Tag: Life

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Why are men so frustrating?

Why are men so frustrating? The older I get, the less patience and interest I have for their foolishness, especially when unsolicited and unnecessary. This particular interaction resulted from me asking two professional contractors for information on day laborers.


I didn’t cover in the video that I was also extremely taken aback by how forcefully these two men (black) were against the idea of me getting help for anything less than an exorbitant amount of money. Even as I repeatedly explained that I could move the materials (70 drywall sheets from driveway to second floor) over a period of days on my own, but getting 3 to 4 men to help would reduce the task to about an hour or so. Definitely less than two hours. Not only did they insist the task helpers get paid, but they were insisting on union rates of $85 to $100 per hour per person. I asked repeatedly if they were serious, and they never deviated from this ridiculous opinion.

As an active laborer on a project I’m personally financing, it’s hard for me to take anyone seriously when they speak condescendingly from a one-dimensional perspective. The union contractor bragged about keeping a full wallet and being on the job for 35 years, but his 2 examples of paying more than double a decent rate for basic services told me he doesn’t know anything about money or project management.

I may seem frugal, but I’m working with what I have. Becoming reckless with my limited resources will not get me to a completed project.

That being said, I’ve learned a great deal from most of the contractors I’ve worked with and those who bid on work but didn’t follow through. Without a doubt, the best information initially came from me knowing nothing and the men happily talking my ears off. However, I took notes. Most provided fuller contextual information when I followed up with my progress updates and questioned what they meant when they said xyz.

I’m still a novice, but I don’t require hand-holding. And I certainly don’t have time for outright foolishness.


#homerenovation #tools #toolcenter #contractor  #union #uniontradesman #realestate #labor #diy #realestatefinance #getitdone #how you can

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Beach Day: Ebb and Flow of Life

Every year, for as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to make time for a beach day.

Varying degrees of access

In New York City, getting to a not-so-crowded beach meant commuting for over an hour. Walk to the subway. Take the subway to Penn Station for a Long Island Railroad train to a beach of choice. I usually went to Jones Beach, which was a short walk from the train stop.

I rarely arrived while the sun was high and super hot, but I do recall struggling as I roasted with no shade on the hot sand.

That being said, I lived on an island – Manhattan. Every day outside was an opportunity to see, walk by, ride alongside, or sit near the water. So, getting to the beach once a year to put my feet in the ocean was a symbolic goal.

Me touching water for the year.

I didn’t realize how much water was part of my daily life until I moved to Tucson, AZ. The closest beaches were four hours south,  Rocky Point/Puerto Peñasco, Mexico on the Baja Peninsula, and six hours west to San Diego, CA. The highway ends at the Pacific Ocean.

I figured I could do a road trip a year for beach time, and life would be fine. I made it to San Diego one time before leaving the Southwest.

In Milwaukee, Lake Michigan, a practical sea, is less than ten minutes from my door.

Though I get to the water often, to peek at it, moon over it, decompress with it, I rarely get close enough to touch it. To wade in it. Certainly never to swim in it.

Lake Michigan is more accessible than the Hudson and East Rivers were in New York. Certainly more accessible than the Pacific Ocean is to Arizona.

Now that I think of it, I don’t think I heard waves from the piers in New York City. The city is full of so many sounds, it’s hard to isolate soothing rhythms.

Appreciating greatness

Perhaps that’s why I love Lake Michigan so much. The sound and the power. It’s expanse. Within minutes of sitting near the water, all I hear is its symphony, engulfed in its fresh smell. The breeze coming off of the water is both flirtatious and nurturing with eye-catching color changes and luminosity.

Get out and touch water

Bodies of water are rejuvenating, envigorating, life-affirming.
The push and pull of the waves. The retreat and reach of foam caps. The way the water ripples and shimmer as it stretches into the horizon, connecting with heaven at the end of our sight and with our feet planted on the earth at the beginning of our frame of vision.

Ah, maybe that’s the lure. The attraction. The beauty. Touching something that seemingly touches eternity infuses the moment with vigor and greatness in a drop of simplicity.

Such is life. Full of simple moments waiting to be seen as great opportunities for whatever a life needs.

Don’t resist the Ebb and flow

As much as I’ve been pulled into the unknown vastness of the sea, I’ve also been returned to the comfort of the shore every time.

Often, people seek the rush and highlights of life. Rarely taking time to sit in nature and be reminded by the breeze of purpose. Take time to see power in the unity of drops. To recalibrate their vision with the vibrancy of nature’s color palette and sound board. Rarely do we simply exist in the space we occupy, ebbing and flowing with creation. Like a drop of rain joining with the sea to form a wave before greeting the land.

When we crash, we think it’s the end of all things. What if we viewed the crash against shore as the beginning of a cycle. No longer part of the wave, separated briefly from the sea. Until the next wave comes to gather all the drops stranded in the sand. Ebb and flow. Pushed and pulled. Retreat and advance. Wherever you are, keep moving. Ride the wave. Crash. Jump back in. Life gets better with every cycle.

Peace.

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Year 48: Touching Grass

The morning of my birthday, my uncle called and greeted me with, “Happy Birthday, Old Lady!”

I laughed and responded, “Half of me feels old and wants to stay in bed for the rest of the day. The other half feels quite young and wants to go ride my bike!” I don’t think he expected such a response. One full of life and vibrancy.

By the end of my birthday weekend, I realized I don’t feel old at all. I’m simply tired. Exhausted. The last two years have been spent working far too much and way too hard far out of reach of anything touching my comfort zone. I haven’t focused on joy or spent time enjoying myself at all. My only pleasure has been occasional visits to Lake Michigan to sit, reflect, meditate and take pictures. No walks. No bike rides. No friend time or conversations. Very little writing and journaling.

My birthday present to myself this year was to only do things I enjoyed doing. By birth day, I mean the month of August.

Enjoying Lake Michigan from Milan to Chicago

The month began with planning a weekend trip to New York City. I really wanted to visit my former home. Take pictures, fly my drone, walk through the City, ride through Central Park take in a Broadway show or two. Eat at a few of my favorite restaurants. Oh, how I miss NYC food! 😋 Anyway the cost of such a weekend, even as budget conscious as I am now, would have been what I need for a drywall order to finish walling the second floor of my rehab.

Then I remembered InvestFest is happening the same week in Atlanta. So, I pivoted my plans to ATL. About the same cost. And the only food I’m interested in is Dinosaur beef ribs, which my stomach can’t really process. I was willing to talk myself into the expense. I needed to get out. I need to network. I need to continue learning about investing. A work trip with some good food and possible opportunities looked and sounded good.

I got as far as comparing flights. Trying to figure out arrival and departure times stumped me. InvestFest was less than three weeks out and there was no agenda posted anywhere. I reached out via social media asking for an agenda and speaker schedule. Anything I could plan around to justify spending money needed for my biggest investment, my first gut-rehab, on a trip.

As I type, InvestFest starts in three days and there is still no agenda. No schedule. Just a glob of names on a post.

Having worked at a very senior level with executives for whom I planned many townhalls, conferences, and events, nothing happens without an agenda. When you want people to show up, they need to know what, when and who they are showing up for. And speakers are not signing on without locking in the time they are expected to speak. They could’ve shared the speaking time of each daily headliner. I could’ve worked with that.

Needless to say, I didn’t book the flights. As cash strapped as I am, my time is still too valuable to be sitting in someone’s convention hall hoping to hear a speaker I want to see, then having to leave right before they start.

I’m okay waiting for the YouTube uploads.

So that’s how the month started, wanting to get away from my current daily life to enjoy moments that have no connection to me.

The way the month is going is much preferred. I love the coupons and rewards retailers and venues send email and app subscribers. I structure my shopping, eating and entertainment accordingly. A whole month sprinkled with happy moments and good food.

A few years ago, I decided the day of my birthday would be for me only. It started off as a no travel day. Wherever I was, there I would be content with whatever the day brought. Celebrations with people were for before and after.

Bitmoji joy

This year, my sister unexpectedly joined me. She was fresh out of the hospital and trying to speak to her on the phone was beyond aggravating. I was headed out for food and asked if she wanted to join me. She did. She showed up. She talked and opened up more than ever before. She shared some truths she’s never spoken on before. I was happy for the opportunity to have a whole conversation with her.

Shortly after dropping my sister off, I headed to Milwaukee Harbor to enjoy twilight. I took some very unsatisfying blurry selfies in the shadowy darkness. Sensing a challenge going night of photography, I drove around to a boat launch park for a view of the Hoan Bridge that I was standing behind while at the Harbor.

Twilight at Milwaukee Harbor

On the drive around the river bend, fireworks started blasting over the water. I must say, this was the second time in memory my birthday ended with fireworks. It’s quite the special feeling in mid-August. 🥰

I tried to get my drone up for aerial shots of the lit bridge with fireworks overhead, but the battery was nearly dead. My phone was on its last bars too, but I managed something to remember the day for.

Fireworks over the Hoan Bridge, Milwaukee, WI, August 17, 2023

All told, my forty-eighth birthday was deeply pleasing, satisfying, and full of love. I saw my sister and had a meaningful, lucid conversation with her. I spoke with an old friend. I enjoyed a favorite pastime at a favorite location. I shared plans for a future I hadn’t been able to plan for until last week.

So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat and drink and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:15
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Thread: Live Before You Die by J.S. Park

J.S. Park 박준 on Death
Twitter/X @jsparkblog

Original thread post on Twitter/X

I’ve been a hospital chaplain now for eight years at hundreds of deathbeds. I want to tell you something I’ve witnessed.

Most people, at the end, realize they’ve spent a lot of their life hiding. Sometimes by choice, or because they could not safely choose to be themselves.

At a deathbed, if my patient can communicate, they show they’re dying two deaths: the one they’re dying & then the death of the life they really wanted to live.

But in their dying, some are also free. To tell me who they are. What they wanted. Who they had to hide. Finally free.

Once, my patient, as he was dying, told me something like this: “What was I so afraid of? All the people that I lived for are dead now, too.”

This is a morbid thought, harsh, & very real.

I catch their dying dreams as they sail off into the unreturned. I am a last witness.

Not everyone is able to fully embody themselves, achieve their dreams, pursue their goals, for all sorts of reasons, systemic & traumatic.

I hope to fight & right these inequities.

And at death, if I can help my patient be themselves, even for the briefest moment — I will.

I’ve said it before & will again:

I’ve heard so many regrets.

Please. I plead with you. Live deeply. You may be young now, but it goes. Fast. It is a breath. Do not waste time on everyone else’s vision for you. I know it is not this easy. In all the ways you can, please be here.

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Thread: Bouncing Back from Trauma by Tito Idakula

Twitter/X @TitoIdakula

Original thread post on Twitter/X

When my daughter was 18 months old, she figured out how to get out of her crib. Every time we put her in it, she found her way out. She’ll turn up at our room grinning with pride because she “escaped.” It was frustrating, but we got used to it. Everything was okay until one day…

I was downstairs in the kitchen and heard a BANG! A few seconds later, I heard TEARS and it was all I needed to know that our special climber had fallen during one of her escape missions. I ran upstairs & was relieved because the fall wasn’t too bad. Her leg had simply slipped.

It was more the shock and the unexpected nature of the fall that had her CRYING so loudly. It was understandable. Of course I gave lots of hugs and kisses until she calmed down. Needless to say, she refused to climb out of her crib after that.

Her crib is big and she still uses it. So for a whole year, she never took the risk of climbing out of the crib. Not because she didn’t know how to but because the trauma from her previous fall had her locked in a prison of fear. I tried many times but it was always a NO!

I have thought about this often. How traumatic experiences keep us bound. We don’t become all that we have been created to be because the fear of failure or pain is overwhelming. We hide our potential and pretend we don’t know it exists because it is safer that way.

At some point, we have to decide: “Would I rather try & fail or stay where I am and never be more?” God has placed so much in our hearts, but like the children of Israel, we let the fear of the unknown stop us. We just keep thinking, “What if it doesn’t work?”

But what if it does?

Today, my daughter climbed out of her crib again after over a year of being too afraid. She was ready! I noticed she climbed with a bit more caution & with a new strategy. So maybe the fall was the lesson she needed to do things “better.” Her fall was not so bad after all.

I don’t know what you have experienced or what you are dealing with, but I feel I should remind you that what does not destroy you can only make you stronger. It is time for you to face your fear and try again. It’ll either work out brilliantly or you’ll learn something.

For that person who God is calling to take bold, scary steps of Faith! Don’t let past disappointment, trauma, or even “failure” make you doubt that God is on your side and He is with you. Greater is He who is in you than anything in this world. It’s time to go again!

P.S. This is also for me. I haven’t been able to write anything for weeks, and it got harder to try. I literally wrote this because I had to accept that it won’t be perfect, but I didn’t want my fear to stop me. Praying this helps someone!

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1691522007806992384.html?s=09

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Thread: Birthday List by Emily Freeman

It’s my birthday. I’m 37 and I have some things I’d like to share, in no particular order.

1. No one thinks about you more than you do. That thing from two years ago that keeps you up at night? No one else remembers. Honor the memory and let it go.

2. Have fun. Every day. I’ve had enough friends pass away too young to know that nothing is promised. Enjoy the moment.

3. Tell people you love them. Often. Even if you feel awkward. Your love is worth sharing.

4. You’re enough. I don’t care what your parents told you. Or your teachers. Or anyone else.

You. Are. Enough.

You are worthy. And you deserve love.

5. Fucking go for it. Whatever it is. Just try. Maybe you make it. Maybe you don’t. The result isn’t the point.

Your journey, your growth, is the important bit. Don’t let anyone convince you shouldn’t try. Their fear is theirs, it’s not yours to carry.

6. Some people are gonna hate you. And a lot of folks aren’t gonna like you. The brighter you shine, the more shadows you cast. Let their hate be your fuel. You’ve got shit to do.

7. Floss. Seriously, floss.

8. Investing in yourself is always the best choice. Bet on yourself. Get that extra education. Switch careers. Learn a new thing. Write the book. Your future depends on you continuing to learn and grow.

9. Try things you suck at. It unlocks different parts of your brain. It humbles you. It eliminates perfectionism. Take pottery lessons. Or dancing. Be the worst in the class. And learn not to care.

10. Your skin is important. Wear sunscreen. Moisturize. Take care of it.

11. There is no right age to have kids. If you want kids, have them. It’s gonna be a shitshow no matter what you do. You’ll figure it out as you go. If you don’t want kids, I love you too.

12. Parenting is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And it’s totally worth it. The foundation of parenting is loving them, accepting them, protecting them, and showing the fuck up.

13. No one’s gonna give you the raise. Or the promotion. Or the new job. It’s always gonna be a fight. So fucking fight.

14. Your body is one of the most glorious things on earth. Every wrinkle and mark and scar and jiggle is a story. And you know how much I love stories.

15. Read. And expose yourself to ideas that challenge you, even ones that make you angry.

16. No one’s got it figured out. Everyone is bumbling through life. It’s just some people are better at making bumbling look put together.

17. Bring others with you. Wherever you’re going. You need their perspective. And it’s more fun anyway.

18. Walk. Our bodies are great at it. And you’ll feel better.

19. Don’t over pluck your eyebrows.

20. Learn to cook. And season your food. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder are the bare minimum. Paprika, parsley, lemon — there’s endless choices! Be adventurous. White food is sad food.

21. Stand in grass (or sand, or dirt) barefoot. It feeds your soul. Don’t stand in poison Ivy. That itches.

22. Save money. Don’t chase the spending habits of others.

23. Take vacations. Spend the money to treat yourself. Go somewhere new. Take people with you. Enjoy yourself. Make memories. Take photos. Make photo books.

24. Be wary of hype. It comes and goes quickly.

25. Friendships come and go. Releasing a friendship doesn’t mean it didn’t matter. It just means it no longer serves you.

26. Your body likes vegetables. Eat them occasionally.

27. Drink some water.

28. Shame is a weapon others use to control you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Set yourself free.

29. You’ll never regret saying nothing in a heated moment.

30. If you’re ever arrested, shut the fuck up. Get a lawyer.

31. There’s no shame in being fired. Or let go. The most successful people take risks. Sometimes that means getting fired. Keep taking risks.

32. Sunshine is important. Let the sun dance on your face. You have sunscreen on, remember?

33. Don’t start fights you can’t finish.

34. Never ever ever prioritize someone else’s comfort over your safety. Scream. Yell. Make a scene.

35. Tip generously. Say thank you. Chew with your mouth closed.

36. Weaponizing sophistication makes you look small. Using big words to make others feel stupid makes you an asshole.

37. You are magnificent. And utterly unique. Step into your power. The power that lives deep inside your soul.

~ Emily Freeman, Twitter: @editingemily

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Poem: It Shouldn’t Take Courage to Love a Black Woman

Courage shouldn’t be required to love a Black Woman. 
To accept a heart given freely or a life offered for reciprocal tribute. 
Where is the danger in respecting one who aches with neglect 
from being habitually dismissed and discarded  
throughout centuries of generations? 
What terrors does this global shadow craft present? 
False images of projected insecurities, self-hate, irrational anger,  
exasperated impatience, and I-got-this-don’t-need-you independence.  
The illusions formed by men of hypersexuality, low morality, and mean-spiritedness to assuage  
their proclivities of abuse, torment, separation, abandonment, rejection, and destruction 
Society built a totem full of grievances, animosity and dissatisfaction and  
called it Black Womanhood. Onto this altar are thrown the most violent human attacks. 
Yet despite this intentional sacrilege, the Black Woman’s labor is expected without delay 
or complaint, her support is claimed as an entitlement right,  
her nurturing care as a duty of her skin, gender and status.  
Indeed, no part of a Black Woman’s body or existence is expected to be under her control. Everything she is, society and man claim as their droit du seigneur. 
The world delights in telling Black Women we are nothing.  
We are the least desired and even then, only wanted for what we give.  
We are rarely valued for our personhood; often only praised for  
the volume of our production and serving unto depletion or death. 
Yet ask a Black Woman who she is and be prepared to bask in the light of her glory. 
We see ourselves as the embodiment of love, conduits of grace, dispensers of mercy.  
We are Wisdom, Discernment and Truth.  
We are Unbroken, Unbowed, Still Standing.  
Society sees one thing. We Are Another.  
We are not who you say we are.  
We will not perform to your expectations.  
We will do what needs to be done, but we will be who we be. 
We are Love, ergo we do not require courage to love ourselves. 
It shouldn’t require courage for others to love Black Women. 
We are humans with human needs, Women with human desires. 
We, too, want to be loved, held, cherished, respected and honored. 
We desire to be accepted as fully as we accept others; 
Invited into spaces so hospitable we forget the hostility of the world; 
Spoken to with a gentle understanding that elicits the same kind response. 
We gleefully pour all of ourselves into everyone connected to us 
Even when they feed us nothing in return 
We, too need to be poured into. 
We, too, desire to bask in the radiance of another’s glory 
To be bathed in joy, peace and tranquility 
To rest without anxiety and wake without urgency 
We don’t need this grace from everyone 
Nor do we expect a societal shift out of gratitude for services rendered 
But for our men… 
It shouldn’t take courage to be a man of character, substance, integrity, conviction and discernment 
A man with enough strength to support a leaning respite.
A man who follows his heart and spirit instead of social norms and biases, 
But alas here we are praying for courage to exist, to relate, to be who we are. 
It shouldn’t take courage to live well in this realm,
But alas, here I am alone and unwanted in a world unable to eliminate my joy, exploring life with an unmitigated gall derived from loving myself.

LaShawnda Jones
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Poem: 63 Today

63 Today 
 
Uncle Ed called to say his Big Sis would 
be 63 today. Oh! How alive 
that number sounds! I said I stopped counting 
at 60 for you and 45 for 
me. I’m still living in 2020, 
it seems. It was a good year, I think…. or 
maybe 60 and 45 were good 
numbers for me.  
 
It’s impossible to 
not remember, you’re always in my 
thoughts, but I worked today. Current job has  
kept me discombobulated. Life is 
emotionally taxing, financial- 
ly insecure, physically exhaust- 
ing. I’m guessing, life was the same, but more 
so, for you. I know you struggled, but you 
were so caring and grace-filled, it didn’t 
show negatively. How did you manage 
life with no focused care? No time to heal 
from one abusive phase to another? 
Were you ever at ease? Were you ever 
able to reflect and release? Did you 
experience joy? What did you hope for? 
How did you do it? Did you ever heal? 
Had you been allowed to age, would life have  
grown gentle and kind? Were gentleness and 
kindness something you understood enough 
to yearn for? 
 
Your presence was joy to me. 
What was joy to you? Was any portion  
of your earth time enjoyable? Better  
than bearable? Worthy of thanksgiving? 
 
63 today. Each year since you left 
I think I know you better than ever 
and not at all. Who were you, Terry Ann?  
What did you want for your life? Did you leave 
unfulfilled, aching? Did you give in, just  
let go of whatever kept you grounded?  
Wherever you are in life after earth, 
I pray you are imbued with joy, light and 
all good things. I pray no memories or 
shadows of your earthly sorrows travel 
with you. Should our spirits meet again, I 
ask only to embrace you with love and
gratitude. May the Creator of All
convey my prayer, my Beloved Mother.  
 

LaShawnda Jones, May 24., 2023
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God of the Living

The Question about the Resurrection (Luke 20:27-40)

Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally, the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now HE is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.’ Then some of the scribes answered, ‘Teacher, you have spoken well.’ For they no longer dared to ask him another question.

Luke 20:27-40

I’ve always thought of this passage as a passage on marriage and individual entity-hood in the afterlife. But reading it as one of the passages on resurrection, it’s clear that the marriage relationship isn’t a concern or focus here at all.

God of the Living has been marinating in my spirit this past week. Life and death is a consistent duality theme throughout the Old and New Testements. It’s easy to think of death as the end of everything, but God is not the Creator of dead things. Death is not the goal, purpose or outcome of Creation.

Yet our entire human experience is focused on death. We are born into a dying world. Everything we eat must die to sustain us, even those who only eat plants. Human societies glorify death by giving honor to those who sacrifice their lives to kill others in war, in service, in daily life. We hold on to people, jobs, situations that drain us of our sense of self. Dying slow deaths at the hands of people who enjoy killing us softly.

Simply by maintaining what we’ve been born into, we are tacitly choosing death every day.

The Question about the Resurrection (Matthew 22:23-33)

The same day some Sadducees came to him saying there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question: “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.”

Jesus answered them, “You are wrong because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels of God in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God,  ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead but of the living.” And when the crowds heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

The term “resurrection” implies a return to life. Humans were given a paradise to cultivate. Through human choices the world became condemned and paradise hidden from us. Since we are made of the earth, self-condemnation was the impact. Yet God so loved His Creation – the world and its hybrid human-encased-spirits – that he provided another opportunity for eternal life. A sacrifice to alleviate our self-destruction. Even as The Sacrificial Lamb was poised on the cliff of death, He said to a fellow condemned man, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Jesus’ body died. Jesus’ body returned to life. What happened to Paraadise today? Indeed, did Jesus’s spirit ever leave Paradise?

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!

Jesus is Life. Those who enter into the truth of Jesus Christ are reborn. They are resurrected beings, returning to life in a world they were previously condemned to death in. Looking at Jesus’ response to the question about resurrection, I’m touching on an understanding of how the Resurrected can no longer die. God only sees his children as alive. His Creation is infused with His Breath. What a powerful reminder to get into your spirit.

No matter the process this world puts you through, your belief in the truth of Jesus, indeed your faith, puts you in the resurrected category in which you can experience benefits of your eternal life in this temporal world.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From on you do know him and have seen him.”  ~ John 14:1-7

The Question about the Resurrection (Luke 12:18-27)

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children, and the second married the widow and died, leaving no children, and the third likewise; none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when people rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead but of the living; you are quite wrong.”

Thinking of my neighbor Ms. Cheryl. Written as a prayer and reminder.