A bad childhood, poor schooling, while living in the wrong environment, eventually can persuade a kind soul to perform evil acts. In our society, we set up a series of safety nets, hoping that they alone will stop the growth of Evil. Unfortunately, far too many slip through the cracks. Just today I read that a first-grader, six years old, took a stolen gun from his house, walked into his school, and opened fire on a little girl. The way the law is structured, we have no charges in place for six year olds. Obviously, the courts never saw this one coming…and how many other acts are also not on the books? I don’t believe that a six year old should be held totally responsible for the act of murder….but, when the atmosphere of Evil exists, anyone can become its weapon. It has been alleged that the child’s home was filled with stolen guns, and drugs. What can we expect to come out of the door of a house engulfed by Evil?

If the parents neglect their responsibilities, when the school is either under financed or lacking positive discipline, and there are no inspiring role models for a child to observe, the human heart grows cold and alone. Hopefully, Faith will enter the picture, but for many, it comes too late. Deep in our society are many problems that we have yet to fully examine. Perhaps through fear we turn a blind eye, until the day fear comes knocking at our own door. The first step in any battle is to acknowledge the enemy. Otherwise, we not only don’t know what we’re fighting, but cannot organize a force strong enough to defeat the villain.

I do receive letters from people who tell me “There is no such thing as Evil.” Then please tell me, what made a man just this morning walk into a MacDonald’s Restaurant and open fire, then cross the street, to attack a Burger King, wounding numerous, innocent people? This is not the work of God. Good is Good. Bad is just Bad. Period. I don’t want to hear lame excuses for vicious acts. We must address where and how the seeds are sown……The Garden these days is looking a little ragged. But like any garden, it can be turned around. A little fertilizer, the removal of weeds, and the right tools can make the flowers that were once dying bloom again. We must start to not only tend our own Gardens, but help our neighbor’s as well. Some on the block may not have a good shovel or lawnmower….don’t be bashful, give them a hand. What good is a block with one good Garden, while all the rest are dying?

Evil searches for weak souls, whispering answers of false hope. Even Jesus had to confront Evil in the desert. If Evil can even go after the Son of God, we can only imagine what it would try to do to us. Evil lives…..look at it…..stare it down…..raise your shield. Evil is a coward that will run at the sign of strength.

Run Evil…..Run……

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon

The core of a human being, the essence of what we all represent, is centered in the Soul. Our purpose for existence, our reason to breathe the air day after day, springs forth from the Soul. The Soul justifies our reason for being. If all we are is flesh and bone, then one day they turn to dust and we are gone. All that is left are the memories we leave behind. The Soul is the part of us that journeys on……

For me, the Soul answers many questions…why should I care to try to be a good person, why bother doing anything….what difference will my life make in the great span of things. The Soul gives credence to Goodness. The Soul is like a little visual tape recorder…..running constantly inside us, taping everything. One day the tape will be played back, and hopefully, we can bear what we see and hear. The Soul is one with the universe, with nature, with mankind, and with God.

Without a Soul, there is no reason and no meaning for pain, tears, weakness, and fear. Without the Soul how do we justify the years we spend on this planet. Our Soul is the core of who we are…..the learning component that can help us perform miracles.

The Soul is everything we have ever been, and everything we will ever be. The part of us that is eternal. The simplest way to see a Soul is to look into the eyes of a newborn baby, and into the eyes of a dying person. One entering….one leaving. A planet of Souls, spinning through space, enveloped by Heaven…….

From one Soul to Another,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon

Many around the world elect representatives each year to be their voice. In many cases the silent voices depend upon these elected officials to guide them forward into a future of peace, progress and prosperity. With each electoral cycle some names and faces are changed….and we hope that our best interests are always put forward. The enemy of most societies is conflict, division, and hate. It is up to all to extend dialogue to those who feel they are not being heard, forgiveness to those who have made mistakes, and encouragement to the people who make inroads towards unity. No mother wants to lose a son or daughter. Is war an answer? or just a temporary solution to a greater problem?
In the United Sates of America there are many different cultures and religions, yet, many of us look at ourselves as nations within one nation. Why? Perhaps because there are forces at play to keep us apart and separate. If we really want to end racism and hatred in America, why does it have to fall to the common man to initiate the spark? When was the last time we heard any leaders on the evening news put forward a simple plan where representatives of each segment of America could come together for a retreat of a week in harmony and peace, to understand their similarities and differences? This past week the business community had no problem getting together in Switzerland to strike deals, and find ways that they could come together for profit and higher stock market shares. Where are the voices of our leaders to say, “Come my fellow Citizens, let us break bread together to help end the greatest disease this world will ever know….the germs of Hate.”

Hate has become a very profitable enterprise. We have built up infrastructures and businesses around the world that make money from Hate. There are leaders of certain groups that stand on podiums claiming to represent their communities, stating that they are there to stand up for their rights, while on the other hand making no effort to end the seeds that have led to problems. If we do not find ways to break down the barriers that separate us, no matter how much money we throw at the problems, in the long term nothing will ever be solved. Once again, why don’t I hear this night after night on the evening news? God Bless those who are out there trying to build us all a better world…..but when they turn on the television, their frustration must be enormous. I know things move slowly, but this is ridiculous.

So I, in my own little mind, present this plan to any Leader of the Free World, especially that of the President of the United States, the Leaders of the United States Congress, and those of the business world:

First: Put together an annual week-long Summit for the End of Hate. Each race, religion, and state representative sits down at a table and airs out their grievances. This Summit is to be highlighted by all media as a step forward to helping us come together.

Second: A neutral official is to head the summit. A mediator who is an expert in hearing both sides of issues.

Third: Set goals to make “us” and “them” become “We.” Conflicts are laid on the table, with no hidden agendas, for all to see. That way, honesty and trust can grow.

For each person trying to make a difference, there is a corresponding person profiting to keep us apart. For the world to show real intelligence, inroads to the end of violence and hate must be initiated. Hey, I’m no fool here….I know this is going to take time, but it’s got to start somewhere. We need solutions. Here in the United States, whenever there is a problem in the world, we always send a mediator to try to bring sides together. This week I just read that the peace process in Northern Ireland is collapsing. Why? Who knows? But in the United States we have no Summits to bring our people together. We strictly rely upon our religious institutions to handle that monumental task. As much as they try, they cannot be expected to accomplish it all alone.

So I am calling out to the Leadership of not only my country, but of the Free World, to start organizing Summits so we can sit down at tables with no guns in our hands to look across and see each other eye to eye. In the end, all the material wealth in the world will not help us survive, if our hearts carry Hate.

Take the time to Love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon

We all look different. Anywhere you go in the world there is some deviation or change in the way people look. To expect us all to be the same is unrealistic. Why then do so many find it so hard to accept those that are different from themselves? Could God have made a mistake by making us different? not all the same? I don’t think so.

Mankind is a very strange Being….he has no trouble killing that which he finds unacceptable and confusing……but there is one main problem with man’s dilemma. In order to sustain and aspire to a world of peace, man in his great wisdom must find ways to embrace his other brothers and sisters. So what color is the face of God? Could it be that God wants us to find a way to nurture our similarities and respect our differences? The color of a person’s skin should not be the determining factor of the character of their soul. Could it be that God’s face is multicolored? And each one of us represents a different section of His face? Then can it be said, in order to see the face of God, one must be able to integrate all colors into the equation?

Life, to me, is a collection of riddles. Each year we are given a new riddle to solve. Basically, we are all on a mission. The riddles are little signposts to get us to the next stage to help us become better human beings, worthy to one day look into the face of God and understand the who, what, why and where of our lives. There is pain, there is joy, there are tears, there is laughter….somewhere between all this we live. Life is not foolish….it is a learning process. There is a reason for everything.

Each face on this planet deserves to come here. We are all of equal value. It is man that changes that…..

Remember the Rainbow,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon

For many of us there are basically two ways to look at Time….short-range or long-range. Both have pros and cons, but in the majority of cases long-term goal-setting will bring about the most success.

In this day and age of the “short-attention span” many find it almost impossible to wait for responses or answers. Let’s take the stock market for example….day-traders dart in and out of stocks as many as twenty times a day. I don’t know about you, but even if some of these decisions go well, the law of averages eventually comes into play. Yes, I know some people have found day-trading very profitable, but others have lost everything. Short-term vision also engulfs our relationships, and world views. A marriage, a friendship, may go through rough spots, but if we were to pull the plug on everything as soon as we experience rough waters, how much would we truly accomplish or gain?
Long-term vision, on the other hand, is not always easy either. Sometimes it involves the “patience of Job.” The interesting point about long-term vision is that it allows you to exhaust the possibilities…..Time in some strange way becomes your friend….you can honestly say “I gave it my best shot.” With reference to the stock market, most people who buy stocks and hold them for long-term have a far better chance of reaping rewards. Can you imagine purchasing Microsoft in 1986…what would you have rather done…sold it 6 months later, or still have it today? Most successful stock investors will tell you, for the average citizen, to hold for the long-term. It’s the best advice. Love doesn’t always run smoothly either, but over time we see the true value and rewards of our relationships.

Short-term, long-term…the choices affect our lives. Yes indeed, patience is a virtue, but if something is truly damaging, cut the ties……but how are we to know when to hold, and when to fold? The best advice I can give, and what I try to live by, is aim long-term, but accept that along the way there are going to be some things to cast aside. In most situations where the short or long decision has to be decided, ask yourself, is the person willing to meet me halfway? And in the case of something like stocks, ask yourself, where do I want to be 5 years from now, not 6 months.

In a world that is obsessed with the “here and now,” the truly Faithful can see beyond tomorrow…..

Look beyond the horizon,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon

This week I would like to break down the 24 hour day period, and how and why it has a profound affect on what we do with the time available. I am not writing this to depress people….but I do believe the more we know, reflect, and understand what we do with our lives, the better we will be able to make the changes necessary to improve our quality of life.
This is how it goes:

1) We start out with the basic 24 hours.
2) Deduct from that 8 hours (if you’re lucky) for sleeping
3) Further deduct an extra eight hours for work (9-5), plus 2 hours travel time.
4) Also deduct 1 hour each morning for shower, breakfast, etc.
5) At the end of the day, deduct 1 hour for dinner and cleaning up.

How many hours of personal time for yourself does that leave you with? 4 hours per day.
What I haven’t factored in here is extra time that is needed for maintaining a relationship, caring for children and/or taking care of pets.
These, to me, are conservative estimates. Some would say 4 hours….. are you kidding? But I’m trying to base this on the average.

6) Add to the 4 personal hours per day of the workweek, which is 5 days, Saturday……let’s give ourselves an extra 4 hours, and Sunday, 4 more to that….which brings us to a grand total for the week of 28 personal hours for the week. That’s a grand total of a little more than 1 day a week for things to do for ourselves.

7) It is up to each individual, where need be, to deduct more time for issues such as housecleaning, paying bills, health concerns, car repairs, etc., etc. Each total for each person is unique.

This is the way it is. I know, I didn’t make it this way either…but if I choose to bury my head in the sand, nothing will ever change. It’s not hard to understand how easily we can get overwhelmed with life. So, for that ballpark figure of 28 hours a week of personal time, what we put into it really matters.

Once we get over the shock, what do we do?? We start writing down everything that makes us happy, on paper. We develop a plan to schedule each thing that we want to do for ourselves into those hours. We control those hours. How many more times do we have to hear how “fast” life goes? Once we look at our lives, there are no mysteries.

Each one of us has to ask ourselves, what do we want from our lives? How can we make a difference? Hey, we can pretend that there is an endless supply of time, but deep inside we know there isn’t. So this weekend, if you haven’t already begun, ask yourself, “What do I want from my life?”… Not just for your children, spouse, or friends……but for you.

Time is precious,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon

One of the easiest things to do in life is to give up. Game over….finito!! All of the naysayers can line up, stick their noses in your face, and say “See, I told you so…..it won’t work.” There is value to every project undertaken….it is up to each and every one of us to determine that value, and to estimate the amount of effort that is needed and acceptable to fulfill the goal.

Businesses all across the Internet are redefining planning, manufacturing and distribution. This is having a profound affect on how we make, buy, and sell goods. What was once considered as a necessity of operation can, these days, be easily called into question. Everyday I read in the newspapers a new software or component that is changing the industry of their given choice. I being a writer, you can imagine how all of this has also affected the product that I release. While all these changes are taking place, for each person embracing the new technology, there are others becoming disillusioned and upset. Whether we like to admit it or not, in most cases across the board we are all learning to find new ways to reinvent ourselves…..and the things we do for a living.
While all these changes are taking place, the fine line between work and home is evaporating. The nine to five workday can easily be extended to seven or eight at night. The definition of home and work is changing. As you can imagine, this is leaving many in the family with confusion written on their faces. Where the schedules used to follow an even path, they can now contradict each other and clash. Planning becomes essential to preserve tranquility. If you too are struggling with some of these issues, you’re not alone. Many of the letters I receive are filled with thoughts from people trying to find a balance in their lives. The strain can easily lead to giving up.

The family is a unit of people living together within a shield of love. Some are healthier than others….but each family must decide that within their confines they set the rules. Set aside at least one hour a week to sit around the table where everyone has a say in how the structure of family life is sustained and managed. All voices are heard. One member writes down the schedule, while everybody is aware that it is placed somewhere in the home where each morning all members can see it. This way we all know what’s happening that day with everyone. We can share in the joy and be there for the pain. No one feels like giving up.

For those without a family, you too can sit at the table….and if you have a pet, invite them to sit too!!! Plan your week….acknowledge the joy….and your successes. Look for ways to heal. Life never turns out totally the way we want it to…but perhaps with a little better observation we can regain some of the control that we have given away. In the end, we realize that it is those times we didn’t give up, that gave us the greatest rewards.

Don’t give up,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon

What’s Bad has become Good, and what’s Good has become Bad. This week I think I’ve seen enough…..Monica Lewinsky talking for an hour on Larry King Live, stating how “hard” it is for her to be a public figure, and a representative of Jenny Craig. Yes, indeed, Monica’s perfectly entitled to go on with her life, but I don’t want any teenager to believe that this is the way to “get ahead” in life. I have friends on both sides…..conservative and liberal…..but both have drawn a line somewhere through this mess. Does it stop there? No. Each day there is something else to see on television or read in the paper….some injustice or catastrophe that is slid under the carpet and passed along as “life as usual.” The bar has been raised so high that a giant could get underneath it! We look around and we wonder why things spiritually are falling apart? The shock factor on television has become nil. I receive letters from many people who have lost faith in not only their politicians, but the law. This is frightening.

Does all this matter? I’m afraid so. It affects each and every one of us, whether we care to admit it or not. Out there tonight someone is trying to raise a family…dealing with issues that their forebearers could not even comprehend. You want to know how bad it is? Ask yourself this….if your great-grandparents were alive today, could they browse through the daily newspaper without the blood draining from their faces? Enough already!!! The saddest thing of all are the people who think that all of this is okay!
How do we change this? It starts from ground zero. Seek out the people in your community, in your neighborhood, who are contributing and trying to pull things up by the bootstraps…..look for the people who sweat. They’re around….in every community…..they just haven’t been highlighted on the evening news. But they are there….believe me. They too have seen enough. If you have a family, embrace it….cuddle it…comfort it…love it. You can never give too much to the people you love. To the Mothers and the Fathers of the world…..my heart goes out to you. I wish you all the blessings of the Lord, and the luck of all the Leprechauns (smile) To the brothers and sisters…..embrace your siblings….be there with a kind smile and a strong voice. A word can have a tremendous echo.

For the Year 2000 let’s look at it as the Starting Point of a Rebuilding of a Society, that has forgotten much and lost its mind. Technology can be a wonderful tool to build a great house.

Be a Builder,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon

Everything reverts to numbers…..shapes, sizes, circles and squares…hey, you even have to have the right numbers to win the lottery! Well, also included in this, I’m afraid, is that as the population of the planet increases, so do the value of its numbers decrease. Is the value of family, work, and play worth more today than say ten years ago? Perhaps not.

We all have alot to pack into twenty-four fours a day….some are more successful then others, but boy, I don’t know about you, but for me at the end of each day I still wish I had another two or three hours of extra time. After awhile its easy to feel like a machine punching a time clock, asking yourself, “What’s it all about?” The search for meaning in life, for many, comes up empty, until one day a person decides that it’s time to embark upon a journey to find what this place called earth is all about….and why we are here. As a collective human family, the answers can come easily…but the individual stories….ah…..therein lies the search that many at some point in their lives find themselves on. That’s when we realize we are more than just a number……a sea of faces, where each one has its own story that cries to be heard.

I found, for myself, that I could only go so far until I had to seek out the meaning for my life. Finding inner value became a necessity. I refused to believe that my happiness could only be based upon material things, which I found very temporary, until one day I sat down in a chair, looked up, and said “Please God, help me find the answers.” Not until that moment did I feel myself connected with my spiritual essence. I’ve always looked upon myself as a realist….not somebody who just believes for the sake of believing. I search for evidence. Today as I look around this world I have to believe that there is a reason for everything. I wasn’t born to go to school, find a job, make money, retire, and drop dead. Somewhere in-between all of this is Life. We all have a Life…..a story to pass along.

This globe that we live on spirals through space in a synchronized order with our solar system….mathematics in play, numbers all working together to maintain some kind of order….as one thing swings out, eventually it swings back….the pendulum of Time and Space. Each second has its value, and so does each Life.

Numbers have meaning,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon