Each day seems to bring its own set of problems. Now, all of them cannot be the same, but isn’t it strange how many times we look at them with the same level of importance? I too find myself sometimes reacting to each problem as a monumental task, when if only I took a few steps back and saw how temporary and simple that problem really is.

Every few weeks, a relative of mine meets with me for lunch. We talk over the stories of the day and what’s going on in our lives. Halfway through our conversation we suddenly look at each other and just start laughing……she says to me, “Can you believe how we overblow things?” and I respond, “I know what you mean! Everything is not life and death, but if anybody overheard us, they would think we were real worrywarts!” Some things are important….. but, are there dustballs under the beds, really a matter of seriousness? Or, is the fact that you let your toenails get a little too long this month, a personal catastrophe? Perhaps that day it may be an event, but a week or two later, maybe not.

If all we do is judge each problem or chore on an equal level, it’s very easy to understand how exhausting it can become. We plow through the week and by Friday we are suffering from burnout. Why? Was everything that important? Did a worry about the mundane expand us? How much energy could we have applied to the things that were important?

These days I try to keep things in perspective as much as I can. Every Sunday night I look over the coming week and write down what I must do and what I plan to accomplish. Come Wednesday I always notice that additions are made, but overall it helps me be prepared for surprises that always seem to arise at unexpected moments. Doing this helps me keep my head on my shoulders. Like everyone else, I too have a lot on my plate. Still, a mountain is a mountain, and a molehill is a molehill, and never shall the two meet…….one is tall, one is small, and so too is each problem.

Observe the landscape,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

We go about our daily lives with, in most cases, blinders on, to get through. We only let in a certain amount of information that comes towards us, because we have jobs and chores to do. Think of all the sounds we would actually hear if we were walking down a city street and focused just on hearing sounds…..or if we did the same thing in the countryside. It is in these moments that we become aware just how much we “tune out,” in order to function daily.

We underestimate how much we can handle, and often see ourselves as limited in our capabilities…..when in reality we were “designed” by God to be able to see, hear, breathe, pump blood, move muscles, talk, think and imagine, all at once. Pretty amazing, right? We are living miracles, and most of the time we don’t even give it a passing thought.

While we are functioning at many levels, we are existing on a globe that is spinning through space…..gravity keeping us “earthbound.” How many times do we look up at the sky and notice the stars or the moon, and realize that we are not only family members of a planet, but Citizens of a Universe? Our earth is not disconnected from any of the other planets….it functions similarly to Venus, Jupiter, Mars, etc., throughout the solar system. Yet we often feel that we are alone here on our globe, limited in our capacities, just “wheels in a cog.” Yes, we are wheels in a cog, in a sense, but look at the scope of the wheel!!!! It encompasses an entire Universe.

To accept that we are Citizens of the Universe, is to accept that we are all part of a huge system…..a system which is bound together by a certain Love and Logic. I call it God……others may have different terms for it. Science tries to break it all into mathematics…..yes, math is definitely involved, which is where some of the logic comes into play, but to explain the beauty of the interlocking parts, I believe we have to go beyond math and science, and rejoice in the Miracle.

The next time you feel hassled by the routines of life, pause and try to get near a window where you can scan the sky with your eyes…..or sit in a chair and listen to your breathing, or look at a photo of someone you love deeply. These things will remind you of the fact that you are part of a much Bigger Picture…..a Member and Citizen of the Universe, with a passport given to you at birth. You are awarded a visa everytime you remember this………

Enjoy the journey,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

How we arrange our lives always comes down, in most cases, to what we consider most important. We assign, mentally, a number to each task in our lives. These are our priorities.

There are always reasons why we do one thing before another, and when we forget we look for excuses. It’s a funny thing about life…..the things we don’t really need seem to creep up to a level of importance….strange, isn’t it?? “I don’t have time for this…..that’s too hard for me…..I couldn’t afford it.” Holiday cards are a good example. Who do we place top of the list for cards for us to send? Who do we forget? perhaps because we don’t want to ask the question why? Priorities matter.

Work, Love, and Leisure all are involved with priorities. The amount of time that we spend on each eventually affect the outcome of our lives. All this can leave one with a sense of not having control over one’s life, while in reality how we arrange our priorities directly help us get a grip on what’s important.
I recently had a conversation with a friend that involved priorities. My friend is a sculptor. She makes incredible art pieces. All her family always remark to friends how wonderful and talented she is, but strangely, they never seem to buy one of her pieces. This had a sobering affect on my friend. First she thought perhaps they were not really as good as people said……but that couldn’t be true, she reasoned, because others had no problem purchasing them. Then one day she decided to call her sister and ask her flat out, “You always praise my work……yet you don’t support it.” Her sister responded, “I have to be honest…..I’m jealous of you. I have been most of my life.” My friend was speechless. It’s easy to say that she should have given away her art to members of her family, for free. That’s not the point…..her family has no problem going to the local mall and buying whatever they want. But, when it comes to supporting someone who is a family member, or perhaps a friend, then it has to be free, free, free. How did she resolve the situation? Simple…..each Christmas she hands a member of her family a piece of sculpture she made. Of course, at first she gets a blank stare that says, “Where’s the real gift?” But they’ve gotten used to it, and to her, they got the message. As always, priorities work best when they are reciprocated.

This kind of stuff happens all the time, but we stay silent, afraid to say how we really feel. Priorities are all around us…..are own, and of others. All it takes is for us to be honest with ourselves and not pretend, then lo and behold, life takes on a whole new meaning, and sometimes direction.

Prioritize,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

No matter where we roam out there, to others it’s easy to understand why we can be seen as a face in the crowd. One of a sea of faces that passes through life in the blink of an eye. Each face, having its own story to tell, unique unto itself.

Society casually assigns us a number to be placed on our heads and written down on many documents, like social security, drivers license, bank accounts, etc. It comes as no surprise that after awhile we feel expendable. Just another number….in a crowd called humanity. At this point we could all sit back, accept this classification, and trot on down the road of life. I don’t know about you, but I see my life as far more meaningful than this.

Each life is sacred…..a miracle with each breath. It can never be taken for granted, and the efforts put forth can affect many. We are more than numbers crunched in a computer that is spit out at random. We live, we breathe, we help, we hurt, we struggle, we overcome. Acts that are far more profound than a series of numbers. A person is more than a face in the crowd. We can never forget the importance of each individual life.

Fame and fortune are fleeting…….the little guy/girl too shapes the world. Society has no problem putting each one of us on a certain level, or in a specific group, based on economics, country, or religion. I say throw away the levels….they are meaningless and destructive. The child starving in Afghanistan is your child…..the shepherd in Istanbul is your brother, the old woman making millions in her money market in England is your aunt, the addict crossing the border into Canada is your sister……all of us are interconnected……just by virtue of being human beings on one planet. All faces in the crowd….rubbing shoulders anonymously.

We can never forget the good that one life can do. Hey, it’s easy to be reminded each night on the evening news the destructiveness of mankind…..but far too little airtime is given to the miracles that are created daily. So-called simple people making a difference. Each life has a purpose beyond the crowd.

Seize the day,

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

Almost every week I receive a letter from somebody who feels that they’ve been done an injustice. Some of the letters are just heart-wrenching……a house that has been robbed…..money that is missing……and even murder committed. Injustices happen everyday. Some people don’t get it, that in one way or another, nothing goes unpunished.

Let’s take a scenario: Why should I be good, if I believe I can get away with anything if I’m smart enough, then why not go for it? Because, call me crazy, one way or another, what I put out will come back to me. Stupidity and anger are not excuses for doing wrong deeds. Do I believe some can be rehabilitated? Sure…..once they’ve made amends to those that they’ve hurt and asked for forgiveness. As the planet grows in population, the resources to solve crimes will be stretched to the limits. That is why it is so important to stress at an early age that right is right and wrong is wrong.

We elect officials that we hold to a higher standard. When they fail, they are accountable. No person is perfect……but, when someone’s words or face is splashed nightly on the evening news with the words “Good” under their faces, when they fail, an explanation should be given. We can all forgive, but we must never forget, or we are doomed to repeat.

To my friends out there who feel that justice has turned a blind eye to their pain, fear not my friend, because out there beyond our control is a far Higher Court. I am not a religious fanatic, but I’ve seen enough in my days to believe what goes around comes around. Justice never comes the way we expect it.

Embrace Life……tell those that you love that you love them……enjoy every minute and squeeze every ounce of joy out of Life. Remember, Evil only wins, when you stop Loving.

Follow the Law,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

Human beings have an uncanny ability to under or overvalue just about everything. Rarely are things, on a general scale, looked at as fair value. Our own worth of ourselves too can fall victim to this scenario. In a world that sways back and forth in competition, is it any surprise why some of us underestimate our potential and fail to see our inner gifts?

We too can make mistakes and judge others incorrectly. It takes time and a little distance to see the full impact of what a person can contribute. Worth in our society can get real dicey. A person’s worth can be judged by their age, race, religion, finances, etc. When was the last time we heard that each life is priceless, and everyone can contribute to make this world a better place, in their own unique way? Some just give up and say, “To heck with this!” A sorry state indeed, which leads many to corrupt themselves and commit crimes. Self-esteem is one of the vital building blocks of life, yet many fall into the trap, over time, of feeling worthless.

I would like to share a little story with you that the owner of my local coffee shop told me: “Jennifer,” he said, “I have this guy who comes in everyday before he heads off to the race track, to put his money on the horse of the day. It’s easy for him to lose two hundred dollars a week, yet he argues with me over every penny he has to pay for a cup of coffee, buttered roll, or doughnut. He’s never short of money for the race track, but it’s quite often that he asks me if he can pay me tomorrow.” This is an example of how worth plays a roll in our lives. The brand new car, that costs forty-thousand dollars…..we can plop down, go in debt, not bat an eyelash. But, it’s easy to forget to telephone a person who’s a relative or a friend to tell them we love them. These are the trappings we must keep in perspective.

There is worth in life………and it is up to each one of us to assign the correct value. Not what we see on television…….but, what deep down inside we know in our hearts. The more true value we have in our lives, the more we can appreciate living.

Find the value,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

We breathe in air thousands of times a day….each breath unto itself is a miracle. Every time we breathe in and exhale, we reaffirm the existence of the Force of Life. Isn’t it strange that after a while these breaths are taken for granted? As if there are endless more to be taken…..
The length of each breath determines the amount of oxygen we allow into our lungs. I know for me it’s easy to take short breaths automatically….but boy, when I sit back and take in a large extended breath, wow! Exercise forces us to take in more air then we normally would. For me, the more air I take in, the more alive I feel.

The air we breathe has value…..how many daily fight for each breath, just to stay alive because of illness? Yet when we sit back and relax, and let ourselves take the time, we understand this vital connection to Life. Oxygen is priceless. It is free, and so many of us take it for granted. There are many governments, that if they could, they would surely impose a tax upon it!!! That’s the beauty…..air is for everyone. A right of birth.

What would happen if a group of friends, or a family, sat down together for one hour a week and just took long breaths of air? Would it relax them? Would it let them feel more peaceful? Would it give them time to stop and reflect? Can you see it now…..the front page of the daily newspaper announcing “The Breathing Session Phenomenon!” Hey, things could be worse!!!

It’s easy to forget to sit back and just breathe instead of running around at the speed of sound. To breathe is to live…..the more we breathe, the more we live.

Take a deep breath,

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

We all are a speck on the face of God. Inside each one of us is the possibility for a miracle. The tools are there, and all it takes is for us to pick them up and help change not only our own world, but of others too.

On a starry night if one looks up at the sky and sees the wonder of the Universe, the depth and the distance between the stars is enormous. Yes, they too hold a place on the face of God. Everything is interconnected, like a huge chain that stretches to the end of time. The past, the present and the future all have a place on that chain. The face of God has room for everyone and everything, each part unique and special unto itself, while one thing remains the core of it all……Love.

Each day if we allow ourselves to see, we get a glimpse of the face of God. It could be an unexpected gesture, a family celebration, a gathering around the morning cup of coffee, or, a blessed event. The enjoyment and hope that life is cherished is present each day, if we allow ourselves to see. Each one of us is just as important as the next person and all are equal in the face of God.
Now, if only we could convey to more people around the world that perhaps we all are part of the face of God, maybe we could solve more problems and decrease our differences. For if all we do is look at what separates us, we are doomed for one outcome. Many groups worldwide lay claim to exclusive rights to the face of God, when in reality the face is owned by no single man or woman.
There are many thing to learn in life…..but maybe one of the most important is that we leave this world a little better for having been here. That would truly bring a smile to the face of God.

love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

The time of life between birth and death is simply known as “The Struggle.” The space of time where we make our contributions to the Book of Life. Joy and pain, ups and downs, successes and failures……these are terms we get to know all too well through The Struggle.

I truly believe that Life is a learning process….the more we learn the better we become at handling the next steps ahead. If we don’t take time to look at our mistakes, we are destined to repeat them over and over again. As each year rolls by we become more and more responsible for what the future may deliver. A ten year old child cannot be expected to have the same insight and life experience of a fifty year old. Life should be looked upon as a fine wine…..with age, the taste gets better.

In a society that caters too much to the first twenty-five years of life, far too little is focused upon the experience gained through age. Hopefully, through The Struggle, we acquire the knowledge that is needed to make sense and give purpose to our own individual lives. Many of us feel alone in The Struggle, while really we journey through it together. A human family that shares life daily….far too many times seeing the differences while ignoring the bonds that we have in common.

The baker, the homemaker, the craftsman, the teacher, etc……all are roles that we assume to provide the means that are necessary on the stage of life. The newborn child and the dying person can see the purpose to life. During The Struggle we must fight to hold on to the purpose of our existence. When we forget, is when we run into trouble and veer off course. Hopefully, we can reestablish the direction we were originally heading toward. I don’t believe we are accidents……The Struggle provides the evidence to prove that we are not.

Struggle On,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon

Near where I live is a family that runs a farm. Jack and Laurie have two children and together they maintain a five acre spread of land. I recently had dinner at their house and was greatly surprised to learn what they do during their day. Many times when I drive past their place I have often wondered how they keep a farm going and never seem short of anything.

During dinner Jack mentioned that they rise at about 5:30 each morning and right away the coffee is turned on and the television satellite is activated to find out how the stock market is behaving that morning. “The stock market?” I asked Jack. “Yes indeed,” he replied, “I never took any courses in learning about the stock market, only my own readings and a little common sense.” Jack and Laurie used to live in New York City…..it was their dream to one day surround themselves with nature. Their house is beautiful and a nicer family you could not meet. Throughout the day they milk cows, and make cheese, which they sell to local markets. The most important aspect of their lives is the time that they donate to helping others. It is not uncommon to see Jack and Laurie at a local hospital or senior citizen center, on a Friday evening. Why do they do this? Laurie mentioned that the money they have made in the stock market over the past twenty years, they look upon as a blessing, and an opportunity to give back to those less fortunate.

So why is this a Renaissance Family? In a 24 hour period it is not unusual to find these people wearing many hats that include stockbroker, farmer, parent, mechanic, volunteer, and teacher. They believe that in order to have a healthy and successful life, one must learn many trades and foster many talents. To them, the days of just having to do one or two things in life are past.

So has your family also become a Renaissance Family? Many today are, without realizing it. Do you find yourself wearing many hats also, to accomplish the tasks of the day? We always seem to be so busy at looking at our shortcomings, while not acknowledging the gifts we offer to ourselves and our families. Within a Renaissance Family, everybody chips in. There is always somebody who knows something different. It could be screwing in a light bulb, painting a wall, or even knowing how to activate and use the VCR!!! In the Renaissance Family there is room for all to express their talents. Let’s dedicate the year 2001 to the Renaissance Family, and may it prosper and grow for many many years to come……………..

Live long and prosper,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon