Namaste

Although I'm not a Buddhist I certainly subscribe to their feelings of kindness, service to others and positivity.  I believe if people would focus on the positive in their lives they would, in turn, distribute that positivity into the atmosphere and I truly believe that somehow it would seep into another human soul and so on and so on.


I want to be a kind soul and when people think of me I'd like them to think fondly of me.  As I have aged I've become more and more concerned with the legacy that I am leaving.  I want to serve others in some small or great way but am often unsure how to go about that task.  When I am out and about I strive to be kind and spread that feeling outward to others with a smile or a kind word.  I'm not sure that is enough but it is something.  It just makes me wonder when I see and hear the anger in this world...why don't these people try to be grateful for what they have and then spread that contentment to others. No matter how bad things may seem in your small world, it really could be worse.

I'd like to re-post something I wrote on Facebook the other day...

"So often we are angry at someone, about something, etc...in turn that anger is shared with those around us and starts to pick at our character, little by little eating away at who we truly are, Gods ambassadors of love. Instead of living our lives in anger why not DECIDE to be positive in this negative world, even in the face of injustice, unfairness, and hate. If we are always angry how can others see the love we have in our hearts? Yes there is righteous anger but I am not speaking about that, I am speaking about the day to day, month to month, year to year anger that seeps out of us like a virus, touching and infecting the innocent people in our circles.

So please don't misinterpret what I am saying...there is a place for righteous anger...I get that. I'm talking about the anger that comes out of us when we are discussing politics over coffee, or talking about how someone has wronged us, with our best friend at lunch or even when sharing the pain someone has inflicted on us unwarranted, with a loved one at the kitchen table. These angers stack up and do make an impact on our hearts and in turn an impact on those around us. What if we just decided to be kind, love others and pay that forward indefinitely? Would we leave this world a better place than it was before we arrived here? I like to think we would. So I vote that next time something or someone makes us angry, we stop, delegate that anger to its rightful place, and move forward in love.

Anger has taken over so many peoples lives and I say it is time to take our lives back. Let us not give anger a place in our daily lives any longer but instead live with a love that pours out of our hearts and into those people who surround us daily. That is what I am striving to do. Why not join me and see what kind of an impact we can make on this world we live in!"

I wrote this in a moment of clarity.  God has been speaking to me and I have been trying to listen and ponder what it all means. I met with my new pastor and shared with him what has been on my heart in hopes that he would or could steer me in the right direction within the church family.  I am excited to see what happens next.  

I will leave you with these words...

"If you find in your heart to care for someone else, you will have succeeded." -Maya Angelou 

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one that gets burned" -Buddha 

"Limitations only exist if you let them"

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck.

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.