Beautiful Artwork Courtesy of Roberlan Borges Paresqui - Click Image to View His Other Works

Yesterday, I was saddened that Jamal, and many other young men and woman who have lost their lives to senseless violence, did not witness a historical moment in history.  I was saddened they were not able to witness Americans thinking beyond racial barriers and casting their votes for positive change by electing Barack Obama. 

Yet, on another note I felt a sense of renewed hope and faith.  Not only did I feel it, I saw it.  I saw a sense of hope, faith and love that I had not seen in the eyes of my brothers and sisters, my children, my neighbors, my friends and co-workers, in a very long time.  From the wino on the corner, to the little old lady, to the beautiful young people, all of whom stood in lines in the rain, often for hours, I saw on their faces renewed hope, faith and love.     I saw renewed hope in the eyes of those whose eyes have mirrored hopelessness for a very long time.   I felt delighted that so many of us have been given a fresh dose of hope in a dismal time in America.

I am proud that America is finally moving beyond racial issues and striving to see people for who they are.  I am proud that Americans are finally realizing that we need change in the administration, change in policy, and change from our leadership.  We need positive change which incorporates, We, the People.  Not We, the Rich People; not We, the Black People; not We, the White People, not We the Straight People, but, We The People.  

I feel renewed hope that President elect Obama has the abilities to inspire Americans to stop thinking and feeling in the backward ways of divisiveness and hopelessness.   I can see that Obama truly believes in what he speaks and that his love for humanity will be so contagious, that we all will catch it.     

Just as hopelessness, hatred, and lacking faith is contagious; so is hopefulness, faith and love.   I am positive that Obama will be the anecdote to the disease of hopelessness and hatred that was spreading across America in epidemic proportions.   His spirit for humanity will sweep across racial lines, religious sects, city streets, country roads, and spread throughout the world.  The essence of embracing humanity and loving thy neighbor will become so infectious that it will spread in pandemic proportions!   

So even though Jamal and many others who have lost their lives to senseless violence are not around to share in the victory, I am delighted that there are so many others who are still here who will catch the love virus, spread it, and create a world where hatred may become eradicated and the communicable love virus spreads across America and beyond!        

Into each life some rain must fall…

yet the sun’s out there throughout it all…

though shadowed by dismal clouds of rain,

the sun abides; it still remains.

So often in our minds, we can not feel

what we don’t see; though it is real…

So often we fail to recognize the fact

that through the storm, the sun remains in tact;

Her energy works with the storms of life,

to nurture our souls; withstand the strife…

to help us grow in God’s domain…

to make us strong, endure the pain.

Like when a newborn babe first breaks the womb;

Emerginging into light, quickly she blooms…

Into an independent being, from love begotten…

Thus, pain of passage is soon forgotten!

So when the rains falls heavily upon my face,

I embrace God’s nurturing, cleansing grace;

I see his love peaking through the clouds;

I feel her essense as rain enshrouds;

I embrace his power; when lightning strikes…

when thunder roars through darkened nights;

I hold my own, I understand…

It’s all part of an intricate, master plan-

I know the sun is still out there…

She’s got my back, she’s most aware! everywhere!

And when the morning comes to view…

She carresses my being; life’s anewed.

Like nature freshened by morning’s dew.

~Written especially for you!  By CordieB

India Arie’s “There’s Hope is most befitting for today, Easter Sunday and every day of the year.  So listen to the music, read the lyrics, sing along, snap your fingers, clap your hands, smile, and remember, There’s Hope!

Peace, Light and Love, CordieB.

Back when I had a little
I thought that I needed a lot
A little was over rated,
But a lot was a little too complicated
You see-Zero didn’t satisfy me
A million didn’t make me happy
That’s when I learned a lesson
That it’s all about your perception
Hey-are you a papa or a superstar
So you act, so you feel, so you are
It ain’t about the size of your car
It’s about the size of the faith in your heart

There’s hope
It doesn’t cost a thing to smile
You don’t have to pay to laugh
You better thank God for that

Off in the back country of Brazil
A met a young brotha that made me feel
That I could accomplish anything.
You see just like me he wanted to sing
He had no windows and no doors
He lived a simple life and was extremely poor
On top of all of that he had no eye sight,
But that didn’t keep him from seein’ the light
He said, what’s it like in the USA,
And all I did was complain
He said-living here is Paradise
He taught me paradise in in your mind
You know that

There’s hope
It doesn’t cost a thing to smile
You don’t have to pay to laugh
You better thank God for that

Every time I turn on the T.V.
Somebody’s acting crazy
If you let it, it will drive you crazy
But I’m takin’ back my power today
Gas prices they just keep on rising
The government they keep on lying
But we gotta keep on surviving
Keep living our truth and do the best we can do

Stand up for your rights
Keep shining your light
And show the world your smile

The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone, but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone, but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer . . . I Corinthians 7:3-5 (NIV)

If you are looking for someone to be your everything, don’t look around, look up! God is the only One who can be everything. By expecting perfection from the flesh, yu ask more of someone else than what you can provide yourself. To be married is to have a partner: someone who is not always there or always on target or always anything! On the other hand, should you ever get in trouble and you don’t know who to look to for help, you can count on your partner! It is to have someone to curl up against when the world seems cold and life uncertain. It is having someone who is as concerned as you are when your children are ill. It is having a hand that keeps checking your forehead when you aren’t well. To be married is to have someone’s shoulder to cry on as they lower your parent’s body into the ground. It is wrapping wrinkled knees in warm blankets and giggling without teeth! To the person you marry, you are saying, “When my time comes to leave this world and the chill of eternity blows away my birthdays and my future stands still in the night; it’s your face I want to kiss good-bye. It is your hand I want to squeeze as I slip from time into eternity. As the curtain closes on all I have attempted to do and be, I want to look into your eyes and see that I mattered. Not what I looked like. Not what I did or how much money I made. Not even how talented I was. I want to look into the teary eyes of someone who loved me and see I mattered.”

T. J. Jakes, Hope for Every Moment, 365 Day to Healing, Blessings, and Freedom

I am patient, I am kind. I do not envy, I do not boast, I am not proud. I am not rude, I am not self-seeking, I am not easily angered, I keep no record of wrongs.  I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. I always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere.  I never fail.

What am I?

I am Love.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
—I Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
~I Corinthians 13:4-8a, The Message

“Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 

Don’t get me wrong, Faith and Hope are good in there own rights . However, oftentimes Faith gives way to nothing other than Faith, faith and drizzled out fai…, and sometimes, Hope only lengthens the misery of man.   (I hope I could, I Hope I would, bla bla bla.) There is nothing more pitiful as a man or woman who hopes for a better day without enough sense of passion to help themselves attain there dream. And there are countless of us out there without a dream (Hope). But, guess what? Somebody loves us!

I say this to say, don’t put all your eggs in Faith and Hope, without facing what is truth. Truth can only be only found in Love. You can say, “I have Faith in that or this, or I believe that I can be a helper,  or I have faith in my fellow man” or “I Hope people would…..,”or “I have Faith or Hope that he/she would ……… or “I have Faith or Hope that I could …………………….,

Whatever your Faith is or Hopes are, back them in Love, and only then will the Faith and Hope continue to endure and keep you and your ideals afloat……..

Your ideals are truly only for a season if there is not Love to boot!.

Always remember, when your Faith is questionable and you doubt yourself or God or both, and all Hope is gone, there is always Love to sustain You!

Consider these scenarios ,and put yourself in them for a time and space:

You have put your faith in someone that you dearly love, perhaps a child or dear friend, although he or she has constantly gone the wrong way, made bad choices, and made things hard for you and him/her self. But still you kept the faith that everything would be ok. You have the kept the Faith. And, that is all I have to say about that.

Soon, we realize, that all the Faith in others, other than God doing things in his own time and space gives us hope….

You Hope that he/she will be ok. You have put whatever efforts you knew how to put in, felt was ok to put in, or simply hoped and prayed each night that all would be fine. Your faith was there, and of course your hope was there

Suddenly, and I say suddingy only in the exaggerative way. Because, you’ve already gone though Faith and Hope. But now through all the disappointments, all the toil and termoil; Your love one may even be dead and gone from your world, but there remains Love. Love will keep you from making the mistakes of your past, love will show you that sometimes love is truly hard to deal with, but still it lasts; Love will keep you telling the story about the one (s) or ideas your love ones visioned, and the story will be passed on. Pass love on from the start, and perhaps, we can as Humans eliminate the stages of Faith and Hope. For we will truly need no Faith if we truly love; and there is no need for Hope, if we truly have Love. Because in love there is a knowing that whaever will be will be, and we will still Love, regardless. . . . And what begins with Love will be protected (a form of love) and also set free (another form of love), in its own given time.

You will feel it, whether giving or receiving, if it is real!

Think about it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?

Peace always to all ones. And I truly, Love you all too.!

CordieB