Personal – Page 3 – One Lifetime Blog

September 22, 2014September 22, 2014

get caught at the crossroads

With each day that dawns a new adventure begins, the lifelong journey continues as we open our eyes. our mind and souls full or battle scars and the memories of those we have met along the way. The many triumphs and failures we have experienced along the way helped sculpt us into who we are today. Some of us learn from our experiences and move forward and others get caught at the crossroads living in their past mistakes.

We must focus on the path immediately in front of us not the path behind us nor too far ahead. We must live in the now, the past is gone and the future has not yet come to pass. We should learn by our past mistakes, grieve over them as we commit them and let them go.We should plan for the future but focus on the present. If we focus too much on the future we become blind to the gifts and wonders before us in the present.

With each days close we approach our time to rest and to reflect upon the day we just lived. Our adventures and our journey comes to a temporary stop. We now rest till the next day and adventure begins.

Raymond Barbier

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014

When I Was Young–Random Thoughts 9-17-14

When I was young I thought life was beautiful, that I was indestructible and had little to no fear of death. The faith I had in God was unshakable and my heart was always loving and forgiving as well. I recall a memory of when I had wrecked my bike into the back of a pickup truck, I split my nose in half from the impact and lip. My face was quite horrifying to see all sewn up. My brother being the little brat he was, he thought he would get me by making me look at my face in the mirror for the first time. my mother walked in as it was happening and thought I was going to freak, she was trying to say words to calm me etc. I glanced at my face in the mirror and with not even a thought I just shrugged it off saying to my mother “I am not worried about it mom, God will take care of me. I was so unafraid of the possibilities, I knew id be ok deep within myself. That is the kind of faith we as adults should have as well. Unfortunately as we grow older having such faith becomes harder to have.

Faith is a key component to our relationship with God, we must have trust in his promises and his love.

Just some random thoughts Smile

Raymond Barbier

August 7, 2014August 11, 2014

foolishness disguised as principles and pride

I walk the path of life as a believer in Christ, but I do not walk the path of life with hatred or prejudice. I believe in each persons right to believe in whichever God they wish and their right to believe in none. This is called freewill and freedom of thought, no man has a right to take away this from another. We can live in peace and learn to accept the differences in each of our beliefs. I do not see myself as greater nor lesser than any other human being therefore I see all of us as equals.

I also believe wisdom has no preference of where it comes from as long as it is utilized and shared. Great people have had great wisdom from many nationalities, religions,philosophies and genders. To reject wisdom based on its origin is foolishness disguised as principles and/or pride.

I am but a fool who seeks to be wise, yet in all my foolishness, I am wise enough to see I have plenty left to learn and that this journey has just begun. What wisdom I have, I try to share. but I am wise enough to know that I am often wrong. It’s all a part of the learning process within life.

I walk my path as I believe and I do so with an extended hand of friendship to all regardless of any differences that we may have.
Ray Barbier

June 27, 2014June 27, 2014

I write because I love to, I write because that is who I am.

Why do I write? hmmmm…. Well I write for many reasons including to inspire independent thought, to share the message of peace, love and understanding to the world, to express my inner self, to soul search and to bring about change in myself as well as others and last but not least to spread the word of God. I am not a typical Christian author nor am I a closed-minded person. I do not judge anyone one way or another for I do not see that as my job nor my place in the world. I try to convey the message of being unconditional in the sharing of love and in forgiveness. Sometimes I write just so I can be, it seems writing to me is one facet of the many that is my existence.

Sometimes I write well, others times I do not. I write what I feel and think with no hesitation. I don’t claim to be right nor do I claim to know what I am talking about. I just claim that what I write is how I see the world as well as what I think about it all. I welcome all comments even those that challenge my point of view or my beliefs. I also am open to new ideas and philosophies.

I write because I love to, I write because that is who I am.

Ray Barbier

June 17, 2014June 17, 2014

Life is short, so cherish every moment you can with those you love .

In this modern world there seem to be way too many distractions and things that overload our minds. So much to distract us from what is truly important to us and keep our minds focused away from what needs to be done. We allow such things as television, radio and even our jobs to either distract us or get in the way of quality time with our family and friends. So easy to just zone out and watch a TV show or play a computer game and ignore things needed to get done. So easy to ignore everyone around us whom need our attention, affection and companionship.

I have seen so many couples live together but really just share the same space instead of sharing their lives. The become so self-absorbed within their little universe that they barely acknowledge one another.

We all love our little distraction, but we must learn to set aside time for our love ones and to manage our time so we do not neglect the people and things that are important in our lives. Enjoy the distractions but don’t let them be a hurdle or roadblock in your life. Find time to spend with your family and friends along with some quiet time for yourself. Life is short, so cherish every moment you can with those you love.

June 12, 2014June 12, 2014

do something kind for someone

Today I challenge everyone to do something kind for someone else, be it a hug,kind words of encouragement or just lend a helping hand. Though this world is known to consume all of our time with work, stress and the daily routine if we can spare a few minutes to spread kindness and compassion it will make both the person we share it with and ourselves have a better day!

June 11, 2014June 11, 2014

Just a fool with his folly

You can call me a dreamer, an occasionally and accidental visionary or just a fool with his folly. I’m just a silly old man with a dream of a better world or at least a better way of living in it. I may be wrong often and right on a rare occasion but at least I dare to dream and to express what is within my heart and soul. I ponder on old ideas that at times seem new and new ideas that came from old ones. I claim nothing other than I am a man and a dreamer.

I dislike injustice and all the things in this world that bring it about. I see everyone and thing that is alive as precious and I do not embrace the notion one person is greater than another. We all are equal, just we all have different gifts and shortcomings. Few things we all do have in common is our wish to survive along with our desire for our children to have a better life and world to live in. Regardless of Nationality, Religion,Race, sex or even lifestyle we all want a happier and safer world for our children to live in. For the children are our future and they also are our common point of interest.

I am far from perfect and even further from being wise, but I do the best with what gifts I have been given in my life. I am but a silly old man who dares to dream and to express his heartfelt thoughts and ideas.

Ray Barbier

June 11, 2014June 11, 2014

Random Thoughts – Wednesday 6-11-2014

Each morning I awake is but another chance to change myself, my surroundings and the world I live in. The question is, am I going to make any changes in my life and/or world or am I going to remain just an observer of my life. Inactivity and lack of motivation in one’s life leaves them stagnant and without any inner growth. The comfort zone we tend to enjoy is but an obstacle in the way of our self-development. Though we tend to believe other people affect our moods, metal state and the outcome of our day the truth is they only can if we allow them too. For we are solely responsible and able to enact change within ourselves. We can be influenced by outside sources but only if we choose to allow such.

Sometimes I think we all spend too much time worrying about what others think about us and not enough about what we think about ourselves. How and what we think about ourselves is what shapes our lives and is also is one of the driving forces behind shaping our ever-changing future. So will you choose to stay in your comfort zone watching your life pass you by and rely on the opinions of others to define who you are or will you take the reins and make changes in your life? The choice has always been your own far as how you live and how you feel. The future is yours to make and yours to master.

You are the Navigator or your own life, never allow others to change your course without deep examination of their motivation and the destination.

Ray Barbier

May 30, 2014May 30, 2014

far easier to ignore and be blind

So many people in need in our world and so little reason they should be. There is plenty of food and clean water to go around if it isn’t wasted. I think we as a society have grown somewhat complacent and believe our governments are responsible for the well-being of those in need. The fact is each and every one of us are responsible for the wellbeing of ourselves and others. Very little would we have to sacrifice to make another persons life better. Sometimes its just a conversation, an opportunity to provide for themselves or just a simple meal for someone who is hungry. Though throwing money at a problem may treat the symptom but it does not cure the disease.

Even though there are those that take advantage of the system per se, many are truly willing to work and be a productive part of society. Those whom take advantage of the system should be rooted out and those willing to better themselves should become the main focus. Far as those unable to work or take care of themselves , they are the responsibility of the community in whole. Some of those in need could be trained and put in charge of taking care of those whom need assistance and others trained to be better suited for a new career as well.

There are so many of us whom can lend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters who don’t and others decide to turn a blind eye to the truth all around them. Its far easier to ignore and be blind to the suffering of others than face the truth of how many are in need right here in our own country as well in all the nations of the world.We all need to wake up and open our eyes to the needs of our brothers and sisters. If we all just gave 5 minutes each a day to help others it would change a lot, imagine if we all gave an hour. Just remember it only takes one bad decision or major life event to turn your happy and secure life into a homeless and hungry one.

We all are brothers and sisters in this lifetime we live, we don’t always have to agree or even get along. We just need to have compassion, love and understanding towards each other and even ourselves.

Raymond Barbier

May 21, 2014May 21, 2014

if there is no trust then love gets twisted

Love and matters of the heart are complicated but yet simple. The complication comes from our doubts and fear of being hurt most of the time. Sometimes this comes from past experiences and other times it comes from the lack of experience in being truly loved. Also self-worth and doubt can be a big problem as well, but trust plays one of the biggest parts in love and happiness. One can not love someone and be loved and not trust, if there is no trust then love gets twisted into jealousy and possessiveness.

One problem is when someone trusts and loves another with all their heart and are betrayed they tend to get a very deep scar emotionally and mentally. This scar or wound is not easily healed and will tend to affect future relationships as well as any kind of reconciliation in the current relationship. Trust is not easily rebuilt after a betrayal of the heart.

Forgiveness is a key to healing, but it is not always easy to forgive when you’ve been emotionally devastated by the actions of someone you’ve loved and trusted. We must realize though they betrayed us, they are only human and thus being are prone to be imperfect in action and thoughts. No relationship is perfect either, when you have two people who have been raised differently and had different life experiences trying to become a single unit there is bound to be times of turbulence during the adjustment period of a newer relationship. Usually in time most differences are either remedied or put aside for the sake of the relationship.

Remember to not judge your partner too harshly, for you have faults just like they do. Compassion, understanding and forgiveness should always play a part in a relationship. Trust is the most important I believe and so is respect, respect for yourself and for your partner. No relationship is beyond repair, but there are some relationships that because of the hurt feelings , verbal and physical abuse that may be better off just letting go of and ending it than trying to save it.

Love is a very precious thing and so is the trust required to have a relationship. Think wisely before entering a relationship and work diligently to maintain and improve it. It takes some work and sometimes a long time to have a great relationship and other times you luck out and find a partner that’s like a soul mate. even those soul mate type relationships require maintenance and work to keep them going.

Life is a long journey that seems to be quickly traveled, so remember to love wholeheartedly, forgive easily and look for the silver lining in every moment you experience.

Ray Barbier