O Divine Master, ask that I not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying to self that we are reborn
to eternal life.
-St. Francis
Being who you are is not a disorder.
Being unloved is not a psychiatric disorder.
I can’t find being born in the diagnostic manual.
I can’t find being born to a mother incapable of touching you.
I can’t find being born on the shock treatment table.
Being offered affection unqualified safety and respect when and only when you score pot for your father is not a diagnosis.
Putting your head down and crying your way through elementary school is not a mental illness…
– Franz Wright
10 Truths I Wish I Knew Sooner
Quick, easy to follow, step by step tutorial on how to do a sock bun without a sock. Easy updo for all hair types! Look glamorous in no time with The Sock Bun ( without a sock )!
A poem on loss. For all those who have lost someone you love and wondered if you will ever get to see them again.
“I Simply Can’t Be Convinced”
I can’t be convinced I won’t see him again.
I simply can’t be convinced.
I feel him all around me
His very breath awakens my sixth sense.
I wonder when you’re so entwined
And someone you love passes through
If a part of them stays left behind
Running like veins inside of you
Not only is he all around me,
Stitching my wounds with his personal thread
He’s watching me as I sleep soundly,
Filling my dreams and emptying my head.
I know that I can’t see him
I understand that he’s no longer here
But by God did I believe him
When he said, “I’ll see you soon, my dear.”
The last words that we spoke in person
But our souls whisper every day
I just close my eyes
See his face
Hear his voice
And
Pray.
A parody song I wrote entitled, “There’s an App for That!”. Parody of Digital Planets’ song, “Rebirth of Slick (I’m Cool Like Dat)”. In today’s world, it seems just about anything you can think up, you can find an app for it! A musical commentary on the App World of today.
Lyrics:
Blink blink blink blink
Think think think think
You start your day in a bit of a haze
It’s 7am wondering, “Why am I awake?”
You lost your wallet, cant seem to find your dog
Last night was mad real but today’s a fog
What to eat for breakfast? Oh now you’re out of eggs
Gotta write a grocery list, cant keep it in your head
Boss emails “you’re fired” while ya headed to the store
Mental note: I aint going out on drinkin’ anymore
Now you’re looking for a job, ya life is a wreck
Trying find a man but aint nobody got time for dat!
Nodding at the wheel cause you’re falling asleep
Well guess what peeps?! It came out last week!
Yep
There’s an app for dat! (x7)
There is…
Check it out man you want a new nose?
Need some new clothes?
You can lock your home
While you’re on the road
Wanna get a date?
Tryna lose some weight?
Find the cheapest gas?
Grow your own mustache?
Do an ultrasound?
Check out the local pound?
Drink a little beer?
Spread a little cheer?
Go and call ya ma back
Then make a song like dat
Bet there’s an app for dat
We out…we out…
It’s well known that love finds you when you’re not looking for it. But did you know that if you go looking for love, more than likely, you’re not ready for it? Love finds you, not the other way around.
Similarly, commitment finds you when you’re not ready for it. Truth is, you’re not ready for commitment now nor will you ever be. Do you really think that our independent, self-absorbed, 21rst century selves are ever ready to commit selflessly to another?! Of course not!
But that’s why love finds you first. And suddenly, it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re ready for commitment because commitment is no longer about you. It’s about the other. You commit not for yourself, but for the one you love.
September 24, 2013
My child. I see you. I am with you. I hear you. I am close to you. My holy spirit resides inside of you. And now I smile, just as you do. Because I’m glad you’ve made time for me today. What have you been so busy doing? What happened to spending every morning together? I have been waiting. You know my joy comes in the morning. I wish you wouldn’t deprive yourself of it. And stop being nervous about whether you’ll hear from me. I long to talk to you. You talk to me often. But I wish more often you would let me talk back. Thank you for meeting me here right now. This is where I exist, you know. Right here and right now. It is the sure fire way to find me and to commune with me. You don’t even have to do it consciously, while journaling, for example. In fact, any and every time that you find presence, you will find me. I exist in the present. Through me, in your presence, you will receive presents: peace, rest, and joy. You are tired, thirsty and hungry. You spend your days like this. Though you drink and eat, your thirst remains. Only in the present, still before me, resting in my presence, will your hunger be gone and your thirst quenched. I offer this to you! I do not know why you refuse my presents, choosing instead to remain tired, thirsty and filled with hunger. Let me fill you up. The way I designed you to be full. Make my filling a regular part of your routine and watch as you life begins to gain fullness, too. You know this first hand. You’ve experienced it. So why settle for anything less? Oh how easily you forget! You deserve more, my child. So so so much more. And I am offering it to you daily, but it’s up to you to receive it. Always with you and always yearning for you, Jesus Christ in God the Father.
Ever wonder why we care most about the people who care least about us? Or why do we do wrong to those who love us, while trying to get love from those who do us wrong? I explore these observations and more by referencing Sherry Argov’s book “Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl – A Woman’s Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship”.
A reading of “The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto” by Dr. Brene Brown from her book Daring Greatly as seen on OWN.
The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto
Above all else, I want you to know that you are loved and loveable.
You will learn this from my words and actions—the lessons on love are in how I treat you and how I treat myself.
I want you to engage with the world from a place of worthiness.
You will learn that you are worthy of love, belonging, and joy every time you see me practice self-compassion and embrace my own imperfections.
We will practice courage in our family by showing up, letting ourselves be seen, and honoring vulnerability. We will share our stories of struggle and strength. There will always be room in our home for both.
We will teach you compassion by practicing compassion with ourselves first; then with each other. We will set and respect boundaries; we will honor hard work, hope, and perseverance. Rest and play will be family values, as well as family practices.
You will learn accountability and respect by watching me make mistakes and make amends, and by watching how I ask for what I need and talk about how I feel.
I want you to know joy, so together we will practice gratitude.
I want you to feel joy, so together we will learn how to be vulnerable.
When uncertainty and scarcity visit, you will be able to draw from the spirit that is a part of our everyday life.
Together we will cry and face fear and grief. I will want to take away your pain, but instead I will sit with you and teach you how to feel it.
We will laugh and sing and dance and create. We will always have permission to be ourselves with each other. No matter what, you will always belong here.
As you begin your Wholehearted journey, the greatest gift that I can give to you is to live and love with my whole heart and to dare greatly.
I will not teach or love or show you anything perfectly, but I will let you see me, and I will always hold sacred the gift of seeing you. Truly, deeply, seeing you.