CHANGE - What does it mean to you?

I had to go to this seminar the other day about change, it seems as though all the seminars I go to lately are about change, if its not change management, its strategic change or something to that effect. I always leave these seminars feeling as though I can do much more than what I already do, I guess in a sense we can always do more! I begin to wonder that perhaps I am supposed to be elsewhere and not where I am at momentarily. The word change is only a six-letter word that can cause a tremendous difference in someone’s life or a minuet one, all because they decided to "change". Change what? Anything! How open are we to change? Do we receive it wholeheartedly or do we repudiate it? Often time’s people reject change because they have become so complacent and comfortable where they are, that they keep from growing. I know, because I have been guilty of that myself and at times, I still am. Mostly I think we are afraid of change because we are afraid to fail, but we forget that change is inevitable, and we can't always control it but sometimes we most definitely cause the change to occur. I guess what we need to remember is who we are when change does occur, and know that we are not defined by our circumstances. What does change mean to you? Is that word related to something positive or negative in your mind? My hope is that it is related to something positive, and that regardless of whatever does occur in your life that you do not see change with a selfish eye but with a selfless one. My hope is that the changes that do occur or that we cause can benefit others and not just ourselves, that we can be people that make things better for all involved, people that make some kind of difference in this world, whether large or small, a difference is a difference no matter what the size. As the Buddhist Gandhi once said be the change you wish to see in the world. The question is do you believe you can be that change?

Somewhere over the...

It was an normal day nothing unusual about it, but for some reason I felt a little down, perhaps because the weather was a little gloomy, who am I kidding the weather was very gloomy. I figured once I went spinning my somber mood would shortly depart; at least that is what I had hoped. Exercise can be a great way to relieve stress and tension, but although I had an excellent workout I still felt a little bummed out. About what? I do not know! I have no reason whatsoever to be down but for some reason I was, I guess it was just one of those days. As I drove home from my intense spinning class, I started to observe the very dark sky and noticed a bright rainbow in the midst of it all. I do not want to sound cliché in saying that after the storm there is always a rainbow, but I couldn't help but think that the sky was so gloomy and within it was something so beautiful. It was as though God was saying everything else could be falling apart but hey I am still here, there is always beauty in all the mess. In everything good or bad, happy or sad He is in it. The rainbow was proof enough for me; there is hope...

The Fantastic 4 - Rise of the Silver Surfer

I had made other plans, plans to go out dancing and to meet Ami the tattoo artist from Miami Ink on Friday night, but instead I chose to do something else. I really did not feel like doing anything, I did not want to get all dressed up only to come home late and have to be up by 6:00 am on a Saturday. Ugh!! It was a choice we made to do something that others might have thought was not so fun compared to our original plans for the evening; we chose to go to the movies. We decided to see The Fantastic 4, what can I say I love all those marvel comic movies. Who would have thought that a simple comic book would later become a major motion picture? I always tend to find these movies very insightful because they are all about sacrifices, choices and heroes. The scene that stood out to me, is the one in which the invisible girl tells the silver surfer "you always have a choice", at first you do not think much of what she says to him until the movie progresses to the point where the surfer tells her husband to be, Mr. Fantastic that "she is right, you do have a choice". The Silver Surfer then chooses to save the world from what is about to consume and destroy it. He had a choice and he chose to do something, he chose to save the world. He sacrificed himself to save everyone else; he was the ultimate sacrifice in the movie. I guess with some choices comes scarifies, and with sacrifice may come opportunities, or at least that is what I would like to think. Opportunities that can be positive and sometimes even negative, but I guess that would depend on the choices we make preceding the sacrifice. What choices are we making and are we willing to sacrifice anything for it? Is it even really worth it? Today was Relevant Church's first day at Country Club Middle School, the church made a choice to leave the small yet comfortable Courtyard Marriott where we have met every Sunday for a year and a half, or leave and step into the unknown to sacrifice our time, energy, and sleep so that an opportunity can arise. An opportunity for others to come to know God!!! Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!!

White as can be...

I recently got a kitten that is absolutely adorable, shes all white with light blue eyes and looks absolutely perfect! I thought of naming her Sky because she has white fur like the clouds, and light blue eyes like the sky, but some people thought that would be a cheesy name for a kitten, so now we just call her Kitty. The thing about this kitten is that she is always scratching and biting, and it seems as though she is always trying to defend herself from us (my family & I). I don't understand why, we offer to rub her belly, feed her, give her a good home and offer her our love, but she still insists that we are trying to hurt her. I know that most of the time it is her way of playing, but at the same time I know its not just her innocently playing but really her defense. I think often times people are very similar to this kitten, on the outside they seem okay and appear to be happy but on the inside it is something completely different, they are defending themselves from people who are not out to get them. If you see Kitty, you would never think she would be as vicious as she can be, due to her sweet appearance. Sometimes in life we give the appearance that everything is okay and that we are fine but we have been hurt so many times by others in the past that is affects us in our future. So how do we move from vicious and defensive to genial? My hope is that the more I show my kitten she in not in any threat, the more likely she will become amicable. We at times tend to ignore those around us that need that kind of attention, just showing someone a simple gesture or a kind word can perhaps help them lighten up. Literally!!! We can never be as white as my kitten without blemishes or marks, we can not go backwards and erase all the things that have happened to us, but we can move foward and deal with the blemishes and marks that we have obtained from past which have shaped who we are.