What do you stand for?

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Permalink Reply by Bren from Rivendell on October 8, 2008 at 1:49pm

Hi Lori, first thank you for praying for me. In regards to your wanting to help make a difference, I applaud you. I have been an activist, lay-minister, and a counselor over the years in a broad range of areas. Usually I find that sustainability is directly related to the direct impact a subject has had in your personal life. I invite you to make a list of ten concerns that you personally have rated from 1-10. Then ask yourself what can I personally do about them at this moment? Some will involve writing representative and signing petitions, but some on a more practical level. It is about passion. What are you most passionate about? What can you really relate to? We all get riled up about a thousand issues, but what is YOUR CALLING? John Walsh was given his, Kris Carr heard hers, Mother Theresa found hers, I have mine and if you listen for that small voice within you, you will hear your calling. Be aware that it may be only for a season and you may develop an idea and hand it off to someone to continue, I have. Its not about ego. Its timing and effectiveness. New opportunities always await as we grow and experience new growth through love and trials.

A lot of screaming is going on in our country and in the world. The poor, the dis-eased, the natural disasters, the evil...all will always be among us and the reality is YOU AND I CANNOT BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE.

A lot will depend on the timing in your respective stage of life and family at this time. Are your children young and needing of your attention? What is your health and the health of your finances. i.e. as my children were older and I was further up in the food chain at work, I was able to take more time off to serve with Doctors without Borders in the field, without worry about my family and my job. Later, this would change and so my contribution changed to using a different set of talents, my singing and my writing to contribute, which hold no less value.

Where do you start? Very practically. Visit someone who is sick. Be direct. Ask if you can bring them a meal. Call the nearest place of worship at the holidays, ask for a family's name you can supply some present for anonymously. Go to a restaurant and sideline a waitress and pay a family's tab secretly with a note on it saying "you are loved", become a mentor to women on welfare, teching them how to dress for success. Big brothers, big sisters. I have loads of ideas that I teach. I have a foundation called, "Won by One". Most people are paralyzed by the taught, "what can I do", the problems are so enormous, my little bit won't make a difference. I tell them what they can do. If we all do just one thing, what a difference that can make...

As I gained more experience in different areas, providence gave me new opportunites, when my children died, I was given the chance to study and reach out to become a grief counselor. When I became ill, I took up the cause and took the steps, again studied and educated to become a force, knowing my stuff, to become a state advocate, recognized by the medical community.

Your calling (s), your gifts, your opportunities are here...just remember, they are not in the storm, or in the fire, they are already inside of you...they always have been. keep a journal, write it down, what are you constantly reading, watching, what draws your mind, your heart? that's where the process begins...
I hope this helps...YOU ARE A NATURAL ...YOU ARE A FORCE...AND YES LOVE, YOU ARE A DIFFERENCE JUST WAITING IN THE WINGS...you've got roots, I give you your wings...bump, outta the nest love, go FLY!
blessed be, Bren

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Permalink Reply by Bren from Rivendell on October 8, 2008 at 2:13pm

thank you, I just speak from my heart. ~He already has...I am alive...

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Permalink Reply by Austin from Earth! on October 8, 2008 at 7:27pm

Topics that really get me going are:

1. The lack on insurance coverage/affordability in this country. Insurance companies that rape us with premiums, yet continue to go higher and higher on the out of pocket expenses to us. Yet continue to lessen the services they will cover. Yet continue to harrass the hell out of someone who has been fighting with them for two years. (sounds a little personal there, eh?)

2. The argument that we need the death penalty, an argument that I might add that comes from the very people who are "pro-life". How the hell can you be pro-life yet pro-death penalty? What the fuck gives there?

3. Stem cell research, why are we not going in there and doing whatever they do with this. This is the answer, or at the very least part of a solution. Yet we allow people to die that could be helped by this research. Again, from the pro-lifers.

4. Homelessness. It gets me. I volunteered for three winters at my church's soup kitchen. There was nothing "wrong" with most of them, they were down on their luck and got sucked under. There was one guy who came in, he was the star basketball player at his high school. His parents were killed, he never got the help he needed and is now living on the streets. It absolutely killed me, and everyone else who was volunteering when a family of say 4 would come in. We always tried to give the kids a little something extra or special.

5."Illegal immigration". Not the side of the argument you are expecting. I am totally for open borders. Live here, contribute to our economy, obey the laws, pay our taxes and I have no problem with 10 million "illegals" coming here. I think any person should be allowed to live in any country they please. I would have moved to Canada years ago, but the daunting legalities of it all was enough to curtail my serious interest in the notion.

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Permalink Reply by carolyn on October 8, 2008 at 7:34pm

well, regarding topic 2

i don't think there's too much government control, just too much control of the wrong things and not enough of the right things

as in, let's let our campaign contributors get away with everything- let's not regulate the banks (leading to the economic collapse), let's not negotiate with drug companies for lower prices (leading to you know what). let's not control profits of health insurance companies

but when all our lack of control, oversight, regulation causes massive problems, then let's control the little guy and take his every penny

when they want to help their rich friends they stress the importance of capitalism and the evils of socialism
but now, we are sold into the biggest socialist thing in history- let's share the wealth with our poor banker brothers and bail them out of the mess they got into because the government refused to impose rules on them

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Permalink Reply by granola on October 14, 2008 at 10:55pm

Hi Lori,
I just found this post today! Well, there is so much. But, obviously, environment, healthcare, end of violence, povery, and the end of control of our govt by big greedy companies! Those are just off the top of my head...you know there are many more.
As for number 2--any 1 little thing you can do counts. Like calling or emailing your representatives & telling them how you feel.

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Permalink Reply by Ellie Watson on October 15, 2008 at 1:32am

Lori,
I strongly agree with your first point. For eg. In some Australian prisons the courses available to inmates have strict guidelines - such as they have had to have completed a certain level of schooling - this is not always possible.
The issues that really get to me are:
- the poor penalties in australia for anyone that mistreats animals. We have pathetic laws.
- the cost of education and the costs of living ie PETROL.
- the state of my countrys health care system

I think, to make a difference, we just have to stand up for what we know is right - and don't let anyone put down your opinions. Be open minded, ready to listen to others, but stand firm in our own beliefs. If someone doesn't like what you have to say, then that's just too bad for them!

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