & how happy she is. In my life, I have found that it is best to find happiness in yourself & to try my hardest to see people for who they really are. This could be a prime example of how people will act different when courting their spouse. Slowly they change back & the real people they are comes out & they notice that they do not love the new real person that their spouse is.

I believe that marriage, having children, & faith are major decisions in life & should be treated with the same respect you would give to anything you love. There is a saying that, "to see the rainbow, you must first go through the storms." Life is not easy, but we can make it less difficult by being real & staying true to who you are & what you love. If you do live this way, the right people will come into your life & wrong people will be taken out of it. So, I challenge you to take a look at where you are today & if you find yourself not happy put down what would make you happy & jot down some steps you can act on to get there & take them. Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all

Better Judgment

I have read the words, "against his better judgment" in many different stories. This popped into my head today when I saw a group of people protesting against another. They had no problem declaring that they were right in the eyes of God. I always find this very intriguing, because they do so using the Bible as their support for their judgment.

The thing that makes this so interesting is that this very same text makes a very prominent example & statement by Jesus that we are not to judge others. So, if I had to evaluate their actions, they are demonstrating selective religious practice. Does this make sense to anyone else? I think it is fine to have your own prerogative on what you believe, but at the core of every religion I have ever read or been told of is LOVE. To Love, among other things, you must be able to show & practice compassion. Openly attempting to discriminate against others & trying to make them feel bad is not practicing Love or compassion in my book.

I fully understand that in this world there are different cultures & sub-cultures that attempt to ingrain their beliefs & prejudices onto one another & even others they come in contact with. I know this all to well coming from a small town in the Bible belt. I chose to live above these ideals that I find to be misconstrued or flat out false. If my attempt at living a just & faithful life does not please others, they can just as easily choose not to be a part of my life. Either way, I will continue to practice a lifestyle that reflects what I believe to be how I am supposed to live. I choose to practice LOVE. My question to you is this, do you have any prejudices that you still hold just because of where or how you were brought up that may be hurting others? If so, I challenge you to try giving those up for a little while, practice compassion toward whatever you were spending your energy disliking or hating, & see how you feel when you let go of the negative energy & replace it with positive. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Never too Late...

I have been considering a major life change for the past year, after I realized I was not where I wanted to be & that it is never too late to re-create yourself. So, I have been researching & planning the new direction for my life. Soon, I will share that direction with the rest of the world. I feel called to do more to, as Mahatma Gandhi put it, "be the change you want to see in the world." Since I was a very little boy, I felt bigger than I was, richer than I was & like I was going to do great things in this life. Growing up poor, I really had no reason to believe that I would be something great & never have to worry about food or money like my mother had to do for us.

One thing that my mother never taught me is to think that I was any less worthy than the other kids that had things that we couldn't afford. So, I have never stopped dreaming & having this feeling that I was so much more than this body or mind that I share. In the next year, I will start a Children's Charity that will focus on helping kids with development needs whether they are physical, social, or mental. The name of the charity is HKS (Hugs, Kisses, & Smiles) & will focus on children that are caught in the rift between poor & middle class that have needs, but get looked over by many helping organizations. We will pair with many children focused organizations to raise funds & ensure that this organization lives on past my years with the help of dedicated volunteers & leadership.

I have had this idea for many years, but always thought that I would start this organization when I got older & was a seasoned business professional. Then I woke up & had a meeting with reality & it showed me how I am living without guarantees & that I should just get started with the things on my bucket list, so that when I am done here I don't look up at the faces of my friends & family & say those words that are the foundation of why people are scared of death, "I wish I would've." I choose instead to live my life now & say when my time comes, "I lived a GREAT life!" One thing is guaranteed, death will come but until it is here I will be living to live & not waiting to die. Is there something you have been waiting to do that you could at least begin today? If so, for yourself, just do it! Thinking, "not that easy?" I don't know anyone that was given a guarantee when they were born that life would be easy, so do it for yourself. Peace, Love, & Happiness friends!!! :^)

Bless You!
Thomas

Balance

Lately, I have been thinking about writing but just have had no time to do so while attempting to keep balance in my life. I could easily name all of the reasons I have not had time. The main things that have been taking up my time all revolve around my active lifestyle. I began thinking of this post a few weeks ago while riding my bike, because I have started riding again & do so for the most part without hands.

While doing so one day, I began to think about the concentration & balance it takes to do so while riding on uneven roads complete with obstacles & cars passing by. Thinking through this brought me back to how we all deal with this same sort of balancing act with our daily lives. While our lives may be drastically different, fact is that we all deal with trying to keep balance in our lives. Whether it is the competing demands of our work, family, friends, hobbies, or personal passions, each day is different & we have to make choices that are the best for our overall happiness.

Our success is crucial & you could say that if we lose balance we lose a little bit of our "Ness," or that which defines who we are. As for myself, if I had to let a labble fall on my "Ness," I would most likely be considered a high energy social butterfly athlete. I like the air that follows & surrounds me to be light, happy, & positive. I refuse to let the disappointments, how ever bad they may have hurt me mentally, physically, or emotionally define me. What defines me is & forever will be my faith & love of this life I have been graced with. Fact is that no one ever lays on their dying bed & says something like, "Man I wish I would have worked more." So, if you are holding on to any baggabe today, however hard it may seem now, please know that we were never promised that we would fully know the direction we are supposed to take at the start of things but you have to keep dreaming & reach for them with every last breath because we were meant to accomplish great things. Just let go of the ledge & test your wings, because I know you will reach heights that you never dreamed of. Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Surprise?

There are many things in life that surprise us. They can be very simple like a greeting from an old acquaintance or friend. The can also be very complex like something aligning in a way that you could not have imagined to open new doors of opportunity for us. Then there are those times in life that things just happen & they are of no surprise to us.

These instances can be good & sometimes they can seem bad to us. The common factor that I have found in life with these events is that if you look deep enough, or sometimes even shallow enough, is that they do work out for the best for us in the long run. I see both instances as opportunities for us to stand up straight & declare who we are & who we will be. Whether they seem good or bad, is not so much to focus on as the opportunity they provide us with to confirm who we are on the inside.

We all go through good times & times when we feel weak. These times either energize us & make us feel right or they show us where we may have been wrong & show us what we need to change to get back on track. Personally, I have tried to see the good in both types of situation. I embrace the good & bad, because I know that either way they are helping me grow into who I am on the inside & who I want everyone to see that I am outside.

I guess it may not seem very deep so much as it may seem to be a simple observation of myself. I do feel that many times it can be hard to see the good in times when we feel that what we are going through or is happening to us is bad. I just wanted to write this as encouragement to those who may have a hard time noticing that things that may seem bad can & will work out for good if we can just see & learn the lessons that they were meant to teach us. Whether you are going through something that seems good or bad, I just encourage you to take a step away from the situation & see things from a different perspective. If you act with integrity & courage, ensuring that your actions reflect the person you really are inside, than you will be stronger, wiser, & an overall better person. In those bad times, if you have a hard time seeing the light just remember that you are worthy of good things & things will work in your favor in perfect timing & it is okay to not know what that is. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Passion

There is a time at the beginning of most serious relationships when we feel an intense passion for one another. A passion that drives us to want to know every curve of our partners body, be around them consistently, & have them reflect the love we show them. This can be very intense & many times these days sexual. We find ourselves rushing to "be" with that person & when we are not we find ourselves thinking about it.

I understand that having a passion for your partner is a wonderful thing, but I also think that the sex part is rushed into due to our curiosity & desire to intimately know them. I think that there is a modern theme of considering sex as intimacy. While sex is intimate, exciting, & a wonderful experience, I also feel that sex is rushed into & real intimacy gets overlooked. In this day in age, divorce has become an institution like marriage. I think that one large contributing factor is this rush to be sexual.

I feel that this rush leads to many people getting into relationships for the wrong reason, namely sexual reasons. After this initial phase of their relationship fades, these people are left wondering why they are in the relationship & becoming unhappy while also growing apart from their partner. This is an interesting subject to me because in all of my relationships since high school I have found myself being the one wanting to wait to take things to a sexual level & I am a guy. Even though I have the same desires as I am sure many others do, I pride myself on having enough self-control to do the right thing & show my body respect.

So, how does this apply to someone who is married? Well, I think that even if our relationships are in different stages of development we can all relate to the fact that they do change. Relationships are not all rainbows & gumdrops. They demand many things including great communication, respect of ourselves & our partner, focus, commitment, understanding, & of course LOVE among many other things. One key is to make sure that when our relationships are developing & changing we ensure that we are growing together & not apart. Do one thing today for your partner, if you have one, that you know will make them happy for no reason & just smile because you made the person you love smile. Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

What is Happiness

What is Happiness? In life we all seek to find the thing that we call Happiness. Like Love it is an action & not something we can just capture in words. We cannot just put it down on paper, or this virtual paper. It is something that we have to practice & it is not just given to us. We have to actively seek it & make it part of our daily action.

The movie "Into the Wild," makes a great statement about happiness. It states that Happiness is nothing if we can't share it. This is so true with about Happiness, Love, & every success we enjoy. All of these things mean nothing if we cannot share them with others. We could have all the money, success, happiness, & love in the world but if there is no one for us to share these with at the end of the day they are at most fleeting things.

We could fill our houses with plaques & trophies to show what we have accomplished, but these things we do & accomplish so that we can reflect the good we have inside. If we alienate ourselves from others in accomplishing these things we will not be any more happy than if we did not. As humans, we all need to share with others. There is nothing wrong with this feeling of wanting to share & sometimes to rely on others. No one of us is perfect alone, because the relationships we are able to attain & maintain reward us in ways far beyond any other earthly thing we can have.

So, what is Happiness? Happiness along with all of the other successes we have in life are representations of who we are & what we have to give. Today is a great day to start to share all of these great things we have inside. Today I pray for you, that you may feel my happiness, that you may share in my knowledge & share all that you have with others. Happiness is one of the greatest infectious things we have been graced with on earth. Please open your heart today & share yours with all those around you & bask in the glory in its reflection on those around you & on yourself. Be the change you wish to see in the world. If I am the first one to say it to you, I Love You! Peace, Love, & Happiness to all of you!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Lovely Meaning

Life is filled with lovely meaning in the many things we do & can experience. I recently learned that my ex-wife had re-married & had done so with the person she cheated on me with. The same person that stood beside me at my wedding to her posing as a best friend. I have yet to meet anyone who thinks that this is right. Everyone has been awe struck with the speed of this happening in under a year from the date when we were officially split.

People were also upset with the fact that the date chosen was the day after my birthday, maybe because they know how strongly I feel about birthdays. I believe that they are the one true holiday in life we should ensure that we fully celebrate. I had to look inside myself to decide how I really felt. I have to say I felt a mix of emotions relative to this all, because I cannot say that I agree with things because I truly LOVED her with all my heart & believe that things could have been handled in a much better way.

I was willing to work on things & make them right, because I am sure that I made the right decision. She asked me on several occasions how I knew that she was the one. I knew because my GOD put it in my heart. When I split from my previous long-term partner that I had been with since high school, I made a pact with GOD that I would give him control to lead the right woman to me. She was led to me & things grew from there. I fell in LOVE with her, her family, & friends. The day she said her heart had gone cold for me & she wasn't sure if she could ever get it back my heart stopped.

I knew that I had to let her go & that if it was GOD's will for her to be in my life she would be back. So, all of this news did not come to my ears without emotion but it also did not come with anger as it did for others. This is one confirmation for me that I did LOVE her, because I still want her to be happy. We once had the discussion about being with another if one of us died at a young age & at first I had said that I would not want her to be with anyone else. After more thought though, I came to the decision that if it made her happy I would be okay with it because I LOVED her & want her to be happy. In essence, I did die to her & I still want her to be happy.

There are all together too many people in the world that are looking to take advantage of one another & I chose to be the difference I want to see. Life is too short for me to harbor anger & allow negative things take the energy I could use to do good & pass along the LOVE I have in my heart. So, I chose to rise above the norm & be happy that she is happy. Is there a situation or relationship you are letting take your energy, your "Ness?" If so, maybe you could begin to entertain the idea of letting go, forgiving, & freeing yourself to achieve all that you can. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

This Way & That

We always have the choice & free will to chose to go this way or that way. Many times in life these decisions come like instinct. Many others we stop when we get to the corner or decision & look back at where we have come from & then we look ahead at our options & step toward the direction we feel drawn. I fully believe that this can be a good thing...great thing for us to feel drawn to action in our lives. There is no need to "over think" things all the time, but we do have to accept the fact that we are all human & can make mistakes.

The simple fact is that just because we act is not why we make mistakes. The reasons we make mistakes, when we make mistakes, is when we fail to realize that something other than out best judgment is leading us. This can be for a multitude of reasons, but I feel that one of the major reasons is emotion. We, I am, are emotional people & sometimes it is difficult to detach from our emotions to ensure that we make the best decisions for our lives.

This is one of the greatest lessons I was ever taught when I was young by one of the wisest men I have ever known my grandpa Roy Matthews. I am proud to have known him for many years & happy to be his grandson may he rest in PEACE. This lesson is one that we can all gain from though. When we come to those corners in our lives & are making decisions that will shape our lives, we need to take the time to pause & really analyze our feelings behind our choices. This way we can ensure that we make the best decisions for our lives.

Over the past year, I have been on a journey to regain touch with my goals in life. I took a hard look at where I am & where I want to be. I made a decision that is going to allow me to help thousands of people in my life to come. It was a hard decision that meant leaving my comfort zone & venturing onto unsure ground, cutting my strings if you will, & allowing myself to fly. I do so knowing that if anything does happen along the way I can land back on the firm foundation & rely on the great people I have in my life. Although the time is not quite right yet to fully divulge the decision I have made, I will share it soon. So, I guess I share this much just to provoke you to entertain the question in your head & share some of the wisdom that helped me make my decision. Are you where you want to be? If not, why? What have you learned & how can you use what you have learned to get back on your road. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Minds Eye

As I close my eyes, I can visualize myself sitting with my head down bent over my knees with one hand on my head & the other reaching out. I cannot see what I am reaching out for, but I can feel it. I am reaching out for comfort & relaxation, as the guitar solo plays melodically in the background, I feel the peace I reach for as it enters through my outstretched fingertip up through my arm.

It crosses my chest like a gentle hand relaxing my muscles as it passes. It continues on down my other arm that is supporting my head on my knee. Then it runs through my hair like the hand of a lover down the back of my neck & circles on my back while comfort radiates out through the rest of my body. Slowly I begin to come back to life, as I allow this comfort & relaxation radiate while I let whatever past worries & frustrations pass from my mind, body, & soul.

I feel ready to embrace the future that I have begun to make for myself & share the happiness & love I have in my heart. I know that the path will not always be smooth & I may stumble sometimes, but I also know that I will get back up & learn from my mistakes. As the days pass & I learn more about myself & the many other people that have touched my life, I begin to have a deeper understanding of what it means to really love while I see many other people searching for this meaning in someone else. What I have found though, is that you have to find that Love inside of yourself just like the relaxation I described above, before you can ever begin to share it with anyone else. So, today I challenge you to share this same love you have found inside with someone close to you. Have a wonderful & blessed afternoon! Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Sharing

Today I found the answer to many things I have questioned & the answer was sharing. Intriguing? These questions centered around the human desire to be with others. This includes things like having a wife/husband, family, even friends. I like all of those ideas, but I have many times wondered why. As I was walking today, the pieces came together. Like a puzzle on a table in the dining room that was always so close to being finished, but just a few connections kept it from being complete.

We can all feel happiness, pain, fear, excitement but what are these things if it is only us that feels them? The good things seem to pass more quickly than the bad. We all, at some point in life, want to & seek to share these things with others. To Share is the driving factor of our feelings of desire for friends, family, spouses. Sharing confirms, enhances, & most importantly reflects & passes along these feelings to others. In return, sharing gives us an intrinsic reward from the confirmation of our feelings, or the opposite a realization that our feelings may have been misled.

I have heard the saying many times before that people like to, "bring you to their level." Today, I have remembered the reason why & it is because of our desire to share our emotion. In a world that is moving faster & faster every day, we have this very natural desire to share our emotion. Sometimes sharing is to bring others to our level & other times it is to attempt to heal ourselves & in essence bring ourselves back to our own level. I have the desire to share to express my experiences & thoughts so that others who may come across the same tests as I have can see how one person handled them & worked through them. I know that I cannot make the correct decision 100% of the time, but I also know that with time & experience I can develop & grow to limit my own margin of error as much as possible.

I am convinced that sharing is one of the reasons for our natural & internal desires to surround ourselves with the people we do. What is life, love, or happiness if we don't have others to share them with? Momentary. The reflection of these things is what we look for from sharing & we become unhappy when our feelings are not. Today, I challenge you to find one happy thing & share it with another person & see how affects them. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Shades of Love

I am a strong believer in LOVE. Without it we have no meaning, but with it life becomes a beautiful song that fills any space we need it to. It shows us the rhythm of life & vitalizes our mind, body, & soul. Love can make or break us. It defines us...

How we chose to feel, give, or take LOVE defines our character. I chose to try my hardest to LOVE everyone, not because I feel I have to, because in my life I have seen dividends beyond my imagination. There are many different shades of this LOVE that I give, because different people have different needs. I have different needs & wants & this helps me ensure that I don't forget about myself when I am giving LOVE. Losing people I LOVE has taught me how to continue to LOVE without a physical relationship because it is not a word LOVE is an action.

LOVE is a consistent & fluid action that envelopes our hearts like loving hands. When we feel loss of it, we can feel it chip our armor that protects us from the world & gives us the drive to do everything we can for the person we give it to. This is why I appreciate the ability to continue LOVE even when I am not able to see or even talk with people I LOVE. This shade of LOVE is one of my favorite colors. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to all of you!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Sundays

Every Sunday, I recount what I have done over the weekend & any exciting things that may have happened through the week. This week I was talking trough things with one of my roommates/brothers & he mentioned something that I have noticed before. Put simply, our weekends are like vacations & include sports, relaxation, volunteering, & a little productivity. I have definitely noticed an increase in quality of life over the past year, although there are always things that I could find I would like improve or have improved.

Sunday's also my time to reflect on my faith & how lucky I am to have a strong healthy body & able mind. I don't have to deal with disability like millions around the world do. I don't have to worry about hunger, thirst, shelter, or even love. Not to brag at all, but I rightly feel blessed to have all of these things. On Sunday's, I also take time to give some of my time to sick children. The reason I chose to do so is simple & the reason that I will start a children's charity & that is because I believe that children deserve all the help, love, & support they can get.

Maybe you have thought about how lucky you feel & thought that you have something you could do to help someone. Why not make today the day to stop finding a reason not to. If you wonder how to find ways just try typing in "volunteer opportunities in (your city)" into www.google.com. There are so many great causes & ways for you to share your talents. If today isn't the day, maybe some other time. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Happy...Happy...

The search for happiness is a very interesting thing. People will search from here to there & from one end of the earth to the other in search of it. They will interchange words like satisfaction, completion, or even arriving like it is a destination. What I have noticed though is that so many people miss that happiness is something that they already have & is always within them.

It is not surprising to me that this happens & I think it is very human. As babies, we only eat what we need to & don't overeat. This is something that we begin when we grow older & is representative of other traits that we acquire as we grow older that are contradictory to our wants & needs as maturing adults. It is very easy to get into the "Groove," & let worldly things cloud our judgment. So, the challenge is to take a more conscious look at the world we surround ourselves with & better analyze why we feel the way we do. Then we open our minds to realize that the key to happiness is actually in our hand & all we have to do is take that key & open the door.

Today, I challenge you to close your eyes to the world you have surrounded yourself with & say, "if I were all alone, what would make me happy?" Then revel in those things. You have life & you have the ability to make a difference in so many lives, so let all of the happiness you have shine on others & just watch the reward you get. Peace, LOVE, & HAPPINESS to you all!!!

Bless You! ;^)
Thomas

Summer

Summer is a great time of year. As things begin to come full circle from the spring, new members are welcomed into families & all of the plants & animals thaw & shake off the cold from the winter & spring. People begin to come out of their houses to celebrate the beauty around them. Those that take a winter break get back into their routines of outdoor activities. Things begin to fill with people ready to have fun like the trails, tennis & basketball courts, pools, & lakes.

This time of year just brings a smile to people's faces & I absolutely LOVE it. When I see a smile on the face of another person, no matter what I am going through, it gives me a happy feeling inside. So, although I LOVE all of the seasons, I especially LOVE summer because of all the extra happiness being spread around. Today, I just wanted to write about all the happiness I see around. If you like what I write, take a minute to pass along the love because it is the best contagious thing in the world & it will pay you more dividends than any other investment you will ever make. Peace, LOVE, & HAPPINESS to all of you!!!

Bless You :^)
Thomas

Blink

Head slightly tilted downward with my eyes closed, with one hand on the keys, the other gently feeling the freshly cut hairs on the back of my head. I let my breath out slowly reciting in my head what I am thinking about typing while my hand waits patiently to play the words in my head like a musical piece on this page of life. I only recite how I see & feel thing & don't wish or desire to change the feelings you have, but do hope to help you explore feelings you may have that you may have not explored much.

The speed of life can be overwhelming to say the least. I feel like I have experienced this in my own life. I am constantly attempting to adjust to the ever-changing expectations set on me from other people & responsibilities I have undertaken. I attempt to do so with ease & grace, while reflecting my own personality & beliefs. This does not mean that I want everyone to accept & support my way of thinking, but it does mean that I want to ensure that who I am is accurately reflected. I accept that this is all I can do & am happy that I have the opportunity to do so.

Many people spend their whole lives searching for satisfaction from things outside of what they have inside & around them in their lives. One key thing that they miss is that they do not need anything other than what they have to be happy. I feel that we will never be completely satisfied with what we have, because we always look for ways to improve who we are & the world around us. So, this simple fact is something that we can be happy with because it means we are human & we don't really need to be fully satisfied to be happy. The simple fact that seek more should make us happy! When we seek to improve, we reflect that we are happy & inevitably we do improve our lives & the lives of all those around us... So, today I challenge you to take one of those things & revel in how you are improving the world with your simple desire to expand. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Say What You Need To Say

Today marks a day that I have thought about in my head for quite a while as I do with important decisions. Today instead of choosing who to let in I choose to let everyone in on a story that changed who I am today & who I will be for the rest of my living days. Although this is only the headline of what happened to me & a small portion of what I experienced, I think that it will be sufficient for those in need of the words to feel what they need to. What follows is the most challenging thing I have ever been through in my life, but the happy part is that I am through it, a better person, & not stuck in it.

Other posts I write so that you can take what meaning you want or need to out of them. This post I write with some specific intentions. I intend for this to help others that may have something similar happen to them & to help others that will never realize how blessed they are. To begin, I always hear people say that good things happen to good people, but what they fail to realize is that bad things happen to good people sometimes too.

I remember the days like they were yesterday. From the day in March 2008, when my wife at the time told me her heart had checked out to the day not too much later & while we were still married that I found her at the house of one of the guys that stood by me at my wedding posing as a best friend & best man. I can also remember how, when I heard her utter those words, I felt my heart actually skip a beat for the first time ever & I was completely crushed. I remember it all vividly & probably will for the rest of my life, but now I have a much better understanding. The journey that followed was not always the easiest, but I am blessed with a great group of friends, my mother, & faith that all helped me through.

Looking back, I am happy with how I handled things & happy with the person I have become because I made a decision to rise above what was happening around me & let the person I am inside & LOVE rule my actions. I chose to act out of integrity & say what I needed to say to ensure that how I felt was communicated & that I would never have to worry that I did not say enough. I can rest easy knowing that even if I did make mistakes I did not give up & stayed willing to work to keep the promise I made. To this day, I still try to ensure that I act out of integrity & LOVE for others while not turning a blind eye to my cautions.

Like the song by John Mayer, "it is better to say what you need to say than to never say what you need to say again." I know that what I say is out of LOVE & well thought out...& I am absolutely sure that they will attract the right people & take the wrong from my life! Above all else, I have to thank God for allowing me to remain faithful in the fact that he uses all things to work together for good & for helping me remain happy, faithful in marriage & life, & eternally optimistic in what the future holds. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Hands

I was running a few days ago & began to look at my hands. I was thinking about how great it was out & how good it felt when the cool air rushed through my hands & between my fingers. I remembered how great it was to just be free, happy, & healthy. At that moment, how thankful I am that I have been blessed with these common things that I feel I sometimes overlook.

So much of life seems to be spent planning while life is happening faster & faster. We plan for our careers, investments, relationships, & many other things we are involved in. Some people live a very structured life in this way going through their regiment from day to day. Others live a less structured life filled with new adventures around every turn.

A funny thing is that many times these people will look at one another & want to be more like the other. They see traits in the other that will either make their life more exciting or more stable. Some will completely change to emulate the other, some will change certain things, while many will just look & wonder. Is one way more correct than the other? I would not say so, but what I would say that these feelings are representations of balance & should not be ignored.

I have learned through experience that it is the little things that truly make us happy. It is the little things that we cherish about our lives & about others & what we miss when they are lost. They can make us very happy or sad & literally make or break our sense of happiness, love, & peace. These are all reasons that you should make absolutely sure that you communicate these things that you may consider with your loved ones, because our time is never guaranteed & there is no better time than today to show the ones you love that you do. Peace, LOVE, & happiness to all of you

The Builder

Today, I was thinking about the thought that is in my head when things around me fall. What I mean by this is that I see our lives as a journey where we build constantly building. I think of it like building a house because, like a house, we are only as sturdy as the foundation we have & the world we build around us. If the walls fall down, what do we have left? What we have left is the foundation we have built & if our foundation is not solid we can feel lost & unsteady.

The significance of this ties into the fact that Jesus was a carpenter. In essence, he was a home builder. I consider myself to be very faithful & it is on my faith that I chose to build my house. Now, I can say that if things do fall in my life, they fall around me & not on me. I recently went through a tragedy that only a select few know about, but that brought my world down on me & it was the hardest thing I have ever & will ever have to go through. This event helped me change my thinking & feeling & changed my life in one of the most positive & significant ways. I can honestly say that I can speak of the feelings reflected because I have felt them.

Now, I am a better brother, man, & friend. This is all due to help from my faith. I have re-confirmed my foundation & begun to rebuild my house even better than before. The thing with faithful people is that we are challenged & are rewarded in excess of the size of our challenges for overcoming them & sometimes our houses must be taken down to make them into what we deserve. So, if things begin to seem to fall please think of my words if you think that they will help you & remember your faith. If you ever need a friend, feel free to get in contact with me. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Good People?

In life, we meet many different types of people. We meet funny, serious, obsessive, compassionate, mean, rude, happy, etc. Some of these people have a profound impact & others are more like passers by. The thing is that people are many times very good at hiding who they really are or pretending that they are a good person. There are many examples that we have seen strewn through the mass media.

One example we have all heard of is the catholic priests that abused their position to take advantage of & abuse children. Some of the top leaders of Enron were very generous to their church. The CEO of WorldCom taught Sunday School. From the outside all of the people above seemed to be good upstanding people & Christians. The fact is that they were not good people or good Christians. They used others to improve their own position & achieve their own goals with blatant disregard to how their actions would hurt others.

These type of people are not just the major ones we hear of in the media. There are people just like this all around & we as people attempting to be good people living a life of integrity & faith must be mindful. This does not mean that we need to be overly guarded & suspicious, but we also cannot turn a blind eye to things we see in others that set off red flags to us. As much as we may want to like someone, we are given our senses of right & wrong as gifts from our God who put them in our heart along with what our meaning is on this earth. So, please be mindful of the people you allow to be close to you, because you deserve to have people that truly LOVE you in your life & to be rid of those that aren't truly good people. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Better Judgement

First of all, thank you all for choosing to follow. It is flattering to think that you like what you read enough to wan to come back. I apologize for not writing much lately. I have been busy with the new weather. We only get so long to enjoy it, you know? I have been wanting to write, but have not been able to find the time until now & today I want to write about emotional attachment to situations.

I learned a very wise lesson a long time ago from my grandpa about reacting to things. He told me that sometimes you have to be able to detach enough from situations so that you can take a look at what is happening from a different perspective. He said imagine as if it wasn't happening to you, but like you were watching it happen to someone else. This way you don't emotionally attach to what happened & can make a clear judgment as to if there was something you could have done differently or if it was caused by something else.

Many people these days, including myself at times, have a very hard time not internalizing the things that happen in our lives. I do not discredit that there are surely times when you can & should take things to heart, if you will. The distinction that must be made is when to do so & when to avoid doing so. I think of it like my personal boundaries I set & am constantly looking to perfect. Boundaries are essential to ensure that we protect ourselves just enough while, at the same time, allowing us to also be open to what possibilities lie ahead of us. The one thing you have to ensure is that you do not set these out of fear. Setting boundaries out of fear will only stop you from seeing the potential you have inside.

My personal goal is to LOVE freely while ensuring I am treated fairly in my relationships. So, today I challenge you to imagine you were completely alone & write down what defines you & not in terms of relationships, but in terms of the things you do that you LOVE to the core. These things are you & they should be celebrated & never compromised because you are perfect the way you are. Peace, Love, & Happiness to all of you!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Presentation

Many times in life, the outcomes in our lives come down to how we present ourselves to the world. I do not mean to infer that we can control how everyone perceives us. We can strive to ensure that we are putting forward a true representation of ourselves to the rest of the world. At the end of the day, all we have control of is our own feelings & actions. So, if we ensure that we are accurately representing ourselves then we should not need to worry about the perception of us.

The way I represent myself is by showing everyone the happiness & love I have inside. I may not always feel like the world around me is made of flowers & rainbows, but at the end of the day I am happy with myself & progress I have made in my life. I know that I have known LOVE & believe in the saying, "it is better to have loved & lost than to have never loved." My LOVE may not be perfect for everyone but I rest assured that it will be perfect for the right people, and that as long as I am true to myself, it will attract the right people & deter the wrong from my life.

We are all gifts from our own heaven in which we have a separate & distinct relationship with our God. We have to be cognizant of how we present our gifts, so that we ensure that when the day ends we can rest assured that we are comfortable with how we have acted. It is in action that we define who we are. The world lays on words, but actions always speak louder than any words we can speak or write. Will you be the person that walks out throwing their hands in the air & giving up, or will you rise to the many challenges of life? This is for you to figure out, but today I challenge you to make a pledge to yourself to decide & be the person who rises. If you do, you always have a friend in me & please feel free to lean my way at any time. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!

Bless You!
Thomas

The Road

Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to travel from coast to coast for business, pleasure, & other life events. I enjoy traveling, but there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. Slipping under the fresh sheets & pulling them up to your face so you can smell them. There is a comfort that resonates through me when I do this.

On the flip-side I have had a great deal of time to think about the many different aspects of my life. I greatly value the time I have had to reflect on the things I have been through in the past couple of years, the friends I have come to love & trust, & person I have become. I fully understand that everyone goes through things in their lives & those things shape the person they become, but in the past couple of years I have been through some things that movies are made about. It strikes me as funny that I actually put it in those terms, but it was someone else reflecting the same thought without provocation that led me to label my journey.

It is not that I did not think that the things that were happening were like things that I have seen in movies or read about in books, but I was not sure if others really saw it the same. People who have taken the time to read my posts have asked if I have considered writing a book or something of the sort on a more professional level. I actually have started a book that I have no clue when it will be completed, but I can without bias say that if I were looking from the outside in I would be intrigued. A wise woman once told me that you cannot have a testimony without the first being tested.

So, as I write my testimony on the pages of life constantly seeking to, as Mahatma Gandhi said, "be the change you want to see in the world." I look into others glasses & challenge through my action to step out of the comfort that keeps you from action & try to be that change you want & just see what happens. I was recently greatly surprised by the outpouring of happiness from the time I spent giving out free hugs to try to get people to smile. I could not believe that in a city of over a million people it was the one good thing that happened that day that the news felt was worthy of coverage, & it was far beyond the reach I had imagined I would have for just trying to spread some happiness. It just goes to show that people are looking for goodness & if you just take the time to reflect on the goodness you feel & love that God has put in your life, then you can spread it far beyond the boundaries you may place on yourself. Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all.

Bless You!
Thomas

Passing

In passing, we all see & interpret things differently. Passing can be easy, hard, happy or sad. It can mean the beginning of something great, or it can mark the end of something just as magnificent & with out fail for every ending there will be a new beginning. Whether we feel ready for the ending or new beginning, the changes come & many times we have no choice as to the timing or speed.

Life is always like this. Today, I have to begin to prepare for passing one of the greatest men I have ever had the opportunity to know. Although I know that his soul is safe & will find the comfort of life beyond this existential one, I find little comfort in that fact knowing that I will not get to have this wonderful man in my life any longer. I am saddened by the fact that if I do have a family in the future they will not get the chance to meet him. I am saddened at the thought of not getting to listen to his many stories laden with wisdom & experience in life & success far beyond my years.

So, today I prepare to let go of the physical relationship we had in this world. At the same time, I also have to prepare to hold onto & celebrate the time & relationship we always have in my heart & soul. As I have had to do all to many times for my young age, on this worldly & physical level, I have to again let go of someone I LOVE dearly. I will always LOVE you grandpa & hold the many lessons & LOVE that you have showed me close to my heart & soul. Through me you will live no matter what happens & on the pages life you will always live on. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to all that read this & cherish what you have!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

The Glass You're Lookin Through

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." The bible is filled with examples of people acting out of faith. These acts of faith were performed because the people that followed believed in the outcomes. In essence, they were being the change that they wanted & amazing things came from these.

I believe that in many cases this can be very true. I actively try to find pleasure in even the smallest things. I have found that happiness is very volatile. It is easy to find & if you let it, it can be easy to lose. Finding happiness is as easy as seeing someone else happy & smiling, getting or giving a hug, someone giving you a compliment, or even just feeling like you accomplish something you have been working at. All of these acts represent our strength & control of ourselves.

Losing happiness is very different. Losing happiness is a representation of our active decision to give our power to someone or something else. It is a loss of control & this is when we notice ourselves acting in ways that we wouldn't normally act & doing things we wouldn't normally do. Today I challenge you to change the glass you are looking through if you are giving your power to someone or something else. Happiness is just one good decision away & the greatest part is that you have full control over being happy. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Meant to Be

Many of us have a desire to be with another person who we feel we are meant to be with. We look for some who matches & compliments us where we want. It is almost like an innate sense or desire. Even if we are completely comfortable by ourselves, there is a lingering desire to share ourselves with a partner. So, we create lists & sometimes assumptions of how we think the things we seek will be.

Where we run into trouble is when we surpass the things that we can put into words. When we are looking for "IT." Something that we could easily point out if we see "IT," but that is not always easily put into words to describe to others. This could be because at a certain level we are looking for more than words can actually describe. This could be like if you ever met someone with a personality that meshes with yours so well that you are left breathless after a meeting, or if you meet someone & feel like you have known them before but are positive you have never met in this lifetime. There are just certain indescribable aspects that can go beyond words & that may exist at a level of pure emotion. They move you & I feel that is what many of us are looking for is someone that not only matches the different ways that we want them to, but they go so far beyond those that they move us in a way we can only describe as "IT."

The fact is that there are millions of people all around the world that day to day live in some of the happiest relationships around. Did they know that they were perfect at first sight, did they have problems & work through them like adults, did they come together through arranged marriages, or did they become perfect through growing together & learning to compromise. The fact is that there is no one perfect way to get to having a perfect relationship, but marriage of two people is something that is sacred & should be protected. There is no room for things like: passive aggressiveness, lying, cheating, lack of communication, or growth without your spouse.

The point is that you should never give up on LOVE, because LOVE will never give up on you. Also, you never have to depend on another for it, because it is always inside you & you have the ability to give & receive LOVE at any time. See my previous posts...there are always people that are willing to share in this emotion with you & spread Happiness with you. You just have to do your fair share of looking & be willing to allow yourself to be vulnerable & open to really receiving LOVE from someone else. You are most able to receive LOVE when you are most vulnerable. Please take time today to look at your life & ensure that you are taking the right steps to grow in your relationships & in LOVE. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

A Lover & A Fighter

I was recently thinking about the old saying, "I'm a Lover, not a fighter." While I completely understand the point of this, I came to the conclusion that it is a very ironic saying. I believe that if we do truly LOVE, then we have to willing to fight & it is only when we stop loving that we stop fighting. Through volunteering at the local children's hospital, I have had the great opportunity to get to spend time with many amazing children. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the drastic difference I see between children & adults on their attitude toward life & death.

Children have an amazing attitude of hope & an unparalleled fight to live. I do remember learning that babies can die if they are not held enough though. I have read that there have been cases of this & research done in some Romanian orphanages. As we get older, some people will lose the will to fight for things including life. There are surely many different reasons for this, but one very interesting reason is LOVE. If someone does not feel loved, then they will not LOVE themselves & vice-versa. So, in essence LOVE can kill you & I can attest to this from personal experience.

This amazes me that the simple lack of LOVE can kill, because it is not a disease or sickness. This reinforces my belief that LOVE is absolutely worth fighting for & to LOVE you have to fight sometimes. The fight can take many forms & could even be fighting an urge in yourself to act in a way other than out of LOVE. My ultimate test for my actions has become me asking myself, "am I really doing this out of LOVE?" This is not always a simple question to answer either, but I have become comfortable with taking actions if I can honestly answer that question with a yes.

We are all put here to LOVE. On this special day, I challenge you to show those you LOVE that you do instead of just telling them. Maybe you could give them a hug :^) Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to all of you!

Bless You!
Thomas

Free Hugs Reflection

The free hugs event yesterday was widely successful. Many people were apprehensious & questioned why I was giving out hugs. When I responded that I was doing so just to make people smile & spread happiness, many proceeded to hug. The people that chose to participate were young & old & both men & women. I did not have any presumptions on who would participate & was happy to see so many different people chose to participate.

I was also very happy to see that even people that did not hug still smiled. When I would see this, I could not help smiling on the inside & outside, because I knew that my goal was accomplished through their simple act of smiling. Beyond the hundreds of people & lives touched over the 3 1/2 hours that I did this, there were probably thousands of others that got to see this because a wonderful lady called the news & they came to tape for a little while & ran the story on the news. It was truly a wonderful experience that warmed my heart & one that I will do many more times.

I believe that I was given this life to help reflect the LOVE that we have all been shown through being given the opportunity to have life. In a world where we are constantly challenged & have to experience negative events, I chose to be different & not let those events define me. I chose to live a life of LOVE & to spread the LOVE I have in my heart. I will do this however I can even if it is through a simple smile, a hug, or giving an ear to listen to a friend. Today, I challenge you to perform a random act of kindness. Happy Easter & peace, LOVE, & happiness to all of you!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Free Hugs

Recently I became aware of a group that began giving out free hugs. It was started in honor of the children's hospital in St. Louis, MO. It was started for fun & for the fact that one hug can change someones life. I totally agree! Even if it just brings a smile to someones face, that is one smile & happy moment that person & the world may not have had without that simple act.

Today I will honor this cause & have made a shirt & will make a sign saying, "Free Hugs." I will be giving them out in my town on the Plaza in Kansas City, MO from 11-2. It makes me smile just thinking about it, so my goal is already working. Smiles for everyone today :^)

Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Expectations

Although I may never know exactly what you want from your life, I can say without a doubt that there are very specific things that you want & that you hold close to your heart. In my mind, I create scenarios, their probable outcomes, & think about the likelihood of the different outcomes. I will then attempt to make a decision on my course of action that will take me in the direction of my goals. I can almost never say for sure that I my course will come together as I plan or imagine, but I can rest easily knowing that I will be led in the right direction.

The thing that I attempt to avoid is placing the expectations I create on others & on the outcomes of my situations. I find that when we place expectations on others & on ourselves, we are often let down because things fall short of the expectations we set. I have found that I am my own biggest critic. This does not mean that we should not set goals for ourselves & have limits on what we will accept & what we will not allow in our lives.

We should always know & stay in tune with what we are looking for in a partner & what we know we do not want. This is not the same as expectations, because these are limits that we should all set in our lives that not only protect us from unhappiness but also ensure that we stay on our road to what will ultimately make us happy. So, today I challenge you to take a closer look at your life & ensure that you are not placing unrealistic expectations on those you LOVE. You would not want to waste any of the limited time that you are given in this life on being unhappy or upset unnessarily. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

A Laugh

To stay in line with the theme of my blog...today a little joke.

One Sunday, a bible study teacher asked her students if they know why they should be quiet in church. A couple of kids raised their hands. The teacher called on a young boy Johnny first.

Johnny answered, "so you can hear the lord answer the prayers."
The teacher replied, "well, that is one good reason," & then she called on the little girl who had raised her hand. "Why do you think you should be quiet in church she repeated to Julie."

The little girl Julie replied excitedly, "so you don't wake the old people that are sleeping!"

Hope you have a wonderful day!!! Peace, Love, & Happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Which way the Wind blows...

Yesterday, while I was running, it was very windy & I noticed a girls hair blowing in the wind. Her hair was straight, beautiful golden brown color, & probably just past her shoulders. The wind was blowing so hard that her hair was horizontal & whipping in the wind. As I continued on my run, I saw another girl with hair that was to the nape of her neck, straight, & dark. Her hair was not as affected by the wind.

I continued on thinking about how the wind affected those girls hair differently. This reminded me of the differences in many of us & how we react to the world around us. Some people live very freely & things around them often affect their actions. Others live a more structured life, going through motions, & things that happen around them don't affect them as much. Is one way a better way to live?

Many times people from both groups want to be more like the other. I can't say that one way is better than the other, but sometimes people get into patterns that are not in line with the way they feel in their hearts. They act "how they perceive they should," following the norm & keeping in line with the Jone's. If this is not in line with how they really feel in their heart, they will become unhappy & begin to act out while they are trying to get their life into the right balance. I believe that people need to constantly reflect on their life & the direction they are going & make sure that it matches the direction that they REALLY want to go.

Today, I just challenge you to take a look at your life & ensure that you are not following a pattern just because they feel like it is "what someone their age" should do. Your life is exactly that "Your Life" & I believe that you deserve to be happy. I wish you all Peace, Love, & Happiness in everything you do.

Bless You,
Thomas

Puddle, River, of just a Drop

I have talked about water before & about how it ties so deeply into our lives. I was reminded about it again today as I ran. The water I saw running along the roadside reminded me of the way that we can easily fall into the many different streams of thinking & action we see & experience around us. While some can be very good & rewarding, others can be very bad.

As I continued to run, the puddles reminded me of the way that we can become stagnant while also making me think of the peacefulness of solitude. At first, I did not notice how perfect this combination was & how common it is in life. While becoming stagnant is something negative, almost all of us have a desire for peace that can be found in solitude & stagnancy. All of this said, these ways we are like the drops of water that come together can be negative & we should always be careful how much we get pulled into the streams & puddles of life.

On the other hand there are some drops that don't make it into these puddles or streams. These drops could feed the plants, fall on you or I, or could create a puddle of its own. The difference is that they fall just outside the others & make a mark that is a little different than the others. Sometimes they may create something that is great or could do great harm, just like people in life that land just outside the fray.

These many different ways that water collects & in essence reflect the different ways that we as humans can chose to develop. We can chose to follow one of the many different streams, become stagnant, or we can create our own direction. There is no one right answer, but one thing is true for all of these. All of these roads have obstacles & we must be careful on whichever road we chose. I challenge you to take a step back from your life today & evaluate where you are, where you want to be, & take steps to getting on the road you want to be on. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to all of you

Bless You!
Thomas

Laughter

Today, the thing that is on my mind is Laughter. It is one of the worst things to lose & best to have. Genuine laughter reflects the fact that someone is truly happy inside & out. It is even catching to others. I absolutely LOVE to laugh.

I have a great friend that owns a 501 c3 company called Comedy Care. He has done extensive studies on the effects of comedy & laughter have on people. It is proven that laughter has a positive effect on people & on their health, because it helps work your body & releases chemicals that promote good health. If you have any doubts, you should definitely look into it.

Above all of the benefits, laughter is fun to be involved in or even just to see. There is nothing better than seeing a smile on another persons face. You can easily tell a real smile because you can see the other person's eyes light up & they give off an energy that spreads happiness through the whole room. So, today I challenge you to find something funny or happy that can make you laugh, & not just a tiny giggle but a real hard uncontrollable laugh. Peace, Love, & Happiness to all of you!!!

I hope you have an Amazing day!!!
Thomas

Seasons

As the season's change, they bring new weather. They also bring new experiences, friendships, & challenges. I am excited to see the many changes that happen, some standard & others coming as somewhat of a surprise. Like in spring welcoming new life in plants, animals, in to many families. I always smile when I see a mother-to-be, knowing that she will soon be welcoming a new life into the world.

Although I am not at the point in my life where I want children of my own, I thoroughly enjoy children. I can't express in words the great energy & happiness they can bring to your life. I also strongly believe that children are the most deserving of help. I volunteer at the local children's hospital in my town & it is one of the best experiences I have ever experienced. It is amazing to be able to bring a smile to a baby or small child's face !

So, during this changing season I challenge you to take a look at the many changes happening in your life & take time to celebrate them. Although the meaning of changes may not be instantly known to you, you can rest easy in the fact that when you have God first in your life even if these changes seem hard they will happen in perfect timing. Sometimes to bring you the reward you deserve it takes major changes & the size of your reward always exceeds the challenges you have to face. Peace, LOVE, & Happiness to all of you!!!

Bless You!
Thomas

Honesty

Honesty...Merriam-Webster defines it as "fairness and straightforwardness of conduct." Sounds simple right? Basically just tell the truth... Many people find this hard to do for what would seem like an endless list of excuses. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand that there are times when it may be best to watch what you say & how you say it & I am sure I have stretched the truth. I felt compelled to write about this because I see this as a slippery slope.

If you begin to candy coat things & not be honest, it can easily become part of you. I see this spread through the American culture leading to things like divorce, depression, & in severe cases even suicide. How do I come to the conclusion that some of this is caused by dishonesty? My reasoning comes back to the fact that being dishonest is a slippery slope issue. The dishonesty can become something you do so often that it actually become part of your reality. In essence, you live out your lies & forget what the truth is until something shakes you & makes you realize that you don't have what you want & aren't where you wanted to be.

These situations make me sad to think about. I believe that everyone deserves to be happy, while on the other hand I can understand because I can imagine how many people were hurt by the dishonesty. If you let dishonesty in, you run the risk of being a person that is constantly "trying to find themselves." Today I challenge you to take an honest look at yourself & the way you are living & make sure that you are being honest. Peace, LOVE, & happiness to you all!!!

Bless You!
Thomas