2010, a brand new year awaits us. Will it be a repeat of last year? Personally, I hope not. I too am one of the many who was very glad to say “goodbye” to 2009!

 How about you? How are things in your neck of the woods? It’s crazy out there, many are out of jobs, some losing their homes, and we’re left to wonder, is anyone steering the ship? Republicans, Democrats, who cares? Just correct the problems, be honest, and please, no more b.s. I am a firm believer that the government can’t solve all your problems, but they’re not supposed to stand in your way either. If the government really believes that it can run everything in our lives better than us, then by all means line us up one by one, take away our credit cards, clean out our bank accounts, and take over our homes. Otherwise, let us sink or swim by ourselves. Surely, even a five year old child could do a better job than what has been spent by the government on our behalf in the past year. Hey, one guy on the internet suggested that the government give us each a tax free year. What’s crazy? It would have only cost a pittance of what was unleashed, to balloon the deficit. Personally, I don’t think giving each American a million dollars would have been such a bad idea. That would have only cost around 300 million dollars….a tiny drop in the bucket compared to other measures.

 Life, Libery and the Pursuit of Happiness…sign me up! I’m all for it. But lately, across the land, something has gone wrong with this picture. Tea Party protestors, called “Astroturf,”by some…please, I call it an expression of frustration. Americans looking at the Constitution and wondering what the heck is going on? Is it any wonder why Glenn Beck’s ratings are going through the roof. He’s totally tapping in to people whose anger and frustration has left them feeling disillusioned and powerless. Personally I cannot believe some of the jargon that I hear from members of Congress, staring at the camera and expecting me to believe that pigs can fly.

 All that said, I am more hopeful for America than ever, because I know there are people out there who are not drinking the Kool Aid, and walking around brain dead. What a game…they’ve pitted Democrats and Republicans against each other for so long, that is it any surprise almost nothing gets done in Washington? We’ve come to finally realize we have much more in common than we ever thought. How many out there are starting to feel that they’re swinging from the trapeze with no safety net to catch them if they fall? Well that’s where the rest of us come in to grab sheets, netting, whatever materials that are handy, to grab on and create our own safety net, for ourselves, and one another. Americans have risen to the occasion many times before. The people of Haiti just have to look around to see the heart of America.

 We all know full well how to get back up, shake off the dust, and move forward. Banks, Government, corruption, whoever and whatever…we all know something is wrong, and it can be corrected. But please, please, no more five and dime speeches, and juvenile solutions.

 The Truth Shall Set You Free,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2010 Jennifer Avalon

What is the Devil? Who is the Devil? Is there really such a thing as The Devil? If you believe that people can be taken over by Evil Forces, then there is a Devil. If you believe that someone can fall from Grace, then there is a Devil.

 I have had this discussion with friends before, some of whom don’t believe there is a Devil. The saddest thing of all to me is that the Devil believes in them…in goodness, and in naivety. The Devil is the first to spot Innocence….Frailty, and Weakness of Spirit. If the Devil couldn’t spot these things, then the Devil would have nothing to try and destroy. The whole game of the Devil is to destroy Good, and to push folks on the fence to tumble into his/her arena. For instance, pedophelia is of the Devil….it robs children of their innocence. Really, in all honesty, anything that isn’t for the good of someone, is of the Devil.

 This discussion makes some people very angry. They want to think that nothing can ever hurt them, they are totally in control, and pretending that the Devil doesn’t exist will somehow protect them. The opposite is true, sadly. Everyone can be hurt, we are not totally in control, and pretending the Devil doesn’t exist just makes him/her stronger. Remember, the Devil knows YOU exist.

 So, just what is the Devil? As the Bible says, it is the Fallen Angel. The one who chose to not be a part of God’s Paradise. It is a choice. We all have that choice. We all choose every waking moment of our lives. Someone rarely chooses to be Evil overnight….it’s usually a slow erosion of the Spirit, brought on by a starvation and pain of the Soul, over time. The strangest thing of all about the Devil, to me, is that I believe the Devil wants to “get caught,”…wants to be stopped. The Devil almost always leaves a trail of tears…a trail of pain…a trail of anger. The Truly Strong don’t have a need to hurt folks….only the Weak feel the need to do that. That’s the dichotomy of the Devil….he/she is actually weak. It’s only a strong facade.

 I believe Hitler had the Devil in him…I believe Charles Manson has the Devil in him…I believe pedophiles have the Devil in them. And others too, who hurt innocent people, while building up their Egos. The Ego plays a huge part in the Devil’s existence. Without it, there can be no Devil. Ego is weakness.

 So as you go about your life, please remember that the way to spot the Devil is by his/her actions and deeds, and by his/her eyes…for the eyes will always betray the Soul. And the Soul of the Devil is madness. And if you ever feel yourself in the path of the Devil, remember that LOVE is the one thing he/she cannot see…it is their blind spot. Because when the Devil chose to fall from Grace, the Devil turned away from Love….the Devil can’t remember what Love is….it is a foreign language he/she can’t comprehend. Love is the cape that will protect you. An invisible cape that the daggers of the Devil can never penetrate, as you stand strong.

 Always remember to wear your cape,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon

In a world that is given to ups and downs, it is difficult to find the elusive emotion of “Joy” sometimes. One might even ask, what is the face of Joy? The answer would be, it is the light in a baby’s eyes when it recognizes it’s parents….it is the grin on a person’s face when they greet a loved one after a separation….it is the laughter of a toddler when they get the toy they’ve wanted…it is the peace in the heart of a person who gives and receives Love.

When I was seventeen years old, I was walking through the woods one day, pondering life, when I suddenly felt like I was “shot” out of my body. The next thing I knew I was enveloped in what felt like a cloud of pure Love….and then I realized I was in the Universe, amongst the stars. I felt a sense of peace that can only be described as the “peace that surpasses all peace,”….pure Joy. I knew that this is the place we all come from….the Heavens. I was shown by someone whom I couldn’t actually see, but could feel, and could hear their voice, that everyone has a heartlight….I could literally see light coming out of people’s chests, on earth. I was also told that most people don’t realize they have this. That made me sad. When I “came back” I was in the middle of a stream, on a rock, and when I looked up I could see a waterfall pouring down into the stream…the water was swirling around the rock I was on. I made my way to the shore, and never forgot that experience. It taught me that Joy is in all of us…it is what and where we come from.

Watching the news on television, hearing all the negativity, one can easily forget the truth. What I do every night just before I fall asleep is recite the Lord’s Prayer, because it sums up what I know to be the truth.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses, as we
Forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but
Deliver us from evil,
For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power,
And the Glory, now and forever. Amen.”

Peace, and Joy, be with you,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2009 Jennifer Avalon