Turning to Instead of Against Each Other by Gloira Lowe

We live in difficult times. Stories of corruption, violence and down right evilness surround us. Trying to make sense of this state it sometimes seems easier to close it all out, becoming numb to our pain and the pain of others. Often we pretend things will somehow get better tomorrow. Many of us come to this holiday season with fear. What do we say to our children and our friends, when there is no money for the ‘things’ they have come to expect from us? What do we do when we cannot buy our way out of pain?

Many of us have been chasing the American Dream, trying to consume our way to our image of the ‘middle-class American’. We have come to believe we are what we can buy. Everywhere we look, corporations encourage us to value things over people. So over the last fifty years the average American family has spent more hours working, chasing an ever-decreasing paycheck to buy things. We use these things to replace the time we no longer spend with families and friends.

The holiday season, sacred to all faiths, has become nothing more than a hyped-up consumer season and a wretched time of the year for those with no money. As more people are thrown off state support for the barest of necessities, as foreclosures increase and unemployment checks decrease, people are turning against one another.

This season we have an opportunity to rethink our values and what it means to be a human being. Can we begin to look past the superficial ways we judge one another by what we wear, what kind of car we drive, or what church we go to? Can we learn to see each other in our hearts and not just with our eyes?

As a community we have a long history of transcending pain, of turning fear to hope and hope to action. We have learned to reach out to each other in service. We have known that a fragmented heart manifests a fragmented world. We have always made a way out of no way. This holiday season is an opportunity for all of us to dedicate ourselves to building authentic relationships with our families, our friends and our communities.

We may not have money for toys and trinkets but we can wrap our arms around our children and show them how to love. We may not be able to spend money, but we can spend time.

We can set aside time and talk to one other about our hopes and dreams. We can take time to reconnect across generations, sharing stories of family and friends that pass on the values and skills that have enabled us to endure for centuries.

We can ask ourselves what do we need to do to create peace in our homes, in our families and in neighborhoods? How do we decide what we need, not just what we want? How do we live more simply, to consume less and love more?

We are facing an economic and spiritual crisis that threatens our survival and our deepest humanity. But it also an opportunity. It is an opportunity to create a more just way of living. In earlier, more dangerous times we created families, villages, places of worship and respect for one another. We have that creativity within us still.

Let us all celebrate this holiday season through the eyes of a Beloved Community, turning away from wanting things to valuing people. We can turn to one another and ask what kind of community we can create together.

Published on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 by CommonDreams.org 

by Gloria Lowe

A Poem for Thought

Hello!
I was online reading some short stories and poems and came across this one and thought I would share. A couarge poem it says. Well, we can all use a bit of encouragement, no matter what our circumstances are. And if it comes in the form of a story, poem. phone call, or whatever, I will gladly welcome all I can get!

Enjoy!

Sometimes life is hard...

Sometimes

© Kristin

Sometimes we see things that aren’t meant to be seen.
Sometimes things aren’t always as they seem.
Sometimes we need someone to call our own,
Especially when we’re alone.
Sometimes people just can’t understand,
Why things get out of hand.
Sometimes life just isn’t fair,
Especially when people just don’t care.
And sometimes it's hard to say,
Why things have to be this way.
Sometimes it’s all you can do to get by,
Especially when dreams continue to die.
Sometimes it’s nice to sit in the rain.
Even to just relieve the pain.
And when we’ve had a really bad day,
Sometimes we just need to get away.
We never know what’s wrong with out pain.
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.

And sometimes when people get hurt,
Even the strongest ones may need comfort.

Source: Sometimes Life Is Hard, Courage Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/sometimes-life-is-hard#ixzz1bx5fHDQv
Family Friend Poems

Hidden Homelessness

The "hidden" homeless are everywhere. I know because I am one of them. However, I take every day as a step of faith, and deal with the circumstances for that day. I used my talents, skills, and abilities to help others and keep my self focused on re-building my life for myself, my family, and my children. However, many give up and turn to other things that pull them further away from rebuilding their life. I choose to be a testimony of inspiration to others. And while I am still walking this journey, I look for inspiration to keep me focused. It's a hard walk, but hey, like they say, I guess some one has to do it! But there are many, many others doing it too....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/30/homelessness-middle-class-crisis-study
LLadynWaitn

Just a Thank You for the Journey

Thank you God for the answer to my little prayer! I see You working over the last few days, although I don't understand this journey, I do see that the more I trust You, You will open doors that I never could have own my own.
You know my battle most intimately, every detail, every step that can make or break me. Especially the last few weeks, you know Lord how hard it has been.
But I am giving it all to You. The tears, the worries, the stress, the joys - For there is no way I could make this journey on my own.
I am finding more and more that every step over the last 6 years is for a reason. All of it the good, the bad, the painful, the unexpected... I see that I am being shaped and changed ..for a reason ...for a purpose.
Everyday is a battle, a struggle, and really another chance to give in to the vultures. However, I am made of so much more than I have ever given myself credit for.
I am thankful for the small steps. For it is in the journey of the small steps, that we find our biggest surprise. Being thankful for the small steps, is a learning process. And once you can learn to do this, it makes way for the bigger blessing to come your way.
I am grateful for this experience, and although I know the battle is not over, I can begin to have appreciation for the walk.
For I am still a LladynWaitn...

Worship!!

A New Day

This will be a quick post. Still lots of drama, chaos, and uncertainity, but I am finding myself enjoying any amount of positivity and peace that comes my way, no matter how small it is or how quickly it vanishes.

No matter how bad things get for me, I always know that someone else has it worse. I am blessed in my mess and continue to mentor that thought to myself as much as possible.

I am finding that helping others really is a key to helping myself. When you get so wrapped up in your own misery, you begin to feel that you can not be a help or support for anyone. However, this is so far from the truth. When you reach out to help others, even when you feel you are at your lowest, darkest point of your life, it will not take long before you begin to feel your sense of worth again. And this all happens while you are you are helping someone else who may really need that additional boost for themself.

Anyway, no major miracles here yet. Only small ones that I appreciate every day. It is the small ones that keep you going.

Yours Truly,

A LladynWaitn

Just Sayin...

As I listed in my description of what this blog is supposed to be about, I set this up for my own expression as healthy way to let of steam, and evaluate my story. You know, the whole "where you came from" to "where you are now" thing. I don't keep up with it nearly as much as I would like, but there have been some pretty extensive circumstances that have hindered that. Anyway, when I can, I write, and get out what I feel has been trapped for way to long.

I happen across social media and the whole blogging trend on extreme accident and pretty much out of extreme desperation. I instantly fell in love with the social media craze and started teaching myself tricks of the trade, researching and reading everything I could, and trying my hand at it in real time. Happy to say my testing and "just do it" attitude has really taught me quite alot! That is pretty much where this blog came from. It was a testing ground for me. No matter what happens, I will probably never take this site down. It's like the first dollar bill that a store owner proudly hangs up on his wall. It is like the green ribbon, honorable mention, you get when you run the relay race but did't win. I am still proud of my honorable mentions.  

Oh, I know you that you can "make money" and "monetize" and "cash in on the social media highway" but that is not what this blog is for. This is for me. Simply Put. So with that being said...

• I am still a Lady in Waiting. Still here, chomping down, bit by bit, day by day, doing whatever it takes for me to stay here...Just Sayin'.

• I love my children and know that no matter what is said to them or about me, we have a bond that no one can destroy.. Just Sayin'.

• I love my hometown New Orleans and being part of this city again has brought life back to my soul...Just Sayin'.

• I am filled with ideas, wonder, and imagination. My heart screams entrepreneur success yet my eyes see nothing but road blocks..Just Sayin'.

• Nothing is settled. The drama is not over. I am still not walking down the yellow brick road to success or much less to security...Just Sayin'.

• I have no idea what tomorrow will bring.. Just Sayin'.

• The happiness I feel when I have those four faces smiling at me can not be put into any human vocabulary..Just Sayin'.

• The hurt and pain that surrounds me everyday breaks my heart into smaller fragments each day..Just Sayin'.

• Each day I see the small accomplishments I have made, although others see nothing but failure...Just Sayin'.

• I would have never, ever chosen this path of complete hell on earth for myself or my family. But for some inexplicable reason, God did...Just Sayin'.

• I may cry, break down, say that "I am done", but I know in my heart of hearts that I will never give up. I was not built that way...Just Sayin'.

Don't Quit

I found this on a prayer card this morning. Seems to be another message from the All Mighty himself speaking to me in the midst of and fear of the unknown.
I constantly ask Him, when is this going to be over? And my crying and complaining and questioning causes me to miss what He wants me to learn.
So through divine intervention yet again, a simple gesture from my Great Aunt Pearl revealed an on time message beyond my human understanding. So I am sharing it with you. My loved and desire ~ 1) Jesus 2) Family 3) Social Media ~ how great to combine all 3 with this one message.

~~~~Don't Quit~~~~~

When things go wrong as
they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging
seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the
debts are high
And you want to smile,
But instead you sigh.
When care us pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, But don't you quit.
Life is queer with it twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won,
had she stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're
hardest hit -
It's when things seems worst
- that you must not quit.

Thank You Direct TV

I am completely speechless. I am on my last bit of strength Lord, and I am asking You to please help me get through the many hurdles in my life. I know You have a greater plan for me. I know that every door closed will bring another door opening, with more abundance than I can imagine. I know that although my account shows NEGATIVE, my account with You will always be POSITIVE. I will not let go of the promises You made to me Lord, and by trusting You and Your word, I know that I am on my way to bigger and better things. I know my family will be covered and protected in Your grace. I know that no matter what this world does to me, You will protect me and guide me. I say these words out loud to you Lord as I type this prayer. Yes, I am venting, but Lord, I ask for forgiveness to overcome my heart and bitterness to be removed.

Yes, thank you Direct TV for teaching me and important lesson. You can take all that I have, but you will NEVER take my faith or my beliefs away. You have showed me that this world is nothing compared to the promises in God's word. You have showed me that I can overcome anything that is thrown at me. Yes, thank you Direct TV for keeping my faith in Christ alone exactly where it needs to be. Thank you for teaching me that with what little I do have, I need to bless others with.

       Malachi 3:10 

      ¹⁰Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

Dear Direct TV – Corporate Citizenship –

I am a single parent of 4 children, and was a loyal customer of Direct TV for the past several years. I was evicted from my home and had to be out by January 9^th, 6:00. I called your company to cancel service a few days before and explain this situation, and then was advised of what needed to be done to return equipment and what could be done to take care of the final bill. I never imagined that your company, as big and mighty as your are would make sure that homeless parent with children to feed would stoop so low.

I never authorized auto-drafts to my debit card / checking account and paid online each month. Yet after the account was closed, your company drafted my account for the $200.00 balance I owed, leaving me $-135.00, with several NSF charges. I was not even give a chance to make payment arrangements or even split the draft into 2 payments. You just took the money. I have no money to feed my children, I am homeless, staying from friend to friend because I was evicted. And that $200.00 you drafted without my permission has broken me completely. Please tell me how I am suppose to survive without that money?

I was with AT&T for over 15 years and laid off in 2009, and with the economy as it has been for the last year, I have been scrapping by with odd jobs to survive, not being able to find full time work. In all my years with AT&T in collections, customer service, management, and sales, and as big as the “Ma-Bell” entities are, we to my knowledge NEVER drafted an account as you have done to me. Charge off and collections yes but to just take the money without even trying to collect or payment arrangements.. leaves me speechless.

I have 3 yr old twins, and 2 teenage children that I am responsible for. Daycare alone for the twins is approx. $800-1000 per month. I can not get assistance for childcare since you have to be working to get assistance, yet I can not find work if I have no one to watch my children. It leaves an endless, sickening feeling in my stomach to know that I have no idea how I will survive.  I have been in food banks getting food for my family…something I never thought I would have to do. Last year, 2010 was the worst year of my life between lay offs, court battles, losing my car, finding out my mother has cancer, and of course ending the year and starting the new one with being evicted.

So you see the $200.00 you took from my account was everything I have. My twins will turn 4 on 2/7/2011 and they will have nothing for their birthday. Thank you Direct TV for doing that for me. For making sure my balance was paid in full without even so much as a attempt to collect the money first.

I know that I am NOTHING in your eyes with your “50 million & strong” customer base, however I will be sure that my story is told to everyone I know. How can you just take money from someone? Is that what keeps your customer base strong? Will you use my $200.00 to go to a charity or other noteworthy cause to support your “citizenship”? If so, please let me know what charity that money will be going to so I can maybe sign up with them for support and help since I too need to feed my family.

Thank you Direct TV for making sure that when I do get back on my feet, and by God’s mighty hand I will, I never be a Direct TV customer again. There are too many other options out there in the digital age with the never ending growth of the internet, as I am sure you are aware of. So I hope that you can treat your remaining customer base with better options than you have given me.

Citizenship? According to Dictonary.com the definition of citizenship is as follows:

cit·i·zen·ship-–noun 1. the state of being vested with the rights, privileges, and duties of a citizen. 2. the character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations, and functions of a citizen: an award for good citizenship.

Is this how you want your character to be recognized in the community?  

Sincerely,

Tracie Ysaguire