Let Us Smile

There are days when life seems bleak. Take today, for example. It is grey, rainy, cold. It is easy to look at and dwell on the things that are not going so well in life. The uncertainty of this or that. What is going to happen to x, y, z situation in my life?  When do I get to be carefree and happy?

Life is full of various “problems.” They can range from the extremely minor, like “Aw crap, I’m out of milk for my coffee” to much more serious things like loss of a job, loss of a loved one, loss of trust in (fill in the blank): God, country, elected officials.

The forces of negativity are strong in this world. Everywhere we turn, there is negativity. The media certainly preys on this. Personally, I deal with this by almost never reading the newspaper. But, then, I don’t know what the heck is going on. As one of my characters in the novel that I am allegedly writing is known to say: “Knowledge is Suffering.”

Sometimes, I listen to NPR. Just as often, I turn it off. The negativity of what humans are capable of doing to each other overwhelms me, at times.

My dear friend, Joe Ann, (who passed away almost four years ago now), used to tell me that this is just how the physical plane is: negative. Like on a battery. The physical earth is the negative charge. It is up to us as spiritual beings to bring the positive charge. We all have the potential to bring our Light into darkness.  No one said this is easy. But somewhere, sometime, for some inexplicable reason, I signed up for this. I came here to do something. I’m just trying to figure out what it is.

Sometimes life seems so stressful that just the thought of smiling, hurts.

However, let’s face it, that is really all we have. A smile is not just an outward thing, either. It starts in the heart. I can feel it, when I allow it to happen. It feels like my heart is stretching. Jimmy Carter talked about that. Stretching the heart. This has to happen, and you have to include everyone. Not just the ones who are familiar and make you feel comfortable, but the ones from whom you might normally turn away.

Last night, I had a conversation with my son. He wanted to know why I “like” liberals, but not conservatives. He pointed out to me that not liking a “group” because of their beliefs is wrong. I tried to explain that “generally speaking” conservative agendas are “bad” because they exclude people, express greediness, and are built on fear. He wasn’t buying it, and he pointed out that I was guilty of generalizing, the very thing I was saying is bad and to be avoided. Wow.Thank God for teenagers. They ask questions, and they are unrelenting in their quest for understanding. I need this.

Here is my prayer for today, or really, for every day:

Dear God, let me smile. Let me stretch my heart. Let everyone be included in the resulting flow of Light and positive energy.

Amen.