Tag Archives: understanding

Sugar is Salt! Excerpt from DADDY THROWS ME IN THE AIR…

I am twelve or thirteen… 

It is April Fool’s Day!  What a blast!  This is the day you can play all sorts of tricks on people.

My friend Linda is spending the night.  We’re going to plan some really neat tricks to play on my parents.  My parents don’t laugh much and I think some tricks might make them laugh and have some fun.

We’re going to wait until they go to sleep.  Then sneak up to the kitchen to figure out the best tricks that we possibly can, to make my parents have a fun April Fool’s Day.

Linda says she has played tricks on her parents and they always thought the tricks were funny.  So we decide we might play some of the same tricks on my parents. Since she tried them out on her parents, we know that they’ll work.

Everyone in the house is asleep but us.  We slowly climb up the stairs to the kitchen.  So we’ll have just enough light to see what we’re doing, we turn on the light in the pantry. We snoop through the pantry looking for ideas.  Okay, what shall we do?

Linda says the first thing we can do is exchange the sugar for the salt.  She says that her parents thought it was funny when she played this trick on them.

Cool idea! We pour the sugar out of its container then fill it with salt. We’re giggling.  Can’t you just see their faces when they put salt into their coffee.  Okay, what else can we do?

The first thing, my parents do when they get up is to have their coffee.  So, what can we do to the coffee?  What looks enough like coffee that we could make an exchange without there being any notice?  Nestle chocolate drink mix?  No dirt, dirt would work!  We’re amazed by our clever ideas.  We sneak outside through the back entrance to scoop some finely ground dirt out of the flower bed.  We sprinkle the dirt into the coffee container laughing as we do.  This is going to be so cool!

Linda comments, “Your parents are going to just die when they drink their mud coffee with salt in it.  It’s going to be so funny!  They’re going to laugh their heads off!  Now what else can we do?”

I’m beginning to feel uneasy about all this. “I think we have done enough.”  She responds, “No we haven’t!  I bet we can think of a lot more funny April Fool’s things to do!”  I say, “No, this is enough to do.”  She says, “What a party pooper, you are!”

We run back downstairs full of excitement for what tomorrow will bring when my parents wake up to their April Fools surprises.  Linda and I stay up real late watching the late shows on TV.

The next morning, we’re sleeping very soundly, until we hear blood chilling screams coming from the kitchen.

My mother sounds hysterical.  She’s screaming and yelling for my father to come into the kitchen.

I wake up startled and quickly.  My heart jumps into my throat.  I freeze up inside. Oh, no, apparently my mother doesn’t think our tricks are funny. Please, God, don’t let mother yell and scream in front of my friend.

Linda and I sneak up the back stairs to the kitchen.  We wait and listen.  My father comes into the kitchen as my mother is screaming and telling him about her coffee.  She’s actually almost crying.

My father yells for me.  I’m scared to death.  What can I do?  What’s going to happen to me?  I was only playing a joke!

Linda looks frightened, too, but she says.  “What’s the big deal?  It’s only an April Fool’s joke.”

We muster up our courage and walk the rest of the way up the stairs to the kitchen.  We nervously say, “April Fools!  Did we surprise you?  Pretty good tricks, huh?”

My mother is hysterical and crying.  She’s going on about how her coffee is ruined and what a brat I am.

I say, “Mother, it’s only a joke.  We were just having some fun.  I thought that you would laugh and think it was funny.  It’s April Fool’s Day, you know, the day when people play jokes on people.”

My very angry crying mother says.  “Not only did you ruin my morning cup of coffee!  Now, I’m going to have to pour all of the coffee out because you put dirt in it.  You are a brat!  My whole day is ruined because of you!”

My father is trying to go along with my mother’s angry tirade, but he’s chuckling under his breath.  He comments, “The kids were just trying to do some tricks.  Relax, it’s no big deal. We can get more coffee.”

When my father says this, my mother just glares at me and I feel a chill go down my spine.  I feel my mother’s hate for me.  I feel how she cannot stand it when my father sides with me.  She wants to always make sure that I get into trouble and that my father is aware of how ‘bad’ I am.  She likes to make a scene and make sure I get punished.

So she continues to rant and rave, until my father finally gets angry and yells at me.  He yells his usual things about what a naughty brat I am.

Linda and I both apologize then go back downstairs.  We only meant to have fun and make jokes but what we did was make my mother upset.  Nothing we did turned out to be fun.  It was upsetting for all of us.

When I look back at this scene, I can remember the excitement I felt wanting to create some innocent fun for my parents and me.  I was trying to reach out and touch them in a ‘fun’ way.  It made me excited to hear that my friend’s parents responded to her jokes in a positive manner.  It gave me hope that my parents might respond in the same way.  I hoped that my parents would laugh and say what a funny idea.  Then we could all have a good laugh together and feel close to one another, but as usual with my parents, nothing seemed to get the reaction that I was looking for.

As an adult, I can understand that it must have been frustrating for my mother to endure muddy, salty coffee.  I am sorry that I upset her and that she did not appreciate my April Fool’s joke, but looking back, I still think it was funny.

My awareness is that my mother and father never do appreciate my sense of humor.  It is like we are on a different wave link.  Most of the time when I am teasing or trying to be funny, they take it as though I am being serious then I get into trouble.

I do not show my sense of humor to them anymore. I am tired of being criticized for my humor and my light heartedness.  I show my humor and fun side to people who will enjoy and appreciate it for what it is. The sad thing to me is that I feel like I cannot be myself when I am with my parents.  I feel like I have to watch everything I say to them for fear of being criticized.

My awareness is that I can always be true to who I am but can show different sides of myself to different people as is appropriate to do so.

All of us have different ideas of what we think is humorous.

Some people do not seem to have any sense of humor. Then I’ve met others who thought they were funny and I did not get their humor at all.

Every one is an individual and what is funny to one may make the other one cry.  The awareness is to see humor from both sides.  The perspective a person is coming from decides whether they will think something is funny or not. We all have varying degrees of sensitivity. Humor is based on an individual’s perspective.

“Men are disturbed not by things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen.” Epictetus

To order:

Those who genuinely believe in Jesus Christ…

Have less stress – less mental and emotional issues – more peace – more joy – have more faith – love – contentment. Why? Because they know who they are and where they are going when they leave earth. Talking to Christ and listening with their heart through their mind’s eye, they also understand why they are on earth and their placement and mission and they go for it and live it fully. They are guided. They have more love – respect – kindness – generosity – acceptance – understanding – forgiveness of their fellowman.

They strive for ‘right’ living and following the ten commandments.

When they are in pain and going through the storms of life on earth, they hold quick and fast to the hand of Jesus Christ as their comfort and guide. There will always be trials and pain on earth – it is the planet of dualities – good and evil – that is what keeps this place rockin’ and rollin’.

I am not talking those who ‘pretend’ to believe because they think it’s the ‘thing’ to do or to make people think they are good, in order that they put one over on others. I am writing about those who really and genuinely believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  

They are not overly concerned with material things, their position or power on earth because they know all this is temporary. Sure, things of earth are fun and meaningful and for us to enjoy. Achievement and acquirement are meaningful here, but they are temporary and of earth. What is important and matters the most to the Christian is their soul.  

They will kindly give to others if they are able and even when it is difficult for them to do so. They respect themselves and others as Christ taught them to do.

Christ died for our sins so that we may have life everlasting, if we only believe in him.

May God bless you, America,  and may the world all come to know Christ.  It  is a peace that surpasses earth.

May you take Christ into your heart.  Live joyfully!

We all see through individual eyes…

and what we see and how we perceive it is based on our psychological make-up – our intelligence and emotional levels – how we were reared and in what environment – our experiences thus far and at any given time – our astrological influences, our genetic make-up – lineage – our educational, religious and spiritual leanings – our maturity or immaturity level – our socio-economic levels – our age,  etc. We all have our individual imprints and beliefs and they will stand as they are, until and if we become aware…

What we think and perceive at the age of ten will usually be different at the age of twenty – what we perceive at twenty will often be different at the age of forty. So no wonder there are so many and such different and varied perceptions, truths, thoughts and ideas in the world.  We have all been imprinted differently. Some imprints we want – are worthy and serve us well – others not so much. Some imprints, as we become aware shift and change – others do not. Some are of the light and some are of the dark. Some are negative and some positive, and they all serve our individual purpose – until they don’t.

A ten-year-old will not enjoy hanging around a group of thirty-year olds for long nor would a thirty-year-old enjoy being with a group of ten-year- olds at length – other than for the purpose of perhaps, teaching.

Mature and intelligent people may enjoy playing games and behaving like irresponsible children for an evening of fun but hopefully, they will soon get bored with it. Usually, maturity doesn’t enjoy being around immaturity at length. The light may fly too close to the flame of darkness on occasion, but will not stay there. The dark may prey on the light – but if the light is aware, they will soon close the darkness out.

Differences can make life interesting but it can also make things stressful and tedious. We all prefer to be with those of like kind and those of like or similar minds – being so, we feel comfortable and like we are accepted, feel heard and comfortable.  Exploring out to be with others who are different, into different cultures, countries, life styles, etc. is refreshing, interesting, educational and widens our perspective, but we soon like coming back to home base and our center.  We may incorporate new things into our life and change our way of looking at the world but not completely. Only those with no core and who have been fractured feel the desire or need to leave all that they are or know behind in an attempt to live completely differently than everything they know.

When we more understand, accept, and know who we are in self-reflection, then we are able to accept, get along with and learn from others while still keeping our boundaries and self-integrity.  If we are fortunately aware , we learn to get away from and stay away from those with dark, cold, blank eyes and gravitate to those with light, joyful and interesting eyes.

Eyes are the windows to the soul… while also they are where our awareness and change in perspective brings growth and expansion to our very being. We all see through our own eyes – as we go through life triggering those who don’t see as we do and searching for those who do…

Look deep into your own eyes… and when you do, and can see self clearly – you will be more able to look into the eyes of others and recognize their nature, who they are and where their heart and intellect resides.

It all begins at awareness…

 

Spirit is what creates life in our body…

ann-smile5Just like fabric doesn’t become an article of clothing until is it designed and created as such. An article of clothing doesn’t become alive until a body enters it. A dress lying on a bed is a dead  piece of fabric until it’s put on a body then it becomes animated. A body makes the article of clothing come alive. Every article of clothing will fit  and look differently as it adorns each body. Some bodies won’t even be able to fit into it while it fits others like a glove. But there are many other articles, styles and fit of clothing for the body to choose.  An article of clothing while perfect for one body will be wrong for another.  There are dresses to wear to Galas and dresses to wear to work.  It’s all about choosing the garment that suits the occasion and the body.  The appropriate garment, but some bodies don’t know how to select what is appropriate for occasion or for their body style, so they walk around being off the mark,  out of sorts  and not appropriate. They don’t fit their clothing and their clothing doesn’t fit them.

Similarly, it is the spirit that makes a body come alive.  A body that is dead with no spirit in it, can’t move, can’t talk, can’t create, can’t move…has no life.

A dead body is just that, it is dead and without spirit to animate it.

When the body dies, the spirit exits. Therefore, the body has no life with the spirit gone. At death, the energy of the spirit exits the body.

The  spirit entering the body is what creates life.  Our body is the tool of our spirit. How our spirit expresses in our body is up to our spirit…

The eyes reveal the soul. The quality of the spirit shines through either the  light or the darkness in the eyes.  A spirit of evil will be revealed in the eyes and a spirit of good the same. 

We can either work with our spirit or against it as our spirit is expressed through our heart and mind into our body in every single choice that we make…. what we eat, if and how we move, if , when and what we say, what we choose to put on our body. What we choose to do, what we create, whom we love or if we do. If we choose bad or if we choose good, if we sin or not, if we choose evil or if we choose God. What we see and how we see it.  The spirit will  choose the body that will be able to express what it needs.  The desires of the flesh and the corruption of the mind can over take goodness. It’s choice.  The spirit will choose the appropriate body, heart and mind for the what it needs to experience on this earth and when the mission is accomplished the spirit will exit the body or when the body wears out, the spirit will exit.

It’s our spirit that gives our body life and our spirit comes and enters from God. Which spirit animating which body is God’s  decision. Which spirit that enters which body that will have the circumstances, choices, trials, joys, challenges, happiness, sadness, pain or pleasures is a union between spirit and God.  If the body, mind, heart and circumstances don’t seem to fit the needs of the spirit after trying to do so,  then it’s time to turn to God in prayer and guidance for asking and understanding.  The message of the spirit may need to become clearer or the body, mind and heart need to shift and change to match the guidance of the spirit.

It’s the spirit that fills the flesh of the body with life.

When the body dies, after living life with all its experiences and  imprints on earth, the spirit goes back to God… or to hell based on choices made while on earth. The body remains here on earth, as an empty shell of matter just like a dress taken off, tossed on the floor, it is lifeless.

Does your spirit fit your body? Does your body honor your spirit?

Body, mind and heart are the tools of the spirit… full of God given choice in each and every moment.

Look to the left and click to follow…