Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Can't A Girl Dream ...
I have a dream, that one day all girls: black girls, white girls, brown girls and yellow girls, big girls and skinny girls, smart girls and “bless her heart” girls; turn the other cheek girls and “knock your @$! out” girls, window shopping girls and close the store down girls, pretty girls and witty girls, would be measured not by the color of their skin, nor their designer purse, nor their breast size or waist size, nor their occupation or marital status but by the content of her character.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Death and Life: Resting In Peace (In Memory of Michael Joseph Jackson)
When the King of Pop, Michael Joseph Jackson died I shed a tear; in fact I felt a great deal of unexpected emotion. Now, let me just put things in perspective. I have no problem crying and at times I like to cry. I’ve felt a sensual cleansing of my soul and mind as I sobbed my way through brokenness, sniffled, snotted and whimpered at Feed the Children commercials, injustices and death with no shame. But somehow, it struck me strangely that after I boohooed at CNN’s online reporting, I still felt a certain discontentment with Michael’s death. Certainly, I believe that there is a place for our souls after death and that our souls are eternally alive, and whether our resting place is indeed a place of rest is determined by One and not me. So, for me, my hope concerning death is that my final resting place will be in the presence of One so glorious and good, My Lord, My Savior, My Father and Friend. Death is not a tragedy when one believes that there something more to encounter beyond this present life. Death in and of itself does not scare me. But when Michael died, I considered dying… not suicide, but I took time to think about death as apart of life.
I think the scariest part of death is the finality of it. Whether or not, you believe that there is life after death, it is still the last part of what we know in this realm. I can’t imagine that my human life experience with all its many turns & twist will end in death without ever living again. It would seem an injustice. As much there is darkness in the world there is still incredible light. I’ve experienced true love, the warm & fuzzies, the cold and smell of the rain, the warmth of the sun, and beauty of the stars. I’ve stood in awe of the miraculous and witnessed life being born. There are so many wonderful memories I can recollect, that I hope will never be lost in a pile of dirt.
I remember being about 5 and hearing PYT for the first time. Me and my two boy cousins would sport our Member’s Only Jackets (didn’t have the red & black Thriller one) and pretend to be Michael. We grew up on Michael. He is apart of our American culture and an International Superstar. My children, ages 8, 6 and 2 have discovered the music and spirit of Michael Jackson. And the brother is still Bad! My kids love him! It occurred to me that though his music will continue to be heard, his life has ended. The tragedy for me is how young he was, and how young we still are. Even my mom, is young at 51 and she grew up on Michael Jackson. I think his death, reminded us all of our mortality, it certainly did me.
Michael was common and extraordinary all at once. He was a man like all of us but extraordinary in his ability to sing, dance and perform. His gift was magic to us all. And for the brief moment that he spent on this earth we were all touched by the light that shined in him. How terrible it seems if with all the talent he possessed to entertain; and all the charitable contributions he made, that he still did not find peace for himself. He may have reigned in the earth as the King of Pop, but he didn’t appear to reign in his personal life. I’m not talking about the controversies. I’m talking about just being able to sleep at night. How many of us can say, we have lain awake in our beds thinking and re-thinking our past? Our pain? Our circumstance? Unable to close our eyes and find rest. Too many of us I think.
Lately, I have been weeping a lot. More than usual. I have felt very sober minded. I feel a sense of great tragedy and death at the door. Not at my door, but in the earth.
I recall hearing of the Air France flight that mysteriously crashed in the middle of the Atlantic. And later, hearing of a woman who was bound for the flight and missed it; only to be killed in a car crash days later. It struck me as an odd event, like death was looking for her. And sadly, found her.
I won’t mince words because I feel like I’m not cool enough to sound cool saying it, but we are living in the last days of this time. I do not mean that as a threat or an insult to anyone’s intelligence, but the world is changing. We are not living in our parents’ world or generation. Life can be a string of unexpected events. And one event can be the one that changes everything as you know it. I hope that for those of you who are reading this that tragedy and even death will be far from you. I pray that God will protect you and keep you safe from all dangers. And that if you believe, in Christ at all that He will reign in your heart and mind, so that you will have eternal life.
May the peace of God guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. And may you discover what you were created to do, and do to the fullest of your ability!
Be blessed in every way,
Natrietia
I think the scariest part of death is the finality of it. Whether or not, you believe that there is life after death, it is still the last part of what we know in this realm. I can’t imagine that my human life experience with all its many turns & twist will end in death without ever living again. It would seem an injustice. As much there is darkness in the world there is still incredible light. I’ve experienced true love, the warm & fuzzies, the cold and smell of the rain, the warmth of the sun, and beauty of the stars. I’ve stood in awe of the miraculous and witnessed life being born. There are so many wonderful memories I can recollect, that I hope will never be lost in a pile of dirt.
I remember being about 5 and hearing PYT for the first time. Me and my two boy cousins would sport our Member’s Only Jackets (didn’t have the red & black Thriller one) and pretend to be Michael. We grew up on Michael. He is apart of our American culture and an International Superstar. My children, ages 8, 6 and 2 have discovered the music and spirit of Michael Jackson. And the brother is still Bad! My kids love him! It occurred to me that though his music will continue to be heard, his life has ended. The tragedy for me is how young he was, and how young we still are. Even my mom, is young at 51 and she grew up on Michael Jackson. I think his death, reminded us all of our mortality, it certainly did me.
Michael was common and extraordinary all at once. He was a man like all of us but extraordinary in his ability to sing, dance and perform. His gift was magic to us all. And for the brief moment that he spent on this earth we were all touched by the light that shined in him. How terrible it seems if with all the talent he possessed to entertain; and all the charitable contributions he made, that he still did not find peace for himself. He may have reigned in the earth as the King of Pop, but he didn’t appear to reign in his personal life. I’m not talking about the controversies. I’m talking about just being able to sleep at night. How many of us can say, we have lain awake in our beds thinking and re-thinking our past? Our pain? Our circumstance? Unable to close our eyes and find rest. Too many of us I think.
Lately, I have been weeping a lot. More than usual. I have felt very sober minded. I feel a sense of great tragedy and death at the door. Not at my door, but in the earth.
I recall hearing of the Air France flight that mysteriously crashed in the middle of the Atlantic. And later, hearing of a woman who was bound for the flight and missed it; only to be killed in a car crash days later. It struck me as an odd event, like death was looking for her. And sadly, found her.
I won’t mince words because I feel like I’m not cool enough to sound cool saying it, but we are living in the last days of this time. I do not mean that as a threat or an insult to anyone’s intelligence, but the world is changing. We are not living in our parents’ world or generation. Life can be a string of unexpected events. And one event can be the one that changes everything as you know it. I hope that for those of you who are reading this that tragedy and even death will be far from you. I pray that God will protect you and keep you safe from all dangers. And that if you believe, in Christ at all that He will reign in your heart and mind, so that you will have eternal life.
May the peace of God guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. And may you discover what you were created to do, and do to the fullest of your ability!
Be blessed in every way,
Natrietia
Sunday, July 05, 2009
WHY THE WORLD NEEDS A SAVIOUR
I’ve been in dark places. I have seen no light and been afraid. I’ve had suicidal thoughts.
I have done things that I wish I hadn’t. I have felt crazy and on the verge of mental breakdown. I have hated life and dreaded death. I have been victimized and betrayed.
I have been both hardened and weakened. I have felt the pains of life without hope and the failure of justice.
And to this I owe no praise…
Governments and systems are failing
Betraying the ones who believe in them…
Intellect and doctrine,
Only illuminate so far
And then the writings on the wall slowly fade
Mirroring the images of man…
Evolving from one stage to the next
Created in the image of God…
Man lived without condemnation and failure….
Perfection was his key, life his door …
He gathered nothing but ate until he was full.
No need existed until he fell…
Eating that which was knowledge, the fruit of good and evil
Left naked and without covering
He imagined a blanket that would hide his soul…
Man forever living behind a veil,
Unmasked,
The dead are living
And the living are dead…
Like vampires, we erect
When darkness covers the earth
And light impedes its glory,
Slowly
Idols begin to fall...
And giants walk on water…
They saunter, then slip …
Wonder fills them all…
As the cry out to God,
“We don’t need another Hero. Heroes die young. Save us! Save us from ourselves.”
They taste His goodness,
His love never fails,
He has built the unimagined
His great good fills the earth
And makes it a place inhabitable again
They all look and behold, the Savior has come.
I have done things that I wish I hadn’t. I have felt crazy and on the verge of mental breakdown. I have hated life and dreaded death. I have been victimized and betrayed.
I have been both hardened and weakened. I have felt the pains of life without hope and the failure of justice.
And to this I owe no praise…
Governments and systems are failing
Betraying the ones who believe in them…
Intellect and doctrine,
Only illuminate so far
And then the writings on the wall slowly fade
Mirroring the images of man…
Evolving from one stage to the next
Created in the image of God…
Man lived without condemnation and failure….
Perfection was his key, life his door …
He gathered nothing but ate until he was full.
No need existed until he fell…
Eating that which was knowledge, the fruit of good and evil
Left naked and without covering
He imagined a blanket that would hide his soul…
Man forever living behind a veil,
Unmasked,
The dead are living
And the living are dead…
Like vampires, we erect
When darkness covers the earth
And light impedes its glory,
Slowly
Idols begin to fall...
And giants walk on water…
They saunter, then slip …
Wonder fills them all…
As the cry out to God,
“We don’t need another Hero. Heroes die young. Save us! Save us from ourselves.”
They taste His goodness,
His love never fails,
He has built the unimagined
His great good fills the earth
And makes it a place inhabitable again
They all look and behold, the Savior has come.
Monday, June 08, 2009
The Pursuit of way Too Happiness
So, I got to thinking this morning about what makes me “way too” happy (thanks E, you inspired me) and how such happiness could be construed as excessive. Here is what I discovered:
1) Having peace of mind makes me incredibly happy. Stress and anxiety are dead ends for me.
2) Having a good relationship with my husband makes me happy. Having a good foundation to build on is the key.
3) Giving and receiving unconditional love makes me happy.
4) Knowing that My Father loves me makes me happy. His love is ultimately what makes me happy.
5) Making others feel inspired makes me happy.
Being happy isn’t about never acknowledging that things happen in life that are weighty and difficult. But instead, acknowledging that life brings what it brings, and standing up against it. I considered how my happiness could be perceived as excessive, and even phony. And perhaps, it could appear to be “way too happy” if one were oblivious to my early life woes. And maybe, if one were ignorant (I don’t mean that as in insult), but if one were without knowledge of the many vicissitudes I faced growing up , then, yes, I could see how my happiness could be perceived as a little too much happy.
Ironically, I was discussing this very idea with a girlfriend of mine over the weekend, as we swept away in her shiny VW Beatle in Beverly Hills, Ca. She too, can attest to the satisfying details of happiness.
She said, “People are always like, you have everything! This happened for you! That happened for you!” She continued, “But they don’t know that I was on my face, asking God about this and that! People don’t know what I’ve been through”.
My happiness is not an alien form. It isn’t some luck of the draw, or even an exclusive right. It’s a way of life. A way of living that demands faith. The misconception is that to be happy, you have to be numb. That whatever negative circumstance is going on, you have to turn a blind eye to it. “The elephant is not in the room. The elephant is not in the room!” That’s not it.
Being happy is self-determined. It’s your perception. If you perceive that tribulation, will somehow overwhelm you, condemn you to a debt ridden & hapless life, and cause you to ultimately go insane, then you will very naturally and willing succumb to what you foresee.
However, if you have at least once in your life, tasted the goodness of God, seen the light at the end of tunnel and can reckon it to memory, than you just may be in Pursuit of Way Too Happiness. I say this with a great deal of empathy. I realize that the financial crisis and harsh times have almost completely receded happiness in our culture; in its place, rabid fear, narcissism, sarcasm and severe depression, just to name few isms. So many people have been laid off, furloughed and are living from paycheck to paycheck just trying to make ends meet. What used to be the American Dream, has for some become the American Re-Occurring Nightmare.
But I want to encourage those of you out there who aren’t happy right now. That everything is going to be okay. Don’t worry about the things that you cannot change. If you have breath in your body you have a fighting chance.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Way too Happy by definition is a happiness that persists and exceeds even our limited perception of what truly makes us happy. Look at your life, and think about what makes you happy. If you are honest with yourself it’s not things that make you happy but your human experience.
In your Pursuit of Way Too Happiness I encourage you to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
God Bless,
Natrietia
1) Having peace of mind makes me incredibly happy. Stress and anxiety are dead ends for me.
2) Having a good relationship with my husband makes me happy. Having a good foundation to build on is the key.
3) Giving and receiving unconditional love makes me happy.
4) Knowing that My Father loves me makes me happy. His love is ultimately what makes me happy.
5) Making others feel inspired makes me happy.
Being happy isn’t about never acknowledging that things happen in life that are weighty and difficult. But instead, acknowledging that life brings what it brings, and standing up against it. I considered how my happiness could be perceived as excessive, and even phony. And perhaps, it could appear to be “way too happy” if one were oblivious to my early life woes. And maybe, if one were ignorant (I don’t mean that as in insult), but if one were without knowledge of the many vicissitudes I faced growing up , then, yes, I could see how my happiness could be perceived as a little too much happy.
Ironically, I was discussing this very idea with a girlfriend of mine over the weekend, as we swept away in her shiny VW Beatle in Beverly Hills, Ca. She too, can attest to the satisfying details of happiness.
She said, “People are always like, you have everything! This happened for you! That happened for you!” She continued, “But they don’t know that I was on my face, asking God about this and that! People don’t know what I’ve been through”.
My happiness is not an alien form. It isn’t some luck of the draw, or even an exclusive right. It’s a way of life. A way of living that demands faith. The misconception is that to be happy, you have to be numb. That whatever negative circumstance is going on, you have to turn a blind eye to it. “The elephant is not in the room. The elephant is not in the room!” That’s not it.
Being happy is self-determined. It’s your perception. If you perceive that tribulation, will somehow overwhelm you, condemn you to a debt ridden & hapless life, and cause you to ultimately go insane, then you will very naturally and willing succumb to what you foresee.
However, if you have at least once in your life, tasted the goodness of God, seen the light at the end of tunnel and can reckon it to memory, than you just may be in Pursuit of Way Too Happiness. I say this with a great deal of empathy. I realize that the financial crisis and harsh times have almost completely receded happiness in our culture; in its place, rabid fear, narcissism, sarcasm and severe depression, just to name few isms. So many people have been laid off, furloughed and are living from paycheck to paycheck just trying to make ends meet. What used to be the American Dream, has for some become the American Re-Occurring Nightmare.
But I want to encourage those of you out there who aren’t happy right now. That everything is going to be okay. Don’t worry about the things that you cannot change. If you have breath in your body you have a fighting chance.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Way too Happy by definition is a happiness that persists and exceeds even our limited perception of what truly makes us happy. Look at your life, and think about what makes you happy. If you are honest with yourself it’s not things that make you happy but your human experience.
In your Pursuit of Way Too Happiness I encourage you to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
God Bless,
Natrietia
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The Highness
I woke up this moring earlier than usual for a Saturday, first at 5 then at 6. My stomach felt like a calderon all night and I just kept tossing and turning. Finally I got out of bed and just went and talked to the Lord. I wanted to share this because I felt like maybe there was someone out there who might be feeling what I was feeling. I had been feeling this pressure to perform, an unreasonable desire to fulfill someone elses' expecations of me. And slowly this pressure started boiling over into a type of misery. I wanted to just hide myself and bask in self pity. Saying, "I will never be what I want to be. I will never do what I want to do. I will always be just good enough but never exceptional". This could not be further from the truth, as I talked to the Lord and opened up my heart to him, I began to realize something incredibly simple. " I can't be anything, other than who I was created to be." I can't long for something that I already have. It's like Michael Jordan wishing he could play basketball or Barack Obama wishing he were President or God, wishing he were God. Imagine that?? So I have elected not to identify myself outside of God's grace and the free gifts that He has given me ~ (I didn't merit life, I didn't endow myself with ability, I didn't choose any of these things they just happened to be there.) And so, I won't live my life in fear that I will some how fail to be who I already am. His Highness, His tangibility, His incredible love is the highest level of achievement. If there was anything that could be achieved, it we be the the ability to simply recieve from God all that He has freely given to each and everyone of us.
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