A friend forwarded something to me and suggested that I blog about it. Which reminds me, so many of you have sent me comments on my blogs (especially the last one) that I am considering making them public.
The forward was about a blind man who had a sign which said "I am blind." He held the sign as he solicited money. Every now and then someone would drop in a few coins. Upon seeing the sign,he took it from him, turned it over, and wrote something on the back. Almost immediately, almost everyone who passed by put money in his cup. What the stranger had written on the back of the sign was "It is a beautiful day, but I can't see it."
We don't have to be physically blind in order to be blinded. There are many things which "blind" us in our daily lives and prevent us from noticing the beautiful days. Sometimes we get so caught up in ourselves that we forget the things which really matter. In the end, there are very few things which really matter and those are the things on which we should concentrate. For me, it is faith, family, and true friends. I see the beauty in the faces of those whom I love and in the things which give me joy.I hope that the "money" that is put into my cup
is put there because I have been able to see and appreciate the beautiful days.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Where You At?
I love Jennifer Hudson. She was on Oprah yesterday and talked about her weight loss, the loss of three members of her family, her son and fiance and her life in general. There were many members of her family at the show because many of them are also participating in the weight watchers program.
I am proud of what she has done with her life, especially after having to deal with an unspeakable tragedy. I am sure that a day does not go by when she does not think about it, but she said that with the help of family, her son, and God, she has been able to move on.
At the end of the show she sang a song from her new album. The song is about a man she loved (or thought she loved) who is never there when she needs him. She gives many examples of what they have shared, what she has done for him and vice versa. The refrain is "Where You At." At first I was appalled by this awful grammatical deliberate snafu, but now that I have thought about it, it was needed.
I know someone whose friend was always there--calls at all hours of the day or night, unannounced visits, laughter, family sharing, being herself, independent,
and not a "friend by appointment." We have to be careful not to let "new" things destroy the old things. As I was doing my daily morning meditation/devotion the verse for today was from Proverbs l8:24: "A man (woman) of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (sister). I was fascinated by this because it made the song more real to me.
We cannot forget those who have been there with us through thick, very thick, and thin. We cannot let solid relationships be ruined because of something or someone who may or may not be there for the long run. We must know ourselves, maintain our independence, be honest and trust friends who are honest. I don't like having people around me who will not tell me the truth. I can dish it out and I can take it.
But more than all of this, I would not want a friend of mine to ever have to write a song about me called "Where You At?" We all need to look at all of our relationships and think about if we have to wonder "Where You At?" Thank you Jennifer.
I am proud of what she has done with her life, especially after having to deal with an unspeakable tragedy. I am sure that a day does not go by when she does not think about it, but she said that with the help of family, her son, and God, she has been able to move on.
At the end of the show she sang a song from her new album. The song is about a man she loved (or thought she loved) who is never there when she needs him. She gives many examples of what they have shared, what she has done for him and vice versa. The refrain is "Where You At." At first I was appalled by this awful grammatical deliberate snafu, but now that I have thought about it, it was needed.
I know someone whose friend was always there--calls at all hours of the day or night, unannounced visits, laughter, family sharing, being herself, independent,
and not a "friend by appointment." We have to be careful not to let "new" things destroy the old things. As I was doing my daily morning meditation/devotion the verse for today was from Proverbs l8:24: "A man (woman) of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (sister). I was fascinated by this because it made the song more real to me.
We cannot forget those who have been there with us through thick, very thick, and thin. We cannot let solid relationships be ruined because of something or someone who may or may not be there for the long run. We must know ourselves, maintain our independence, be honest and trust friends who are honest. I don't like having people around me who will not tell me the truth. I can dish it out and I can take it.
But more than all of this, I would not want a friend of mine to ever have to write a song about me called "Where You At?" We all need to look at all of our relationships and think about if we have to wonder "Where You At?" Thank you Jennifer.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Black and White Swans
In my quest to see all of the Academy Award nominated films, (I have seen six of ten), a friend and I saw Black Swan a few weeks ago. When we both left the theater, we looked at each other and said "What was that?" We talked about the film during our post movie lunch and couldn't really decide what we thought about it.
The movie was about a ballet dancer who became mad during the film. We were able to see her trek to madness and at times, it was difficult to discern what was real and what was her imagination. It was quite labor intensive.
When I returned home, I posted on Facebook "Just saw the movie Black Swan, hmmm. I always say "hmmm" on FB when I want to elicit a response without first giving my thoughts and impressions. There were almost 40 responses to that post. They were all very interesting.
Some offered comparisons to "A Beautiful Mind," a movie about madness (if I remember correctly). Others attributed her madness to a mother who drove her to it.
This dancer had no trouble dancing the "white swan," but when she had to become the "black swan," she had difficulty. Although I personally reject the idea of white representing good and black representing bad, I press on. In her imagination (I guess), she became a black swan. I think we all have a little black swan in us. Some of us don't know the difference between a black swan and a white swan. Some of us have white swans when we probably need a black swan!
The movie showed the power of the mind. It is an understatement to say that "it plays tricks." It was interesting to see the madness of someone's mind played out on the screen. It was depressing and not pretty. But then, sometimes we probably need to see that to know that we are relatively sane. We all need to get in touch with our Black Swans--there are some we need to keep and some we need to get rid of.
The movie was about a ballet dancer who became mad during the film. We were able to see her trek to madness and at times, it was difficult to discern what was real and what was her imagination. It was quite labor intensive.
When I returned home, I posted on Facebook "Just saw the movie Black Swan, hmmm. I always say "hmmm" on FB when I want to elicit a response without first giving my thoughts and impressions. There were almost 40 responses to that post. They were all very interesting.
Some offered comparisons to "A Beautiful Mind," a movie about madness (if I remember correctly). Others attributed her madness to a mother who drove her to it.
This dancer had no trouble dancing the "white swan," but when she had to become the "black swan," she had difficulty. Although I personally reject the idea of white representing good and black representing bad, I press on. In her imagination (I guess), she became a black swan. I think we all have a little black swan in us. Some of us don't know the difference between a black swan and a white swan. Some of us have white swans when we probably need a black swan!
The movie showed the power of the mind. It is an understatement to say that "it plays tricks." It was interesting to see the madness of someone's mind played out on the screen. It was depressing and not pretty. But then, sometimes we probably need to see that to know that we are relatively sane. We all need to get in touch with our Black Swans--there are some we need to keep and some we need to get rid of.
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