Forward to Happiness

 "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!?" Martin Luther King, Jr It is a sign of the times that today we are both celebrating the advancement of African Americans and the inauguration of a President with one of the most white, least diverse cabinets in history...A man that is of racist ancestry and who denied minorities access in many past business dealings... a man who repeatedly said racist things in the campaign and vowed to erase diversity f...

I think it was a couple years ago that I first discovered Joseph Campbell.  I had heard the phrase "follow your bliss" but hadn't given it much thought til that moment.  It just sounded like a holiday card that seemed too impractical.  But, upon digging into it and applying it to my life, it became one log in the fire upon which my self esteem and direction was formed. " Follow your bliss. If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else " So many people walk around saying to others and themselves that they do...

I thought of doing a post about narcissists, as everyone has some experience in the past of them.  I thought I'd do a post about healing old wounds.  I thought I'd do a post about hope.  I thought I'd do a post about new and fresh life.  But, upon reflection, it's already been done... 1 Cor 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." I really can't improve upon that.  If that's not what you see, what you see isn't love.

This will be a short one.. just want to chronicle a concept. Science tells us that things we see are a result of things we do not.  A force exerted elicits a responding reaction.  We don't always see the force or the reaction, and it may happen in ways we don't intend.  But, it does respond. Many.. myself included.. have in times past limited things they liked about themselves or opinions to gain approval of others, only to find themselves now locked into patterns they do not like.  Or, they acted without considering others, which.. while courageous.. can blow minor things into major problems that could be avoided with grace or tact... I'm not great at tact but working on it. I do not advocate hiding yourself, though.  Indeed, often times we cannot know how supportive someone is til we disagree with them or delay their gratification.  Then, we know if they are there for us or for what we provide to them.  That information is very important, as we deter...

So, I'm putting this concept together in my mind, and I thought how can I best frame it to offend the most people possible.  Kidding... I didn't, but as evolution is a good word for it .. I'll use it. People spend so much time in their lives trying to "discover" themselves and "be" themselves.  That is a good thing to do to prevent you from living a life based on others and find their own desires lost in the process.  However,  what they often mean is the self that they identified years ago and desperately try to regain. In a Dr Who scene I've quoted SO many times over the years, we have Matt Smith leaving his time as the Doctor, and just before he ends,hr says this... It all just disappears doesn't it? Everything you are, gone in a moment like breath on a mirror. Any moment now, he’s a coming, The Doctor and I always will be. But times change and so must I. We all change, when you think about it. We are all different people all through our lives...

I actually had to give serious thought to whether to continue this blog.  For years, it has been a comforting and comfortable place on the WAY to happiness, but I've never been so happy as I have in the past month... like ... ever.  I thought maybe I should do a travel and food blog, instead... and I will likely do that, as well.  However, the more I thought of it, we are always responsible for happiness, even when we have happiness, we must take our parts in the providence of God to ensure that happiness continues.  We are ALWAYS on way to new happiness. Indeed. Yes.  I acknowledge, gratefully, that God has been at work to bring the most amazing woman into my life, but I also acknowledge the efforts of both of us to make it happen.  We both saw the potential at the beginning, and both of us prioritized that in our lives to give it the proper foundation.  And, we both continue to emphasize it. So many people sit around waiting for something good to hap...