Each week I receive e-mails that cross the boundaries of demographics, countries, and religions. All with their take and thoughts on what is going on in their lives and in their countries. It’s quite interesting for me to pull back a little, and to just look at how we are all so different, yet strangely, so alike. We all have our beliefs, while believing that our way is the correct way, and all the rest are wrong. But for this planet to survive, different viewpoints must be accepted and tolerated.

It is to this point that I am submitting the possibility of a Code. A series of thoughts and rules that are the foundation for us to consider in our lives, which passes through and acknowledges just about all the religions of the world. Why do I say, “just about?”, because there are some out there who just want us to self-destruct.

Here is the premise of The Code. The Universe is made up of planets, stars, meteorites, etc., spinning through space. In order for all of these to be sustained, there has to be some form of order, otherwise nothing would last. Sure, planets are born and die, and so too do stars, but all are able to coexist together. Here on Earth we as a people constantly debate on who is the most powerful, who’s side God is on, is my God better than your God? And my race is better than your race. What we fail to realize sometimes is that The Code applies to us too, not just the Universe.

If we are good people, do we get rewarded? Does what we do in our lives create some form of energy around us? Do bad deeds go unpunished? Are we in any way responsible for our own successes and failures? If The Code exists, and the Universe is reality, then is it too farfetched to consider that we do have a say in the outcome of our lives? Injustice exists….just as turmoil exists on the Universal plane. But does that mean that because of injustice, we must not strive to evolve and become a better people? Could it be that in God’s Wisdom, there is a series of rules that we must understand and follow here on Earth to be worthy to enter the Gates of Heaven? For if there is a Code, perhaps some have, in the past, given us some clues, like Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Allah, etc. Why did they care so much in how we lived our lives? Many times they came to the same conclusions….

This Code flows through all men and women of Faith and Belief, that their lives matter and have a purpose, to leave the world a better place for having been here. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see or hear at a funeral the words, “The world benefited from this person’s life.” Wouldn’t that be something? What would be wrong with mentioning to children in schools all over the world that Goodness and Kindness is embraced and appreciated…and Destruction and Hate is shunned? Could we all accept just that simple premise alone? perhaps The Code does.
If some form of Code of Conduct does exist, and we do not see it or acknowledge it, what ultimately will become of us? Will people in the future have to go back to the dictionary and redefine the word “Intelligence?” Were the Holy Men from the past trying to tell us something? Or did it fall on deaf ears……I hope not.

Break bread,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

Whenever we set off on our goals and dreams, once we decide what it is we wish to accomplish, instantaneously, right before our eyes, we see a minefield with a sign that says, “Don’t even think about it.” For each positive step forward, surrounding that step, like ghosts, are Shadows of Doubt. Shadows tempting us to follow them and cross over into their realm. Once we cross into the Fortress of Temptation we have surrendered our hopes and our dreams to the Graveyard of Failure and Despair.

Each time we set off on a new mission, we are trying to improve upon someone else’s idea or create one of our own. Upon the quest to fulfill the mission, we bop and weave around and through barriers….some easy, some extremely hard…until one day we reach a point where we feel we can go no further. That is when, before us, we see the Doorway to Enlightenment on one side, and the Fortress of Disillusion on the other. It is at this point where failure occurs….or miracles happen. Faith and Belief must live in every bone of our bodies so that we can overcome the obstacles before us. If we accept, refuse to quit, do our homework, something extraordinary happens. The entire Universe starts to work with us, not against us. Our dreams become elevated to a level beyond us. Just about every invention, cure, and accomplishment in life has gone through this process….all have fought through the Naysayers, the Fearful, the Disbelievers and the Fortress of Doubt. Somewhere along the way the inventors enter the Doorway of Enlightenment. What they started takes on a life of its own.

Each day we must ask ourselves, “Where am I on my mission?” Forward motion is key, until one day we reach that point where miracles happen. As any inventor will tell us, something beautiful always springs forth. And as my Grandma used to say, “A thing of beauty lasts forever.”

love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

Through life, we cross over many different types of terrain. As far as we may journey, it is when we return home that we take account of what we have learned in our travels. Home is our center, where peace, purpose, spirituality and knowledge resides. Anger, insecurity, fear and hate….take us away from that center. Home is where we feel complete. While storms may rage around us, within the eye of life winds are calm.

Each day we tackle tasks, while in the evening we sit back and try to make sense of it all. Then we close our eyes and see the center beckoning for us to come for recharging, to face another day. The further we stray from that center of well-being, the more confused and baffled life becomes. Many of us have met people who are totally focused and within that center. They have a look in their eyes…a sense of peace around them. We sometimes pause in wonderment and envy, and we ask ourselves, “How do they do it? What is their secret?” While other times, we meet people engulfed in rage, trying to bite off as much as they can, traveling at an unsustainable pace. The center is where everything makes sense.

To find the center, and stay within it, takes that tricky little word, “Discipline.” The temptations to take us from the center are vast. As a wise man once said, “There ain’t no free lunch.” Once we journey away from our center, everything has a price. The woods of life are an easy place to get lost. After awhile, one cannot tell where they are going or from where they came. Then lo and behold, in the darkest night, a beacon shines to guide us home.

There truly are no mysteries….we are born, and eventually we die. The center is there for us to make sense of it all. In physical terms, the world can look, at times, like a sea of madness. Well, the wheel to sail and guide us through that sea is at the center, where the mind of God prevails. God is greater than man….though man may not think so sometimes. In the mind of God, the peaceful seas ebb and flow upon the shores of Love. The center is our island of hope and tranquility.

Head for home,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

This time of the year, many people tend to get a little gloomy after all the festivities of the holidays. Some of us look at January as the beginning of another ladder that has to be climbed. For me, I look at each year as a new beginning, untouched, waiting for me to contribute.

If one was to constantly look at the bad side of Life, and the mistakes that are made, we would never be able to go forward and strike out for new territory. I choose to place mistakes on the side, learn from them, and chart ahead towards the sunnier side of life. I don’t believe we are here to beat ourselves into the floor, and to think that the best days are behind us. That doesn’t always have to be the case….the best can truly be yet to come. Many times that outcome lays in our hands.

Here in the northeast of the United States they call January the “dead of Winter.” I would like to call it the “birth of New Ideas.” As we huddle down, fight back the snow, right in front of us is a notebook and a pen where we can plan what we want to accomplish this year. Yes, there will be setbacks, but no good ideas can spring forth and grow without the occasional diversion.
So is the best yet to come, you ask? Why not? For every negative thought, there is a corresponding positive one….we choose which one to embrace. The library of our lives must develop each year…through our experiences we contribute to the shelves. With time we accumulate knowledge that we draw upon to bring us to the next level. The size of the library is determined by us….it is there for us to learn from our mistakes, and formulate new successes. Planning is everything. One who plans, can decide which direction the ship of life sails. In reality, there is no such thing as failure….it is just a way to learn and improve.

The best is yet to come….believe it, see it, seek it, embrace it, work towards it. When the positive forces prevail, the winds of tomorrow will carry you…..

Ride the wind,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

It’s on everyone’s mind…..it’s everywhere you go. Unless you’ve been living in a bunker for the past three months, there has been no way of getting away from it. Even over the holidays, somebody brought it up. What are we talking about? Call it what you wish…terrorism, suicide-bombings, or plain old Fear….it is on everyone’s mind, just about everywhere you go….spreading almost like a virus.

These past few months my e-mail correspondence has been full of people’s thoughts on what has happened to what we once considered “normal.” It’s affecting us all…in different ways. Some financially, some health wise….while others have chosen to say, “To heck with it, it doesn’t matter.” Well, guess what? We are all being affected by this.

We used to be disturbed by daily problems which we turned into huge mountains to overcome. Now these occurrences seem mundane. Last year our thoughts were on how to improve ourselves emotionally, financially, and physically….this year it’s not uncommon for someone to say to us, “Who knows what awaits us this year?” I know this is all negative thinking, but it is, for many, very real. Unless we look at what is happening, we cannot find ways to combat the situation. It kind of reminds me of a fighter that has been knocked down, brushes himself off, gets up, and gets hit again, and before he knows it, he is flat back on the canvas. While we are down, and before we get up, we must find ways to try to avoid the next punch. Two weeks ago a man decided to board an airplane in Paris with explosives in his sneakers. The next day everyone getting on an airplane had to take their shoes off, which led one security expert to state, “What’s next….if explosives are found in a person’s underwear, do we all have to fly nude?” This morning on the news it was reported that a fifteen year old boy took off in a small airplane without permission, and crashed headlong into the Bank of America building in Tampa, Florida. Instantaneously images of 9/11 were shoved in our faces once again. Where once the planes were flown by foreign terrorists, they are now being flown by fifteen year old American boys….the virus has spread. Who was this boy? Why did he do it? Was he crazy……or on a mission? The experts seem baffled….

So here we are, down on the canvas, knowing that when we get up, perhaps our opponent will have a fresh new punch to deliver. What do we do to protect ourselves? Number 1: Stay as healthy as possible. Number 2: Be alert, and informed. Number 3: Faith and Belief are the strongest shields. Number 4: Be prepared, like Y2K….nothing happened, but we were ready. Number 5: Have some good old-fashioned FUN…..nothing chases away Fear more than laughter.
If we were to have told someone about this current situation two years ago, they would have told us that we’d lost our minds. We now know all this is very real. And for these times, denial is not a friend. This virus can be cured….once it is studied and understood. All viruses have a beginning…many times, that is where the cure can be found.

Stay healthy,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

This holiday season we get together with family and loved ones to embrace and celebrate a Holy Season. Many of us tend to assume that the same people will come back year after year, until one year we look around and see that someone is missing. Each year as we get older we come to realize that taking it all for granted may not be so wise. Little did we know this time last year what 2001 had in store for us all.

So as we sit around the table, chow down on the latest feast, gaze into each other’s eyes, let’s not forget to hold hands and give thanks for our Blessings. For many, life this year has taken on a whole new meaning. Only the Fool can now take it all for granted. Presents may be plentiful, but that extra kiss and hug means more now than ever, and it’s okay to say, “I’m here if you need me.”
One can no longer go through this season anymore without thinking about the year ahead. What will 2002 bring us? Celebrations? Promotions? Raises? or more of what we have struggled through since September 11th. I believe 2002 will bring us all alot closer, regardless of what happens. Each year they announce on television the most popular toys and gifts of the season. This year, surprise, surprise….it may end up being Love.

I wish you and yours the best of the season….and a healthy and happy 2002. May Love be your Main Course……..

Bon Appetit,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

If we look at ourselves as a group of individual seeds that spring forth from growth, like a plant or a tree, our lives can be understood with greater meaning. The tree that grows starts out as a delicate branch that over time chooses its direction to expand, while being influenced by its environment. So too do we. The marriage of choice and influence prevails. Our hopes, dreams, weaknesses and failures can also be examined by the seeds that are planted. Choice and influence comes into play here too. Then to understand what grows, one must examine the seeds that are planted.

The roots are the foundation of life here on earth. The stronger the roots, the healthier the growth. Some choose to plant Love…..others decide on Hate. As the seeds grow, we bear witness to how much Love has been planted, or Hate. I see Hate as a product of Mankind, and Love, as a voice of Heaven. We are supposed to live here in Love….as God’s children. Unfortunately, things don’t always go according to plan. For the Universe to exist, it has to be based on Love… each planet and Solar System must show mutual respect for one another, or, it would all collapse. It’s called the Solar System for a reason. A System based on Love. Sure planets die….while others are born…. so too do we…but, the system goes on. We mere mortals sometimes forget that we also need each other to sustain existence.

It all starts with a seed, and some roots. Good and Bad grows over time. A diseased tree sometimes can go unnoticed for years…..then one day we all wake up and say, “How did this happen???” when all the while it was happening right before our eyes. Denial is the number one enemy of Love. If we really care, we notice.

When the roots are strong and healthy, we encourage. When the roots are weak and hurting, we nurture. When the roots have died, we mourn. The Tree of Life goes on……

Plant wisely,
love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

As we progress through life, we accumulate experiences that we use to help us evaluate future decisions……all of the mountains and valleys that we have crossed to get to where we are now. Some prevail, some are engulfed in fear, some overcome, and some quit. The lessons learned become chapters of the Book of Our Lives. Still, as we soldier on, we are always amazed of what can come before our eyes.

As much as we fuel our strengths in this game of life, we sometimes spend much time on repairing the damage that we have incurred along the way. Some of us seek out work, hobbies, and vocations to justify our existence. Sadly, others choose the road of self-centeredness, manipulation, and thievery as vehicles to prove a distorted sense of intellect. I witnessed once in a store a lady cruising the aisles shopping and at certain points, stopping to take an item and place it in her pocket. When she approached the checkout counter, the manager went over to her and said, “Madam, why do you continue to come into this store and try to steal?” Her answer was silence. A couple of years later, when the lady died, it was discovered through the newspaper that her bank account held over two million dollars. The question is, what happened to that woman along the way to make her behave so poorly? I’m sure you yourself have your testimonies to add to this story. We have all met people like that.

In our society, the line between thievery and good business decisions can get pretty blurry. In life, it can get really hard sometimes to decide where that decision crosses over from being good business, to thievery, and the acceptability of society with that exchange. What lessons do we learn? Hopefully, ones that can help us tell the difference between the two.

The road of life has stop signs, fast lanes, curves and corners. It’s nice to make stops along the way….the trick is not to leave behind a piece of your soul in doing so. The fuel that we use should remain as pure as possible, so that our engines remain clean and that we reach our destination safely.

Drive safely,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

The world lost a very rare human being this week. Someone who worked hard, rose to fame, and while, at his peak, walked away to chart new courses. Yes, George Harrison continued to record music…it is rumored that he has stockpiled over four albums of new material, but, the search for spiritual fulfillment and inner peace took center stage.

As George mused in a recent interview, “Money is wonderful, you get to go to the Bahamas, but, if that’s all there is, it can leave you feeling kind of empty.” George searched for God in just about everything he did. I always looked upon him as the Beatle’s “secret weapon.” Sure, John and Paul were great songwriters, but you never quite knew with each album, what George would bring to the table. Guitars, sitars, and eventually, the first versions of synthesizers, George dragged in to Beatle sessions. If you listen closely to Abbey Road, sprinkled among the tracks are the sounds of the synthesizer….used sparingly, but quite effectively.

For me, I will always remember the spiritual side of George Harrison the most. We are all on a search to try to figure this place called Earth out….its mysteries, ups and downs, puzzles the mind. As George said, “Death and what comes after is what really matters….all the rest is secondary.” I agree with this…the more we understand death, the more we are alive. Towards the end of his life, George reflected, “All that matters is the search for God, and to love one another.” George made mistakes…we all make mistakes….but the quest and the search for what we are and why we are here is the key. That journey we travel until the day we die. It’s not about money….it’s not about fame….it’s about love, evolving, and leaving the world a better place for having been here. George did that, and so must we.

Rest In Peace,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

The holidays are quickly approaching….many family and friends are expressing their concerns regarding the current state of the world, and there just doesn’t seem to be enough time for the things that one needs to do daily.

We get up each morning, cringe while we look at the headlines in the newspaper, or the latest sound bite on the television. We say to ourselves, “Lo and behold, what fences do I have to jump to get through this day?” We say to ourselves, “Everything will work out…all of this will be over soon,” and then, we are rocked by another disaster, while all the while we are to continue on with “business as usual.” All of this is on the surface….but behind the scenes, in the back of our minds, there’s a little voice reminding us of what we really think.

We are all dealing with these things in our own way. I myself hear the F-16’s in Cape Cod going out each morning to patrol the skies over New York City. After a while, the sound becomes ordinary. I don’t even stop anymore to look up. My mind, unfortunately, takes all this in and locks it away in the subconscious. Time marches on, and it’s easy to run out of minutes, with all that must be accomplished. When it comes to time, it’s very important to realize that each moment is precious…..that’s why we feel so exasperated when we don’t sense we have enough time. Make a list, square time into boxes…do whatever you must to give yourself a sense that you have more time on your side.

We, our family and friends, are all thinking about the same things….just with different opinions and different perspectives, on the same stories. Inside the house, at the local grocery store, even at the mall…all you hear are the same comments about the state of things. It’s okay to take a little time to shut the door, and turn it off. We all need a little time for some peace and quiet. Fear is the enemy of time…if we decrease our fears, we will have more time.

Be fearless,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon