Tag Archives: love

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The Reason for Peace


Children deserve to live in a world where they are cherished, educated, loved and live in peace. We have the responsibility to give that world to them.

We have a world where some children will never even walk into a school. We have a world where some children will die of hunger in their Mother’s arms. We have a world where some children have no shoes or clothes. We have a world where some children die of smallpox, whooping cough, and malaria. They die because there is no medicine for them.

We live in a world where they live and die and no one knows or cares.

We live in a world where some kids go to posh prep schools, and some kids are bullied for being dressed differently. We live in a world where many bright kids can’t go to college.   We live in a world where no one really cares. 

We live in a world where we look for peace to protect our children and grandchildren. I look for a world where a grown angry man full of hate, with an automatic gun is his hand, isn’t the last thing that a child sees. I look for a world where we love the poor and hungry and homeless as much as we love our comfortable neighbors.

I pray for a world full of peace, not greed for money,oil, land, power and a world where people don’t die because they believe in a God/Goddess that is different than someone else’s.

I pray for a world where we put our arms around children and tell them how good and precious they are. I pray for a world where is doesn’t matter what color their skin is. I pray for a world where they will know only kindness and compassion. I pray for a world where we give love without restraint because we know we can never run out of love and it will only come back to us. I pray for a world where we can all hold hands and it is important that everyone on our planet has food and clean water. And that we will work to find solutions to make that possible. I pray for a world where everyone cares.

Beach 4; Presque Isle, Pa.;Photo by Barbara Mattio

Power of Peace in the World

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Another War is Taking Lives


Give us peace

We are now, once again dealing with another war on our planet. There is pain and death and blood and despair. Palestine and Israel are fighting. More accurately Hamas and Israel. Hamas has been shooting rockets into Israel. Now Israel is defending herself. This is of course, an over-simplification.

I am not writing to take sides. I am writing because Adonai’s children, Allah’s children, are killing each other again. Many women and children are being left homeless and injured or dead. Diplomacy and compromise is what will bring peace to our world. Not war. War teaches people to hate. It teaches people to hate who and what has hurt them.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organization. They say Jews are the enemy yet they launch missiles from sites next to the homes of innocent Palestinian people. A returning missile could totally destroy this home, but Hamas continues to use civilians as human shields — a policy which is against both international law and all the laws of common decency.

Not that Israel is blameless.  There are those who believe that Hamas is defending itself, and all Palestinians, against what they see as an unjust occupation.  I am not going to argue that point, on either side.  That is not what needs to be done here; there are many who can argue either side more eloquently than I can.

What I am going to argue is peace.  We cannot continue to fight one another, to hurt one another, to kill one another.  We cannot continue to destroy each other, and this planet, with our hatred of the mythical “others”.  We must learn that we are children of this Earth. We are brothers and sisters, all children of Adonai, of Allah, of The Beloved, The One from which we all come. We are all the same, we are all One, like the One who created us, who watches over us, who gives us peace, and wants us to have peace.

Peace is in our power, but we have to want it and we have to work for it.  The most important work we can do is to just love each other, whatever our religion, appearance, language, or  national origin.

“Maybe it can change, only if you want…

Don’t blame yourself, don’t blame me

but we’re the ones

who can feed this ground

so this poison tree doesn’t grow again.”

—Point of No Return;  Duran Duran

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Working Together For Our World With Love and Acceptance


99% of the American people working to hold up the World

When Bush first ran for President against Al Gore, I was deeply disappointed when he won. However, he won fair and square. The majority of the people spoke in his favor. We even had the controversy over Florida and “the hanging chads from ballots.” I will admit I was unhappy and a bit suspicious.

I am a pacifist and I will admit that I shunned vets after Vietnam. I’ve learned a lot since then. I was totally against the War in Iraq, but I understood that many of our boys and girls were choosing to fight in this war. So I gave them my prayers and support. I still wasn’t happy, but I accepted this second administration. I felt Bush was a “cowboy” and not the man I wanted to be President. Well, it was my opinion and my right to voice my views, rationally and logically. For eight years I did not let anger or conspiracies rule my thoughts and life.

Now, times have changed and Barak Obama has been elected by the majority and electoral vote of the American people. I must say that I am shocked by all of the hatred, anger, and illogical talk that is taking place. Twenty states talking succession. Really? So you are taking your toys home and never playing with us again. In an election, someone always loses. Sometimes it is Domecrats and sometimes Republicans.

Our Founding Fathers did not have the sort of rhetoric and extreme anger I have been hearing on the internet and in articles…let alone Social Media. I believe they would be disappointed that all they dreamed and fought for, American freedom would end up being trashed like this.

It is time for each citizen to look into their hearts and minds and look for the rational, loving, accepting human being that this country was designed for. Please put aside the angst and let us all work together to make this a country and world filled with the love and beauty that Divinity has had in mind.

The beautiful creation of Divinity.

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We Are the World


Hurricane Sandy has now come, destroyed and gone. We, as citizens of our country need to come together regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or economic status and turn around and see the millions of people who are injured, scared, in pain, overwhelmed and homeless.

Yes, FEMA will help, and the states will help, but people need more. They need each other. They need the rest of the country to care and to pull together with donations and volunteers. People are still in shelters. Children have lost their favorite stuffed toy. Some people have not one material thing left in this world. Nothing left to show that they were ever there or ever cared about anything.

Material things are not the most important things, but warm clothes, a roof over your children’s heads, and food and water are necessary to maintain life. So please donate to the American Red Cross tell them your donation is for Hurricane Sandy. Take time out to be grateful for what you have and share with the millions who have had their lives devastated.

For those who live in communities not as hard hit as New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Rhode Island and elsewhere you can help on a more personal level. If neighbors are without power, invite them to have a warm shower and a meal. Help to put up tarps on roofs and perhaps drive children to school. Share a hug and let someone know you care that they are suffering and feeling alone and helpless. Take them to church, temple, or mosque so they may have relief and support there also.

This is the time for the 99% to show that we are strong and love our fellow Americans. We have open hearts and will lovingly and compassionately reach out and help those in need. We are Americans and will help each other and anyone who is in need. So, to the food banks, to your churches, to your local shelters give what you can and give it with love.

Satelite picture of America after Hurricane Sandy

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Daily Small Miracles


Rainbow after the
Storm

We have seen much tragedy due to Hurricane Sandy. But there are so many stories of miracles also. Images of newborn babies during the storm. Neighbors helping each other with hearts full of love and compassion. People reaching out to others with caring and concern. This is a time when we put aside our own concerns and differences of opinion and reach out. Here people are going around taking trees off of roofs for homeowners to prevent further damage. People who have power are going to shelters to assist the people who were evacuated and are in shelters. We see these types of miracles after disasters. Americans can be very good at putting all else aside an rolled up their sleeves and helping each other.

Each day, small miracles occur and often we miss these tiny events in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. The person who comes through surgery well. The one pound baby that finally gets to go home with their families. The friend who calls at the perfect moment when we need a supportive shoulder.The child who holds the door open for you.

These miracles couples themselves to the random acts of kindness that people perform every minute of every day. The stranger who does something kind. The sudden smile that brightens your life and the unexpected compliment. The person that stops and assists you to put packages into your car.

We touch each other every day with kindness and compassion. These simple acts help people heal from whatever is going on in their lives. They are very important to pass on to someone else. As always, it all begins within ourselves. So be a miracle worker today and put a smile on someone’s face or remind them that they are not alone.

The Miracle of the one single perfect flower. Photo by Barbara Mattio

Butterfly whispering. Photo by Cliff Mattio

The Beauty of Nature Heals Our Hearts and Souls. Asheville, NC. Photo by Barbara Mattio

 

 

 

 

Today, be the wind under someone’s wings. Open your heart and give away love to each other. The Miracle about love is that the more you give away, the more you have. Love is not like a pie. So give your love away today and become part of the miracles that happen around us every day.

A painting done by an Alzheimer’s patient. Photo by Barbara Mattio

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Mysticism


The sun can only be seen by the light
Or the sun. The more a man or woman knows,
The greater the sun the more dazzled, until a point
Is reached where one no longer is.

A mystic knows without knowledge, without
Intuition or information, without contemplation
Or description or revelation. Mystics are not themselves. They do not exist
In selves They move as they are moved, talk as words come, see with sight
That enters their eyes. I met a woman once and asked her where love had led her.
“Fool, there’s no destination to arrive at.
Loved one and lover and love are infinite.”

—–Attar

Fariduddin Attar is one of the most ancient poets of Persia, and it is no exaggeration to say that the work of Attar has been the inspiration of Rumi and of many spiritual souls and many poets of Persia.

“And the psychology of the heart is such that once one begins to know the heart life is a continual phenomenon, every moment of life becomes a miracle. It throws a searchlight upon human nature, and all things become so clear 5o clear to him that he does not ask for any greater phenomenon or miracle; it is a miracle in itself.
What they call telepathy, thought-reading or clairvoyance—–all these things come by themselves, where the heart is open.”

—Hazrat Inayat Khan

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How to Enrich Your Life


If you find that life is flat,
Full of this and none of that,
Try giving!
Introspection makes it flatter;
Things all tend to make a quitter—-
Try giving!
If the world is dark and bitter;
Things all tend to make a quitter—
Try giving!
Forgot yourself in helping others;
Know that all men and women are your brothers and sisters,
You will see then life is sweeter
Than you thought, and far completer—
When you give.

—— Margaret Gordon Kuhlman.

I realize that for many giving to others is not something some people are comfortable with. Then there are others who give in a gracious way. During the most painful and saddest times in my life; doing good for others has taken the pain and translated it into healing actions for others. I started giving to others about 45 years ago. The surprise is that others gave much more to me than I gave to them.

Giving doesn’t mean money. It actually is so easy for many to write a check. I recognize charities need these monies. But I am also talking about volunteering, standing by a friend or family member going through a difficult time. It is by sincerely listening to another’s story and responding with empathy. It is a comforting word, or a home cooked meal for someone who is ill.

If you ask Divinity what you can do, I guarantee it will come to you and you will find your life turning into an exciting and fulfilling life. An unimaginable life that you can embrace and live fully.

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Being Human


Waves, Myrtle Beach, Photo by Barbara Mattio

Praise to You, O God,

Let us imagine a world without color, without regal red or leafy green, a world that bores the eye with grey

Praise to You, O God for all the colors in the rainbow, for eyes that are made for seeing, and for beauty that “is its own excuse for being.”

Let us imagine a world without sound, a world where deathly silence covers the earth like a shroud.

Praise to You, O God, for words that speak to our minds, songs that lift our spirits, and all those souls who know how to listen.

Let us image a world without order, where no one can predict the length of the day or the flow of the tide. Imagine a universe where planets leave their orbits and soar like meteors through the heavens, and where the law of gravity is repealed at random.

Praise to You, O God, for the marvelous order of nature, from stars in the sky to particles in the atom.

Let us image a world without love, a world in which the human spirit, incapable of caring, is locked in the prison of the self.

Praise to You, O God, for the capacity to feel happiness in another’s happiness and pain in another’s pain.

As the universe whispers of a oneness behind all that is, so the love in the human heart calls on people everywhere to unite in pursuit of those ideals that make us human.

As we sing of One God, we rejoice in the wonder of the universe and pray for that day when all humanity will be one.

–Rabbi Henry Cohen

The color of Earth; Photo by Barbara Mattio

Singing the Blues; New Orleans; Photo by Barbara Mattio

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Kinds of Love


“Thanks be to God, the very world that birthed us
now is bathed by wondrous nature
in a rapture, of her glorious light;
the splendor of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, now revealed.
And Humankind, highest of creatures,
endowed with Intellect’s might
so that all beasts,
winged and hoofed,
are placed under his command
And Adam’s veins are
with Art, Science, Faith;
he knows the sciences are clear
—but the music is weightiest
as a surging ocean
outweighs the very world through which it flows.

If he whose heart’s been moved
by the science of Music’s whole effect
were offered the pleasure of emperorship,
he‘d certainly ignore it
—for Man is not alone in his delight
at that sweet sound
since even animals have sacrificed themselves for it.

More stubborn than a donkey,
he who holds that Music’s “impure”;
Ignorant of beauty,
how claim acquaintance with the Lord?

Creator!
the Ocean Surges!
Permit my skiff to reach the shore
–King!
I beg what kindness
-Inayat-
thou canst afford.

—-Translated by Pir Zia Inayat-Khan from the Urdu

Beach House, Fairview Photo by Barbara Mattio

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together;
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

—-From The Prophet, Khabil Gibran

Untitled by Keith Haring. 1985. Lithograph

“The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them; there ought to be as many for Love.”

            —-Margaret Atwood

 

 

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Solitude


Solitary  Holden beach, North Carolina’ Photo by Barbara Mattio

Solitude is a state of being which some people crave and some people are very uncomfortable with. There was a time in my life when solitude was difficult for me. I have always been a people person. I found though that solitude is necessary to find out who I was as a woman.  Solitude is something I enjoy now and also find to be necessary to my life. Even if everything is going well and I feel that I am in a good space, I need to spend time within. We all need to spend time alone with ourselves.  This is the purpose of spiritual retreats. Time spent in silence with yourself and time to discover the woman within. This is a journey everyone needs to make at some time in their lives.

Life today is busier than ever. Sometimes I think we are addicted to the constant hustle and bustle. We feel lost when there is nothing to do. Some feel shame if they can’t complain about how busy they are. Busy doesn’t help you to get to know yourself or others in your family. Getting to know ourselves is a project and a journey. It is a wonderful journey that leads you to meet the inner you. Solitude gives you the chance to discover what really interests you and what you may be doing to please others and not yourself.

I believe we need to know who we are to love ourselves. Loving ourselves is an important part of being a child of the Universe. As human beings,  we often don’t realize that if you don’t love yourself, you are incapable of truly loving another. Human love is given to us to teach us how to love the Divine. Divinity is in every sentient being  and it is essential for us to learn all we can about love. Not sex, not marrying well, but the love of one soul for another. This shows us how The love of Divinityexpresses its love for its creation.

The journey to finding ourselves can be the beginning of a psychological adventure story and a thrilling mystery.  Some can do this by attending a retreat of silence. Some can do it with regular meditation. Some have sold what they own and have gone to another country or area of the country to discover who they are. Away from all of the voices, telling us who we are, we can discover our true selves.

I have a nephew who walked the entire Appalacian Trail, with only what he could carry easily. I made him a medicine bag to take with him. What he discovered was the man he really was. He says it could never have happened if he hadn’t had the solitude of walking the trail. What I have seen is a young man whose life has blossomed with new adventures, new job and even marriage at 40 years of age. He just makes me smile when I think of him.

I met myself during retreats of silence. My childhood had contained experiences which I thought had changed the person I was supposed to be. What I discovered in the silence, was that I was exactly as I was when I was born. Pure white light. Not damaged. Stronger and beginning to learn to love myself.

Usually, it is a number of experiences which are uncomfortable or frightening to us which triggers a need for silence. I believe it is one of the reasons I enjoy the mountains and beach so much. I love the solitude and I love the activity. I have learned to create balance for myself in my life. I have been on a mountain top under the stars on a full moon dancing with others and I have hiked alone with my camera to document the beauty of this life.

If you are dreaming of escaping to somewhere else to find yourself, perhaps this is a gift you should give to yourself. I know that you will come back very different and yet more real and authentic in who you are as a child of the Universe. Will people think you are crazy? Perhaps. Will they ridicule you?  Many may. The richness of the inner treasure you find will be worth all of that and you will have a much stronger relationship with yourself and with The One. Life will unveil itself to you and you will know where you are to be going and how to get there. Be courageous. Be Wild. Be everything you were meant to be.