This is OUR WORLD...

"THIS IS YOUR WORLD... SHAPE IT OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL!"

TOO TRUE!!!!  One of my favorite quotes is.... "Stand for something - Or else you will Fall for Anything!" and this one goes right along with it.  The world is a place, I think we can all agree, filled with despair, hatred, sadness, disappointments, violence and pain...     But it ALSO is a place filled with Love, Compassion, Kindness, Charity, Strength and Joy.....  


To a point - it's about perception  (what you chose to see or focus on) but a lot of it has to do with ACTION!!!  Some of the strongest individuals I know of, are those who through adversity have bulldozed their way clear of the muck and got to the other side and have a real life now!   To blindly or numbly accept our circumstance is a passive and NON-ACTIVE approach to Living.... Rather than shrug our shoulders and shake our heads at the injustices and horrors of the world, wouldn't it be better to STAND UP and CHANGE things as much as we can where ever we are???

I know most of us have come to believe that there is little we can do to change the course that this world has been on for so long now.  We don't vote because what's the point when our little single choice is nothing in the grand scheme of things and the loudest voices are always the ones spoken in anger or are intended to disrupt.  But is that the truth?   There was a commercial back in the 70's or 80's for a perfume and the memorable line was... "If you want to capture someones attention - WHISPER!"  The funny thing is that IT'S TRUE!  Even all these years later, I can still remember the commercial and  even hear the actresses voice and the way she "WHISPERED" the word...  and I cannot remember a joke I heard 2 minutes ago!   Sometimes, the smallest and seemingly insignificant things can make the biggest impact - I believe this!




So, let's take this to heart -  If we look around and don't like what we see, who can we blame but ourselves, because in some small part we all have contributed to it getting to this point and if we do nothing - Nothing will ever change!!  We can start today - NOW!  This very minute!  We can start by loving ourselves and showing kindness to ALL!  Forgiving ourselves and those we have held hostage with our unforgiving hearts, our stubborn minds and harsh words!!  We can think of doing for others more often, sooner and without reluctance!  We can share a smile with someone on the street even when we are in a hurry or frustrated or sad!  We can make a point to HELP not harm everywhere we go and with all of our words and deeds.  We can be forthright, honest and gentle and be trustworthy as well as trusting!  We can be strong for others and in spirit and we can be gracious and humble as well!




There are a million ways we can DO SOMETHING on an everyday basis and it truly does start at home....  By teaching our children to value PEOPLE and honesty and kindness instead of things and status and appearance...  We can stop saving for a new car and instead save time at the end of our day for our loved ones... We can remember how much our parents sacrificed for us and loved us unconditionally and be there for them UNCONDITIONALLY without them having to ask us first...  We can let people off the hook instead of making them feel bad just to feel superior ourselves.... And we can accept that we are EXACTLY the person we were meant to be and begin to embrace all of our past and every hope for tomorrow rather than knocking ourselves down for not being who we think we should be or for what we have done in the past....  

                                                                                         
                                              

                                                        

We CAN drive out the darkness with the LIGHT of our Love and the power of our conviction!!  


Evil is only HOPELESSNESS, DOUBT and FEAR, not an immovable force that will break us down or that can withstand anything!!!  Once we realize that - We can do ANYTHING!!!  LOVE TRULY CAN CONQUER ALL!!!!   <3

Let's us do all part by being a Positive Force in the world around us!

Megan McCormick in The River Journal - Love Notes

I had the rare experience and opportunity to live in a small community in North Idaho for several years, in a town named Athol. During that time I got to know and became friends with a number of people, many of which have been mentioned in the article below. Megan McCormick was a young girl at the time and attended school at Athol Elementary with my 3 children and her and my daughter, Krystiana often spent time together. As it is impossible to live in Athol and not become acquainted with most everyone, we got to know many of the families that have had deep roots in this area (and all over the panhandle) for many years... I don't think anyone who has spent time there can forget The Bells, The McCormicks, The Moores, The Wootens, The Upchurch Family and many others! (I certainly won't!) I must say, I was constantly amazed at the amount of true raw talent that I saw in these people in this very small town. It is the most common and ordinary thing to spend an evening in front of someone's bonfire or in a living room or garage or at a "Cousins Campsite" listening to the warm and friendly sounds of guitars and mingled voices! Megan truly does come from a LONG line of accomplished musicians on both sides of her family and I know they must certainly be so very proud of her!! I think it is a beautiful thing that she not only has achieved such success, but that she remains TRUE to those roots!! It should inspire us all to have a dream, work hard and GO FOR IT!!! I am looking forward to seeing the heights that she, and others from the Pacific Northwest as well, will soar to! YOU GO MEGAN!!!! :)

Please read the following article from The River Journal about a truly amazing musical talent and a friend of mine, Megan McCormick. She is going to be a "household name" before long and you will most definitely be inspired when you hear her story...

The River Journal - Love Notes