Fear, Anger and Greed have become epidemic in society today. The opposite of these traits are Peace, Love, and Charity. I do not think the hope for civilization lies in politics or our political leaders. But if we all will commit to spreading Peace, Love and Charity, I believe we can change the world. Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see.”
When you say your blessing today at mealtime or whenever, bless the world for what you have. Be grateful to those who helped you achieve your life and its attainments. We all reach higher levels by standing on the shoulders of others who have helped or guided us along our chosen paths. When you are done recognizing the people who have helped you, I would like to ask you to make a commitment.
The commitment is to promise to do all that you can to help spread Peace, Love and Charity to your friends, your relatives, your country, and the rest of the world. Let each of us do what we can to erase the diseases of Fear, Anger and Greed.
May you all enjoy Peace, Love and Charity today and the rest of your lives.
John and Karen Persico
Holiday time or Holy-Day time? Each holiday season, I wonder what time people are really celebrating. Christmas becomes X-Mass. Holy-days become holidays. Days of remembrance become good days to host a backyard barbecue and Thanksgiving simply becomes the springboard to “the shopping season.” The big kickoff being “Black Friday.” Where is our soul? Where is the spirit in our natures? Is time off meant to be simply another day to watch the “big game.” Are holy-days meant to be spent shopping? Is Black Friday now the most important day of the year? Is Santa Claus a Good Christian because he gives toys to tots? Was that Jesus Christ’s message, to spend Christmas roasting chestnuts round an open fire singing Jingle Bell Rock?
Please note, it is not my intention to sound like the Grinch or to “cast stones” at others. We all need time to relax and we all need time for fun and games. However, when do we say enough? What about the meaning of the time that we are granted? Do we simply see our time off as a holiday or do we embrace this gift of time to remember our dead, our veterans, our special leaders and those that helped pave the way for the lives that we can live today. These “holidays” we are given each year, whether in remembrance of a religious or civic event should not pass by without our taking the time to remember what their true meaning is.
I have so much but I am continually looking at people that are more successful, make more money, have more friends and are in better condition. Yet once I pause for just a few seconds to reflect on my blessings, I realize that I have the greatest wife in the world and I am healthy and moderately well off. I have six happy and wonderful grandchildren. I have more friends than I have time to spend with. In short, I have nothing to complain about. I have nothing to be selfish or greedy or jealous about. I have been blessed with a wonderful life and yet I hardly ever stop to say “thank you God for what you have given me.” I am usually too worried about what I have not been given.
Aging Capriciously 