When Constructive Criticism is Good....

Have you ever had a time when you asked for constructive criticism, thinking that anything you hear you can take in objectively?

Yah!

Sometimes, when I thought I could be objective, fairly and wisely take in what others say about me and work toward my own good, my ego gets in the way.

"How could he say that!" and "Well, look who that's coming from!" and "Well you don't have to be mean about it!"

Why does the ego go into it's angry dog routine. I mean I asked for the criticism. Really. At least I think I did.

But at those times did I truly ask for it or did part of me think that the other person would say something like, "Oh you don't really do that. You're fine. You're perfect (what our ego wants to hear)"

It is much better when that constructive criticism comes from someone we respect and trust. It is a little better then. When it comes from a stranger, I just know that this is one of those times when my kindness and patience can grow. (Really I need my kindness and patience to grow!)

The Secret to Joy....

"The secret to joy is to be unconditionally kind to every living thing in your life (including yourself)."
- Author Unknown

When I came across this I did not know how to take this statement. Joy is something that I would like to feel so much more in my life. How does being unconditionally kind lead to joy. Not that I have anything against being unconditionally kind. But how exactly does that lead to joy?

When I really thought about it, it started to make a kind of sense. If I have kindness to every living thing, if I an disciplined enough to be kind unfailingly and in all situations what happens?

By being unfailing in my kindness to others, the world starts changing. My perceptions of those people or things begin to change. I see people as more kind. For others, if I am unfailingly kind, people will believe that there is something in them that fosters kindness. That there is something kind within themselves. Thus the level of kindness increases exponentially.

With people focusing on kindness, energy no longer has to be diverted to arguing, defensiveness, conflict, doubt, fear, or anxiety. Therefore, our natural state of joy (like some younger children have) is energized.

The world's greatest need and your greatest passion!

Okay. I am going to be a bit serious in this post.

Years ago a vocational counselor gave me a test to see in which fields of work I would be most suited. It invariably came up with scientist, lawyer, politician. I am not kidding. The highest indicator was clerical. Yes! That was the last straw. I could not picture myself taking care of an office, filing, answering phones, no no no. This test was bogus.

If you are thinking that I was an idiot, you are correct. Clerical in this test did not mean clerical work as done by a clerk or administrator or secretary. Clerical meant of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy.

I didn't realize that until years and years later when I took another vocational aptitude test and guess what the highest indicator turned out to be? Clerical, counseling, ministry.

The person who gave the test said that to find your vocation you find your greatest passion. Then you look for the world's greatest need. Somewhere, your passion and a need will line up. That is your vocation.

Now this is a bit difficult. My greatest passion was being a camp counselor. The world's greatest need was bringing an end to physical, mental and spiritual suffering through the trans-formative power of love and service.

How do they fit together?

Can I be a camp counselor for the world? Not many people would feel comfortable stuck in a cabin somewhere, having to do kitchen duty, maintenance, or other improvement tasks while forgoing their air conditioning, Ipods, cell phones, and blackberrys. They may like the hiking, canoeing, story telling, group building exercises, sing-a-longs, and snuggling by a fire (purely platonic I assure you!).

No I don't have an answer to this yet. I am sure if you looked at your greatest passion and the world's greatest need the intersection would be something interesting with no doubt.

I just know that I want to live my passion. Figuring that out is my current passion.

Word Combinations

Isn't it interesting that some words, when combined together, go beyond what either word means.

For example:

now - at the present moment

and

then - in the past or the future

combined

"now then" - which is sort of like, give me your attention, or be aware of the present moment.

See how it works.

There are some truly wonderful word combinations.

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"Loving-kindness" - tender kindness motivated by or expressing affection.

Not only loving but kind. Not only the presence of both but some hybrid of tenderness and affection.

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"Wonderful" - Capable of eliciting wonder; astonishing. Full of wonder.

Something so great that the wonder of the moment fills one up.

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In addition, there are combinations of words that are not joined but form phrases of surpassing descriptiveness.

"Wonderfully Lovely"

"Scrumptiously sweet"

"Surpassing Beauty."

"Intoxicating presence"

"Gossamer touch"

"Soothing cool"

"Refreshing spirit"

How wonderful is this thing we call language. A tool by which we can combine words to express the uttermost of emotion, thought or deed.

Good Jokes....Good Health!

Humor has been shown to be very beneficial. Hormones are released that help repair cellular damage, boost the immune system, and serotonin increases giving us that euphoric lift.

That is great, but.....

Humor is good for stress as well. Anytime out minds can be broken out of their cycles of negative or destructive thinking it gives the body and mind a chance to heal.

Humor is good for mending relationships. Sometimes there is a topic or area that is so painful that it causes more conflict and pain in a relationship. We always know that there is healing going on when we can laugh about it, even in the least amount.

Humor is good for your spiritual growth. Sometimes our concept of God, Allah, Yahweh, or the several other names of God, is rigid, paternalistic, monarchist, removed and somewhat cold. In my experience, the people who see that God has a sense of humor and can see the absurd in their own beliefs are so much more accepting and loving of other people.

Humor is good for social bonding. Nothing bonds us together better than groaning over the same bad bad joke. Laughing uproariously makes us the most human, levels the playing field, shares a common human condition, joy.

Humor is good for the soul. Anything that brings joy into one's life builds up the soul, the spirit. I don't know if there is a saint of laughter or good jokes, but there should be!

Humor is the release of built up mental tensions in an explosive or rhythmic release of sound. How much is contained in that little definition.

Have a laugh.

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
-- Margaret Mead

I am a fan of Monty Python. In one of the films, Life of Brian, there is a scene where all the followers of Brian show up in front of his house. He goes to speak to them and says, "You are all individuals!" and they respond in unison, "Yes, we are all individuals!" and then one man in the front mumbles, "I'm not."

We all want to feel unique. We want to stand out in a crowd. Crack the funniest jokes. Be the most intelligent. Tell the best stories. Have eclectic and exotic tastes. Be different.

However, in an attempt to be different we remove ourselves from other people. If they cannot relate to us, it is our loss.

My hero was Spock when I was young. In the attempt to be smart, logical, level-headed, intelligent, and well-read, I became a geek. Let me tell you. In high school you do not want to be a geek. I was on the fringes. Somewhat of an outcast.

So being the geek I was I was determined to be even more different. I would talk about obscure or esoteric stuff. People would just give me strange looks.

It is okay to try to be unique, but don't be so unique that you are too different from anyone else. Then you will only be unique and lonely!

“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”

“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.” -Lao Tzu

In a recent interview, Goldie Hawn was talking about a time when a song was playing on the radio and she got so excited that she stopped her car, got out and started dancing. The man behind her got out and started dancing too.

This is joy! This is having the music of the soul being heard by the universe.

Can you imagine having the joy it takes to abandon yourself to it. To sing, to dance, to create, to display that joy to the world, never being self-conscious, never giving it a second thought.

I have met a few people like this. There was an older man who looked like he was full of joy. When he smiled, all his wrinkles lined up. There were deep wrinkles that could only have been caused by smiling for hundreds of hours. It was almost impossible to not feel joy in his presence.

I knew a fantastic singer. Her voice could still a thunderstorm. It almost sounded like there were several people singing when she sang. Haunting, effortless, Sylvan sounds. No one could hear her without being affected.

I desire to have more of these kind of people in my life. To listen to the music of souls.

Aikido and the Emotions

Aikido is a process. It is actually absorbing the force, the violence, the poison from another's attack and responding with gentleness and respect (i.e. a willow bending under the force of a gale while an oak is uprooted by the same gale).

I know nothing of martial arts. However, in this school of thought, Aikido seems more of a life philosophy rather than a method of physical defense (though I am sure it is both).

What happens when we are attacked? Whether in word or by physical action, the body pumps out adrenaline, the muscles tense, the breath increases, the body temperature sometimes goes up. Now, a little quip or insult may only have a small effect like this, but if we feel attacked in any way the body responds. With training the body's response can be overridden (or so I have been told).

What about the emotions?

My first response to pain of any kind is to fight or flight. But I have realized that it is a choice. Pain is pain. Words hurt. Life cannot be lived without experiencing some pain. My only control is over how I respond to that pain.

I find it easier to respond with gentleness and respect, patience and kindness if I know a little about the other person. Perhaps they are under a lot of pressure. Some are just angry; a slow simmering rage just below the surface. A lot of times, fear of being rejected or being judged makes them reject or judge first. Throughout my life I have done all these things. I can put myself in the other person's shoes. It stops the cycle of fight or flight.

I am not saying that I am some master guru of Aikido. No no. I have to really be aware of how I deal with someone else attacking me. I can fight. I can leave. I can also be patient and gentle and loving.

Writing....Never Read what you Wrote...

I have dabbled with the whole writing thing for a while now. It is not that I don't have anything to write about, it is that as soon as I get something on paper I then go back and re-read it.

DON'T re-read!

Every single time I look over what I have just read I think that is it a bunch of garbage (you can fill in your own expletives here if you wish.)

"How could a paragraph be written more badly!" "Why in the world would anyone care about this character. He is shallow and vapid." "I use more pronouns than can be counted by mere mortals." and "Don't you just love my dangling participles and violent run-on sentences" and so on.

The problem is, is that I write like I think. Sometimes it is in small staccato sentences, terse and to the point. Other times I think in long-winded, please put me out of my misery thoughts that never end. I need to find some kind of balance. In both my thinking and in my writing.

Oh well.

I know there are real good writers out there. Here are some titles of books that I will never (probably never) write in my life. Perhaps you can make something out of them.

"A Place in my Heart.....A Space in my Mind"

I see this as a romance; perhaps between an intellectual without much emotional experience and a vibrant artistic person, perhaps a sculptor.

"His other name was Susan"

Something like a writer who has taken on an alias for writing, making up a fake bio and life story to support his books, but then finds a woman who matches his alias exactly, and love enfolds.

"The Loud Silence: The Cacophony of Whispers"

A novel about living in a small town, and the power of rumors. Some turnabout in the novel would be when the main characters start learning how to use rumor to heal rather than hurt.

Feel free to write a book on any of them.

I was a Swinger in Kindergarten

When I was in Kindergarten, I used to love to swing. Recess would come up and Mary-ann, Margaret and myself would race to the last three swings. I would be in the middle and they on either side. We would swing!

Not only that, we would sing and swing. Anything at all would come into out heads. Nursery-rhymes, counting songs, little ditties that we would make up, Wizard of Oz, things from Sesame Street, you name it.

The one time I was a little late outside, some other boy took my place between the girls. I stayed right by the swing, and the moment he left it, there I was again.

I even made up a song to sing to the girls:

Beyond the Waterfall
All my dreams become reality
All my wishes come true
For you and me

Yes, I was a romantic even then. From Kindergarten to Third Grade, I was a swinger.

Sometimes when you are sleepy...

This happened to be one of those days that I was soooooo tired that I had trouble walking upright. You know....the sand behind the eyes, the lack of balance, the dull headache. Good stuff.

Always when I am this tired I have a tendency to be a little impatient with people and situations. I try to monitor my own behavior so that I don't act like a total beast. Today it was a bit different. I found that I was pleasantly peaceful. I had more patience than I though I had.

I hope this was more than an accident. A one time thing. I would hope that I am changing in such a way that even at my most tired, I am a nicer person. We'll see.

Many people seem to put their best face forward when working with and around people. I have known several people with whom I have worked that the first couple months they were great. They went out of their way to communicate, worked diligently, and were great co-workers. Then a "bad" day would come up and things changed. The communication was gone, the world (including me) was getting on their last nerve, the work suffered.

If this happened occasionally, it was no big deal. They just had a "bad" day. However, for some people they had chronic stretches of "bad" days. The honeymoon period was over. This was the real Mccoy.

It makes me wonder if I came across that way to people whom I worked with? Was I great the first couple weeks and then was a jerk? It is hard to tell. I am so much more aware now that when I am not feeling my best, to be aware if those bad qualities come out. I hope not.

Needy much?

I have been both a needy hanger-on and the person who has had a needy hanger-on. Either way, it is something I think a lot of people have experienced.

Have you ever had a friend or acquaintance that shows up at inappropriate times and places,
want s to go with you on your errands or just wants to hang out at your place for a while?

Always, you can tell that they really are in need of people, yet they give off that air of neediness and clinging that makes you want to not spend time with them. Sometimes I have given in and invited them in, started a conversation, hinted after an hour that I had other things to do, hinted even more twenty minutes later that really I had other things to do, and finally made up some errand that I needed to run and would they mind leaving.

I have also been that person. I remember times that friends of mine had that expression on their face when I showed up at the door of "Oh no....it's him again!" I remember the rationalizations and excuses as to why I couldn't stay over. I was so dense back then!

What do we do?

I have been honest once. I pointed out that needing people in your life is normal. Nobody wants to be alone at times. However, by intruding on people, being clingy or needy will do more to turn people off than anything else. It is not enough to satisfy your desire for companionship if you are creating an atmosphere of reserved tolerance, or even regret every time you visit. I tried to share that sometimes, changing your thoughts from "how can I stop being alone?" to "how can I be welcoming, kind, considerate and the friend to another that I want for myself?" Start by being a friend. Act toward others as you would have them act toward you. Give them the choice to be busy, to say no, to not spend time with you. Be patient with yourself.

But who knows. I am still telling myself these things and sometimes I still recognize myself as needy. A work in progress.

Bumperstickers and T-Shirts - They Serve a Purpose

Just for fun I thought I would share some of the slogans from T-shirts and Bumper stickers.

"I intend to live forever.... so far, so good."

"42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot"

"It's bad luck to be superstitious"

"Love is grand. Divorce is twenty grand."

"A clear conscience is usually a sign of bad memory"

Most of these make me at least smile. Sometimes I am in a gloomy or bad mood and when I see a t-shirt or bumper sticker like those above it shakes me out of my thoughts and brightens my mood.

"Bumper Stickers are the poor man's cognitive therapy" (No this is not a bumper sticker!)

Sometimes we need to break out of our thinking. Jokes, anecdotes, slogans, and nonsense are so much cheaper than psychiatrists, psychologists and the like.

Here are some saying that I would like to see on t-shirts and bumper-stickers.
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"I am proud that I am so humble"

"I'm afraid I've finally conquered my fears!"

"I am very decisive....I think?"

"I see beauty everywhere, except in ugly people!"

"Warms hands mean....faulty gloves!"

"I am so great...I've finally gotten rid of my Ego."

"I don't need any money....people just need my money!"


Hope these gave you a chuckle, or at least gave you pause.

Peacemakers

I just got back from a presentation by a wonderful woman Rajalakshmi Ratan (not sure about that spelling) who had just come back from trying to spread peace between the Jews and Palestinians in Gaza.

Her hope in going was to engage them in their similarities. That the same spirit of God dwells within both Jew and Muslim. Their quarrels, skirmishes, fights and wars that have been going on for centuries have hindered their spiritual growth. She tries to get them to reconnect with their spirit inside; reinforcing the path of loving one another, growing in their respective faiths and treating their neighbor with the love of God , or Allah.

I was impressed because this 61 year old Indian woman had the determination of a bulldog, the humor of Bill Cosby, the peace of Ghandi, and the street smarts of an inner-city youth.

I was enthralled by her stories, especially those in which God used humor in her own life to teach her the lessons she needed to learn.

I can only say that if there were more peacemakers in the world it would be a very different place.

Sometimes, It's All A Matter of Not Saying Anything.

How many times have you been going through an absolutely awful period of your life. Something happened and it seems that there is no way out of the trouble. Laid off. Relocated. An injury to yourself or family, a car accident, major damage to your home, a flood, a tornado.

At these moments it seems that everyone has advice for us. "Everything will be okay!" or "It will work out for the best!" or "There is always a silver lining!" or even "You will be stronger for this!"

I know everyone means good when they say these things, but after a while they all start sounding trite and a little empty. Platitudes.

Sometimes, an open ear, a friend who will listen, a shared moment of silent comfort is better than trying to share your wisdom, or cast the situation in the best light.

It only takes someone to know that you are there for them, not to solve the problem or to even comfort them or tell them that everything will be alright. It may not be. Someone who takes the time to just be available, to just listen, to just care.

Sometimes loving someone is a matter of not saying anything at all.

Headphones are Great

I just tried listening to music using full sized headphones. It was so different.

There are parts of the music that I just couldn't hear. Now everything sounds so much better.

I found myself singing to the music. Why, because I couldn't hear myself sing. It is so good to sing and not think how terrible your voice is.

However, my two cats made their objection known in no uncertain terms.

It made me wonder how much more fun we as adults could have if we only didn't care what we sounded like or looked like.

Could you imagine getting home from work, and just playing touch football without changing your clothes. How about working on that favorite "classic" car and not caring about getting dirty. Even singing along to your Ipod while mowing, not caring in the least if the neighboors think you have the voice of a rusty gate in need of some WD-40.

How about dancing. I know for sure that I am not a good dancer. In fact, I am horrible. My little convulsions on the dance floor are more akin to some mummy arising from the grave than "feeling the beat". I don't even know what feeling the beat means!

How great if we weren't self-conscious about these little things and did them anyway.

Anyone have Headphones for the chronically self-conscious?

Job Satisfaction

I have noticed something lately. It seems that when people describe their jobs or what they do, it is mostly in terms of "paying the bills" or "what else could I do with a marketing degree" or "it's a living." Very few actually light up when describing their jobs.

For those that are passionate, there is an underlying theme. Creation. Creativity.

I talked with a woman who is into Sports Branding. She was talking about getting the campaigns out, creating a name for the players, softening or hardening a public perception about the sports star in question. She was very excited. She used the word "possibilities" and "creativity" and "giving a name or brand a life that it never had before."

A programmer friend of mine gets so excited talking about code. Computer code. When he can make it do. The games he can build. "You know that game....That ocean is mine. I created it. The wave effects and everything."

A teacher who works with special needs children spoke of the hardships, and difficulties. When she actually talked about working with an autistic boy, the last day of the school year, the boy hugged her. Her eyes were glistening, and joy was coming off of her in waves. "I never thought I ever got through to him. But something is there now, a bond. It's not much, but at the same time it is everything."

There are several others. The underlying thread is that these people either participated in or were witness to a new thing being born, a new creation.

A time in an airport

I haven't flown for 12 years. Yep. I am one of those.

Recently I flew to see a very good friend of mine. I was expecting the very worst at the airport. I followed all the signs. One of which said to step behind this red line. I did this. A security officer asked my why I was standing there. I pointed to the sign. He said that the line was only for people pulled over for further body scan and search. "Do you want to have an advanced inspection of your person?" he asked. I answered no. He pointed me to the correct line.

Another thing that happened is that my hotel lost power along with a large section of the city in which I stayed. I went to the airport five hours early because at least they had power, air conditioning, food, etc. When I arrived I told the Continental rep that I was here to get boarding passes but that she could take care of others first if she wished, because I was in no hurry. She not only found me an earlier flight but waived the $50 fee. It was so nice.

I found a lot of people, if I approached them in a calm and friendly way, with a smile on my face that they really responded. I think a lot of people working for the airlines just don't get that many people smiling at them.

I met a lady on one of the flights and we talked a bit about life, faith, etc. When I left the plane, and was loathe to walk the 1 1/2 miles to my next gate, here I heard a honk behind me, and there is Dorthy with one of the people carts. "Steve, come on aboard and keep my company" she said. So I got to travel in style for at least a mile before walking again.

The delays, I used for meditation. I just took the time, laid down on the floor, and focused on my breathing. The time just seemed to fly.

I don't know why I was so worried about flying and airports.

The Me Me Me Syndrome

"I love me...I Love me....Narcissistic Personality..." (sung to Barney's song)

A great friend of mine pointed out recently that I talk about how things affect me, the work I do, the people with whom I talk, the good deed (well, some of them) that I do. That my stories were not about the people I met, or friends reconnecting but were about how I felt, how I thought, me me me.

It made me think quite a bit.

Some people serve others quietly and some anonymously. They describe their day in terms of the people they have met, the relationships they have, the events but with keeping the focus on the facts or on the other people and not on themselves. I really need to work on this.

I am excited to be experiencing all that I am experiencing. I want to share it with everyone. My joy. My energy. However, dedicating myself to serving others means my ego has to start deflating a bit. How things affect me should start becoming how things affect (help) others.

I have a passion for myself, my growth. Pray that I develop a stronger one for other people's passion, lives, growth, joy, experience.

And I realize.....this post is still all about me.

Change will come.....

Rebuilding Bridges

How do you rebuild bridges?

How do you mend relationships?

Recently I have found that some of my relationships need mending. For a long time I was okay with them being fractured. Let's face it, sometimes I just stopped feeling that the relationship was even worth trying to repair. Or I didn't want to go through the possible conflict, fights, or misunderstanding that sometimes happens when trying to rebuild those bridges.

How do you start talking about the disappointments, or apathy, or resentments that I had toward these people or their feelings toward me. I do not like conflict. I avoid it when I can, so relationships suffer.

People have told me to be honest with how I feel. Be specific that the reason I am telling people these things is to reconnect with them, to clear the air. It sounds very difficult.

The best case scenario is that the other person would realize that I am trying, I am sincere in wanting to reconnect. The worst....That I am further misunderstood, and that they feel further removed from me.

I hope that by being honest about the things that I am missing from not having a richer relationship with them, the lack of understanding what a great person they are, the admiration I have for some of the things that they have done, will be a way I can start the process. To admit my faults (of which there are quite a few) and to love them regardless of what response I get back. To value them.

Yes....I think that may be a good beginning.

Fairly Tails

Why do Fairy Tales so delight us when we were young? As adults they seem to fabulous to be true, yet how many successful Hollywood movies have been based around some fairy tale concept or another. Something in us still likes to see these fairy tales played out.

Take the one about the damsel in distress. She is locked in a tower, or surrounded by wicked stepsisters, or is lost and alone, or has fallen into a deep sleep. Here comes the prince and with a kiss, with a sword, with his voice, with his love sets her free.

Love frees people, unshackles their chains, introduces them to a whole new world of possibilities.

Take the ugly duckling. He thought he was ugly until he discovered that he would become the graceful, beautiful swan. Believing this, he became one.

Hope and faith change one's perceptions about themselves, and transforms them into something beautiful.

How about the prince who was turned into a frog. His quest was to find someone to release him from his spell by kissing him.

Sometimes miracles can occur when we find someone who can look beyond appearances.

Fairy Tales are about the trans formative power of life, love, faith, acceptance, forgiveness, and truth. What Fairy Tales don't usually tell us is that the life that is changed is both the one who saves, trusts, loves, frees and the one that is loved, trusted, saved and freed.

Live out a Fairy Tale today.

A Chain of Thoughts

Do you ever have a day where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Your thoughts start something like, "Oh no. I have to pay those bills....I have the car that needs inspection...I need to clean my house...Where am I going to find the time to get these things done..." and the anxiety starts building.

This is just a series of thoughts. They have a way of shaping the kind of day I am going to have. Not too long ago I woke up on the wrong side of the bed a lot. My day would start with anxiety. I would go to bed with anxiety. Throughout the day my thoughts would spiral, focusing on the negative. It was difficult if not impossible to break free of those negative thoughts.

Now I try to wake up and think of the possibilities. Who knows what the day has in store. Who cares if I get done the whole list of things that I may want to accomplish. This is not to say that I won't work on them, but my thoughts won't spiral out of control if I don't get to something, or finish something that day.

A train of thoughts can be a good thing. I start thinking of pleasant, wonderful things that have happened in my life and that leads to more wonderful things, and that leads to the assurance that if they could happen once, they can happen again. If my mind is set on them, they are much more likely to happen again.

A much better way to start the morning.

It wasn't my fault.

Sometimes things work out for the best. Most of the time they happen to me and only after the fact do I recognize that there was a greater power helping me.

I remember when I was asked to lead an overview of the Bible. I sort of knew the overview. I had created charts and knew the basic history and the progression of Israel throughout that history. I knew the New Testament fairly well. But I sure didn't feel prepared.

I have a great memory. I really do. However, when I got up and starting talking I don't remember what I said. I really don't. Three hours seemed to go by in a blink. Suddenly the presentation was done and I wondered if I had babbled or what. I wondered if I had said anything that was even Biblical. I could barely remember some things, but they were like a dream.

While I was wondering this I looked around and opened my ears. There was no sound. Some of them looked like they had just been hit in the face with a large pillow and were still recovering from the blow.

I was a bit worried then. Did I just talk like a crazy man the last hours?

I asked one girl if anything I said made any sense at all. She looked at me with wide open eyes and said, "I have never understood the Bible before. This just blows my mind." With the other expressions in the class, I guess she was right.

It turned out all of them were asking me questions the rest of the day. Quoting me back some of the things that I don't even remember saying. They were intrigued and passionate about the Bible of all things. Strange.

I wish now I knew what I said. It must have been really good. I would have liked to take credit for it, but I knew that something greater had just borrowed me for awhile.

Me...make coherent sense for three hours. I don't think so.

It wasn't my fault.

The Kiss It and Make It Better Condition

Remember when you were a child, and you scraped you knee, or fell down or got some little minor injury, and you went to your parents and they put something on it and kissed it and said that it would be better. Afterward you immediately forgot that you were injured in the first place.

How wonderful children are. They can be told by someone they trust and love that all will be better and it was. I as a child simply forgot what just happened and went on with the rest of my day.

When I got older, then the negative thinking started. Kiss it and make it better? That never works. The skin has to have time to heal. The Bactine better be working. Why does this thing itch like crazy. Do I have to worry about the bandaid coming off in the water now. How many days have I had this same bandage on anyway?

As I grew older, there wasn't anyone around even to kiss my hurts and tell me everything was going to be alright. My hurts hurt. My little injuries were mine. I kept thinking about them and sometimes fussing with them and so they took longer and longer to heal. Some hurts bother be even to this day.

Wouldn't it be great if someone would come along and kiss our hurts away. Wouldn't it be great if we believed it like we did when we were children.

I give up my hurts and ailments, bruised feelings and larger hurts. I know that my life is better if I just let them go. I have better and more joyful things to think about.