In all walks of life somewhere at some time somebody contributes…somebody cares enough to make a difference. Through ridicule, envy and jealousy some special souls out there are making this planet, and in some cases, our lives, a better place to live. So many little actions contribute a tremendous amount of love for people to understand that there are individuals who can see through the obstacles and setbacks that surround us everyday.

I walk through the park every week-end….a place to me of an abundance of life. There are people sitting on benches, talking about their families, children playing little league and soccer…all interacting and sharing their energy and ideas. I visit a coffee shop in the morning where people sit around, talk and laugh, and look for inspiration to battle through the day. A man can enter, feeling lonely, depressed and lost. But he leaves after a hearty conversation with a smile and feeling upbeat. The interaction between people is a very powerful tool. Just a little word to a person at the right time can make a world of difference. We all need encouragement…somebody who understands and are in some way in the same boat with us. We don’t want to feel alone. We forget sometimes that our words have incredible meaning to people that we meet, and vice-versa. Words can heal, and words can hurt.

It’s a great feeling when you interact with a friend, or perhaps a stranger that you may never see again….and if you can be a shoulder and see them leaving with a smile, you have contributed to their lives. Heroes are not only people who do heroic things on a grand scale, but they are also people who can help people with just one word. “The little guy or girl” matters. Each one of us everyday can be a hero to somebody. It doesn’t take a lot of work, just a smile, a gesture, holding the door for somebody…but it sends someone off that day with a positive feeling.

Goodness can multiply….I think in some strange way we’ve been led to believe that unless we stand out in society we don’t count. Well, they’re wrong. Heroes live on every street, in every town, in every neck of the woods. Some are out and about giving of themselves everyday, and some are sleeping. Some heroes sleep, waiting to be called upon to make a difference for the better. So if you’re a hero, my thanks to you. And if you’re a sleeping hero, it’s your time to awaken. People need you. God cannot have enough soldiers.

A former sleeping soldier,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

I feel I have a lot in common with the high-wire walker in the circus and the surfer who rides the waves at the beach. Balance is vital to their success. We all in one form or another strive for that balance.
Time after time you hear successful athletes talk about being “in the pocket”, “in the groove” and “finding their space”…..I think what they’re really saying is that their spirit and body become one, centered. To be truly happy I think each one of us must strive to find our balance. We get glimpses of it…a sense of peace and calm when worry and fear subside. We feel fresh, focused and secure.

To find the balance, I believe you have to supply the spirit and the body with equal amounts of energy, care and love. You can’t neglect one or the other…both parts of us are vital. The spirit strives to find the connection to Heaven. If we don’t supply it our spirit wanders…sometimes in the wrong direction. It’s as if the part of us that is one with God longs to reconnect with where it feels it belongs….while the body that is earthly-based strives for nourishment and understanding so that we don’t forget it too has a purpose…. it’s role as the vehicle for the spirit or soul. If the vehicle, or body, is sometimes damaged, the spirit or soul can rise to compensate for the body. The souls uses the body for its earthly existence, but one day the body is abandoned as the soul returns home. If the soul is damaged the body can only sustain it for so long. The damaged soul will just continue on in directions that will bring about harm to the body.

We all live in a world that is not perfect. Each day we strive for a meaning to all of this. It is not a crime to be imperfect….but the effort to improve is taken into account by God. God knows the situation here…and totally understands what it is we go through everyday. In my belief Jesus is the way for me to let my spirit connect to Heaven. The link between Heaven and earth is vital for our balance and survival here on earth. To ignore or forget the spiritual level of our existence is a major mistake….and perhaps the reason why this world is so out of balance.

Seek the balance,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

This time of the year Spring brings forth new growth and new optimism. It’s all around us. The trees, the flowers, come to life and blossom with an incredible array of colors….the outdoors truly comes alive.
John Lennon once said in his song Beautiful Boy “Life is something that happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. So much of what flows through our lives goes by us so fast that we don’t, most times, see it or feel it until it’s gone. What is it about us as people that we expect so much and enjoy so little? And disregard many of the things that happen to us that we cast off as mundane. Is it that we are so lucky that we have so many choices at a given moment or is it that we take for granted that those choices will always be there?

I recently saw a group of children around five years old playing in a playground. The look on their faces….the joy in their expressions as they grabbed as much of life as they possibly could. I thought to myself, why don’t we look at life that way anymore? What is it that happens to us as we progress in years? Do we get so caught up in the bills, mortgages, and the paychecks that we forget the essence and lose the spark of what life is truly about?

The conversation I had with a friend of mine who has a terminal illness really put things in perspective for me in alot of ways. She told me since she has been diagnosed with her illness she feels more alive then when she was in perfect health. She could not believe how much life she had let slip by. She told me she had a successful career, lots of money, and a comfortable home, but the better part of her day was spent on the phone answering phone calls and sending out faxes. She considered this at the time to be a truly successful life. Once she got over the initial shock of the diagnosis of her illness, she walked out her door one day and the air felt different. Her eyes felt more open. Her ears heard every tiny little sound. She asked herself, what on earth was wrong with me before? From then on everything changed. Food tasted different, and she found herself becoming more considerate of other people…their feelings, their thoughts, etc. We finished our conversation with her asking me one question, “Why did it have to come to this for me to really come alive?”

What we have to always remember, I think, is to never forget how precious life really is. And how easily it can be taken from us at any moment. Are some people more alive than others? I think so. Maybe that’s one of the choices we have to make along the way. Yes there are struggles, but let us never forget that we were all once one of those five year old children who had the wisdom to enjoy life. Perhaps the five year old is still there…..don’t be afraid sometimes to let him or her out to play!!

Take the time to love, and live,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

Sometimes as we go through the week, by about Wednesday we seem to run out of gas, wondering what it is we must do and where we must go. We look for the strength, the power that we need to help us understand the problems and the set-backs that seem to enter our lives week by week. The search begins to find the answers to understand the whys and the wherewithalls in this existence that we call life.
We search for somebody who can feel the pain and the hurt that we carry with us each day. In this world that is sometimes made up of darkness, with a glimmer of light, many times I have felt lost, in need of a friend, someone who could understand how I feel. The emptiness somehow subsides when I look to the Heavens, and I feel the warmth and the presence of somebody who understands, and feels my pain. Even though I feel I am responsible for the choices that I make here in this life, I do believe that I have a partner who walks with me, and holds my hand. That partner to me is God. If I am to believe that this existence is all that there is, then I feel cheated. But I believe there is something much greater than this planet, an existence where many people walk as one. So even in my darkest hour I find the hope and the vision to keep on going, because one day I believe I too will walk as one through God.

The dreams, the set-backs, the failures, are so confusing sometimes. We wonder what it is we are to do as people to make and to leave this place a better existence for all. Perhaps that is what it’s all about…. put in our two cents, so that the others that come after us find it a little easier. The pleasure and the gifts that can be given everyday by each one of us is astronomical. A kind word or friendly smile can go so far, and the ramifications are tremendous. We are all one family, trying to find our way home. The lost sheep, looking for that light that shines, to help us understand why it is we are here.

Whenever you feel lonely and adrift there are people out there who can help. Perhaps friends, family or a kind stranger. But there is help. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Whenever you look around and see nobody, don’t be afraid to look up, written across the sky may be the answer that you’re looking for. Heaven has strange ways of letting us know that they watch.

I sometimes joke to myself that if this is all that there is perhaps I should ask for my money back! But I believe there is more…there is some profound reason that each one of us is here, and there’s some special gift each one of us has to deliver.

So if you feel you’ve reached a dead-end, nowhere to turn, maybe the help you need is nearby.. Don’t be afraid to ask.

A friend,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

These days it’s so easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of things that we have to get through everyday. There never seems to be enough hours to get through even half of what’s on the lists that we prepare early in the morning so that by evening we have weeded through the chores and assignments that are needed to hopefully progress our lives.The size of the goals and obstacles that confront us are sometimes so gigantic that the thought of starting each one is frightening…. but somehow we must. If you’ve ever stared at a ladder that you have to climb, looking up to where you must go can seem like an impossible ordeal. But if that task is broken down into fractions, each step by itself is much easier to handle….so too is life. If all we do is look at how far the distance is to our destination it is easy to find reasons to turn back or give up. If the journey is looked at mile by mile the distance somehow becomes shorter, because the focus of our measurements is not centered on the whole, but by twenty-five percent, fifty percent, seventy-five percent, etc. The journey becomes easier. I don’t know if you’ve found this to be true, but each year that I get older there seems to be more things to do!! Perhaps it’s because I expect more of myself, and I set higher goals. If one is not careful, the mountain becomes so high and the excuses too numerous. I guess you have to be careful not too try to accomplish too much, or there may not be enough time to give to each thing individually, resulting in little success. Focus is the key. If we can look at each thing by itself, after awhile the total of accomplishments start to add up. The overwhelming pressure does start to subside.

In a world that is so preoccupied with the “quick fix”, fifteen minutes of fame, and a short attention span, it is no wonder why so many have an increasingly hard time focusing in on what really matters, and how to increase the level of happiness in their lives. So take it one step, one day, at a time. Don’t be afraid to look for encouragement, whether it’s through prayer, friends, family. Surround yourself with the positive…your enemy is negativity. Each day turns into a month, and into a year….look at your life as a series of chapters that one day will become an incredible story. These stories become the essence of who we are, and what we leave behind.

The future is yours,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

A number of people have contacted me wondering how they can keep a positive perspective in their day to day lives, with all the negativity we are bombarded with every day. I guess I could say, why bother? Give up and surrender. But that would be too easy. I believe in some way each one of us is here for a reason. Everyone has something to contribute that no one else can. There is something special about everyone. That part of ourselves is the most important because it is the element that we have the most control over. If I choose to be good and forthcoming to the people around me it can be done. But if I choose to do nothing, that will have an effect too. To me, there is nothing more fulfilling then giving of yourself to others…the ramifications are endless. Yes it is a form of Love. I believe each one of us can contribute in some way to the advancement of positive vibrations and emotions that are so desperately needed in our society today. There are people doing bizzare things and taking many on strange courses…it’s time for us to understand who we are, and what we need to produce a stronger and much more caring society for ourselves and for our children. To keep hope alive, we need fuel…..energy that can be produced to help people believe that somebody can make a difference. Find your fuel….maybe God is the answer. Perhaps prayer to a deceased loved one, but reach…the energy will come forth. Even if you may not believe it, people do care. Don’t be afraid to believe in yourself. I believe God does. We are approaching a time of the year where life starts to blossom. Don’t be afraid to let your life blossom too. Life can be wonderful. Even with all of its disappointments, the wounds can heal. Where there is anger, there is intelligence. Where there is intelligence, there is hope. Where there is hope, there is the possibility of change. Things can be turned around. The choice is within us. Choose hope, choose life, choose love….it does make a difference.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

In these days of E-Mail, Newsgroups, Chat-rooms, etc. we are redefining the ways we communicate with family, friends and people we are meeting for the first time. The introduction to new people which used to take place at the office or over lunch is now expanding to include new avenues of interaction. The physical aspects of human beings is starting to become secondary to their mental thoughts and expressions. What is more important….how we feel and what we think, or what we look like and what clothes we wear? The answer is obvious, but look how in the past many people have been judged. Today when you go online to interact with people do you ask yourself, what color is this person I’m communicating with, what religion are they, what race are they, how tall are they? Probably not. In fact, a majority of the time we don’t even know where the person lives, or sometimes whether they are male or female. This opens up a whole new way of looking at communicating with people throughout the world. The human family truly is starting to become smaller. In the past, the telephone was the way to communicate voice to voice, but in most cases you knew where and whom you were calling, what contry they lived in, etc. These days when you go online who really knows where anyone lives? Although video transmissions through computers are available in most cases, the video portion is optional. The point I’m trying to make here is pre-conceived notions can be kept to a minimum. Most of us, when we see someone walking towards us, form an opinion even before we speak to them, based on their physical appearance alone. If the Internet form of communication is let continue, we may have the tool to change the way we look at and understand each other….wouldn’t it be wonderful if perhaps through this form of technology we could reach each other without age-old barriers…..

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

Each one of us contribute a little something to the vibration that flows around our planet called Earth. Although we may believe that our small contributions don’t add up to much and that most of the glory is held by the leaders of the countries of the world, it is the people that create the aura, the atmosphere, that we live in every day. We, as a global community will eventually determine the true outcome of this planet. The contributions that we make as an individual which becomes a section which evolves into the whole determines the destination we choose for the future of our children and of our planet. Many people on Saturdays and Sundays pray to God to connect to a Superior Being, to help them along the road to a better understanding of the world and how to become better people in the Light of God. If that is the case, then it is up to each and every one of us to somehow deliver a part of that essence of God into our lives. I believe that through prayer, and understanding, it is possible to bring contentment, happiness and unity into our lives, which in turn will spill over into the world, as a chain reaction. If all we do is look for ways to find division and separation then we will never be able to find the unity that is needed to progress our planet into the next century. If God is the key, then each one of us has to find the piece of God within ourselves to connect with the God of the Heavens. I believe that God wants us to find ourselves as a human family, not to be separate and hate our differences. It is within our power to heal the wounds of division and find the unity of our strength. God is Love, God is Peace, God is needed to help us find the common bonds that can bridge our societies and our world to a better understanding of who we are, and where we are headed. I see that there will come a day when tools like computers and satellites will link us as a family to better understand what it was that kept us so apart for so many years. It is up to each and every one of us to contribute to an environment of Love, Understanding, and Unity. It is possible. Heaven is a place of Unity, Love, Understanding and Hope. It is what we strive to return to. I think it is God’s wish that somehow we leave this world a little better of a place because we were here.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

As we trek along on this road that’s called life, along the way we all in one form or another pick up these strange little habits that we routinely do or act upon on a daily basis. It can be as simple as backing the car out the same way every morning, putting the toothpaste on the toohbrush the same way everytime, but we seem to have an uncanny knack of repeating patterns. Some of the patterns become cumulative and destructive, others, just a way to have fun. If we are creatures of habit, and free will, in most cases, is a tool at our disposal, then perhaps we have control over these strange little habits that develop over time. Lately I’ve been wondering, “Maybe it’s possible to replace our bad habits with good ones”. One day I had a piece of cake at one in the afternoon. The next day, for some strange reason, I started craving cake at one in the afternoon. If I continued to” partake in cake” my life would be full of cake!!! at one in the afternoon sharp. What I’m really saying is can I replace the cake with something a little healthier, like a carrot or a stick of celery. If these so-called habits become a part of our lives, do they influence the direction our lives take? If I fill my life with bad habits, then one has to wonder what direction will be chosen, even sometimes without realizing the consequences. If that is the case, then it is extremely important that the habits we choose are monitered and observed by ourselves for their potential outcome. If I can somehow correct negative habits with positive habits, then the reward may be more beneficial to me in the long run. We seem to focus little, myself included, on the building blocks that multiply to become the foundation of our desires and accomplishments of tommorow. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees…but with a little discipline our vision and understanding can be sharpened. It’s important to me to draw attention to things that can help people have a better control over their lives as individuals. Perhaps with a focus on positive habits this can be a step towards that accomplishment.

I guess the piece of cake is okay once in awhile!!!

Enjoy,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon

Love is an emotion that, at some point in our lives, we are destined to meet. Every one of us has been blessed and hurt by love; tremendous highs, incredible lows…..but there it is, standing sometimes right in front of us, no way around, but straight through. If a child is denied love, then what can we hope for its future? The rest of its life it will be longing to make up for the loss, and the caring, that is needed to produce a functioning human being who believes that the sky is the limit. One of the hardest roles at this stage of life is parenting. I admire every man and woman who at this stage of life can understand the importance of every word and every action that is spoken and observed by a fragile, younger life. The right road is so important for their emotional well-being. If love is something that we don’t need, then what weapon do we have to fight hate? The heart is a very strange thing…it remembers pain and trys to overcome it, but so much of what we put in our minds is carried with us to our dying days. Hopefully, somewhere along the way, we can find the peace that is needed. Mankind has gone to war over love; killed over love, but is that love? Or jealousy, rage and envy? The way I look at love is that it is a flower that constantly needs water,nurturing, and sunlight. If the flower is neglected it dies. Abuse to me is not love. It is someones way of dealing with their own anger, or lack of love in their own lives. The best kind of love is love that is entered into with an open mind, not for the purpose of possessing, but a way to give and help enhance the other person, along the journey to knowledge, identity, and purpose. I guess all of us strive for that knowledge, that identity, and that purpose. I hope you find yours. Until next time,

Love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1997 Jennifer Avalon