Far From Over…

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Let it be in us to know 

Let it be in us to grow together

-Sereniti Sparkles 2021

With reports of variant Covid outbreaks around the world, we prepare for yet another wave of torment.  A wave that will pull at every heart string and bring us to our knees over and over.  

If I stand still and look at what is to come, I can’t possibly have enough space to cherish what is in front of me.  

If so many variants lay ahead, why are we not focusing on what is in front of us.   What is in our control.  Wouldn’t that feel better? 

If we know that when someone smiles it feels better than a frown, then we must also know that putting importance on our bodies and our minds must be our number one priority no matter what is ahead.  

WE NEVER REALLY KNEW THOUGH DID WE?

Was there ever a day in your life that you woke up sure of every element of your future 24 hours?

The answer is absolutely not.  

Sure, there is a grey area that some might say, well, if I knew I could stay home all day, I knew I was going to see the next day.  But if we use logic and our spirit, we know that to be incorrect.  

And what did we do before, when we were uncertain of each day?  We moved on.

Moving on isn’t about ignoring what is ahead.  Moving on is focusing on what is important today.  How can we be the best at who we are?  How can we learn from these viruses so we do better?  Isn’t that what we are here for anyway?

Lessons for our youth: Schools are closed, but the BAR IS OPEN.

Posted on by serenitisparkles

What are we teaching our children if we tell them they can’t go to school, but Mommy and Daddy can go get a drink at the bar? What kind of message are we sending to our youth when their education depends on politics, but getting your nails done is your right as a U.S. citizen?

There is something extremely wrong going on around us and no matter what side of this you are on, you see it too.

All summer long, beaches, bars, restaurants, Target, Walmart, and so many other businesses have been allowed to open, yet your child can’t go to school.

Instead, while many of us are enjoying the retail and hospitality world being open, our children sit inside, being forced to study in front of a computer screen for hours.

Oh and let’s not forget the private schools and daycare’s that are still doing business as usual. Those children are the lucky ones. They get to play and interact with their peers while the other children who’s schooling is paid for by the government do not.

How do we justify that this is ok? How can we really say that it is ok for 50 million kids to sit at home and study, while they watch everyone else participate in the social world?

This is hypocrisy at its finest. We allow the corporations to be open because they own the government. We allow private schools and daycares to be open because it is their right. Where are the rights for the students behind the computer? The government has stolen their right and their voice. We must do better.

The Bright Side

Posted on by serenitisparkles

As we watch the coronavirus consume our news outlets, our cities, and our way of life as we once knew it to be, we must look on the Bright Side.

I am not one to wallow in sadness, nor am I a person to let the pain overcome and lead me into depression.  So personally, I choose to look on the bright side.

With thousands of people dying all over the world, the bright side may seem hard to find.  But to survive this pandemic mentally, we must.

So what is so great about this moment in on earth.

I live in Atlanta, GA.  Traffic is horrendous, the party scene is non-stop, money rules the city, noise from the traffic is loud at all times of the day, you never seem to have time to spend at home with your family because work is first, and it is more common to eat out then at home.

The Bright Side:

  1. Traffic is obsolete.  When you absolutely need to leave your home and go to the grocery store, you can be sure to enjoy clear roads, and effortless transit.
  2. There is no party scene.  The party is in your home, with the people who matter most.  Partying now consists of things other than drinking and hanging out.  The party can involve a game of Monopoly or  kicking the soccer ball around outdoors.
  3. Money no longer rules anything.  Whether you are rich or poor financially, you are stuck at home.
  4. There is no noise from the cars and trucks.  You can sit outside and feel as if you have gone to the rural countryside.
  5. The work you do now is consumed with how to keep your family with positive minds and hearts.  You no longer have to leave your home for 12 hours to work those two jobs, missing important family moments.  You are required to stay home and work on your family.
  6. Home cooked meals have become standard, and Mc Donald’s, Burger King, or Taco Mac have become a thing of the past.

Most importantly, we have been made to focus on what is vital to our lives.  It isn’t the party, it isn’t the celebrity, it isn’t the money.  It is simple.  Our family, our home, our shelter, our food, and our inner peace is what matters most.  Covid-19 has become the catalyst that saves humanity.

Sereniti

Posted on by serenitisparkles

God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things I can

and the Wisdom to know the difference…

This is the most simple and rewarding path to true inner peace.

We often go through hardships that we feel overtake our soul.  They are so painful that we can’t find a way through.  Usually the pain is in sync with so many other feelings, such as love, disappointment, fear, anxiety, and sadness.  When we feel this type of pain, it can be almost too unbearable for us.  Days can go by that you sit in this dark place.  There is no light at the end of the tunnel and you can’t imagine a day without this pain.

This is when I turn to the words listed at the beginning. 

God Grant me the serenity to ACCEPT the things I cannot change. This is most valuable.  There are external factors to your experience on earth.  That be, the feelings of others, the actions of others, environmental circumstance, economic loss, among many others.  These are things that we have to accept. It is just the way it is, but how can you make a difference for your life.  How can you become better, despite the circumstance.  Baby Steps…

Courage to change the things I can.  Courage is a word so powerful in its sound that it lifts us.  What is courage?  Courage can mean extreme change, control, or thoughtfulness no matter the circumstance.  Courage is walking through the fire because you believe happiness is to come again.

And, WISDOM to know the difference.  Be wise with your choices.  Accept when you can’t change something and move on.  Walk through the fire if you know that you will be lifted because of it.  Always, be wise, listen to your inner voice.  It is the voice that guides us all.

 

This blog post is dedicated to my daughter, Sereniti.  Mommy has always got you, in this life and forever.

 

 

Living the “Firsts”, after they die

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Many people will tell you about the sorrow, anger, sadness, distraught, depression, and every other feeling that comes with the death of a loved one.  What they ALL fail to mention are the new “Firsts” you will experience.

We all think about out first time as being about moments such as a kiss, sex, a first born child, first time away from home, or any other first that brought you to a new and exciting journey in life.  We NEVER think about the “first” without them.

When you lose someone that is part of your daily existence, be it a significant other, a brother, sister, mother, father, or child, you open a new journey, filled with many new “Firsts”.  These firsts, however will bring immense pain and sorrow to your life.

The first time you eat breakfast alone, the first Holiday without them, the first day they were not there to kiss you goodnight, the first time you cry without their comfort.

These are the reasons that people will tell you, “In time you will heal”.  Once the firsts have all happened.  These “First moments” will be like living in an alternate reality.  One moment you are with your loved one, the next moment, it’s just you.

I encourage you, the next time you laugh or cry with someone you love, try to imagine what the first cry without them will feel like.  If you can dig deep within you to bask in their present of life, when they are gone, the “Firsts” will be expected and the “Lasts” will LAST FOREVER.

Break Away From The Clouds, Find HUMILITY.

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Believe that you can be happy for this moment in time.  Believe that you were meant to live in the light.

I write these words, because there was once a time where the words were the only clue of what it felt like to live in the light.  These words that I give often are the same words that saved me from a grim future.  These words, my words, saved my life.

These are how the words would speak to me, even when I was blinded by gloom.

Believe that you can be happy for a moment in time, stop living with the burden that something tragic is about to present itself.

The burden becomes the chains that wear you.  They inhibit true bliss.  They live in the unexpected, because the chains are uncertain.  They live because of the tragic moments you’ve experienced and fear to relive.  You lie awake at night and your mind races.  The chains cover you.  Each day brings new sunlight and new opportunity, but you don’t seek it.  At times you can’t even see the light ahead.

Then one day you face the fear and remove the burden.  You recognize that without each tragedy, the happy moments and miracles that come to you wouldn’t have been possible.  That you have become even more authentic because of the pain.  You realize that you walked through abuse, death, illness, loneliness and found the light again.

The glimpse of light came from the voice within you.  You learned to wear those tragic experiences like a badge.  At one point you felt the world had failed you, that you had failed you, but instead of ending it all, you chose to keep searching for the light.

You realized that through your entire life, subconsciously, you had been filling a bottle of happy experiences and excited feelings.  When in you darkest moments, the bottle would show you the light.

Humility is that bottle.  Humility is what reminds us all that no matter how tragic or terrible our existence is, if we are granted another day, then we have everything we need to HEAL.