As many are aware, the disaster that hit the Gulf Coast of the United States this past week was monumental. As the stories and images unfolded before our ears and eyes we had to keep reminding ourselves that this was coming from a part of the United States, not a Third World country. Yet, lurking right underneath the surface of this tragic disaster is a wake up call for all of us. The people of the Gulf Coast were blasted by a large hurricane that stretched for many miles and wreaked havoc in four states, but it could just as easily have been an earthquake, tsunami, tornado, or terrorist attack. This is a warning for all of us to never forget to smell the coffee.

This Hurricane Katrina was fully expected. The authorities and the folks were completely aware that it was heading for them. The surprise was that no one expected the damage to be so extensive…still, each day as the storm approached, the National Hurricane Center was desperately trying to figure out where the center of the storm would hit. Last year the city of New Orleans dodged a bullet…one of the hurricanes just missed the city. As Hurricane Katrina headed towards New Orleans the levees would only be able to withstand a hit from a Category 3 Hurricane. Katrina was Category 5, until it just reached shore. 80% of New Orleans had heeded the warning to evacuate…yet, I kid you not, the night the storm hit there were Hurricane Parties along Bourbon Street. Many had told the authorities that they would not leave no matter what. Some were too poor to be able to leave…that responsibility fell to the city leadership to come up with a means to evacuate those in need. From what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, there was a failure on the city, state, and federal levels to comprehend the enormity of devastation this storm could and would deliver. As you can imagine, the political Talking Heads are searching for someone to blame. The first name that always comes to mind for some is President Bush. Perhaps he was a little slow out of the starting blocks, but not as slow as the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana. If anyone out there thinks that the government is some great “Big Daddy” who is always going to be able to be there immediately to help us and take care of us when we fall down…..smell the coffee!

Since 9/11 there have been multiple articles stating that two events have a greater then 70% chance of happening within the next few years in the United States. One, that the city of New Orleans would be hit badly by a catastrophic hurricane, because of the deficiency of it’s levee system to hold back the water. Number two, is that California will be hit by a massive earthquake. What we have learned is that preparations were not put in place to protect New Orleans. I just hope California has looked at this disaster and prepared for worst case scenarios to protect themselves, if they receive a jolt from nature.

So what are we to learn from all this? I, living here in Massachusetts, have been told that one of the hurricanes this season could head up along the eastern seaboard of the United States and deliver a knock out punch to my state. If Massachusetts does get hit, and we are warned days ahead of time to prepare, it would be irresponsible of me not to stock up on bottled water, flashlights and batteries, canned food, and prepare my house as best as possible. While the authorities or the National Guard may get to me at some point, it is up to me to keep myself as safe as possible until the Calvary arrives. As I care for all of you who read this newsletter, I cannot stress enough that where ever you live, you be prepared for whatever events could pertain to your area, to keep yourself and your loved ones as safe as possible. Yes, there’s always a chance that we may not survive, but at least we did everything we could to place the odds in our favor. Let’s all smell the coffee….

Be safe,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

To me, life is one great field. From the day we are born, we make our way across the field, from one end to the other. All around us are beautiful trees, glorious flowers, and heavenly skies, yet, unfortunately, across the field, some large, some small, are landmines.

As we journey across our field, the first step is to acknowledge the existence of the landmines, and prepare as best we can to avoid them….for to journey across the field of life without taking into account the effects of the landmines can be disastrous. Think to yourself….wouldn’t it be wonderful at the beginning of the field if we could put on a pair of special glasses that would spot out all of the landmines so that we could walk through the field safely? Impossible, you may say? Perhaps….or perhaps not….but the realization of the existence of landmines would help us step carefully.

There are all different kinds of landmines in life…health, financial, violence, and pure old hate. All different shapes and sizes, just waiting for us to place our foot in the wrong location. Sometimes it almost makes one feel that life is a war that each of us fight, and strive to win. Experience and knowledge can help us see these landmines in front of us, but we must never forget, when called upon, there is a spiritual birds-eye-view that can be tapped into to help us through rough terrain. So imagine for a minute yourself journeying across the field of life wearing body armor, full sensor technology, and aerial reconnaissance above, that gives a full picture of what we need to cross the field. In accepting the existence of landmines, and accumulating the knowledge and faith to sidestep them, we not only become better people, but better souls too.

One more point….feel free to exchange stories with others who are crossing the field also. Shared knowledge can always increase the level of survival. Life being a shared experience, over time the correct path through the field can become more pronounced if more succeed. There will always be those who will say to heck with it….I will do what I want, I don’t need anyone. Unfortunately, many times they are the first to become the casualties of the landmines. The field can be crossed….while we may accumulate our scars and bruises along the way, when looking back we will be able to see what we have overcome.

Those who cross the field successfully before us have left a trail. If we are willing to walk the straight and narrow, and abide by the rules to stay on the path, we can make it through intact. The wheel doesn’t have to be re-invented….it just needs to be rolled.

Step wisely,

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

This time of year in the Northeast of the United States much of the talk turns to the weather. August is traditionally known as the unofficial “steam bath” season. It’s quite interesting how each person has their own favorite season and time of year. So how about you? Are you a warm weather person, or cold weather person, or someone in-between? It does have an effect on our lives.

Personally, I used to always consider myself a warm weather person. Seeing that I grew up in Southern California, it’s quite understandable. Warm weather, the sun, the beach….all year round. After awhile it was quite easy to feel that a Mediterranean climate was the norm, until I moved to the Northeast of the United States, many moons ago. Can you say, culture-shock?? Well these days I have done an about face…..cold, cool weather is not looking so bad anymore. How do I know this? After the winter we have had here all it took was one month of 90 plus degree temperatures to start dreaming about snowflakes again. I kid you not….as I write this, hot August is living up to it’s name. Winter evenings by the fire are beginning to look mighty good! Still, I am not foolish…I know there are many out there who just love the warm rays of the sun on a summer day, and they, God Bless them, wouldn’t want it any other way. Four seasons, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall…which one is your favorite? For me, I love the Fall….the cool crisp evenings, and walks under trees ablaze in orange and red and yellow. So you see, we all scale the Weathering Heights.

Is it any surprise how much the weather has its effect on people? Productivity, emotions, communications, and health. The weather, in it’s own quirky way, in one swoop can either heal or destroy. When there is a drought, mankind prays for rain. When there is a flood, he hopes that the waters cease. As we all live under the skies, we are amazed at it’s beauty, glory and power. With a greater understanding of how much the weather effects us on a daily basis, we can have a better grasp in adapting to it’s influences.

May the sun shine brightly over your head, may the warm breezes of Heaven flow through your heart, and may the cool winds of contentment soothe your Soul.

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

We all grow at different rates. While one person can arrive at a conclusion at twenty, it may take another until they’re forty. Our minds, over time, become an elaborate and unique camera that consistently takes snapshots along the road of life. These snapshots can easily become objects of great value, an individual perspective on any given subject or idea that we may arrive at. Snapshots are real, but how society reflects on them and uses them is truly another matter.
How many times have we heard somebody say that they could not have been able to handle or arrive at a certain conclusion earlier in life and that it took them maturity to grasp what it was they had discovered and were able to use? Yet, still our society seems to be fixated on the premise that “the faster you get there, the better you are.” One person may learn to ride a bike at five….while another at fifteen. Even though both are doing the same activity, their experiences and comprehension can greatly differ. The same snapshot taken at different periods of time can give a different perspective. How many inventors have stood on the shoulders of the giants who have come before, and taken their previous research to the next level? A bird may fly through the air, but for a man to accomplish that task it took a different mindset. So today man can fly like a bird….almost.

Snapshots of thought are very much like snapshots taken by people….images frozen in time that capture a memory. An author may write a great novel in their twenties, yet how many times do we hear that same person in their sixties or seventies say, “I don’t know how I did it. It’s almost as if someone else wrote it.” Strangely, society seems to think that it can lump us all into boxes that can be broken down into age, race, and religion, as if that is all we are. The mistake that is made is that we all grow at different rates. What’s missed is that we are really an accumulation of our experiences…all different, all quite unique. Although many would like us to believe that we are nothing more than just one more drop in a sea of humanity, it is quite the opposite…we are all rare and special droplets that are inter-connected with the Universal Divine. Each life is as sacred as the next. When one life is lost, it can never truly be replaced on earth. It all reminds me of a television show I saw last summer called “The Prisoner.” The line that was repeated over and over throughout the series was, “I am not a number, I am a man.”

No matter how many people may visit the Holy Land, each one comes back with a different story. Snapshots of a land that has been visited time and time again, yet with each one having a different texture and angle. This camera work goes on over and over again throughout our lives….perhaps because one day when we pass we are hooked up to the ultimate projection screen, where all can see who we are and what we went through.

May your life contain many beautiful pictures,

love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

It’s quite interesting to observe a room or a home that has not been occupied for a period of time. When one opens the door one is surrounded by cobwebs and dust, for this marks a location where human activity has become sparse. If we were to stand in one place for an extended period of time without any movement, we would be sending out a signal to the air around us, through our lack of movement, that life has ceased. Movement is the ultimate vehicle of motion. As long as we move, we are Consumers of Time.

As Life moves forward through time, we become some kind of pac-man….gobbling up the air and space in front of us, and casually, as we take a look behind, we can see clouds of dust and debris. To live is to constantly push forward….as I have said before, today is tomorrow’s yesterday. As long as we breathe, we can make a difference…we have the choice of how much air to breathe, how much time to consume. Our choices truly matter. As each breath is a miracle, each moment is sacred. There is a responsibility for the time we digest. While we may not know the exact second of the end of our lives, we do know that the time that we have here is not infinite. With each moment that we live, we move one minute closer to our own succession of time. In knowing this, what we consume from our tomorrows must have meaning, for those who have come before, and for those who will follow. Once we stop moving, we too become dust. At that point within the mourning can be a heart of celebration, for a life that had meaning and made a difference. In this troubled world, the currency of Time has become that much more valuable. Even as the dust of the past lays behind us, on the horizon is a sunrise in the morning, waiting for our touch.

So on we go, Consumers of Time….spinning through the Universe, creating our own unique, individual atmosphere, which collectively makes up our planet. Still, we have to understand that as Consumers of Time we too are polluters, but in our case, we decide which one…are we polluters of Love, or Hate? Our consumption too has a lasting effect. Each moment is ours to mold, to shape, to bend. A priceless commodity that is rare, precious, and beautiful.

To everything there is a Time,

love, Jennifer Avalon

© 2005 Jennifer Avalon