If I could give the world any one gift it would be positive attutude. It would change the news world. We would see more happy events on TV. Reading the newspaper would more entertaining and gratifing. People wouldn't feel helpless because they donot have the means to help those in need all over the world but if the whole world had a positive attutude would there be a need to help the helpless?

Joy, just a hard word to realize that it can be mine. Where do I find it? Hmm,  I heard a pastor once say that the world searches out to be Happy but there is no such word as "Happy" in the bible. The word "Happy" is a new goal for humans these days. He said that "Joy" is an enteral promise of the creator's and that most folks just have so much crap piled on top of it that they can not see that small spark of Joy that has already been given to us. For me, this so hit home.
I found my inner Joy so very deep and buried. I now know why I could not find Happiness.
To help my Joy grow, I listen to the birds coo, the dogs talk, the clouds so lazily cross the sky. I have learned to walk with my head up so I can see the beautifuliness in this ugly world.
The thing is though, when I get caught up in the rush of life the slowness of my beautiful Joy gets dimmed. I believe that is why I have not been able to stop smoking.Without that excuse to pardon myself and walk outside to slow down for a second I cannot seem to share my Joy with others. Yet, that second of reflecting on my Joy, I can come back and share it.
At this moment, Sharing how I discovered my joy is bringing me Joy. Thank you for letting me share.

I love this question. Oh, it is so easy to answer yet it was so hard to see at the time. My greatest teacher has been Jesus. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit or Great Spirit who is a great teacher. The Holy Spirit is the kind of teacher that when you asked a question it answered in a question. How aggravating yet how invegorating!
Jesus, on the other hand has lead by example. His ulitmate sacirface, shedding his own blood, for human kind to be healed, by those painful and deep stripes of humbliness. How that alone has carried me through my own trails in this life's journey. The thing is he did not just take our sins, He sent them to Hell, when He, himself, departed up to his ceremony of priesthood. How wonderful of an honor to have graduated to sainthood in one humbling sacurfice. 
There are arguements that there was no Jesus, even if it was someone of another believe system that had made that commitment for us all, I can say,"Thank You, for our freedom". 
I have learned to remember, on a daily basis, that someone before me has made such a sacurfice that getting up to experience and share the joy of the day is an honor in its self. May We all be blessed by the Saints that have been before us! Thank you and bless you, all Great teachers!

Besides myself living the furthest away from me, my birth sister, who lives right here in the same city as I do. I was having a relationship problem and she invited me here. She even bought a bus ticket for me to get here. The thing is though, I'm the oldest and for a very long time I was the role model big sister. I had my own children, married and morally supporting our younger brother and sister through their teenage experiences. A cozzy life. Until I had enough of not knowing who I was, and knowing in my heart of hearts that I did not love the father of my children. I had enough when a 16yr old babysitter called me at work and told her mother that my husband tried to rape her. It's like as soon as I said its time for a divorce my siblings disappeared. They now say it was because got into drugs, I feel it was because i tore apart the only real faimly anyone of us could truely say was semi funtical. Sometimes I feel guilty of the distruction I have caused yet, I found ME. I like ME, and I rejoice on being ME. Over the years the sister I was talking about, stepped up to my postion of confindunt and friend to our loved ones but as I have been trying to tell anyone who would listen, I am returning, like it or not. Our mutual agreement of no contact was based, I feel, on me standing my ground on who I am and in what I beleive in. What's sad is she has no faimly, besides me, here in this city, either. I wish nothing but the best for her. I hope she is successful in all she does. Why? Because we were best friends growing up through horrible circumstances. I beleive, the true reason I even got on that stupid bus was in hopes of resolation to the heart felt loniliness of our sisterhood. May her Goddess bless her, may my Lord protect us all and may our gaurdianing Angels communicate our success to one another.

Myself. Everytime I walk by a mirror or see my releflection somewhere. I donot remember her, that woman there. She looks familiar, yet so not me. When did those bags and dark circles start staying? Are those smile lines or frown lines? When did her eyes become so lonely and sad? Wasn't she beautiful once? Where did I go? If I stay does she have to look like that?
More than likely I do because I do not beleive in beautifying surgerys. I guess its time to start putting Preparation H on those bags and sad lines. Maybe I need to start hanging upside down to reverse the pull of that old life. lol
I know deep inside that the Lord made me lovely and beautiful, joyful in the simplest things such as crickets singing, of dogs protection warnings and smiles, and children's laughter. I love good conversation, the elderly who aren't truely as old as their birth age(they're so frrisky) and those who are experiencing handicapps (beyund their control) in this life cycle. It's all beautiful to me, so no matter, what she looks like, that girl in the mirror, I like her! Because She knows deeply there are others like her, she is truely not alone and someone out there loves her.
Hello, self, its good to see you again. What you're staying? Good, I could use some company.

Wake up. That has been my constant ritual of my life.
Am I grateful? Aren't we supposed to be? Am I just to be because I am supposed to be?
Grateful? Why? Am I going to get punished because I am not Grateful to wake up every time I go to sleep?
On the heavens, I am grateful if I even go to sleep! The noises of daily life just do not slow down until the wee hours of the night or is it the wee hours of the morining? Who knows?
I am, just really grateful for the stillness of the most peaceful time of the night, day. The buzzing of humans is finally quite, the humming of electrics is stilled and the spirits do not have to whisper so loud! Believe it or not, the spirits get pretty loud. Especially, when we humans are running full speed to accomplish our daily goals. Humans ingore the loud whispers of loved ones, heck, I get  getty when someone asks me, " did you call me? I could of swore someone called me!". I just smile and walk off, which by the way is causing rifts on the other end. They are not happy when I say nothing but why should I say anything when Humans aren't even listening to them? I can say they are grateful whenever I do speak up, but what they have to understand, is that I am tired of speaking and not getting heard. Now when the humans start listening, I'll be grateful just to be able to listen to the noises of the day. May the day be as beautiful as the night. Be blessed all.

Well, I'm not sure anyone could be stranger than I, maybe that's why I am hesitant to meet other strangers. It's not that I donot like meeting people its the fact I worry about what they think of me. Some strangers end up being fun to be around, some I get impatient w/ because they have the potential (I see it inside of them) to catch on and it irrattes me that they just aren't catching up! Yet, some strangers have lessons that I try to catch myself so that I can keep up myself. I believe if we all could enjoy each others company, not judge others experiences and do the best we can to learn from each other, no one would be could be considered strange.