Reflections on the Year that Was

 Greetings to the end of the year, two thousand and twelve to my gentle readers at www.joelwlamoure.com as we take a step back and reflect on the days and months that were and those that came and went. I stand and salute in memory of my father, Wayne Lamoure (1948-2012), a man who knew what justice really was and stood for it daily.

A time for hope, faith and belief... these are critical elements and we must have Faith that there is a reason for everything and it is what we do with the events that transpire that determine the doors that subsequently open.

This was a year of marked highs and lows for all of us in so many aspects and facets of each of our lives. A time for peace, a time for battles and a time to step back and reflect on the lay of the land. Although the moments themselves traverse like sands of grains through the hourglass, we imperceptibly change and evolve to a point of where we are meant to be. But the changes at the time, with the exceptions of the ground shaking earthquakes in our lives we cannot even detect.

The year started with leaving inpatient psychiatry work with my most monumental earthquake came the period of July 9-10^th with the loss of my Father and to whom todays blog is dedicated. Subsequent changes in the second half were my being named to the UN, UNESCO as Canadian Section Chief of Medical Bioethics a month later and then another family death while the UNESCO was still in print. This followed closely after with the moments of stepping into my father’s role in early September in a CI role with the Forces. Who knows what this year will bring… besides a year of evolution and change? Belief in that.

A strong Belief that even when the chips are down (for we rarely stop and reflect as to why things are wonderful, but get the "poor me" when things are down) that "this too shall pass" and as opposed to cursing our beshitted lot and son of a bi-atch, I get the black marble in life and never the radiant crystal that it really IS for a reason. And most of all is Hope. Hope is the meshwork that channels it all together and is intricately intertwined with the other two.

  In advance of this New Years Day, 1/1/13, it is a time that many are making INCREDIBLE resolutions that will last, well... 1 week. Maybe 2. Sorry folks... most resolutions blow (and blow away). One, and only one wish that I hope to aim towards is to wait for facts and make informed decisions respective of the situation.

   In this week between Christmas an New Years, I have had the incredible good fortune reflect, consider, contemplate and assess the tapestry of the year that was.

  No my friends, I do not wear a tinfoil hat or drool in my porridge but look to these amazing miracles that exist on a day to day experience. They are there and just need someone to shut up and listen to the incredible stories of courage and strength. Amazing indeed. Believe it or not, in North America, India, and Europe etc. there are those still labeled and persecuted for their views. Not able to advance, not being able to live in their own skin, made to be ostracized for our protection. Going to sleep crying of hunger while others cry their ipad was the wrong colour. There is a problem here Houston. Hallelujah, pass the plate. Can you say we are saving the world through bullying? Not at all. Ive talked of bullying before and my advice, take the cotton out of your ears and shove it in your.... mouth. Then we can enact real change and see miracles that abound.

  To believe there are miracles, seeing is believing. "Show me the money!". Want a money shot? Let the scales fall from your eyes. Look as if from the wonderment of a child in actions, thoughts, visions and demeanor. This is what is lacking and yet these are there for your taking you know… and only thing holding you back, is well...a programmed you. 

  So instead…be yourself, often.

                           ~~~ Rev. Dr Joel Lamoure  December 2012

The Sound of Emptiness

Greetings my gentle readers to another week that was and will be yet again and the “Be Yourself, Often” Blog. A time when we can reflect on the actions and challenges and opportunities of the week and filter them through the contributions, good and bad that we have imprinted upon the event. Reflection and meditation with quietness and goodness on the positivity that can extend from any, absolutely any encounter that will and has transpired. My new book, “The Peacock on Viagra” available at lulu.com offers reflections and further meditative statements from the period of 2009-2012.

One of the things that have kept coming back over the past 2 months to me and in finalizing the book is the expression “No life is done until all the lives that have been touched are done”. There is much that we are able to offer in simply how we do things and what others see of us. I have stated over and over again that our Beliefs define our thoughts, which will define our actions, which will ultimately define our outcomes.  There are also past energies and karmic reflection at play here which are fourth dimension that we can conceptualize, but never really touch.

And touch is such a valued sacrament my friend. Not just the physical sense, but also all of our senses are touched by the actions of people and we inherently filter those through our own genetics, nature, nurture and experiences. Thus there can be no two people that see exactly the same thing. To take the time and listen to inspiration or what people have to say is incredible on many levels. Our hearts, ears, souls can be touched, if we allow by individuals that inspire us. For we all have the blessing and gift of being teachers… whether we know it or not.

When a teacher departs, for whatever reason… there is a sense of emptiness and loss. Often it is a loved one, family, friend or animal. We cry at the emptiness and feel the loss, often because we know that touch (physical, written, spoken, seen) will never be encountered again in this lifespan. There is a large sound of silence that can only be labeled akin to being on the end of a phone receiver, but the connection is gone. There is no sound emptier than a dead line.

Reflections of the loss of that connection through death or other actions should give us pause. So many say that in times when the end is near, that family pulls together and this is true. That there is an unconditional love that extends for a short time as we look at that black implacable wall of nothingness. And then we feel the shock wave hit us… the connection is gone. Phone lines down, not even an operator standing by.

Yet it is because we love that that memory and the touch resonates still within us and we can reflect on the time when the person, pet or loved one was there and we can be at ease and almost feel their touch upon us again.  For as we move forward, they live on in us through the actions, gifts and touches they have taught us and imparted on us.

Thank you to all those brave souls who give, offer and have passed on… yet are still with us. It is reflections like these in the moments of a dead line that remind you to embrace everything up front and it is not about money or an infusion of cash… that will not save us in the end. We can replace all the stuff in the world, but not that gentle touch and kind heart and often we have guilt as survivors for what could have been.

Maybe, just maybe we can learn in our periods of loss, remove the ego from the equation and want and embrace and feel and especially appreciate the small things and gifts. For I believe my gentle readers, that if we can learn to love the small things and the touch of others, they will help us to help us which will then help others and truly in a sense of purity and Light to be yourself, often.

                                    ~~ Rev. Dr. Joel Lamoure  September 2012