JULY 2010 Newsletter
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In This Issue:
A thought for the Month by Stan Almendro (The Passionate Spirit)
Being Alive or are we just living by Giselle Visser
Creative Writing Ink by Olive O'Brien
Friends of Big Bridge by Michael Rothenburg
What's in a Name by James O’Brien
I have spent the best of six months on issues related to the religious supermarket and just thought you might want to hear and read something different for a while. I am going to spend a moment on “The Passionate Spirit” and trust by the time we have read it we will have new eyes for others and ourselves and in what we see in each other.
Our family union is something born in heaven and we have great times together as on and all has freedom to participate in every facet of what we say and do. This has resulted in each one of us revealing the passion of our hearts as we laugh when the occasion arises (We create occasions to laugh) and cry together when a sadness (Like losing our Son, brother and friend) knocks at the door of our lives.
This is not an official arrangement or rule of “The Boss” but it comes from our love and respect for each other. It allows each one of us to release the passion and heart beat of who we are as individuals.
This “Passionate Spirit” sees and hears us say things that reveal who we are, what we feel about life and more importantly, what we feel about each other.
It is out of this humorous yet kind and loving spirit that we say things to each other that reveal a deep sense of insight into what makes us real people.
We were gathered together looking at photographs of the yesterdays when a photo of me at 21(I am nearly 67) came to the fore and one of our grandchildren asked if that was me. Being the shy withdrawn (Ha ha) person I am I said I was actually a very handsome young man. Without even having to think he answered “So What Went Wrong?” This was not out of disrespect but out of a “ Passionate Spirit’ and a gift to speak to a grandfather and know he has a voice, a passion and a Spirit to share the wonders of his heart in his big world and big it is.
Another grandson of ours went with me to answer the knock at the door and grandma was away in town. There was a young black beggar wanting money for a train ticket (About R65.00) which I did not have. Our children and grandchildren have a passion to cheerfully give and this attribute has to be the greatest gift we as their parents and grandparents can have. I said this young man I did not have any money and we closed the door to walk back into the house. As we walked this young grandchild looked me in the eyes and said” Granny would have done that differently”. I asked how granny would have handled this and he quietly let me know that his granny would have found the money to give him.
We hurried into the house and frantically searched the drawers and found the R65.00 to give. Was it a real need? Maybe not but the real need was that he and I found each other in a passion that is deeply born into our hearts.
A passion is not a selective or hidden thing for the learned or a crutch for the insecure.
It is something born in all of us and the sadness in life is that it is often subdued or destroyed.
There is insufficient space in this column to record all the signs of the “Passionate Spirit” but what we can say is “OPEN THE DOOR OF THE CAGE AND LET THE SPIRIT FREE”.
It will reach into the heart of every person, every animal and pet. It will touch the angels on HIGH and I am sure that even Jesus will stand at the Fathers’ Right Hand as He acknowledges the inheritance He has left us an that our hearts are like His Heart.
May you be blessed as you soar like an eagle, let the lion loose in your heart and show that
“Passionate Spirit’
God bless and keep you and please do feel free to contact me (
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) if you want to respond
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about our site and other issues will be sincerely appreciated. See also our New Column “Hearing God”
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Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
Al His wondrous compassion and purity
Oh thou Spirit Divine all my nature refine
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
A mirror image of Him in Us is what the world needs to see.
Interested parties who wish to discuss any aspect of this column (Or those needing spiritual guidance) can contact the editor of Hearing God at
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When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say,
"I used everything you gave me." -Erma Bombeck
I read somewhere "We are not searching for the meaning of life, we are searching for the experience of being alive."
These words made me realize that I have yet to reach higher, work harder, give more abundantly and search deeper within myself if I want to pursue my goals, live my dreams and release my full potential and talent in order to feel alive. I believe that most of us, if not all humans, want and need their lives to be filled with joy, love laughter and happiness and that we all have the potential to feel alive if we have or experiences in our lives. However we should not lose our ability of feeling alive when we experience grief, sadness, heartache or affliction as these qualities play as much a role in our lives as the others do. Pain and fear sometimes keeps us from pursuing our dreams or living our lives and we tend to feel that we are just living instead of feeling alive BUT the infinite potential we were born with is still inside of us. Feeling alive is a choice we can make despite our circumstances. Remember through trials, sickness, pain and affliction then end result, is often if not most of the times, joy, laughter and happiness.
For some, the potential, talent or dream is never lost - and they go on to accomplish everything they set out to do. These are people you might observe and say, "They had it so much better than me" or "Everything came so easy for them." No, most of these people we observe don’t have it better than us. Everything didn’t come easier for them; these are the people that sometimes under difficult circumstances, pain and affliction said: “I choose to feel alive despite my circumstances”.
Living is a gift we were all giving and how we choose to use this gift determines if we are just living our lives or are we alive while we are living!
Chose today and say:
I will use my talent today to the best of my ability,
I want to pursue my dreams and goals, even if I need to face my fears and obstacles
I want to accomplish that which I was created for
I will keep my eyes focused on the end result
I will make stepping stones out of my stumbling blocks
TODAY I CHOOSE TO FEEL ALIVE WHILE I HAVE THE GIFT OF LIVING!!
Lots of Love
Giselle
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