Recently I was stopped at a red light and to my right was a bus-stop with about five or six people waiting in line. All different kinds of people, one man drinking a cup of coffee, an elderly lady looking through her tote-bag….and three teenagers heading off to school. All around them was the bustle of people making their way to their destinations in the morning hours, nothing that probably is not done in most places around the world.

How we look at people is very important. We all have our good days and bad ones…and we all make mistakes. Have you ever noticed when you’re in a group of people who are strangers, the barriers go up….then, all of a sudden, somebody says something that breaks the ice. It could be a casual line, a chuckle, or a gesture, but that breaking of the ice sets off a sigh of relief within the group….a feeling of “It’s okay, I’m safe here”.

We see ourselves as a society of separate people, but deep down many of us have the same fears and hopes. In most cases how we see an individual is up to us. It’s almost as if we have to re-train ourselves into seeing more of the good in people than the bad, not the other way around. How we look at the world has a profound influence on our behavior and moods for any given day. If we accent the positive aspects of people, like everything else, it has a ripple effect. It’s just as easy to see the good as it is to see the bad.

In times of major catastrophes or disasters the differences between the people going through the calamity are abandoned. We all become one group fighting the problem. About twenty years ago New York City had a major black-out. I remember that night being in the city with friends when all of a sudden all of the power went out. Now New York City is looked upon as a scary place at night, especially with no power! Well what happened I will never forget. All of a sudden almost out of nowhere people started rising to the occasion…mostly everybody pitched in to help in any way they could….yes there were a few who looked upon it as an opportunity to loot stores, but for the most part all different kinds of people contributed to the elevation of humanity that night. It was a sight to see people directing traffic with flashlights, the young helping the elderly, etc. The next morning the power came back on, and people returned to “normal”. Once in awhile I meet people who mention the night of the black-out….we all laugh, remembering how we all pitched in, in our own way, to do things we had never done that night, and in some cases, haven’t done since.

There is tremendous good in people. Allow yourself to see it. Don’t be afraid to contribute….it does matter what you think, what you feel, and what you see in people. It shouldn’t have to take a catastrophe for us to see how good we can be….

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

Every one of us is blessed in one way or another. Some people areathletic, some people are good at mathematics, and some people arecreative,etc. The power we have over our lives is, in most cases, determined by us. The choices, the directions, and the thoughts are mainly of our choosing. Have you ever sat alone and said to yourself “Who am I and what on earth is it that I am here to do?” Well, from the letters I receive many have…..myself included.

The mysteries of life are quite amazing….you can’t help but feel sometimes like a sailor lost at sea….not quite knowing which way is land. Some choose to remain forever lost at sea, and some take it upon themselves to not give up and chart their own course. Still others look above and pray for guidance. I believe we are all on little boats sailing around, trying to find our way home. Some call it “peace of mind”, “contentment”, “personal satisfaction” or a “sense of accomplishment” but many of us search for that part of ourselves where we can find true meaning and balance.

We search for the place where the answers are…..where we can see what makes each one of us unique. What helps guide us there are lines like “I can do that”, or “This comes very naturally to me”. When we like what we do, we tend to do it well….it’s not a coincidence. It’s a journey, this life of ours, and like all journeys it has hills and valleys….very little even road. On this journey don’t be swayed by the valleys…we all have to go through them. How we travel along this road is a choice….do we walk? Bicycle ride? Or take the car? Then it falls to what kind of bike, what kind of car, etc. What’s important is that we choose a mode of transporation that we feel comfortable with, because some days are sunny, and some days are stormy. Our unique gifts and talents become vital to the continuation of the journey. If you’ve found that place of your uniqueness, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, don’t give up searching…..it exists.

There is a tremendous need right now in this world for what each one of us can contribute in a positive way. Our talents and gifts are the means for us to accomplish our mission here and leave this world a better place. No contribution is too little. In the end, God has put us here for a purpose, and it matters that we are here.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

We are approaching the last month of the year….a time when many gifts will be passed back and forth. Endless hours are spent searching for the perfect gift for that someone who in many cases seems to have everything. We seem to lose track whether it’s the thought that counts, or the value of the gift to the person. At certain times of the year, we all struggle to find ways to say “I love you”. Some need to express it in the form of material things, others find a phone call, a hand-written letter, or a hug their way to say how they feel. There are many ways of expressing Love. It doesn’t always have to be a gift.

It doesn’t even have to be somebody you know. It can include donating money to a worthwhile charity, or volunteering your time at a homeless shelter, or something of that nature. What’s important is that at the end of the day, there has been an exchange of Love in one form or another. As we enter the Holiday Season it’s important that we don’t lose track of what all the giving is all about. One way or another it’s supposed to be some form of Love. It doesn’t really matter the size, or value of the gift, but that it was given with an open heart. In my faith, the true value of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and what He stood for. To me, He wasthe Prince of Peace, and Defender of Love.

There is no guarantee that any of us will be here this time next year…..maybe we should think about this when we approach the Holidays. What’s really important…what you give Johnny for Christmas or what you conveyed to him throughout the year? It can’t all be shown in one gift on one day….maybe that’s why many of us find this time of year so frustrating. We’re all caught up in the game of “catch-up”.

Take the Time To Love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

There are many people out there, I myself included, who have a hard time allowing good personal feelings to accumulate inside over a prolonged period of time. I don’t know where it’s written, but for some reason, many of us have a very hard time feeling good about ourselves. It’s almost as if we’re doing something wrong. There seems to be a little voice inside giving us advice like “Who do you think you are feeling this way?”, “Don’t let yourself feel this good, you’ll only get hurt”, or “You must think you’re special”. Well, I don’t quite know why many of us do this to ourselves, but how many of us have been stopped moving forward to do a lot of good because of these so-called one-liners?

I myself, being a Christian, do not believe that God wants us to live an existence of excruciating pain here on planet earth. God wants us to enjoy life…to find our higher self and rejoice in it. It’s not about self-centeredness…it’s about giving and caring for others, as well as ourselves. The body, mind and soul need nourishment and at times, joy. Not allowing yourself to experience happiness diminishes your opinion of the value you have in this world. Each one of us is important and has so much to give. Evil itself goes to great lengths to beat up on us…we don’t have to continue the process.

I’m not a big believer in the idea that to be a true Christian you must suffer. Even keeping a positive outlook many of us suffer enough. For me, to give in itself has tremendous joy. To not accept this joy is to diminish the giving. To give is to receive and to receive is to give….. it is all-connected.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

How much do we take in everyday? And how much don’t we? Yes, we go to work…do our things around the house, and basically try to keep our heads above water in most cases. Recently something interesting happened to me. I was out in my back garden with my three, yes three (!) little dogs….I was getting a kick out of watching them playing when all of a sudden one of my dogs (Elsie) stopped in her tracks to look at a group of birds that had landed on the fence. Elsie was in awe of the sounds that they were making, and how easily they could dart around. I just sat there and listened myself to the beautiful sound that those birds were making. I started thinking, why don’t I hear this sound everyday? The birds probably have for quite some time been around my back garden, but I never noticed them in quite the same way before. The point I’m trying to make is how much do we let pass us by? With us being so caught up in our problems and pressures have we shut off certain aspects of our senses to things that we consider mundane? As I sat watching and listening to those birds I began to think to myself, how many other things have I factored out? What other aspects of living have I put on the back burner?

Our senses are the tools we use to gather information, to hopefully improve and make better judgements to enhance our lives. If we don’t use these senses fully then the information we receive is incomplete. Simple things like hearing birds, and watching rain fall, matters. Just because it isn’t the Wall Street Journal or the evening news, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. We are human beings, living on a planet that has many wonderous gifts….let’s hope we haven’t taken it so much for granted that we no longer can sense its real beauty.

The next time you go for a walk outside, open up, look around…you may experience things you haven’t noticed for awhile….it may feel like seeing an old friend again…and bring a smile to your heart.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

We all have goals, dreams and ambitions. Many spend every waking hour planning and implementing thoughts that they feel can get them one step further to their destination, while others, at the first sight of struggle or conflict, turn back. Growth is a good thing….but sometimes it can be painful and full of fear. As human beings, to feel fulfilled we seek growth. If we stop, the air around us starts to become stale, and we are engulfed with a feeling that something is wrong. It’s not easy to overcome our fears but even if we don’t, sometimes just the act of trying can be an exhilarating experience.

It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we put our minds to it. We seem to rise to the occasion…we become focused and life takes on a whole new meaning. It’s kind of strange…it’s almost as if we’re not meant to stay in one space for very long. Life kind of wants us to continue to move ahead in our lives. I’m not talking about leaving families or quitting jobs, etc….but evolving in them. Learning new things is not a bad thing. It makes us feel more valuable to ourselves and to others. The enemy, of course, the ultimate enemy, is excuses. Those little thoughts or words that others say or sometimes we say to ourselves to stop us dead in our tracks.

For every reason to succeed, there seems to be ten reasons to fail. The trick is to surround yourself with a support system that can include others and help from God. Positive reinforcements are vital to any avenue of success. Don’t be afraid to ask for help….you just may get it. It’s so easy to look back but sometimes so hard to look ahead. With the combination of faith, determination, conviction and love you can move mountains…..you can do it.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

After the week many of us have had with the stock market it’s no wonder we feel a little queasy this week-end. Some say “sell everything!” others say “buy everything!” and you find yourself having to choose between one side or the other while your heart tells you you belong somewhere in the middle.

I find the stock market very interesting….it kind of reflects many things we face in life. There are all kinds of viewpoints…some brokers say the world is coming to an end, others say this is a golden opportunity. I sometimes wonder, am I listening to stockbrokers, bankers, money managers or “fortune-tellers?” I have heard many fortune-tellers this week in the disguise of brokers, managers, and bankers. In all honesty, their guess is as good as ours.

We are told that the whole world is inter-connected…and to that I agree, but how much of the rhetoric are we to believe that if one part of the world sneezes we all catch a cold? It kind of takes away the control we have over our own destiny. It limits our choices and makes us doubt ourselves as if how we feel and what we think doesn’t matter. ” We” don’t know, but “they” do.

More and more, many of my friends moods and how they feel on a given day is dictated by how the stock market is doing for that day. If the market is up, all is wonderful! Everyone’s going to be a millionare and will live “happily ever after”. On a bad day, we’re all going to lose everything, our house, our car, and our families. It’s the end of the world. What’s scary to me is that more and more people are looking to portfolio balances for happiness. We have to be very careful here not to allow money to become everything to us. If all we do is allow the gyrations or the roller-coaster ride of the stock market to dictate how we feel and how valuable we feel we are there can be no true stability and peace of mind in our lives.

Some people I know who are very religious are having a terrible time with the conflict of the growth of their savings and God. They pray to God to help them find peace…but on the next breath they look over their balance sheets to see how much they are worth today, to find their true value. A dangerous game.
As I know we all need money to live, and we all want to invest in the best stocks, keep it in perspective…it is not who you are. In the end, that is determined by God and you.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

I recently tuned into the evening news with Brian Williams (MSNBC). He reported that in a recent study it was found that people who were spiritually active had an immune system that was twice as strong, on the average. As I have mentioned in previous postings, I do believe we live on two levels, spiritually and physically…..so why wouldn’t it be that if we take care of both parts of our existence we as human beings could be stronger? Everyday our immune systems are bombarded with negative forces. If we are aware of these forces we then can combat the destructive elements that invade our lives. The spiritual aspects of daily existence can no longer be ignored if we are to maintain a positive, long-term outlook on life. Spirituality eventually becomes the fuel to fulfill our goals. I try to see myself as part of the human picture….I am in some way responsible, like everyone else, for what happens here. We are all, in some way, connected…one human family. If there is anything that you find valuable don’t be afraid, pass it along to others, because I do believe that everything eventually comes around again. A number of people have asked me if I am a New Age follower, a fundamentalist, or a “Bible-thumping maniac”. Unfortunately, sometimes when you try to do good you are attacked. Unfortunately, if you embrace evil, you are often looked on as a person with a strong backbone. Let’s hope it has not come to the point that goodness is looked upon as a weakness….for I am far from weak. Others along the way totally understand what it is I am trying to accomplish. I see us all as a family that is asking for guidance and looking for a way to understand why we are here. As I am a Christian, I do have love in my heart and I try in my own way to understand others who believe differently from me. To reject these principles, to me, is rejecting being Christian. Jesus understood this. Nobody is the same….we are all different. Maybe it’s time we hold out a candle to each other, and hear each other. We may be surprised.… we may be trying to accomplish the same thing. As we need food, clothing, and shelter, we also need Love, caring and Faith. As we embrace the first three things, don’t forget to understand that you also need the other three… they
may help your immune system!

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

Over the past few weeks I have read and heard a growing number of comments from people about their purpose and value in this world. Many out there are searching for meaning and understanding concerning who they are and what it is they are to do here with their lives. A friend recently said to me “I don’t get it, I have a nice car and a nice home but a feeling of emptiness is growing inside of me.” I for one need to feel that I am contributing to myself and to others, so that I can end each day with a sense of being and accomplishment. Some do feel complete, but from what I’m hearing and seeing, many don’t. The increase of disenchantment in people is alarming. Many of us have found Jesus and God the only way to fill the void, but others feel lost.

One person said to me a few days ago, “We are born, we make money, raise children, then we die…… that’s it?” The people lost in the wilderness is growing ….if you know some, help them. Emptiness is a very lonely place. As I have said before, the soul must be nourished, spiritual fuel is vital in the quest for fulfillment. Man doesn’t have all the answers, but if we look up and pray maybe with God’s help we may find some. I believe there is a plan and a purpose to each one of us being here………we all matter.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

Over the past few weeks I have read a number of articles about the situation of Depression in our society. A number of doctors have suggested that by the year 2010 the number one rising illness will be Depression. It was suggested that more drugs have to come through the pipeline to combat this growing problem. One of the definitons of Depression is “repressed anger”. Are we becoming more and more angry because of the lack of ways we are finding to deal with the pain in our lives? I think many of us are feeling a lack of control over our lives…..kind of like a plane without a pilot, or a plane that does not go where we want it to go….no wonder we’re frustrated. In some cases medication is needed…but I find it hard to believe that the entire solution for society is permanent medication!

I know in my case I need to feel a sense of purpose and control over my life. I believe that we live on two levels…..physically and spiritually. Could it be, myself included, that we don’t see our spiritual needs as a priority for our physical well-being all of the time? Far too little is mentioned about the importance of the Soul and how it is needed to balance our lives. We all need to feel that there is a purpose to our lives. When that purpose is lacking we run into trouble. Nothing seems to make sense. In my case I try to put fifteen to twenty minutes a day aside to relax, get centered, and yes, pray. I find worshipping on Sundays with others in church a healing experience… I don’t feel alone…I see how we all can help each other. With God’s help, together we can find solutions. As the baby-boomers move towards their age of retirement my pastor has told me that more people are starting to return to church. Could it be they have found that all the money, all the cars, all of the material toys that they have at their disposal has left them feeling a void that is hard to fill? In some cases, many have not participated in a world of booming wealth…but they too feel the void.

I hope that in the coming years the focus will shift to a better understanding of why so many people are unhappy and angry. Until then, take care of yourself, feed your body…. feed your soul.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon