The wisdom of my 21 year old God-son Nephew

My newest Godson and nephew David visited with us on Sunday September, 19th. Hadn't seen the lad since 1999, though I'd spoken with him on the phone.
It was a heavy evening. Laughing, hugging, lots of kisses for the boy, catching up with family news, taking pictures, dinner etc. Because it was such an emotion filled night, just before he went to sleep, he wrote his feelings/observations on a pad of paper, late Sunday night.
I had the privilege of reading them Monday morning and was impressed. I asked and recieved his permission to publish them here. Remember......this guy is just 21 years old.

"David wrote.......and I quote verbatim";

Anger is shallow, lest we forget, anger is the fuel that operates ignorance. Passion is a window of opportunity and it is our ground to stand on. It is what compels us to stand up and defend what is truly right. It drives us to strive for the best and the most sensible conclusions.

Now I am shallow. For I have let anger control me. I have fed my own ignorance and inadequacies simply by resorting to aggression rather than logic.
Most of the time I am getting better. It is not my sins to be forgiven. They are not even sins I have the ability to forgive.
It is not my place. My place is to accept, not fight. Understand and not condemn.

Picture a world where this was actually our initial reactions. Instead of simply looking at a situation and expressing how we have to now inconvenience ourselves by letting something into our lives, accept it. For it is truths. Instead of shying away and TRYING to make it better, we must understand (learn to understand) and accept the beauty in reality. We cannot control, nor change what happens. All we can do is stop trying to cover our tracks and work with the situation that has been provided.
Everything happens for a reason.
DAVID. September/19/2004

When I ask for help

When I ask for help I am doing several things. I am being humble. I am expressing my humanity and as everyone knows, human beings are not perfect.
I am not presenting myself as an island, independent of the need for outside help.
Humility is good for me. Without humility I would be a proud perfectionist, a know it all. Humility helps me to understand that there is a God and that it is not me.
When I ask for help, I am giving some-one else the chance to be of service, the chance to give anonymously and the chance to be generous.
All this helps me realize that I am not treading the path of life alone and that I am a part of a greater whole.

Todays beautiful moments=Tomorrows beautiful memories!

If you want to feel good about yourself on a daily basis, give to some-one.
Do something nice for someone-But do it anonymously.
Adopt the practice of doing something daily and not telling anyone about it.

Now! You don't have to do anything extravagant, like buy someone expensive stuff.
Just do something that will uplift their spirit, like a phone call to someone who does not have many friends, or a prayer for someone who is experiencing difficulties. Call an elderly relative, or mentally send love to someone who aggravates you.
Make it a daily habit and soon you will find that you have memories of many happy yesterdays.

An open mind

There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep man/woman in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer

Forgiveness

There is tremendous "spiritual" power in forgiveness. Our brains/minds are powerful organisms.
When one is in the revenge mode, the mind is focussed on a highly negative response and works to create the conditions that lead to negative consequences.

Hence the old Chinese saying;
When bent on revenge, dig two graves. One for your intended victim and one for yourself.

Forgiveness however focusses the mind on the positive thus leading to desirable outcomes.

Try it. If there is someone you are angry with (y'know, you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the wrong this person has committed, or are obsessed with their grievous wrongs against you?) and want revenge, pray for them for two weeks. Ask God, or whoever you believe in, to give them all of the things "you" want in life. Do it for two weeks and you'll be relieved of your obsession/need for revenge.