The Third Sunday of Advent (Excerpted from: http://www.joelwlamoure.com/id43.html)

The Third Sunday of Advent

Excerpted from: http://www.joelwlamoure.com/id43.html

Greetings again my gentle readrs to this weeks installment of the "Be Yourself, Often" blog. A time for peace, patience and silence reflection of the week past. A time to appreciate and look to the positives of the week to recharge the emotional and psychiatric batteries to prevent the dise-eases that lead to diseases. A time for "Prescribing Spritual HOPE"

Why select the third Sunday of Advent as a topic to discuss, as this is designed to be motivational, reflective and help the reader look to the small positives in the great field of life and look to become a blade of wheat that extends above the torrid weeds that threaten to choke us out? Before I answer that question... what is so critical about being a piece of wheat? It nourishes and many stalks together create bountiful bread, often used in sacraments and also even more importantly is that the wheat needs soil, dirt, moisture, light, sun, wind and energy to create and foster more energy. That the blades must rise above the oppressive weeds that choke us out on a regular basis. They are the BMW class of people, J Class. Biatchy, Moany and Whiny- Jealousy. So my friends if you and I meet personally and I describe something as a J-Class BMW, y'all will know what I mean. Those people are not who I consider to be friends, but I feel sorry for them in their weed chocked existence of human kind. Looks really pretty with such a glorious presentation and drag in the unwary, but are the Datura stramonium of life once their BMW-JClass existence comes in. If anyone wonders. that is Jimson weed...aptly in labelled stinkweed. Ouch... burn baby. All parts of the plant are poisonous, causing abnormal thirst, vision distortions, delirium, incoherence, coma. Often fatal. Crap. You play into that one and its seeya dont write baby... don't write and its a brutal trip. Sadly the plant and you are both DRT..... Dead Right There.

OK...enough about toxic stinkweeds, and Jimson weed too. Lets talk about the concepts of advent, this almost the third Sunday (and it already is to my Aussie and Kiwi friends). This is such a wonderful and joyous time to reflect on anointment and rejoicing. For there is so very much to be appreciative of, is there not? That we are even able to read this is I hope a miracle and a positive. That one can read, see, touch and feel is a miracle. That we love and can be loved. That we can speak and communicate and know that we have gifts and plenty beyond our expectation. It is about changing our thought process from one of entitlement, to one of looking ahead with the eyes of a child to the myriad of gifts that we may be graced with. The gifts are already there, not from Walmart or any other -Mart, mall or store. Look to these gifts I believe is what creates contentment and the positives in the moment. It may be what your neighbour has, or be the status quo or this years model. But DOES IT MATTER? At the end of the day, are you purely sampling the stinkweed and loving the psychotic atropine-like psychosis? Tripping the line fantastic and being Alice going down the rabbit hole? May I be blunt? Yes. End result.... DRT.

So my friends, open the eyes that you have been given and rejoice that we are here, alive and the miracles that abound. I know that we can change the world and believe that we can. The way? Through Belief, with hope and faith and a healthy dose of looking and being like a child on Christmas morning. But the gifts are the anotintment and let us rejoice in the days and the gifts.

For when the toxic efefcts and psychotic delusions of the stinkweed are gone, the eyes reopened and the detoxification finished... you may appreciate the moment, beauty and wonder in the moments of mindfulness. And to look in the eyes of another having undergone the same, is to be able to realize that you have and did and can be yourself, often.

--- Rev. Dr.  Joel Lamoure December 2011

Pulling the threads into the tapestry

Greetings my gentle readers to this weeks instalment of the "Be Yourself, Often" blog. Thank you all for your continued reading and sharing this link across wherever and whatever forms of communication that you may use to help advance insights and more importantly, thoughts.
Its a big world out there and we really, when we step back can realize exactly what challenges there are out there. Death, war, floods, famine and so very much more. But a time also for reflection on exactly what a small component of this world, yet can play such a very big part. I have discussed the chaos theory in previous blogs and the impact that that will make hypotheses by and through our existence and actions. And based on the law of diminishing returns, even by being alive we make an impact... yet as we rev the engines too high, we vote ourself (or are ungraciously voted off) this big blue marble. However, this allows us in these 2 somewhat parallel theories to look at the bright lights that enter our life and what we can do to keep that candle lit, allow it to burn brighter and optimize potential... that then does ripple out in concentric circles in the pond of life.
But our candles do not exist in isolation (unless you are a nihilist). Hope, Faith and Belief is a huge pilot light in our life. Candles and the lighting of candles is a wonderful way to mark the first Sunday of Advent. I will speak of this with the first Sunday of Advent tonight more in The Sunday Mass at 730pmEST on the ULCNetwrk Radio Show (link embedded). We each light our fires from others and fire can be used one of two ways. That being to help and cook and aid and warm. The other side is that of destruction... if you knock the candle over. Herein lies the theories of mindfulness and being aware of why and what we do and who, where, when and why. There are always challenges and sometimes our candles feel deprived of oxygen and light and we must turn to others to feel that candle lit.
At all times our light and fire tends to get weaker and more dim... and we must know where to turn to have that safe port, where the candle of the individual will beam and reflect bright light and guide us there. It is almost always a friend, the port in the storm. Faith is wonderful here and wishing with the wide eyed thoughts and hopes of a child, coupled with a strong spiritual Belief will make a huge difference. There is the adult self that keeps us able to function in this world of ours. I had the wonderful opportunity to listen to a psychiatrist this week who spoke of that inner child and embracing them and the warrior within to offset the negative self talk and critic. Was a superb discussion and makes one think of Faith... who is your inner critic and what does your warrior and child look like? I look forward to future thoughts and reflections on this topic.
A period of thanks and Thanksgiving. Not Black Friday, Cyber Monday or all that stuff. Thanks for my close friends (old and new) and their lights and this week for the clinical insights of Dr. Marcia Sirota at our conference on addiction management.
Back to pulling all these thoughts together. Yes Joel, we will do that and seem less fluffy and loose tangential. Basically, know your flame and who or Who lights your flame and keeps the candle lit. Certain situations may need different ports, so knowing yourself is critical. Some deep seated self honesty, humility, integrity and effort and lack of hypocrisy is paramount. That comes from healthy reflection and mindfulness of who and what we are and being at-ease with that to prevent dis-ease and thus disease. Embrace the inner child within and love and feel and appreciate the moments as that ripples out to impact other people and overcoming challenge can allow you to be a hero, if done through the right filter. Love the moment as if it was both your first and last time. The eyes and spirit of a child wanting to play and the warm temperament and feelings obtained across the years as an adult. In regards those that are willing to take that courageous step, I know a few of them and they have the power to make big changes by their actions. SO wonderful. More on these thoughts in my radio show "Prescribing Spiritual HOPE" on the ULCNetwork radio at 9pm Tuesday, November 29th.
And then, as the butterfly flies from its cocoon.... you look in the mirror that is reflecting back to you and you see that you are being yourself, often.

---- Rev Dr. Joel Lamoure   November 2011