Just a Touch

It's amazing what we can accomplish when we stand in Love and speak Truth.

There are so many differing viewpoints, but there is also so much misinformation. People are easily offended when criticized, and addressing an issue which might result in conflict is an uncomfortable task. Do it anyway. Stand in Love. Say what you have to say. 

We are not perfect. We are sometimes misinformed. Sometimes we will be corrected and it might sting. Sometimes we need to correct others. When that happens, try not to make it sting.

I heard some very misleading statements from a trusted source and was not looking forward to the call I had to make. I knew they had good intentions. They just really missed the mark. The issue itself was one that offends me personally, but I had to put that aside and speak objectively. I made my position known but I did not speak with anger or outrage. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. They agreed with me! 

It doesn't always work out this way, but when it does... it refreshes the Spirit. 

We all have so much work to do. A little patience can go a long way and we need that. We need to be able to take each other's hand and work together - especially when we realize we are on the same side.

With Love,

T

Strength of Character

It takes a TRULY WEAK man to put others in danger in order to satisfy his own personal needs.

Think.

About.

That.

Then vote.

And don't DARE have the nerve or enough stupidity to tell me that you are voting for him because of your "morals." There comes a time when you have to grow up. This is not a TV show. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. Here. In the United States. 

STRENGTH is when someone charged with the health and well being of the citizenship of an entire country actually takes responsibility for them and places their needs above their own. STRENGTH is Love, and Love is not selfish. STRENGTH is NOT what we witnessed today (Monday, October 5th, 2020) during the entire broadcast of what is normally the national news. That was a clear effort to fool people and dominate the media. What we have seen, and continue to see from the man we call President, is NOTHING but weakness. 

To people who know the True Strength and Power of Love - stay strong. Love is going to win. Love always wins. Amen.

Love,

T

Conversations

This is no time to stay inside a comfort zone.

Time to take a long hard look at ourselves - because we are supposed to take the log out of our own eye before addressing the speck in our friend's.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Matthew 7:3-5

The truth is we can do better. 

Conversations that are long overdue are now taking place. Will we say something stupid? (Probably.) Will we give another person the opportunity to judge us? (YES!) Are we experts on a subject before we start to open our mouths? (Not usually.) Would we pounce on someone else's lack of expertise if they got something incorrect? (Just nod your head yes here and wonder when I'm going to shut up because I already made this point.) 

Alright. But we have to be committed enough to walk this path anyway. We have the ability to change our own minds. We have the ability to learn. We can reject our own habitual responses and grow into something new and better.

We are about to change the world.

We are going to be more kind toward each other. We are going to be more understanding. We are going to listen and learn. We are going to take that one extra step. We're going to unearth a new level of truth within. Someone will reach out a hand when we stumble and we'll do the same for another. We are going to be courageous together. We are going to build.

"Justice never comes when you only do what's comfortable and convenient. Change never comes, oppression never ends, equality never prevails. You have to be willing to raise the issues, to challenge the systems that don't educate people about the history honestly."

- Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative

"We have been practicing silence about our history for a very long time. In this country we don't talk about slavery, we don't talk about lynching, we don't talk about segregation. We have a hard time talking about race and it has burdened us. We don't think it's odd that we don't talk about this history. We actually think it's odd when somebody tries to talk about it. We react to the effort of trying to talk about it as if THAT's the threat, not our continued silence."

- Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative

Blessed week.

Love,
T

More to learn (There's ALWAYS more to learn):

Click here for The Equal Justice Initiative

Click here for NationalGeographic.com's article: 'It was a modern-day lynching': Violent deaths reflect a brutal American legacy

We need to talk about Injustice - Bryan Stevenson

Moral Fiber

Life Lesson this week:

Moral fiber can't always be found in the traditional places.

Note to Self:

But it CAN be found. Look for it in everyday people, places and things. Look for it within yourself.

In the drama of our lives, we often cast a "hero" where one doesn't actually belong. People we expect to be role models often let us down. It can be very disappointing when a role we historically cast one certain way, is revealed to be only a myth of our own making. We create expectations for athletes, celebrities, police officers, judges, politicians, parents, loved ones, etc. - then they don't behave the way we imagine they should. If we're going to be honest about it, we disappoint ourselves sometimes too.

Sometimes things are so scary...

we don't even want to look.

#DigDeep and then #DigDeeper.

Keep on loving. Ease up on the blaming of others for our own perceived shortcomings. Carry on and expand the love... watch it grow. #FocusOnTheLove

As darkness literally descends on us this week (via solar eclipse), let us emerge and shine brilliantly from all the lessons learned. We go through. We uncover truths. We live. We learn. We grow.

Namaste,
T

#EmergentTruth

Life is flying right by me. I don't EVER have a lot of time. I'm lucky if I can just keep up, but last week was Earth day and one post caught my eye:

I keep thinking that if someone wants to discourage you from finding the truth, you have to question their motives. #EyesWideOpen

This week, I reaffirm my intention to seek truth - in all matters.

Namaste,

T

Click here for earthday.org

A Little Faith

I went to church twice last week. Once for a funeral, and once for Sunday mass.

Richard Joyner, or "Tricky" as we called him, was a good, kind man. He was a talented musician, singer, sound engineer, and friend. He was always helping others - he just lived his life that way. He helped me get my demo ready when I first moved to the NYC area, and he encouraged me greatly. He will always be remembered for his talent and kind heart.

The Buffalo News - Notice for Richard G. Joyner

The minister spoke about Tricky's character. She spoke about faith. The songs were beautiful, the memories shared by his family touching, the message inspirational. I can't possibly do the sermon justice here... but we were all reminded how truly special it is to be someone who likes to help others - as Tricky was. She talked about how we all leave this world eventually, when our sacred assignments here are complete, and how in times of sadness we need to keep praying. I thought that Tricky would probably want to comfort anyone who was sad, and that he wouldn't want us to stay that way. Of course there is a grieving process - especially for those experiencing the unexpected loss of someone close. Tricky would understand that. Of course he would do whatever he could to let his loved ones know that he is ok, and that he loves them dearly. Of course it's hard to believe that in your heart when you are hurting from the loss of his presence.

On Sunday, I went to mass. The message there was all about faith too. It was interesting how the two sermons echoed each other - even though they were different churches, different religions, with different stories and hundreds of miles away from each other. The priest told a story of a dog named Luna who was lost at sea and presumed dead after an extensive search. After five weeks, she turned up unharmed at a Naval base two miles from where she was last seen. Her owner was overjoyed, having not known all that time that she was alright. The fact that Luna was okay, even when she couldn't be seen, reminded me of how I felt at Tricky's service... that he was alright even though we could not see him.

"Lost at Sea..." npr.org

The priest also spoke of helping others. The church has a program to help feed needy families. We were reminded that some families are in desperate need. One family had told the priest that despite having recently lost their home, that they would be okay and did not need groceries delivered. The priest had them delivered them anyway and they called him in tears, overwhelmed with gratitude that the children had nutritious cereal to eat that week.

We don't always see the whole picture. We don't have to. We just need to try to hold on to our faith. When we feel it slipping, we can ask for help. We can lean on others. Eventually, we'll get to a place of gratitude. We will get there. Eventually, we can turn our minds toward the Blessings that we have - and help others as best we can.

Prayers for all those in need... be it need of comfort, of a friend, of a kind ear to just listen, and for those in need of basic necessities. Prayers of gratitude for all that we do have, and for the strength and will to help others however we can.

"Help Me Believe" - Kirk Franklin:

Namaste,
T

Muck It Up

Russ and I were talking about life… (and doing taxes).

In self-reflection, we started examining whether or not we were "reconciled within ourselves" – in other words, are the choices we make reflective of the reality we are trying to create? If not, why? What are some of the ways we are holding ourselves back? In what ways are we complacent? Why might we sometimes stay in a comfort zone instead of pushing forward? What could we do differently, that might bring change for the better?

These are really tough questions. In order to answer, we have to journey into ourselves and seek the truth. We are going to need boots.  :)

We have to have the gumption to travel through our own muck. Sometimes moving ahead in life means moving ahead in our own thoughts first. Maybe we have to dismantle some old, outdated shadow belief before we can move on. We might start believing in ourselves a little more in order to take that one leap of faith that would make all the difference. We might stop making excuses and take one step, one action that moves us closer to our dreams. We might make a healthy meal choice instead of saying we didn’t have time to eat right. We might do the RIGHT thing instead of the EASY thing and feel so good about it that we set off a chain reaction in ourselves and steer ourselves in a new direction.

"To everything there is a season..."

- Ecclesiastes 3:1

As the weather turns and I am forced to admit what I had been trying to deny (that winter is coming), I’ll try to apply the principle to other areas as well. Like they say at the gym, sometimes we have to deconstruct a little to rebuild stronger and better.

Here’s bidding us all safe passage through the muck! Here’s to evolving and constantly improving ourselves. I can do it. I have boots. (I’m thinking I could use a new raincoat too… #BringItOn)

:)

Namaste!

T

xoxo

Photos by C.T.

The Gray Area

"Throughout history, 
it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; 

the indifference of those who should have known better; 

the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; 

that has made it possible for evil to triumph." - Haile Selassie

I believe there exists in all of us a deep-seated spark that motivates us to act - or not act. It is uniquely our own. It is part of our journey through life that we confront the forces within that speak to us, and that we learn to listen and understand our own motivations in order to improve ourselves - and the world.

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, 

a quickening that is translated through you into action, 

and because there is only one you in all of time, this expression is unique. 

And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. 

The world will not have it..." - Martha Graham 

(This quote appears in the booklet of my album)

We all have our own unique passions, fears, desires, and experiences that drive us to do what we do. What specifically motivates us into action can be deeply personal. We are responsible for our own actions and our motives are for us to examine. We push our own selves to new levels as we hold ourselves accountable and to higher standards of truth, integrity and honor.

Whether we realize it consciously or not, we know the truths in our own heart as God does. Do we accuse others of hate with hate in our own hearts? If we "hate" another for "hating" - we still hate. Do we taint our own causes by contaminating them with our own personal objectives? Do they become vehicles for our personal anger or need for approval, or do they become agendas for some reason less honorable than genuine commitment, purpose and love? It is only for us to answer.

"You can see the speck in your friend's eye. 

But you don’t notice the log in your own eye. 

How can you say, 'My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye,' 

when you don’t see the log in your own eye? 

You show-offs! First, get the log out of your own eye. 

Then you can see how to take the speck out of your friend’s eye." – Luke 6:41-42

I believe there exists inside each of us - a gray area. A place we have not yet clearly seen. A truth we have not yet completely uncovered. As we all flounder along trying to do the best we can, I hope and pray that we will each be informed enough to actively excavate a little more of ourselves so that we can move ourselves forward, progress in some way that is uniquely our own - toward a better self and a better world by extension.

The death of Freddie Gray and the events in Baltimore last week have inspired some amazing tests and testaments of courage, strength, faith, action, leadership and community. I've been moved to great sorrow and tears by tragic injustice and burning anger - and also to great pride as exquisite leadership and inspiring forces stepped up to the plate with unparalleled passion and conviction to overpower hate with love, prayer, and God.

"Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation." - Oscar Wilde

"What you are must always displease you, 

if you would attain to that which you are not." - Saint Augustine

As the days, weeks, and even years relentlessly march on and we continue to face underlying issues surrounding these events and more... may we respect and honor ourselves and each other by shining some light on our own understanding and move ourselves to act, in our own unique ways, to better ourselves, our global family and the world we live in.

With deepest love and respect,

Namaste.

T