Labors of Love

When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain. Mark Twain Opposites attract.  I have heard that a lot over the years. I have even bought into it a couple of times. I am here to tell you from firsthand experience that just because opposites attract truly does not mean they are supposed to coexist. Then there is the other side of that coin. The person you have almost everything in common with. The people you meet and feel like you have known them forever. You also have to be wary of this type of attraction as well. Now don’t think I am Anti Love or anything like that. I mean after all...you can’t have a blog entitled Labors of Love and not buy the product you’re selling.  No, I am love's biggest cheerleader. In its proper context of course. Proper context meaning that you are being loved as much as you are showing love. Life and Love have taught me time and time again that there is no rhyme or reason to love and that’s the way it should be. On...

There are people who can walk away from you. And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk.. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone. When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [ 1 John 2:19 ] People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay. Let them go!!! And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead.. You've got to know wh...

Bondage is - subjection to external influences and internal negative thoughts and attitudes  W. Clement Stone The ties that bind. I never really gave much thought to that statement as a youngster. However; as I am now an adult and have matured somewhat, I truly understand the importance of establishing and maintaining enlightening, healthy, positive, supportive and uplifting relationships – albeit formal or informal. I personally have had people come and go through my life like commuters through Grand Central Terminal. Some of them leaving an imprint on my life that will last a lifetime while others have barely registered a blip on my emotional radar. All of them nonetheless helping to mold me into the man I am destined to become. However, I’m still a work in progress. We all are. In some shape, form or fashion we all are incomplete to a certain extent. I think that’s the way the Creator intended it. To stave off complacency. To keep us hungry and ever evolvin...

Many people excuse their own faults but judge other persons harshly. We should reverse this attitude by excusing others’ shortcomings and by harshly examining our own. Sometimes it is necessary to analyze other people; in that case the important thing to remember is to keep the mind unprejudiced. An unbiased mind is like a clear mirror, held steady, not oscillating with hasty judgments. Any person reflected within that mirror will present an undistorted image. Learn to see God in all persons, of whatever race or creed.  You will know what divine love is when you begin to feel your oneness with every human being, not before. In mutual service we forget the little self, and glimpse the one measureless Self, the Spirit that unifies all men.

At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet Plato Despite the fact that we live in imperfect world, isn’t it wonderful to know that we serve a God whose Love for us and Will for our lives is perfect. He knows what is best for us even when we don’t know what’s best for ourselves. He loves us even when we don’t have an ounce love for ourselves. He covers and protects us in the midst of our disobedience and rebelliousness. God loves us unselfishly and unconditionally… flaws and all. How wonderful it is to be loved by Him. The great Philosopher Lao Tzu said that being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. If only we could learn to be more like Him. If only we could learn to love more like Him and find a way to treat one another more kindly. Oh how much better we would treat one another. Oh how much better this world would be. Trust God when you can’t trace God. He’s there. Even when you think He’s not. He hear...

There is no use trying to carve a piece of rotten wood. Confucius At the end of the day when it's really all said and done, the material is truly immaterial. This is truly the most simplistic of ideologies. Yet it proves so hard for many of us to comprehend. Simply stated, there are a great many things in this world that we think matters that really doesn’t matter as much as we think or would like to believe that it does.  Now granted, money can buy temporary contentment, retail therapy can temporarily soothe those frazzled nerves and those shots of Patron can mellow you out for a while and get that buzz going. All the same, in the grand scheme of things if not handled responsibly all of these things can actually cause you more harm than good. Money can't buy salvation; money can't buy true friendship, money can't buy love, money can't buy true respect and admiration, and last but certainly not least money can't buy discernment or just plain common sense . ...

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.   Psalms 37:37 A lot of guys out there think they’re men because they act tough and talk rough. Real men know that wisdom is true strength, that gentleness is a virtue. A lot of guys brag. Real men don’t have to. Their actions speak louder than words ever could. A lot of guys blame anyone and everything for what doesn’t go their way. Real men accept life’s challenges and use them to grow. How do I know all of this? Because I was raised by a good man and I have been blessed enough to have been surrounded by good men my entire life. I have seen how good men, real men lead a good life. So many men claim to be real men, I am proud to say that I am one. Will all of the Real men, all of the Good Men… Please stand up! The world needs you.