Forgive Me Father

...for I have sinned. It has been ______ (fill in the blank) since my last confession; these are my sins.

So begins the Catholic sacrament of "Confession." (I have heard, though not confirmed, they now call it Reconciliation) Having attended Catholic school for the first 8 years of my education, I learned of this sacrament in the second grade. It was necessary to prepare you for your "first Holy Communion" by way of confessing all the sins you had committed at the ripe old age of 7.

Regardless, the cliche confession is good for the soul is true, and here's why: accountability. Unless a person becomes accountable for his actions, he denies genuine responsibility. Denying responsibility allows room for the lie, the inappropriate behavior, or the words used to hurt, damage, and condemn. Often, owning up to the behavior seems to invalidate the individual at such a core level, the person is unable to embrace their own actions. This predicates an alternate reality being conjured up. They were provoked. They were justified. They were fed up. They were anything and everything other than responsible.

The problem with this is, you can't be forgiven for a sin you haven't acknowledged. There can't be a reconciliation. There will only be more of the same--more lies, more questionable behavior, more reality skewered to prop up a failing proposition. And that, ultimately, is the tragedy. A person separated from themself. A mind at odds with a heart, a soul silenced.

As you go about your business today, wondering why people act as they do, remember that most everyone you meet has this dichotomy at work in their subconscious. It might enable you to see beyond the pretense. It might empower you to forgive that which they themselves are unable to.

Couples Therapy

Have you forgotten? Well then, remember...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0LZ4wMV3zw

Breakthrough

Amazing! Rarely do I feel compelled to make two entries in a single day. And the last picture for ENLIGHTENMENT didn't necessarily fit the "motif" of such entries. Never-the-less, more was going on than I could have imagined. The picture is indicative of a reconciliation that just happened and is as dynamic as the picture. Trust is never misplaced...it can be abused, trampled on, ignored. It can be misinterpreted, convoluted, taken advantage of...but it is never misplaced. Sometimes Life delivers in a way that conveys an outpouring of grace that allows us to kneel gratefully and sigh. Sometimes the message is heard...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roFrJQInRqg

ENLIGHTENMENT

A story told in pictures...

http://twistedsifter.com/2012/10/cloud-illuminated-by-lightning/

Life's Not Fair

No, it certainly is not.

Difficult to watch this link without feeling a little sheepish. Similar to the link of Dan Keplinger (Unbelievably Lucky) on the Home Page, this link doesn't allow for too much wiggle room. It is a reminder to count our blessings and appreciate all that we have.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1vqzHx/:x$pj!0wh:U!$iY5wZ/www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc4HGQHgeFE/

You Can Call Out My Name

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. ~Desiderata

Two are better than one; for if one of them should fall, the other can raise his partner up. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9,10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1po5MES23qo

Moving Forward

I will learn their names because in a small way I feel it honors them. I will celebrate Life because that opportunity was taken from them. I will acknowledge all that is demonic in man so that I can speak to his higher nature sensibly. I will move forward because that is what they would wish for me.

http://www.museumoftolerance.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=tmL6KfNVLtH&b=5759983&ct=7064883

As I move forward, know this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2NUhYi9cYw

As little as that is, its the best that I can do.

Mount up.