Sometimes we get lost in our busy lives we live. We seem to forget the things that make life worth while.
Little things like a smile on someone we love or a simple hug from a friend. We start working our lives away to make things better for ourselves and the ones we love, but then we get trapped in the cycle and forget about the reason why we started working so hard in the first place. All the money in the world can not make someone love you. Yes it
can get you someone who you think loves you, but that person will love your money not you. The people you love and
who love you are there for you through thick and thin, rich and poor and will love you unconditionally. If not then their
love may be shallow and conditional. I am not going to try and say what love is, it is one of those age old questions that have a ever changing definition.

  Work hard to make life a better thing for you and those you love. Love even harder than you work so life will  be better for those you love. Life here on earth is not forever so we need to live life with all the love and understanding we can muster. See each day as a new beginning and another chance to make those we love happy.
Forgive not only the mistakes of others, also forgive the mistakes you have made and learn from those mistakes.
Always remember that the love we give and receive is a far greater treasure than gold or silver.

 

 Deep within me there seems to be a tiger sleeping.
The persona of a peaceful dove is one I be keeping.
My mind cries out in anger as my heart tempers the words
I speak. There are times that my heart begins to waver and it
is weak. The Tiger Comes out to devour all who oppose it until
the heart regains control.
Then I live with the guilt and it is slowly taking it’s toll.

 The tiger is strong but my will to be a good man is stronger.
I know Soon the tiger must not  be within me any longer.
For only one can be within me, either the tiger or the dove.
So in the end I choose not anger but choose unconditional love.

  Can I defeat the tiger within me or will it devour me?
Will love tame the beast or will the beast be set free?
Either way it will be what I decide for I am the master of my fate.
And I will not give into the age old lie of that it may be to late.

  One can not change their past, They only can learn from it and try to change what might come.We live in
the present and look forward to the future. What we do now will ultimately effect what will come. what I
just said being common sense and basic action causes reaction it seems to be one of the easiest things to
forget. It is easier to look back and see ones mistakes than to think before one acts to avoid future mistakes.
It seems to all boil down to a form of self discipline and most of us are lacking in that area.

 Some of the problem is the world we live in today, everything is going so fast nobody seems to have time to
think. Though time is constant the perception of it is not. Do you remember when we were in school and the
days would creep by during the week but the weekend would fly so fast it seemed to only be one day? Well
that is what I am getting at. Time is time , but how fast or slow we move in it is a perception of time. If we
could master the perception of time then maybe we would feel like we have more time to get things done.
Thus maybe we would think a bit more before we act and avoid allot of the mistakes we will make.

“Live now, Remember the past and plan for the future.”

There are moments in ones life that we throw blame on others for the pain we suffer within. We seem to overlook the fact that we ourselves are a part of the problem. When someone hurts your feelings they have somehow attacked a part of your self identity. Either a side of yourself you that you have pride in or a side you don’t like. The anger we feel towards the person that hurt us is not always created by their actions, sometimes it is created by our own insecurity surrounding the situation. Are really mad at the person or are we mad at ourselves for allowing the situation to become what it has? Well the answer could be one or both. In my experience I have noticed allot of the times I am more mad at myself for either getting myself into the situation or my lack of ability in solving the problem.

 One of my biggest flaws is that I find it easy to forgive others but once I face the fact that I am a part of the problem I can not seem to forgive myself. To forgive others may be divine but to forgive ones self is just necessary for survival. What helps me allot in dealing with the tests and trials of life is to remember that everyone is very much alike in the fact we all have feelings.

” To learn from ones past is wise, To live in ones past is not.”

We all are granted the precious gift of life. One life on the one planet known to support life. And in this lifetime we have a chance to find peace and love within ourselves and in the world around us. Even if you believe in reincarnation you still have only one chance for love and peace within this lifetime. Why put off finding the two things that make life wonderful until your next life if you have a chance to find it in this one. There are so many teachers, philosophers and sages that we can follow towards these keys of life but in the end you are your own greatest teacher. And one way that may work for one may not work for another due to we are all different in many ways.
  Richard Bach and Dan Millman are two sages I respect and I have adopted many of their philosophies and beliefs, but still I have my own philosophies and I am learning my own way as I travel the path of life. On the matter of religions I am Christian but I respect and learn from the numerous religions, philosophies and beliefs. I will not say one religion is better from the other due to the fact I have no right to choose the beliefs of others. I only have the right to choose my beliefs and to choose my path in life. Regardless of which religion you choose the wisdom within their teachings are still wisdom and the diversity of the human race and their cultures make us who we are. 

R. Barbier – http://raymond.barbierfamilly.com/

 We all may live in the present, but we are influenced by the past. Decisions we made and people we knew both weighs heavy on our hearts. Mistakes we have learned from still leave scars in our souls and loves that have died still echo in our hearts. They all are there to remind us not to repeat the mistakes of our past. Sometimes it feels as if they remain only to punish us for our mistakes, that will fade as one learns to forgive themselves. 

 For me it is far easier to forgive others than to forgive myself. Eventually I do forgive myself for the mistakes I have made, if I didn’t I would not only be punishing myself but others around me for the mistakes I made and that isn’t fair. Not a easy task to forgive oneself but not impossible. Just remember you are not the only one who has made mistakes and that you are only human. 

To look in the eyes of a expecting mother is to see the meaning of life. To look in the eyes of a child is to see the value of our youth.
To look in the eyes of a teenager is to see the folly of our hearts.
To look in the eyes of an adult is to see the paranoia of our minds.
To look into the eyes of a elder is to see the wisdom of mankind.
But to look in the eyes of a baby is to see the miracle of life.

 
 I am wandering through life aimlessly trying to find myself and where I am supposed to be. wondering what is to become of this world I live in. Watching the world go to war with its self as religions preach love and unfortunately create wars. Mad men running governments pointing fingers at other mad men running another country. Such a waste and such a shame after all these years mankind has really never got beyond his tribal instincts. Prejudice of all forms created by lack of understanding and the fear of the unknown fills human hearts.

 Watching those who walk in peace and with love being trampled down by hoards of selfish people who hide behind corporate logos and government titles. Rhetoric on the TV and radios yelling that the middle class is loosing the war when I already know that we have lost. Sending young men to kill in the name of national security in a foreign land while we leave most of our home unguarded and still not secured. Scandals in the senate and congress along with their usual mud slinging before mid term elections.

 Seems that the new millennium is turning out to be worse than we expected. Hope is still here but it is faint because most people are unwilling to stand up and be heard. We the People are now just we the complacent and we just cant seem to look beyond our back yard enough to see we can and must help change the world we live in. How we do it is one of the most common questions and there is many answers to them.

 It depends on the person, it can be as simple as being a better person towards everyone you meet. You would be surprised how much change you can make by doing things to help others. Of course writing your congressman about the issues you have with how things are in government may help. But it seems that even though sometimes that can create change it is very rare it does. Could always adopt some of the tactics of the hippies of the 60’s & 70’s and do sit ins and petitions and rally’s. Educating the people to the injustices seems to be an effective way also to help induce change.

 But you also must educate them in how we could change things so that we can have a better life. Ignorance may be bliss, but its a unrealistic bliss that eventually will come back and haunt us. What ever way you find to create a positive change to this world we live in and the children will inherit will be the one of many ways that others will follow.

 

Well enough of my rambling… Until next Time

Peace and Love to all

 Raymond Barbier