Christmas 2011 - Never Forgetting –Where you came from!

Economic times are tough and people are struggling to make it through these hard times. Jobs are scarce and the paycheck keeps shrinking as it doesn’t buy as much as it used to when the dollar was worth more than it is today. The rate of inflation and the feelings of depression have taken a toll on us and we are about to abandon everything we have worked for, fought for or lived for just to survive this rigorous lifestyle we have chosen to be better and to have more than ever before.

Realistically, we all have at one time in our life, exceeded our ability to live within our means and moved out of our old neighborhood into a new neighborhood that was taxing and draining our financial ability to sustain life as we want it to be rather than what we need it to be. We all have forgotten some of the most vital things in life in order to compete with the Joneses and to get away from where we were once in our existence and arrived at a final destination that is so stressful, frustrating and full of anxiety we sometimes think we are losing control of our lives competing with others for success.

Surely we must all agree that none of us are suffering from amnesia as we try to forget or have already forgotten where we came from. We have forgotten the basic things in life that got us through the hard times and developed into a new class of creature that forgets to shop frugally, conserve the use of electricity and water and gas to keep the utility bills down and lived in a house that was just the right size for you and the family without the designed extra space or bedrooms filled with materialistic things rather than people in your own family.

We have tasted the success and believe today that success comes naturally. We have forgotten that it took hard work to get there and the help of many to keep the ball rolling towards that successful point in life. You realize that there were no shortcuts and you lived by principle; the principle that gave you power and energy when you had good days and also bad days. You traveled the road to excellence and wealth in a car that ran good enough to get you there and back but without fancy wheels, turbocharged engine or DVD to watch along the way. Some of us carpooled to conserve the gas and others took the bus but today, we see two or three cars parked in the driveways and wonder how in the world they can sustain such burden when others are making it without these luxurious items or delights.

In the words of Albert Pike, “Above all things let us never forget that mankind constitutes one great brotherhood; all born to encounter suffering and sorrow, and therefore bound to sympathize with each other” it is time to recognize that there are ways we can contribute to society’s forgotten by sharing the wealth a little and express your gratitude for your success through thinking of those less fortunate and give back some of what you earned and share it so that you can enjoy the highest appreciation in the world and that is to live the words you so greatly expressed during those times you were struggling and finally making it to the point in your life where you feel successful and gratified for your own accomplishments that began with a dream somewhere in a smaller more conservative setting and igniting your dreams to come true. It is said that “we forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget” and in order to have a “bright future, you can’t forget your past.”

Veterans with PTSD

Veterans with PTSD –Common Family Problems

Sad news coming out of Phoenix Arizona where it was reported a married returning war veteran shot his wife during a domestic dispute and stated he did so because of his military training and coping skills taught to him by the United States Army. Basically, what the ex-soldier was saying that his military life created problems for his family relationships and caused him to lose control of his anger and set him up for failure in his life, his marriage and his mind.

According to the Veterans Administration, male veterans are more likely to have problems related to their personal relationships or marriages, being sound parents and having poor coping and functional skills dealing with family issues. This is not to imply that female veterans do not experience the same type of problems as they are also prone or susceptible to the same symptoms of PTSD as their male colleagues when they deal with their personal issues.

Looking at marriage problems there are reports of not sharing their thoughts and feeling with their spouses and in personal relationships there appears to be identical issues reported around intimacy and other emotional issues that tend to give them lower satisfaction of the relationship or life itself. In marriage, PTSD veterans tend to be divorced twice as much as non-veteran and 3 times more likely to divorce 2 or 3 times during relationships. In addition to the numerous divorces, their relationships are also reported to be shorter than normal indicative of their problems to handle intimacy and emotional issues related to family issues.

It must be stressed and emphasized that veterans with PTSD are more prone to experience more physical and verbal aggression as well as domestic or family violence issues. In addition, this violence is not just restricted to family but extends beyond their support group or families. Regarding violence, veterans with PSTD commit more family violence than other spouses or partners.

Impacting their daily health and wellness it must be said with most certainty that PTSD impacts the mental health of the veteran and his or her partner. It has been reported that post trauma stress disorder has impacted lower levels of happiness; less satisfaction in their personal lives; excessive disappointment or demoralization / discouragement and reporting more than 50 % feel they are near the rim of a “nervous breakdown” in their lives.

Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that living with a veteran with PTSD who has gone through serious trauma such as a war or other critical incident involves having a high risk of violence within the family setting or circle. Family members and friends must seek effective ways of helping these veterans and assist them in treatment that consists of education for the entire family, support groups for both partners and veterans, therapy either group or individual and preemptive family counseling.

Source:

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/partners-of-vets.asp

Willa the Bear and Stoney Creek

Willa the Bear and Stoney Creek

Willa was small for a grizzle bear and was made fun of by the other bears as they hunt for salmon on the Stoney River up north by the Canadian border. Her parents were huge in size and were well respected in the forest as great hunters and good neighbors. Willa had two brothers that were normal size and growing quickly. It was difficult being a runt kind of bear as others poked fun at Willa as she lagged behind the others when their longer legs carried them further and faster than her shorter legs. Although it was seldom they all traveled together at one time, there were hunting trips they all took together to show the others that they mean business whenever they found a spot along the river banks that were full of delicious fish swimming for their lives during the spawning season.

Willa’s father was Cody and her mother’s name was Wendy and both were excellent species of the Kodiak bear family. Her brothers were Brutus and Cody Junior who were both good hunters as they learned quickly from their parents how to catch and skin a salmon on the run. Their paws were twice the size of Willa’s and it was easier to catch a fish with such claws that grabbed them and kept them there to devour and satisfy their hunger.

The late springtime snow was piling up as the last storm of the season was relentless in dropping the white stuff at least a foot every hour. The water was still frozen and the temperatures were hovering around the zero degrees mark testing their wills to survive in this Canadian wilderness near Stoney River. Willa knew that few men would travel here and as such, never feared the smell of humans giving her peace of mind to travel about and learn more about the forest and the river. It was such exciting excursions on the river banks and deep forest that gave Willa the chance to enjoy life as a bear should feeding on wild berries and fish when the seasons gave them plenty to catch in the water.

Kodiak bears are tough creatures and can endure the worst weather that can be delivered by nature. Willa just reached the age of six as well as both Cody Jr. and Brutus. Staying together as a family was rare but as the weather changed, the bears would sometimes drift off afar and search on their own a new place to live. Their den was large enough to keep them all safe but the boys were restless and Willa wanted to see the world on her own so she prepared herself for a long trip down the river and look for an adventure that would make her stronger and better as a hunter. She had already learned as much as she could from both her parents and wanted to try life on her own as she became restless and wanting to leave the den.

Her mother weight about 500 lbs. and her father was almost twice her size at 800 lbs. Her brothers, each growing into good sized bears weighed about 400 lbs. each making Willa the runt at 250 lbs. and shorter than all of them. Her daddy stood about 5 foot tall when standing on all fours and could reach berries in trees up to 10 feet high when standing on his hind legs. Momma bear was not as tall as her father but still tall enough to reach places hard to get to and eat heartily when hungry.

It seems that her brothers lost a little bit of weight when they came out of their sleep in the den but she knew that just like her, the coming of spring and the thawing of the ice and the warmer temperatures will give them a chance to gain their weight back quickly if they hustle and find some food to eat. Carnivores and the second largest species of bears around, they had a hearty appetite and required a lot of food to keep their weight up and the energy high.

Saying goodbye to her parents and her brothers, Willa headed down the river without looking back. She knew her momma was worried about her but being old enough to travel alone, she understood why Willa wanted to leave and go on this adventure. She was not concerned about humans shooting her for there were few that lived or traveled up here so far north near the Alaskan border and Canada but she feared that other more powerful and meaner bears would harass her or harm her if she intruded into their territory by mistake and taken as an invader or nemesis of the other Kodiak bears that lived there. Her biggest worry was her size and the fact that she barely weighed enough to take care of herself if she did get into a fight or tussle with another bigger bear.

The snow turned into rain as the riverstones made traveling easier through the river. Sometimes the muddy bottoms make is harder to travel thus these riverstones were pleasant to walk on and kept her footing safe from falling or slipping. The clouds were still swirling as the thunder and the lightening was all around her causing her to seek cover from the storm. Looking for a cave or hollow somewhere to hide out a while, she found this nice cove near the spot where the river forked and a smaller creek ran further south as the river remained going east.

Slipping into the cove she rested and dried out a bit as she felt the warmth and comfort of this place that was just a few yards from the river but closer to the edge of the creek where the water didn’t run so fast as the beavers had dammed off a good portion of the river water and slowed it down a bit where the water wasn’t so white and swirling in circles.

Willa, thinking to herself, agreed that tomorrow she would follow the creek instead of the river as the water was calmer and the ground softer on her feet. Exhausted from the long trek she managed to get a soft spot near the mouth of the cove and fall asleep. Snoring softly she dreamt of her brothers and parents back at the home den and remembered how much fun they had playing with each other in the snow and in the water.

The sunlight awoke her from a deep sleep and as usual, she was hungry at first sight of the sun. Looking around she remembered where she was even though it was dark when she turned in for the night before and found this cove. Remembering that she wanted to follow the creek and leave the river she prepared to find herself some food before she started the journey down Stoney Creek.

Willa saw a lot of animals along the way and recognized them to be friendly and not hostile. She greeted the deer, the elk and even the moose that came out of the woods to take a look at her as she traveled down the creek. One of the elks, a big one with a huge rack on his head began laughing at Willa as he snorted to her “why, you are nothing but a runt brown bear that seems to be lost.”
Somewhat embarrassed at what the big elk said Willa replied “I may be small but I can do anything a big bear can do and more.”

Laughing with the other elks joining in the big fella said to Willa “Oh yeah, I bet you can. However you will have a hard time catching fish with those small paws as your claws are small and can’t hold the fish when you try to catch them.”
Knowing that she had trouble catching fish Willa replied “I will admit that my paws are small but my heart is big and I don’t give up so easy. I can catch fish with the best of them.” Bragging aloud about how she kept up with her brothers looking for fish and forage back at the den.

Needless to say the elk didn’t believe Willa but gave it no second thoughts as they moved on to find something to eat. In the meantime, there were some squirrels and other small creatures that had gathered on a fallen tree stump and watched the conversation between Willa and the elk with much interest.

Willa surprised at these spectators and feeling kind of embarrassed as they sat there listening to the elk ridicule her said to them “Well, what do you guys have to say? Any smart comments about my size or paws cause I can lick any of you or all put together.” Wondering why this smaller cub sized Kodiak had such a bad temper, the squirrel said to the raccoon “My my don’t we have a temper.” Then turning to Willa he said “we didn’t mean any harm. We were all thinking you could catch fish and just as strong as other bears.”

Then the squirrel introduced himself as Silas and introduced the raccoon as Moses. Then as the two made friends with Willa, other little creatures appeared and they all introduced themselves to her as the morning past by with no more fights and disagreements about Willa’s paws or hunting capabilities. Willa had only traveled a few miles down the creek where the river forked and appeared to have found some new friends that were willing to travel with her down the creek looking for an adventure. The one quality that Willa had was her quick adaptive instincts between good and evil things. She saw these little creatures as good things and felt no threat talking to them or even hanging out with them. The first thing she did was ask them if they knew of any good places to eat and vegetation that was filled with berries as the fish would not come down the river for another few months yet.

Chattering all at the same time Willa said to them “Whoa whoa, one at a time please, I can’t make out what you are saying. Just tell me which direction to travel to get some food as I am getting hungry and when I am hungry, I get grumpy and when a bear gets grumpy, they get in a bad mood.”

Laughing at Willa, Silas said to her “There are some great berry trees down the creek and not too far from here. Do you want me to show you?”
“Sure Silas lead the way and show me where we can eat. I am starving and I need to grow a little bit more for I too lost a lot of weight during the winter.”
Not trying to laugh this time around, Moses said softly “Follow me, I will show you the way and if I move too fast for you just tell me to slow down a bit” chucking a little under his breath.

As the three traveled down the creek to find some berries the rain let up and the sun came out. The warmth of the sun made traveling a little easier and within an hour of traveling, Willa was amazed of what she saw. The whole area in front of her, around her and going all the way down the creek was filled with bushes that had berries, lots of red berries on their branches. It was the most berries Willa had ever seen in one place and it made it easier for her to fill her stomach just sitting there and eating as much as she wanted until full.

Willa’s eyes couldn’t believe what they saw. Berries lots of berries and the more she ate, the happier she was. Now it was said that bears have the same eyesight as humans, hearing the same of an average dog and the ability to smell comparable to four times better that of an average dog. Her personality was easy going and making friends was a natural thing for her but her intelligence told her to be careful of some situations such as bigger bears and the deadly humans.

Sitting on the soft grassy knoll with her friends and eating the abundant berries, Willa knew that with this much food, there must be other bears around wanting to eat from this same area. Although sociable in nature and easy to get along, she feared her size made her a push over and tried to avoid encountering other bears as much as she could to avoid fighting or worse, getting killed by a rogue bear that was either a bully or somebody who wanted to fight all the time. Her momma had warned her to stay away from bullies and other creatures that fight bears even their own kind.
Most of all, she was afraid of people. Willa was not a shy bear and in most circumstances never retreated from a situation that would challenge her courage but her parents had taught her that people carry guns and that guns kill from afar and very quickly. She was told that people shoot bears just because they can as they don’t eat them but rather, hunt them for their skin or souvenirs.

Her parents told her that the only kind of people she shouldn’t be afraid of where Indians that lived down stream but didn’t hunt the bears as they took them to be more mystical and supernatural as members of the spirit world where the two roam closely together most of the time. Her parents were smart and she trusted their words as she traveled away from the den. Her belly full of berries she said to Moses, “Can you find us a better place where we can take a nap. I don’t think this is a good place to sleep as I am sure there will be other bears coming along here pretty soon with so many berry trees here.”

Moses, scratching his head said to Silas “What about that small cave down the creek about a mile or two. It was just big enough for Willa and there is some food nearby that she can eat when she awakes as I am sure she will again be hungry.”
Silas agreeing that the small cave was an ideal place to hang out a while said to Willa “We will take you there. It is not too far and you will like it for it is warm and cozy to sleep in and there are hardly any other animals that hang out there.” Roving a little and trampling the high grass that was quickly growing in the spring time sunlight, Willa’s nose sensed danger and told Silas and Moses to get up into a tree to be safe.

Willa, not a fierce fighter but no coward could smell another bear nearby and was worried that it would want to fight with her over the territory she had invaded if that was the case. Shortly, the rustle through the tall grass revealed the presence of another brown bear and this was a huge bear that was bigger than her father, Cody. Thinking that this bear was going to fight her, she prepared for a struggle by standing on her hind legs as she growled at the big bear showing her teeth and snarling out loud. “What have we here” said the big bear “A stranger in my territory eating my food and berries. I don’t like strangers and I don’t share my food with anyone.”
Sensing the big bear was angry; Willa’s legs were tiring as she stood there, all 5 feet tall on her back legs when the big bear stood up on his hind legs and dwarfing Willa as he must have stood a good 10 feet tall and with claws three times the size of Willa’s.

Growling and snarling back at Willa, the big bear stood back down on his four legs as he turned his head and said to Willa “You got courage standing up to a big bear and I give you that. Now that you are tired standing on your hind legs so long you can relax and rest your legs for I do not intend to fight you today.”
Willa was relieved and somewhat trembling felt a need to stay alert as she stood down on her four legs but kept her eyes on the big bear constantly. Thinking the threat was not yet done; she remained vigilant and watched him closely as he ate some forage that was nearby and moist to eat. Almost about the time Willa was getting a little more relaxed in trusting the big bear a little, she sensed another threat as another bear approached the area where they were standing. This bear was also huge and matched the big bear almost pound for pound as the two stared at each other toe to toe. Sensing a fight was about to happen she looked up to the tree where Silas and Moses were and with a quick motion of her head, she motioned for them to scatter and run.

About the same time Silas and Moses took off running, the earth shook like an earthquake and the two big bears were tangled into a fight that was going to leave one dead or injured severely as these two bears were seriously defending their territory from being intruded. Roaring and snarling and growling noises were echoing throughout the air as the two colossal creatures fought tearing at each other’s skin and clawing each other badly. Scared, Willa was afraid to look as the fight was certainly fiercer than any other she had ever seen even with her father when he was defending them and her mom from intruders a year or so back in time. Just as sudden as the growling and snarling started, the noise was gone. One of the bears had won and the other had lost and scampered away to fight another day. Curious to see who won the fight, Willa peeked down on the area where they were fighting and saw the first big bear still standing there but wounded.

Climbing down from the tree, Willa looked at the big bear and saw he was bleeding on his shoulder where the other bear had bitten him and clawed him cutting him deeply. Wanting to help, Willa asked the big bear if she could help him and treat his wounds. The big bear, looking at Willa with a hurtful stare in his eyes said to her “Yes, you can help but you must be careful, I don’t know if the other bear is coming back so you must not let your guard down once. I will show you what you can put on the cuts to make it better. There are some special herbal leaves over there that the Indians use to treat their wounded and it helps stop the bleeding.”
Tenderly Willa treated the wounds on the big bear and as Moses and Silas came back from their sudden departure, they told Willa that there were some humans coming down the creek that had heard the two bears screaming and fighting moments ago. Certainly they will be looking for the big bear and shoot it as it was a trophy size bear and good to show off to the other humans once back in civilization. Scurrying off into the deeper parts of the woods, the bears and Willa’s friends tried to hide from the humans. A bear so large leaves an easy trail to follow as it tramples a lot of grass as it travels. They needed to find a way to confuse the trackers and find a safe place for the big bear to heal.

Darkness was on their side as the day was still short in the northern parts of this land and the sun disappeared quickly over the western mountains. Using the darkness as a cover to avoid being seen by the human trackers the four of them found a cave higher up in the hill side that was hard to get to but once there, served as a safe perch with a view of the entire area below where they can see if anyone is coming up on them.

Once safe and covered in the cave, the big bear said to Willa “I want to thank you for taking care of me. You could have run off and left but you stayed to help me. That took a lot of courage. In fact, you are a brave bear for doing so.”
Willa feeling good about what the big bear said replied “I couldn’t leave you, you were hurt and you needed help. My momma and father always told me that if we bears stick together, then we would be better off because fighting solves nothing.”
The big bear introducing himself as Bruce said to Willa “You had some good parents there Willa, I am glad they taught you well and to be a little bit more trusting than other bears. I have a daughter your age and I don’t know where she is but I am sure that if you want to stay here and live in the same territory that is mine, there would be no problem in doing so.”

Willa, amazed at the kindness of Bruce said quickly “I am traveling and looking for an adventure but it seems I have already found one just being here on Stoney Creek and meeting you, Silas and Moses. I don’t know if I want to travel any further but right now, I think we should sleep on it and talk about it in the morning.”
Before Bruce and Willa fell asleep Moses and Silas said they had to get home because their families were waiting on them and they didn’t want them to worry about them so they said good bye until tomorrow. Silas said to Willa “We will come back tomorrow and see how we can help you decide whether you want to stay or travel on farther down the creek. Good night all.”

The full moon was covered by a heavy layer of clouds that indicated another round of rain coming in from the northwest. The temperatures were still chilly and the cave was damp so Willa was not as comfortable as she was in that cove they found a day or so back. Soon the two of them were snoring and drifting off into a deep sleep.
The morning came with no sunshine as the rain clouds covered the sun. The cave would remain damp and cold as the air didn’t warm up much even this late in the morning. There were no signs of Silas or Moses so Willa thought they had either forgotten they promised to come back or something was wrong where they lived and they had to take care of that first. Either way, she wanted to climb down the side of the hill and be on her way and travel farther down Stoney Creek. Bruce awaking and groaning and moaning a bit because of his wounds asked Willa if she had decided to stay. Shaking her head no, Willa said to Bruce “Nothing personal Bruce but my adventure is not yet complete and I want to see more of the world.”

Bruce, understanding Willa’s will to see the world said to her softly “Before you go, won’t you reconsider and stay here and share the territory that is mine. I could use some company and I don’t trust every bear I see.” Taking the request as a compliment, Willa said to Bruce “No thank you, I must go but I will always remember your kindness and maybe see you again after I travel some more down Stoney Creek. But if you don’t mind, I will gather some food before I go and see you down this hill to make sure you are going to be okay from here on.” Together, they climbed down the side of the hill and parted once they got to the creek. Willa said her goodbyes and traveled further down the creek noticing the rain clouds were letting up and allowing the late afternoon sun to peek through a little bit to warm the air up just a little.

Somewhat leery of those humans that were tracking them the night before, she was most unwilling to travel in the open as she felt safer traveling through the high grass where she was partially hidden from view except for the path she made with her wide body that cut a two foot wide swath through the grass that was easy to follow.
Reaching the rocky slopes of the outer edge of what appeared to be granite rocky terrain; Willa’s paws were having a hard time climbing the smooth but jagged rock that took her over the ridge into the green valley on the other side of the mountain. Wanting to follow the creek would have been easier but afraid to be seen by humans, she chose to take the rocky road over the ridge and get back to the creek once on the other side.

The rocky terrain hurt her paws a bit as they were tender yet for she had not really traveled much until this spring. Hanging around her den for the past years has made her soft and is the main reason why she wanted to go on this adventure to begin with as she wanted to see the world and toughen up a bit. Noticing the sun was setting Willa began looking for a place to sleep. She didn’t like traveling at dark and felt safer inside a cave or something solid giving her protection from the elements and the other animals.

Gathering some brush to made a softer bedding Willa laid down and quickly fell asleep. The hard climb wore her out and there was much more to see tomorrow. It was with some comfort that Willa felt safe there in this new cave she found eventually as the darkness was falling quickly and the temperatures were getting cold for spring was taking its time arriving and warming the air up a bit more than winter.
Sleeping soundly, Willa heard some rustling outside the cave she had found the night before. Curiously she peeked out of the edge of the cave and saw humans standing there with guns in their hands. They looked like they were hunters, the kind her parents had warned her off and they didn’t look like they were very friendly as they were drinking something out of a bottle and laughing loudly staggering a bit side to side with the bottle in hand.

She was trapped inside the cave as the two humans blocked her exit out the cave and into the woods. She had picked a bad cave to sleep in but didn’t see everything the night before as the darkness blocked her view of the landscape and didn’t reveal the cave was situated so once inside, there was only one side out without cover from any bushes or brush to hide behind. Waiting out the humans, Willa was hoping they would not come into the cave for she was trapped. Waiting and waiting she laid still hoping the two would be bored sitting there and drinking but because they were so loud and acting so senseless with that bottle, she feared they would want to find a place to lie down if drunk enough to pass out.

Hours passed and the two were more rambunctious that before. It was almost dark and they had built a small fire but hadn’t move two feet from where they were in the morning hours. Frustrated and scared, Willa was seeing how humans act under the influence of alcohol and thought that with those guns, they were more dangerous than any big bear in the woods out to kill other bears over food or territorial rights. The difference was that these men just wanted a pelt or skin or other bear souvenirs to sell or show off the bear skin.

Suddenly, the air was still and the men’s loud and boisterous shouts were no longer present. Peeking out of the cave Willa saw nobody; not a soul was out there and the empty bottle laid there on the rocky ledge near the cave entrance.
Roaming down the creek and looking for some food, Willa heard some familiar voices yelling out to her asking her if she was okay. Standing upright, smelling the air and looking around she saw nothing and nobody. Then peeking out from behind a large tree she saw her two friends Moses and Silas laughing and acting silly.
“What’s the matter Willa, cat got your tongue” said Silas. “Can’t you think of anything to say to us like how are you or something? We have been watching you for a while now and decided to let you roam a bit before calling out your name.”
Willa was happy to see them and eagerly ran to meet with them near the big tree. She missed them and certainly didn’t expect to ever see them again. She thought they had gone for good and left Willa on her own.

Suddenly it came to Willa that she had found good true friends and that no matter where she went, there would never be such great friends anywhere else and keeping her company and making her laugh was important of being happy and content. She also thought of Bruce and how gentle he was towards her telling her how she reminded Bruce of his daughter that had gone away and never came back.

Trekking through the woods and following the creek back to where she met Bruce the first time, she realized that this may be the best place to settle down and have friends; friends such as Silas and Moses and sure many more if she settled down and took the time to meet them all. In the meantime, her nose had picked up the scent of another bear and she was hoping it was Bruce as it was his territory they were in. looking around stretching her neck to see as far as she can see her eyesight saw a big hulk of a shadow on the face of a boulder that resembled a big bear. The shadow was moving towards Willa as she noticed it was rearing up on its hind legs and towering high about with loud roars and snarls warning any intruder of its presence.
Coming around the rocky edge of the boulder Willa’s eyes came wide open as she saw Bruce standing there on his hind quarters growling and then laughing at her while smiling as well. He was unable to keep a straight face as he came back down on his four legs and said to Willa “It’s good to see you Willa, have you decided to stay here and enjoy the fresh berries and good food?”

Willa’s heart had stopped beating as she began to relax a little now knowing that big bear was Bruce and friendly to all there. It would be nice to stay here near the creek and only a few days away from her mom and dad’s den and keeping Bruce company in this luscious green space near the creek and not too far from the river where the salmon will soon be flowing and the river turn to ice again. She was thinking that being with Bruce was most comforting and that he was a fine bear to learn from as she grew older and learned more about survival and defending herself from nature and others.

It was here where she didn’t feel like a runt and where nature was ever so kind to her allowing her to be healthy and free to roam either down the creek, the river or the mountains knowing that Bruce was there to protect her and that her little friends were here to keep her happy and content while searching for new places to find berries and other foods that would make her bigger and stronger without all the struggles of competing for the food like she did with her brothers and other bears nearby the den her mother and father lived for so long.

Why leadership is becoming extinct

Colin Powell once stated that leadership involves responsibility. (1) This could very well be the basis for the recent demise in the area of leadership as our society's moral compass, our daily values and our very own faith in what is right and what is wrong has been destroyed by political correctness and other personality traits or weaknesses. Leadership is not a position of authority or assignment. Leadership is not something that can be empowered or delegated to an individual. Leadership is about individuality that stands above the rest and illustrates qualities of character a person is competent and skillful to lead others and has the intestinal fortitude to make decisions whether right or wrong, decisions designed to improve the wellness of many and not just a few.

Political Correctness was designed so you would not piss people off. What exactly does that mean to a person looking at the word which Wikipedia dictionary defines "political correctness as "Political correctness (adjectivally, politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts, and, as purported by the term, doing so to an excessive extent." (2)

When you engage in PC you compromise your effectiveness and your honor. You become a person of marginalized proportion and you avoid answering tough questions with honest answers. Your behavior is altered to the point where you avoid confrontations as you try to blend in your surroundings to "one of them" and social acceptable to the crowd. Your leadership skills will suffer as you learn to procrastinate more causing your performance, once stellar, to slack off and become apathetic to the environment. Political correctness shuts down creativity and creates conflict among those who are the brightest of minds that want to contribute but are stifled because of unreasonable restrictions imposed for political will or purposes.

Being PC closes the door to the open door policy. You will quickly notice how the number of people that used to come to you for advice no longer enters your office as before. The reasons vary but it could be because of your choice to be PC in all matters, they have lost their confidence in your decision making or your ability to help them with matters important to them. On the other side of this coin PC sends a silent message that could very well mean that asking for help or assistance in matters is ridiculous or unwarranted. Inside the corporate world, cultures are unforgiving and being PC is another way of dealing with dealing with people but not really managing the workforce effectively.

Leaders must recognize the need for analysis and development of plans that benefit the project or challenge at hand. There should be no such thing as an exclusive task or sole performer within an organization. The responsibility to perform should be shared and is enhanced by the leadership qualities of the group or workforce. Being PC reduces these leadership qualities to reduce creativity, involvement, risks and intimacy of the project. Indirectly this results in poor promulgation of workplace policies and direction. It also severely limits the productivity or performance of the group as it does not extent their terms of performing, thinking, resolving or learning new things creating an incestuous environment that gains nothing for future or personal growth. Therefore, man can't evolve into a better person and stagnates in his or her job.

Many events have been written where a catastrophe hits the work place because of unforeseen problems or events. This is indicative of a failure to be visionary and lacking strategies for the future or current events. Being PC resists being a risk taker to implement change or paying attention to details. It's a "go with the flow" attitude that can destroy good men and women's spirit and morale. It discourages acceptance of matters rather than challenging the idea or problem. PC contributes to complacency and non-conformity to rules, practices or traditions. It can spread into an agency cancer if not dealt with immediately.

Complacency and non-conformity are evils within the workplace. It develops into apathy and attitudes of "it's not my job" and "I can't do it" motus operandi that defeat productivity and performance. Basically, it reduces the overall effectiveness by avoiding controversy and discovery of new ideas and facts regarding the organization's needs. It is a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude that can result in a culture that is not proactive and often resorts to a blame technique to find other people guilty of misconduct or wrongdoings.

A PC person is not interested in seeking new leaders or innovative and creative individuals. They are resistant to restructuring to meet the latest management schemes or training and often plan to do nothing to change the course. Take notice of many of your PC bureaucrats today and watch how they come up to the blackboard and show off their skills in organizational charts, maps etc. and attach fancy names and titles to such illustrations or positions. In doing so they advertise their authority but rarely their own individual responsibilities to accept failures or disorder within their own agency. Instead of focusing on the realities of the job and its details they frivolously engage in the ability to give orders and enjoy the perks of being someone of stature and power. Certainly this is more about ego than leadership at this point.

Confessing that being PC is exhaustive to financing and budgets, there are many who engage in draining such funds to look good. Instead of choosing the best things for the agency or workgroup they seek to demonstrate their latest ideology that is based on popularity rather than practicality. This results in the deprivation of sound work tools and practical directives. It also leaves a chasm of miscommunication to properly instruct workers to execute new orders and destroys core values or consistencies in the operation. Needless to say, this strategy is the opposite of sound leadership that enhances communication and produces a spirit of "can do" attitudes that impacts morale and reduces cynicism and pessimism.

So far, we have determined that the PC person is an individual more concerned about him or herself than others. It's the "me" inside of them that drives their thought process and results in error and misjudgments to say the least. One would quickly think that in order to offset this "me' syndrome, one would recruit or hire people who are skilled, intelligent, good decision makers and possess a capacity to anticipate future issues or problems to survive inside a corporate world. The trouble with this person's hiring techniques is based on the need to surround the PC person with those who will dedicate their loyalties, their energy and their personal skills to the PC person rather than the organization. They work with an imbalanced ego to serve the person and not the work force.

Lastly, a PC person is a power glutton or a person who maintains the power and financial control at his or her levels. They do not empower or delegate this shift of power or financial responsibility to those who conduct the actual work but are quick to blame any shortcomings to these subordinates when failures are indicated in the process.

Source:
• (1) http://govleaders.org/powell2.htm
• (2) www.wikipedia.org

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9084341/border_agent_jesus_diaz_case_reopened.html?cat=9

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9084341/border_agent_jesus_diaz_case_reopened.html?cat=9

Glenn Beck video

Glenn Beck video and interview on Border Agent Jesus Diaz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZOLuOV4ETU&feature=share

Porous Borders, Steel Fences, Weak Links

Recent events coming out of the offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Customs and Border Patrol officials reveal a weak chink in the steel fences on our national border. It appears that as we are working hard to strengthen our national security's interest with more resources to fight illegal immigration and the trespass of foreign internationals that seek to destroy our American way of life through violence and terrorism, there is a perfect storm brewing on this side of the fence by our own border inspectors who are now being exposed to be involved in illegal moneymaking schemes.

Stressing very strongly to the readers that we are not talking about the majority of crime fighters assigned along the border, data released from federal law agencies are revealing as well as suggesting a serious trend of lawlessness by men and women hired to work the border assignments. These persons are hired for purposes of interdiction and confiscation of illegal drugs [and money], weapons and moneymaking scenarios sponsored by either the Mexican drug cartel or criminals looking to exploit and make profit of those endless opportunities to make a buck off criminal activities.

Taking an excerpt from a quote by a FBI supervisor “Border agents and Customs inspectors are exposed to endless illegal moneymaking opportunities. Dozens of officers in recent years have turned their government jobs into illicit riches, funding desert estates and Las Vegas gambling binges, luxury cars and buying sprees at Tiffany's."It's such a perfect storm, if you will, down there along the southwest border, with the vast supply of money and the aggressive tactics of the cartels," said Terry Reed, an FBI supervisory agent.

The record reflects since October 2004, “132 Customs employees have been indicted or convicted on corruption-related charges, the majority from the Southwest border. Since 2006, the number of investigations has more than tripled, from 244 to about 870 last year, according to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General. Of the 24,000 Customs agents along the southwest border, about half were hired in the last five years. The agency is on track to hire 2,500 additional agents in the next year.” suggestions for better background checks and revisiting hiring standards to improve these statistics is on the table for the agency to consider as the need to hire more agents drives the possibilities of hiring bad candidates that have shown a willingness to violate the laws to enrich themselves with the profits of working this sensitive territory that divides the United States from Mexico or Canada.

Source:

http://centerforinvestigativereporting.org/node/4885

Revelations

I. Introduction

Spending most of my life searching for the truth of life and how it has shaped my ways of thinking how the end of my life will play out, I am closer to accepting the fate that worshiping a faith or religion is an essential part of completing my journey here on this earth. Never feeling like my faith was strong enough to endure some of the most severe tests in life and overcome the perpetual myth that there is no life after death, I have become to realize that God gave me a purpose and that purpose is to strengthen my faith so that will become strong enough to move mountains. As I near the end, I finally understand why I am here, why I did those things in my life and how it all comes together as a message exposed to me by God and his words that strengthens my belief in the Bible, God and religion.
Age gives a person new perspectives and fresh vision of the events in one's life and how they are connected to every purpose under heaven. The perpetual chain of events make more sense at the end of the road than they do at the beginning, the middle or even a partial arrival at your destination, heaven. Reading the Bible one learns the true identity of oneself and how it fits within the historical aspects of your life. No longer distorted but a clear vision of where you have been, what you have done and how you are going to benefit from these experiences makes you realize that controversy, provocation and education are the tools of knowledge and allow pure insight of life as it was meant to be revealed without any hidden meanings or explanations.

Finding one’s true identity takes courage and much faith. Dealing with political and personal setbacks that often result in chaos or disruption in your life are common denominators in your search for peace and understanding. This exposure of the truth and meaning allows you to realign yourself with your inner soul and withstand the social pressures to reject these changes in your morality, your values and your views in life. Notwithstanding social losses or conflict with family and friends, your life will slowly improve to the point where more recent events make sense and the purpose you have chosen this different journey comes together to allow you to understand the journeys from the past shaped your destiny and your future paths to circumstance that many still seek to enjoy or benefit from in their point of life. Looking back allows you to look forward and is the key to understanding your purpose in life, the purpose of religion and God and the role it plays in your new endeavors to seek the truth and dare to speak the truth as you have learned to understand the words of your life, your Bible and your mind.

Most people don’t care as much as to why I wrote this book unless it can show them how to look at a new or refreshing approach to their own benefits in their own lives. Some may consider this book boring and unrelated to their own quest for knowledge or understanding of their purpose in life and how they can acquire the revelations already out there for them to grasp onto and understand their messages. Hoping that the title of the book is not misleading, it does give the reader an opportunity to select or dispose of the book before opening up the first page to read a short paragraph or two so they can answer their own questions whether or not to buy such a book for their own satisfaction and benefit. My ability to hook you into reading the book has to be strong enough for you to continue the longing to read more than two paragraphs and develop a sense of curiosity or interest in the remainder of the book so that you will find what you are looking for.

My connection with you has to be based on mutual reasoning, life experiences, life expectations and life’s benefits in the end of reading the book. You will search for facts, statistics, revelations and quotations that make sense and provide for you wise words to follow on a daily basis so that your conscious is your guide and your mind is your sanctuary where you find the peace you are searching for all your life. Therefore, in an accurate attempt to deliver to you a book of benefits for both health and spirit, I shall engage in a format style that is easy to read, easy to understand and with hopes that this information serves you as another strong link to your search for happiness, freedom and spiritual growth in the Bible, the word of God and the benefits of reaping such insight based on the words of a mere mortal man who traveled the road of hard knocks, faced the travesty of war and conflict and acknowledged the need for spiritual growth for strength and wisdom. Remember that this test of faith that occurs every day of your life is based on constant evil influences created by Satan since the birth of your existence on this earth. Fighting off constant challenges throughout your survival of these malevolent acts that have caused you either much pain or sorrow, you must learn to overcome these obstacles and view your existence here as a blessing from God and maintain a most positive view because of your faith in Him and how his words can shape your own expectations to enjoy life to the fullest but being aware that because life will try to dismantle your strength of faith and conviction towards the golden rule, you must remain strong no matter what is thrown your way as an attempt to derail your faith and belief in God.

II. Trials and Tribulations

One of the most asked questions in life is the infamous “Why does God make us go through these trials and tribulations?” Obviously, the answer to this question is much more difficult to answer as it is a most complicated question that has many parts to the answer and not just one will suffice to satisfy the person who is asking. The very first thing one has to admit is that along the road towards becoming a good practicing Christian, there will be many roadblocks thrown in your way by both Satan and other evildoers. The second thing you have to realize is that God will not and does not make us invincible or insusceptible to such tests of life. Trying to rationalize why there is death, misery, poverty and diseases that kill even the youngest of age, is near to impossible grasp and understand without knowing that although God loves us all, we must endure the human struggles throughout our own lives and make the best decisions on how to handle such events always working with the fact that faith will carry us all over the brink of despair and hopelessness as there are times where no hope or happiness is within our reach at the time of such tragedies. While searching for myself why I was able to endure such tests in my own life I found the words in the Bible both comforting and reassuring that what was happening to me was surely happening to many others basically in the same condition or hardship we often face. Learning that God has not abandoned us but rather loving us, was the first real step to understanding the concept of purposes under heaven.

Reading Ecclesiastes 3:17 I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." Moving on to the beginning of this reading, I came to understand a little bit better what God was trying to say to me as I read the words: From the Bible, Ecclesiastes III (King James Version): 3:1 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Embracing these words as part of my own personal purpose in life and jumping back to those younger days in my life I could clearly connect the dots of these words into a rhyme sung by an earlier rock group called The Byrds that echoed loudly on every radio and music player in the land to share these most precious words that make so much sense they are commonly expressed to give reason to untimely events that bring tears and sorrow. Serving my time as a soldier medic in a most unpopular overseas in South Vietnam, I learned as an eighteen year old that life was not fair and life was surrounded by hate and fear of both the unknown and the certainties that good men die and sometimes no matter what you do to try to save them, there is nothing you can do about it.

Learning to kill another human being brought me to the brink of insanity as I pondered long and hard how could I do such a thing when never before in my life have I ever thought about such an act contrary to the commandment of Thou Shalt Not Kill – a rule that must be followed and obeyed with every essential fiber of your own morality. Struggling with this quandary, I went to seek advice from the Army chaplain who was most willing to spend some time with me and discuss this dilemma that was eating me up inside.

There was no doubt his words were comforting to me as I sat there and listened to his wise words about the man-made laws that we are so often mandated to follow against the grain of our own morality and wishes. Getting a word in every now and then I explained to him I was drafted and not voluntarily joined the Army. I told him of my objection to war and how I felt it compromised my ability to love mankind while at the same time, killing them with my struggles to survive in this insane world society had put me in. I continued to question the “good” in this lesson of life and what divine purpose this act has in allowing me to find peace in my heart and mind about the travesties of goodness I have witnessed or participated in.
The chaplain was a patient man and understood my confusion as I was one of many who came to him for advice about such quandaries in a war thousands of miles away from home. I remember him saying to me his own words that went something like this “son, you are following the laws of the land, you accepted being drafted as part of the law, you trained and serve as a soldier of the land that is at war with others thus you are still in obedience with the laws that govern you as a man.” He made sure I knew the difference between thou shalt not kill and the act of “murdering someone.”
He reminded me of the fact that I should act without hate and that my acts are forgiven as long as I do not engage in this act of killing for the hate of it or other human beings. So I became to understand that killing was forgiven but that murder was forbidden and not a justified deed under the sixth commandment.
Today, I am still torn between what was said yesteryear and what I want done when I die. First of all, I accept death as a condition of birth. I accept that the moment we are born, we are destined to die. I have learned and understand the commandment to not kill or murder an innocent person for my former law enforcement background has drilled the self-defense concept into me where I know both consciously and unconsciously what to do when faced with imminent danger of my family, innocent bystanders or myself. My training in the use of lethal force will dominate my thinking and carry me through the crisis just like it has before when I was a soldier and I am confident that I will do the right thing in the eyes of the Lord. I have been witness and present for the serving of two death warrants for inmates on death row and never gave it a thought of how it may feel. I have fought in a war where the face of the enemy was rarely seen until the calm of the fire fight was at hand. So without contemplation between right and wrong in the sense of self defense and defense of others, the other possibilities of taking another human’s life comes to mind in the moral sense of capital punishment and the death penalty. The church priest explained how there are ways today to keep a guilty man locked up for life and ensure he will no longer harm anyone in our society without killing him on the grounds of vengeance or other restitution matters.

He also brought to light the issue of abortion and the taking of the unborn while it is inside the womb and not really perceived by some as a human being but rather as a “fetus material” object. Impersonalizing relationships or transferring things into objects has been the political correct way of looking at things these days. It’s easier to say the fetus was terminated than it is to say, the unborn child has been taken.

Grasping the concept on respecting the dead and how cremating someone creates an inanimate feeling of ashes rather than body and spirit of a person’s corpse and body. Explaining how the body is placed into the casket and buried as a whole versus the depositing of the ashes into the designated container or urn, he speaks of how some urns are mistreated and often neglected or forgotten to exist by family members over the years and how the burial site of a loved one lasts into the memory forever. One must agree that to have respect for the dead, it would enhance the memory of someone you loved if you can go visit the burial plot whenever the cemetery gates are open versus the access to the urn that may be stowed inside a closet or locker for safekeeping and often forgotten.

Life is full of choices and the matter of life and death has never been simple. Rather, it was meant to be complicated so we would give it the amount of attention and respect it deserves when the time comes to honor our loved ones as they pass. Thinking I already knew what I wanted done with my body as I die has changed as have my thoughts on the death penalty as it stands. Do not misunderstand my thoughts. I am simply saying that as I receive more information about life and think more about death, it just isn’t the same as it was before when I was young when I thought I knew exactly what I believed and what I wanted. They say that the fact you go to church gives you wisdom and insight on many things that matter.
Today, I am thinking again on my thoughts of life and death and making sure that whatever I chose to do, it is a respectful decision based on the value of life. Psalm 112 - Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth forever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

As I continued to be raised in the eyes of God and worked hard to become one of his children, I was often faced with financial hardships and marital problems as well. I thought that I was ready for marriage but found out my maturity was most lacking for such a responsible act and failed many times to heed the commandments of the Lord. A sinner by choice and taking advantage of situations that are either honorable or justifiable, I became a lost soul looking for love in all the wrong places. Hiding out at night in the bars and sleeping off a drunk during the day, my life was simplified to be a hell hole to live in. the strangest part of my life was that although sinning and reaping havoc in other people’s lives, I was still seeking the word of God in my experimentation of many churches where I tried to find consoling measures or inner peace with the words that were spoken to me by holy men and educated men in robes or suits.

Taking the Holy water and prayers for self-satisfaction did not find its way into my heart and forgiveness was too much to ask at this point in my life. I felt truly lost and floating in an abyss of self-pity and drowning myself in the liquors available to me by any means possible.

Wanting to be more in the image of God and looking for an escape from these shackles of drunkenness and pity, I searched for wisdom rather than the carnal lust that had tempted me to drift away from the morality I was brought up with by my parents and social influences. Living side by side with the Devil himself, I found out how difficult it was to climb out of this pit of evil and resurrect myself back into the image of being a Christian and God loving person. Loving Jesus in dying while forgiving us for our sins, I knew that sooner or later, I would have to answer to a higher power of my conduct and stormy ways that resembled those of the Devil and not God’s words.
Don’t Walk with the Devil
Don’t walk with the devil for he will steal your soul
Don’t talk to the devil for he will change your role
For you cannot run or hide from his evil ways
As he so often possesses the persons you will admire and embrace
So let me give you some sound advice
Don’t walk with the devil for you cannot afford his listed price
You can find the devil almost anywhere
Don’t ever look into his red eyes with his evil stare
Don’t fall for his tricks or his promises that he cares
For his evilness will tremor your hand and cause you pain
And for certain his wicked ways will cause you to be spiritually drained
Don’t walk with the devil for you will see
What he has done to you and me
Run as fast as you and don’t ever look back
For his influence is worst that an ounce full of crack
Don’t run with the devil don’t you even dare
For your heart will falter and no longer care
About those you love and those you have carefully chosen
Don’t let him trick you into a heart that becomes cold or frozen
Don’t run with the devil for he won’t set you free
He’ll keep you around to spread the seed
Don’t run with the devil for he will make you sow
Every evil seed that is planted on devil’s row
Don’t smile at the devil for he will make you cry
As he makes you forget those scriptures written from above in the sky
Those parables and verses you know so well
Will lead you on his well paved road to a place called hell
Don’t run with the devil, it’s plain to see
His evil was meant to destroy you and me
Don’t look at the devil with his mesmerizing eyes
And never forget he speak his words with nothing but lies
Don’t run with the devil with his trickery voice
As long as you are free you have a choice
To decide to walk hand in hand with the angels of God
And deny the devil what he so desperately sought
So walk with God and his angels true
And keep His word so always close to you
For as long as you speak of our Lord and Son
Your work for God has just begun
And when the devil comes up to you
Turn your head and ignore his evil spells that will turn life into troubles
For both me and you
So you can see that stress and distress is a part of your life you have to learn and cope with as you seek your destiny towards the future. You will be tested daily of your faith to God and as your faith grows with God’s words and strength, your ability to endure the pain, the sorrow and the misery of misfortune will be focused into a strength in character that reflects every word God has taught us to obey, to live and to acknowledge. Tested by fire, by biases and bigotry you will experience different revelations that allows you to build a more godly character that produces the ability to withstand sufferings and produce an internal and external perseverance that builds on hope and contentment just because you now better understand that God loves you and wants you to focus on the positive things in life and not the things that disappoint us. Persevering adversity, suffering and other aspects of life gives us the ability to prove our faith to God and Jesus Christ while strengthening our internal soul to face all things that come upon us.
However, herein this perseverance and coping with adversity there is also the danger of downplaying or marginalizing men’s wrongdoings and make excuses for those who fail to live up to the word of God. Taught that God will forgive our sins because of Jesus’ sacrifice to die for us upon the cross does not allow us to run rampant and make bad decisions or poor choices in the manner we live.
We must by no means let anyone suffer needlessly and offer help to those who need our help as we still have to suffer consequences for our decisions, behavior and sins that are knowingly troublesome to bear at times. We must still set the example of the good book and its contents. We must never give up the opportunity to help those suffering and shape them into positive purposes for His purposes and the ultimate good of all mankind.

The good of enduring trials and tribulations also comes with rewards and blessings by God himself and the spirit within. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:2-4,12). Through all of life’s trials and tribulations, we have the victory. "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ." These verses encourage us to see that although we are in a spiritual battle, Satan has no authority over the believer in Christ. God has given us His Word to guide us, His Holy Spirit to enable us, and the privilege of coming to Him anywhere, at any time, to pray about anything. He has also assured us that no trial will test us beyond our ability to bear it, and “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

III. God’s Will in your Life

The fact that you have sought to strengthen your faith in God brings you to another forum of you faith and religion. You must ask yourself “How do I know what God’s will is for my life?” learning the answer to this most difficult questions requires you to seek out more relevant questions and answers that can only be found in reading the Bible. Before reading the holy words and translating them into a living will or testament for you to follow, ask yourself if what you are personally asking for to do is within the laws or rules that the Bible allows and not forbids. Secondary but equally as important you have to make sure that whatever you are asking for to do or considering to do will help enhance the word of God, glorify Him in the highest and help your grow spiritually with a daily reinforcement of faith and godly character.

If your spirit is united with God but not God’s will, a misalignment occurs. It is likely that whatever you are asking for or considering asking for will not happen or will have to wait to happen. There are no written guarantees in life nor are there in the words written in the Bible. It will develop or ensue when God sees you are ready for such a change and ensures you success if you take each step with prayer, patience and spirituality that focuses on God’s goodness. Examples of such changes are career decisions, marriage, geographical relocations and other significant changes in your life that will impact yourself as well as others. God rarely gives you signs or advice that are specific in nature but often allows us to rationalize our decision making processes by weighing the good and the bad, the pro and the con and the good versus evil.

Romans 12:2 tells us, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Explaining this phrase simply means that God does not want us to make decisions that are sinful, evil in nature or suffering or established to resist his will. The balance in this transformation to request a change is the amount of willingness for you to sacrifice to meet the will of God thus in agreement with his will to follow him first and putting your personal desires second. Loving God first with your heart will allow you to love another with a love that is blessed with God’s will to be happy and blissful “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Therefore, if the Bible does not speak against your considered changes or wishes, then the Bible infers you an allowance or permission to proceed and follow your heart’s desire to truly find God’s happiness with an open minded spirit and a humbling sensation that truly reveals his blessings and willingness to be a part of your life as you desired.
Making changes in my career and marriage carried with it a tremendous amount of praying and wisdom. There was no room for guessing what direction God wanted me to take and although my level of knowledge and maturity had improved multiple times than before, my mind had to make sure my new desires and my new direction was in accordance with what I believed to be God’s will in my life. The manner God influenced my decision making was painstakingly difficult and much more intense than ever before in my life. I had to choose between good and bad and goodness versus evil. The choices were not that hard to make but assurances that I was making the right decisions were for I was watching for indicators in my mind that confirmed that my desires were within God’s permissions to allow me this change in life. Not having the advantage of God literally taking my hand in hand and walking me through the desired process of change, I had to have faith that I was doing the right things at the right time.

Praying to keep his spirit close within me and harnessed inside my heart, I felt strong enough to ask for and receive my desired ambitions through prayer and faith. Some of this guidance came for God’s words written in the Bible, some came from the wisdom of my own father and mother who have always lovingly guided me with patience and love. Serving as a mortal surrogate to God in the highest, I considered every value, every trickle of energy, every beat of my heart to make the right decisions. Taking into consideration of my past where hindsight was “20/20” and a powerful tool for lessons learned and guidance to steer away from those pitfalls once encountered, the truth revealed that with a stronger faith and a more open mind, all things become possible. Eliminating previously engaged confusion and difficulties reassured me that I was on the right track and that God’s will was indeed in alignment with mine. As time passed by, it became more clearer to me why things happened the way they did and how God brought it all into perspective making sense through these experiences that I once thought were mystifying to say the least.

At the boundaries of all these experiences was the fact that in most cases, I felt the hand of God guiding me into the right direction and telling me clearly that my choices were His choices and that harmony existed between the two of us as well as those I loved so very much during this journey in life. I felt that this harmony was God’s way of telling me that I was fulfilling his wishes as well as my own. So what do we need to do to acquire such insight of this eternal guidance of power and desires by our loving God? What type of preparation must we make before we can communicate so clearly that this harmony coexists and the recognition of one’s desire meet the needs of the other?

Reading the Bible gives man insight on almost every question, every situation and every challenge we may face in life. In layman’s term, the Bible serves to us as a handbook does to a new student or an instruction booklet does to the person trying to set up a new device he or she just bought. It would be silly to assume that God would give you the answers but reassuring that he will give you’re the wisdom to find it. We can ask God for wisdom (James 1:5).

Therefore we have established a foundation of mutual understanding between God and mortal man. We have aligned in harmony one’s desires and needs that have the blessings of God Almighty and his guidance as well. Thus with this powerful instrument of effectively communicating with God we have developed a relationship that is built on mutual knowledge, prayer and respect for His words. The compliance of these holy words brings to us a source that is unlimited in perception and guides us through the darkness when we can’t see through those obstacles put there by evildoers and Satan.

Trusting in God is the key element to this relationship and defeating the Devil. Because man is mortal and not divine he or she must continue to make good choices or decisions that pleases God and his judgment of you. We must endure setbacks and pray for resolution in accordance with the holy book educating us to take other avenues or direction. There should be no doubt that whenever you are faced with adversity it is not the will of God to impose punishment but rather, it is his will to follow His goodness according to the quality of the plan. Adversities have often turned into ordeals that become difficult to overcome or conquer. Ordeals are mixtures of wrong decisions or bad timing of the desires imposed. We can’t blame God for misfortune but we can learn to take misfortune and make it work another way.
Persevering and struggling to make ends meet through spiritual guidance and strength, we overcome the most difficult ordeals and reap the rewards of such rebellion in refusing to submit to failure. As we learn from our lessons, we become successful in our retaining and maintaining our spiritual requirements to please God’s will.

The most common saying or the most often quoted phrase in the area of help is not written in the Bible but rather something that was attributed to ole Benjamin Franklin who was quoted in the Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1757 as saying “God helps those who help themselves.” Looking at the Bible for reference to the word “help” you will find Romans 5.6 that reads “"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Isaiah 25:4 declares, "For you have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat..." Romans 5:6 tells us, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” He goes on to say that we are all infected by sin as he says “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23).

IV. Choices

The times in my life reflect both good and bad choices I made in my journey to eternal life, if so blessed by God and His willingness to forgive me for my sins. Taken by force as a soldier in a most unpopular war I became an addict to violence and drugs. Rebelling against society and its rules I propositioned the Devil on more than one occasion to get me what I wanted out of life well within the boundaries of evil and Satan’s ways. Failing as a father, a role model and an upstanding citizen during my early years as an adult and incurable to say the least at that time of my life, I staggered between soberness and drunken ness routinely

The weariness of life in the fast lane took a toll on my life. There were episodes of self-destructive behaviors that were chemically induced with a death wish to end it all through a blatant display of willful neglect of my own life. There is no doubt that because I was exposed to a very traumatic event akin the Vietnam War, I experienced or witnessed acts that are beyond the comprehension of mankind in times of peace. Confronted with daily incidents filled with life or death situations, as a combat medical corpsman I struggled to meet the need to help those injured or threatened with imminent death because of being wounded in a firefight or combat with the unseen enemy everywhere. Such symptoms of what we call post trauma disorder syndrome or PSTD were untreatable at the time for there was no such recognition that such a disability or effect even existed in the minds of those who were leading our government into this war. Offering no treatment and providing no cure for the aggressiveness and the paranoia that this illness spread among our young soldiers back in those days, this infection spread throughout society and caused an upheaval in jails and prisons everywhere.

The psychosis or recurrent and intrusive experiences were most distressing to those afflicted and caused them to be unstable and irresponsible in both behaviors and relationships. The physical aspects of these recollections of nightmares and other trauma triggered events destroyed many families and cost many good men and women their jobs or careers because of the lack of care or treatment available or provided to deal with this phenomenon. These events, best explained as feelings comprised of recreating the experiences, illusions, hallucinations and flashback episodes. This process of self-destruction would completely wear a person down to indefinite and intense distress that was effectively breaking down a man’s ability to rationalize and make good decisions.

As it stood as an adult, I made two choices in life. Having a slim menu in life I could either take it or leave it at the time it was presented to me. What it really came down to was the ability to make choices in the context presented or having no control over the matter at all. Needless to say, whenever faced with these choices, you will not make the correct choice all of the time but being of altered mindset and punitive in nature, even good choices were disregarded at the time. Losing control of your mind often results in the wandering of a lost spirit seeking to grasp onto something firm enough to stop the world from shaking and making some sense out of what is happening around you. The confusing mixed emotions between right and wrong are tampered with conflicting sensations that leaves something less to be desired as it was evilness at its best. Overriding common sense and overhauling existing rules and regulations you instill a sense of fear and competition inside yourself that drives you crazy.

Dealing with the unreasonable rather than the reasonable you compromise your economic ability to pay for things and splurge recklessly into a spending spree that is harmful to everyone in the family circle. Ignoring the bills and other financial obligations you drive yourself into deeper debt and make larger bills you certainly cannot afford to make. Angry and frustrated you become angrier at the world around you and lash out at those who love you as you trash everything and everyone that gets in your way. Free to do what you want to do and having the free will to disobey the natural laws that exist, your choices determine consequences that you hope to avoid but are often the direct results of the very core that determines the severity of your recent failures as the social environment captures your spirit and your soul.

Every choice we make impacts our personal or professional lives. Whether your decisions are good or bad, big or small there is reason to expect an impact one way or another. Joyce Meyer once said “; “Walking in wisdom means making decisions today that you will be happy with tomorrow.” What a great question to ask ourselves before we make major decisions or any decision that can ultimately alter our well-being. “Will I be happy with the decision I make today, tomorrow? We already know that in our lives we have areas that dominates our daily living and affect much more than just personal satisfaction. Whether rich or poor, problems come into everyone’s lives as there is no escaping them. Life is more than sex and money, marriage and jobs and rich or poor.

Life should be a fulfillment of desires that allows us inner peace and lasting happiness that can be accomplished without many of the carnal or social expectations put upon us by an unforgiving society that sees you either as successful or unsuccessful based on your wealth and possessions.
Behaviors should conducive to developing a trusting environment and shared responsibilities that allows a natural balance of sound decision making. This balance is a mindset that is regulated by values and limitations imposed by either yourself or your family on this road to happiness or success. Regulated just like a house thermostat controls the heat or cold inside your house set by a pre-determined temperature that is pleasing to all to be comfortable, this thermostat needs maintenance as well.

Your choice to set it lower in the summer will result in a high cooling bill while a setting higher could in fact save you plenty of money in the long run. These choices are simple but as you get into other areas of making decisions they get more difficult as the subject impacts your life more severely than the other do. So to make good decisions you must have a mindset and a regulator. You must figure out what you want and what you need. You can figure out what you can afford and what you can’t afford and make adjustments accordingly. Basically, your thought patterns are set to follow common sense and thoughtful planning. Each plan has an outcome and each outcome has a consequence. Whether or not the consequences are the desired effects or not is determined by the ability to regulate the process. Variations and deviations impact the process and alter any expectations set on other plans or processes. The human mind controls the process through several methods available to every person and works together to coincide with the desired result. Again, variances will alter the result and can cause the plan to fall apart all together if done reckless and irresponsible in manner.

Making decisions can be based on facts and needs. Sometimes you let your emotions allow you to determine an action that might in fact be detrimental to your desired outcome. Too many emotions can and will negatively change the dynamics of your plans and your family’s livelihood if not controlled or regulated by the means available to sustain such desires. A good example of this is the common pitfall of “keeping up with the Jones’s next door.” Buying a car you can ill afford is a good example of emotional spending or emotional decision making. What may provide you a momentarily sense of joy for a short while can result in a long term commitment that could end up in financial failures. Looking at the Ten Commandments you can find sound advice how to make good decisions and avoid the very traps we fall in when exercising an emotional level rather than the non-emotional tools we possess.

It is likely that at one time or another you will find yourself at the mercy of such emotional distress and make unsound decisions that impacts live so severely. Backing up a few steps and regrouping your senses, you can trust in God to help you as he gave us His word that he would indeed be there in a time of need. Having faith is important and with faith you can overcome this dilemma and hopefully resolve it in a most amicable and reasonable way. There are three steps to fixing the problem of making a bad decision. The first step is to recognize and realize there is a problem.

Big or small you must ask for forgiveness and not beat yourself up too much over this as you work hard to resolve it. The second step is to repent for drifting away from your values and believes that have provided you with more success than failures. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and work on making it right while understanding what you did wrong in deviating from your normal practice of being rational and logical about making your choices. The next step is to reset or renew your mindset as it was once before you make this error.

Through prayer and asking God for wisdom and understanding to resolve this matter, you will find a way to heal yourself from this situation and re-establish faith in yourself in making choices. Prayer and meditation are powerful tools to refresh and restore the mind and renew your spirit.

V. Perseverance

One must ask this question before going any further. What is perseverance and what does it stand for? As perplexing as this question may be to some, perseverance represents the idea that a person is going through something that is causing trouble and strife along the way to correcting the situation and not giving up or surrendering to the opposition or conflicting force. Based on my own personal experiences and those of others, I can attest to the fact that in order to resist or persist in fighting something large or serious one must possess strong characteristics and personal growth to encounter them and overcome them as well.
The reality of this particular character is that if often gives us a lot to think about as we learn more about ourselves in the sense of becoming stronger in faith and the ability to grow in Jesus Christ’s name. thus growth what takes place as we learn to depend on God to carry us through the storms of life as we encounter them so frequently and with hope that they can be resolved with a blessing form God as you pray for the courage to encounter and pray for the strength to overcome the opposing force with full understanding that you will be delivered safely and unconditionally for having trust and faith in God Almighty.
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope." - Romans 5:3-4.

Perseverance
When all the world is looming dark
And things seem not so clear,
When shadows seem to hover 'round
Lord, may I persevere.

When it seems everything's been tried
And there's no way to go,
Just let me keep remembering
Sometimes the journey's slow.

I may just need to stop and rest
Along the path I trod,
A time to try to understand
And have my talk with God.

As I gain new strength to carry on
Without a doubt or fear,
Somehow I know things will be right,
And so, I persevere.

By Anne Stortz
from Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul
Perseverance appears to be a very common word discussed in the Bible as there are many references made within the King James Version. Many words are directly quoted to illustrate the strength of the word as well as the human act to acknowledge its qualities that have to be possessed to conquer the both the minor and major storms that exists within our lives.

In Proverbs 3:5-7 it reads “"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil." – Another verse states bluntly that “"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." - James 5:7-8
One must sense that perseverance has several elements contained within it that gives mankind the ability to overcome these storms with a little bit of wisdom, faith and trust. Translated into modern times it comes down to taking action and reactions given a time and place where the opportunity to be most effective is the key to either domination or rejection of the evil creation. It would be logical to assert that if personal goals are set low and fairly traditional the number of obstacles obtained along the way would be minimized or fairly easy to recognize.

On the other hand, if personal goals are established fairly high and created in a most untraditional fashion, the expectation of running into complex and more severe obstacles coincide with the degree of possible opportunities that come with such an adventure. Raising the bar to excellence also raises the amount of competition for such a goal.

Along with the competition it is likely to be more expensive to attain funding for such a journey as well as numerous attempts to overcome an unsatisfying and frustrating environment along the way. It can be said that unless you have adequate funding and scholarships or grants to help you along the way, a hardship will occur and demand you work in order to sustain such goals and attain a successful accomplishment at the end of the term.

Perseverance is about attitude, determination self-reliance and intestinal (guts) fortitude to endure the journey and being prepared to take every step along the way with no desire to be defeated by both traditional and untraditional setbacks.
One has to focus on many positive things such as good study ethics, good work ethics, and prepared to take adversities as well as criticism and other obstructions in stride to avoid failure. The incentive to attain a dream or career goal is subject to stumble and may escape you if you fail to prepare yourself for such a fight along the way. Perseverance means balancing work and life needs delicately. It means going forward and not looking back. Waking up every day to tangle with these obstacles can make a difference in how you will be viewed as a competitor or a loser.

For some this dream will elude them because of ill preparedness and a lack of will to deal with the situations handed to them during the course of the climb upward. Some will stumble and settle halfway to the top in order to survive and maybe wait a year or two before beginning the journey further.

Timing is an important element of perseverance and often dictates failure or success. One would think that merely having the energy to get up and go to work and school daily would suffice the trek but often enough, more is required to stay abound of these goals. In retrospect, some will find happiness and contentment. Others will be severely disappointed and look for a new opportunity to do something else in life. It is the inner strength and focus on will and spirit that makes winners come out ahead and loser give up along the way.

VI. Fruit of Life

The fruit of life is what exists within your own life and how you feel about such presence that drives your daily needs and desires. It consists of many things that impact your outlook on life by itself and can be divided into many groupings that cover this reflection of one’s own self. Summarily, it would have to be combined to make the existence whole in existence as a partial presence will only diminish one’s ability to interact with one’s own feelings as well as other’s emotions.
The first category is Love – love is a most important factor as you must see people through the eyes of Jesus Christ. You must exemplify His deep compassion for mankind and the search for the lost ones, the weak, the lonely and the poor. There must be resistance within one’s self to give selfishly, to go the extra mile to help others and acknowledging that God will always come first. The second category is Joy – joy is essential to show a positive disposition even in times of grief. Joy requires strength to remain strong and positive when things go wrong as your trust in God stands unwavering in the eyes of others. Making something better out of something sad, you must exemplify this disposition to encourage others to be content and assured that God has a better plan for all.

The third inner category is Peace – peace should rule the heart and soul. It should be the centerpiece to stay calm during distressing situations or horrifying conditions. Dealing with bad relationships or fractured spirits among family or friends, one must take the imitative to stay calm and be available for guidance and comfort. A peacemaker at heart, this quality is an essential part of mending broken hearts and dreadful occasions including death.

The fourth category is Patience – patience means not to make irrational or hasty decisions or speak with derogatory words in a time of need or understanding. Avoiding jumping to conclusions without the facts makes this an essential component of never surrendering your soul or beliefs to others who don’t care about your feelings. Extending tolerance levels higher than the others, you can provide encouragement and composure to any situation. The fifth category is Kindness – kindness goes a long way in providing a deep respect and consideration to others in need. It also allows persons to deal with bitterness, anger and malice by taking the time to consider the circumstances whenever a wrath of words are released at a moment’s notice and not internalize or personalize such action as a personal attack but rather with a forgiving spirit understand where they are coming from at the time of distress.

The sixth category is Goodness – goodness is how God impacts your life and how you show others you are a caring friend and sincere person when there is a need for compassion or sensitivity to the person’s problem. Sensing a need to uplift other’s lives, goodness characterizes your love for life and God’s way of living. The seventh category is Faithfulness – faithfulness is making promises that you keep. Being a person of your word in a society so selfish today is a remarkable feat to accomplish and recognized instantly by those you share your life with. Being true to yourself and placing God before you is a fidelity hallmark that reflects commitment and loyalty to your word.

The eight category of internal strength and your fruit of spirit in life is Meekness – meekness is a willingness to be submissive to God, Jesus Christ and stepping aside any personal aspirations to be more important than others. It is an attitude of servitude that is easily recognized to be under the influence of God and his verses.

Showing a willingness to accept God the Almighty, you bestow Him his righteous place as King and give to Him everything you possess. The ninth and final category is Self-Control – self-control is the key to life and is self-mastery of one’s own thoughts, words and actions. Self-control is synonymous with self-discipline. Maintaining complete control of your body, your mind, your associated emotions and will, you determine how you will exercise, spend your time, your possessions and your desires while never losing control. The aspect of self-control follows an avoidance to do too much work, too much to eat and other gluttonous behaviors that tempt the evil within everyone’s body.