YAP(Youth Advocate Programs, Inc)

While looking for a job recently,  I sent my resume to YAP, which is short for  Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.  At this particular time in my life I didn't think it would be a good fit, but perhaps in the future I will be more open to it. 

But today as I was trying to figure out a positive topic that we all could agree upon I decided to look up their website which is here(http://yapinc.org/) and share what they do. Here is the description of what they do from their own website.

"Since 1975, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) has offered effective and cost-efficient alternatives to the incarceration or other institutional placement of young people. YAP's programs, which are offered in juveniles' own communities, are family-focused and strength based. "

When we are kids and traumatized we don't make the best decisions for our lives and the ramifications of a bad decision can shape the rest of our lives.  I am so inspired by the idea that this program offers alternatives to the incarceration of a young person that just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Everybody deserves a chance to rehabilitate themselves and heal themselves, especially at a time when that chance can mean the difference between success and failure.

They work with the kids and their families and give them a window into their capabilities and strengths which is also important to a young person.   They provide child welfare, mental health and juvenile justice systems with cost-effective alternatives to residential, correctional and other out-of-home placements. The most positive part of what they provide is that a significant percentage of clients served are those who have been rejected by other service providers, so they are giving these kids and their families a second chance which they might not have had under different circumstances.  They are making a difference to a child, to a community and to the world that child may serve in the future.

They are located in many different states and need workers and donations so please read about their services at their website and applaud the good work they are doing by sending a donation.  Thanks for reading.

Morning Has Broken

Morning has Broken is a song by Cat Stevens also known as Yusuf Islam.  He wrote this beautiful song many years ago.  The song was a hit when I was a young girl.  He wrote many beautiful songs, such as Wild World, Moonshadow and The Peace Train.

After a near drowning accident in 1977 he converted from Cat Stevens to Yusuf Islam and started practicing Islam.  That conversion didn't change the beauty and meanings of his song, but it did change his career and his marketability.  Why?

I think after 9/11 the American consciousness changed.  Religion became far too important in this country and started to bleed it's way into everything. It makes sense in a way, we had to blame somebody and it was easy to blame the religion of Islam because 19 young men were inspired by Osama bin Laden to fly planes into buildings.  Our fear kept us in an us against them national fervor for years.  We became a country of warriors and cheerleaders.

I am not downplaying the importance of 9/11 and the affects and consequences of that day.  It was a human tragedy played out on television.  In the months that followed we seemed to form a great distrust of anybody with an Islamic name. As a whole, we were a frightened and shaken country suffering from the anxiety of seeing tall skyscrapers coming down to earth with thousands of people in them.  I understand that.

Returning to Cat Stevens, music is the message good or bad.  Music can inspire us beyond the realm of race, religion and age.  Cat Stevens wrote a whole catalog of songs both before and after his conversion but clearly his religion changed the business of selling his records in a profound way.

When I listen to his songs, I hear messages of peace, of the moon, of the morning.  I don't hear the voices of those 19 men on that fateful day.  He wasn't the only artist who was affected adversely by their personal beliefs, The Dixie Chicks also were blacklisted because they had the audacity touspeak out against President Bush while on foreign soil, their cds were burned in the streets.

It's time to heal and find the connectedness of peace not the divisiveness of war.  I have included a Youtube video so you can hear this beautiful song and remember a day when religion of any sort didn't really seem to matter as long as you were in worship somewhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ESHjYat9rk 

God bless, namaste, peace, etc.

Politics the big dirty word we're not supposed to say.

I think we can all agree that the country is kind of a mess right now and with the election coming up there is so much at stake.  Not just for us but for the planet, for the children, for the people in other countries we are at war with.  It's a huge election.

We have two choices unless another person drops his hat in the ring.  Now I have to say I'm a little disappointed in Obama, but mostly because he wasn't able to get much of his agenda done.  Now it's not all his fault, a lot of it has to do with the lack of communication and cooperation with Congress the last 3 1/2 years.  That is kind of a double edged sword.  Both Congress and Obama deserve an F on that course.

And then we have Mitt Romney who is a completely different Mitt Romney then the one who was governor of Massachusetts. He has flip-flopped more then a sandal on a beach.  It's hard to figure out who the heck he would be as a leader, as a purplish Democrat I hope he's the governor.  But it scares the bejesus out of me if he is the one running now.  The only priniciple I think he has is that he likes to make money and is very good at it.  Great for a husband but for a president?

What is his plan for the health care bill?  If he's not intending on fixing it and just wants to get rid of it, what does that say for his principles when he was a governor?  What does that say to the millions of Americans who need healthcare  and are depending on that law to find them some?  What does it say to the millions of Americans without jobs who are sick at the moment?

What is his plan for the education system?  Is he one of those republican who thinks the education department and the energy department should merge?  Yes perhaps we can set up some schools on the oil fields of Saudi Arabia?  Or perhaps they are suggesting that BP take over the education system?  Taxes all over the country are going up and schools are getting rid of arts programs and after school programs, and head start programs all over the country.  Doesn't every kid deserve a good education?

Speaking of energy, what is the plan for energy?  Energy that won't kill the oceans, and the trees and that won't leave us with 3 legged, 3 eyed frogs.  Or are we just going to pick another oil rich country to invade so that we can depend on the kindness of sheiks for the rest of our born days?  Halliburton will certainly be happy but what about all the mothers and fathers of our current brave crop of soldiers? They will live in fear for the next 4 to 8 years  that their sons will be the  next to be called and shipped out.  God bless them for their service, they deserve much better then another war being fought over oil.

I'll keep picking topics that pertain to politics and other interesting things that hopefully will connect us over the next few months.  I still am of the mind that in the end there is much more that connects us as inhabitants on this planet then divides us.  Peace to you and everybody is entitled to an opinion that differs from mine and I promise I'll read it.  Especially if you are someone who can tell me what Mitt Romney really stands for. 

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Peace, shalom, namaste, salam. All of these words mean peace on our universe. If we look around we see there is very little peace on earth.

There are people of all religions who believe in peace, just as there are extremists who practice against that peace. All of the basic tenets of all religions follow the same universal laws. Yet there are those who twist and turn those laws to favor their own religion above all else.

They reap no rewards for this favor as there are so many wars across the universe which are said to be the work of Allah or the work of Christ or some other diety. Both Allah and Christ were peacemakers. Instead of finding the unity of the word peace, people are finding the words of war.

All of us living in the universe have an obligation to find peace within ourselves, find a tenet to believe in and share our peace with those around us. We must all tell our leaders that they do not speak for us when they talk about starting new wars in new places and dropping bombs on innocent civilians. There is room on this great universe for all of the universal laws to be withheld.

Find peace within yourself and share it with everyone you come into contact with today. Leave them feeling better from your presence and then move on to the next person you meet. It is only in finding peace within ourselves and sharing it with others that we listen to our hearts and not our dogmas.

Finding inner peace is a lesson I am working on from this moment on, as I find that living in regret and bitterness over the past is not what God really wants from me. He wants me to find peace and share it in this moment. Thank you for reading.

Choices

Every day we make a choice.  Do we believe in a giving and caring God or do we believe in a punishing God?  I choose to believe in a giving God and a giving Universe.

I see God and the universe as one who loves all his children unconditionally.  Each one of us is given certain gifts when we are born.  We are supposed to create as God with the universe is the creator.  We are given visions of who we should be and how we should create when we are children.  If you were to follow your bliss you would go back to your childhood and find what you loved when you were young and do it.

We are given the unconditional love of a caring God and an understanding of our talents.  Each of us sings a different song. A song of a more abundant life in which we have realized our God-given talents as we work together with God for the betterment of the Universe. 

Find your talents, find your music.  Be thankful for them.  Put them to good use and share the light instead of the darkness.  Be happy, be complete.  Live your dream.  Live your life passionately.  God and a giving universe give us dreams so we can use them along with our talents.  Be not afraid but walk into the everlasting light of a giving and caring universe.  There are always others to guide you and help you find your way.  Use them, be the child of the Universe that you were meant to be.

Walk out of the darkness and shine!

Mr. Lonely

Loneliness is such a horrible feeling.  It takes the life blood from us and saps it out little by little.  Songs have been written about loneliness since the beginning of time.  Most of us worry about a time when we will be alone, and even worse die alone.  That is one of the biggest fears for most of mankind.  Dying alone.

With the internet this insidious loneliness can manifest itself in very nasty and soul harming ways.  Gone are the days when we used to sit on a stoop at our grandmothers and talk to all of her neighbors or play stickball in the street.  Instead we hole ourselves up in front of a computer and find ourselves in the most precarious of situations, alone with a vehicle that can drive us right into a ditch.  Or even worse, it can bring out our inner demons and allow them to run rampant in our brains.

Anything you would never do to your neighbor standing in front of you can be done at a computer screen.  You can anonymously make other people feel like crap just by typing a few words onto a computer screen.  But when you are acting anonymously you are being untrue to yourself, the very essence of who you are.  You live in the shadows instead of the light.

Since I was a girl I am a magnet for lonely people and you know what I kind of like that about myself, because being that kind of person almost assures you that you are not lonely.  I will always walk out on a limb to make somebody, anybody not feel alone.  I think we all have that in our souls but we just don't want to give of ourselves to make another person feel joy.  We don't want to be the first one to say hello how are you today.

Well let me be that person, hello how are you today?  Or more accurately tonight.  Why are you up so late writing your blog on the computer?  Because I just couldn't sleep and nighttime is the worst time to be alone.  If you get lonely during the day you can go to a store or take a walk in the park but in the middle of the night you are on your own.  That is the time when compasion is needed the most when you find out just how lonely someone can be.

All I can do, me, myself and I is offer friendship to the lonely.  Offer them a kind word and to let them know you are not alone, I am typing on my computer talking to you.  I am buying my groceries from you and smiling and asking how is your day?  I am always here.  Email me if you need a friend because in my opinion everyone needs at least one every now and then.

Blessings and do me a favor, next time you are waiting on a long line at a supermarket and you are frustrated beyond belief, say hello.  Ask how is your day going?  A few little words can make a big difference.  And maybe throw in a smile.

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

A dream is a wish your heart makes when it’s fast asleep.  I have always been a night dreamer, not so much during the day.   A few years ago I had the most beautiful dream and it has shaped my life ever since.

I had a dream that a beautiful angel that looked like Jesus took my hand and walked me through a beautiful forest to a lovely cottage on a lake.  There was also a little shop attached to it where I could sell my work.  That dream has lead me to the life I currently live and is propelling me to a future where everything is possible.

I moved to a place I love where I have met beautiful friends, watched my son grow up, discovered I am an artist and found myself.  But it is not the life of my dreams. The last few months I have had a spiritual awakening that is pushing me towards that dream I had such a long time ago.  The dream where I find the love of my life, grab his hand and find everything wonderful that has been waiting for me to arrive.

I can’t really explain what has happened to me but spiritually I am feeling loved beyond belief where out of the darkness there is a beautiful light which has come to give me my dreams.  When I first had the dream I did not realize the magnitude or importance of it, but as I said it did move to where I am at the moment and that is a very good thing.

I’ve come to realize that the angel who I thought was just a guide was something more.  He is a soul who loves me deeply and has been sent by my mother to give me the life I have imagined.  He has my father’s eyes and a voice that speaks to my soul and my soul knew who he was way before my logical (or illogical) mind did.  His music is music to my ears. 

Logically I have been trying to talk myself out of this dream because it is very unusual to find a dream that charts out your life in a way that you would have never thought possible, but yet the more peaceful I am the more it makes sense.  The closer I get to God the more I feel the love. A true soul connection.

 My intuition told me that I have to write about this dream before it happens so that when it manifests itself  I can give hope to the hopeless and teach people to believe in themselves and to believe in miracles.  I can remind them that if they just appeal to their better angels they can survive anything.

So there you have it, I am moving forward to the dream.  When I finally reach the cottage on the lake, I will let you know more of the dream but for now it is my intention to follow that dream and see where it takes me.  Blessings to all and don’t forget to follow your dreams too. Happy Mother’s Day mom and to all the other mothers of the world!