Related Reading:
2ND HOUSTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     I was taking the time to reflect upon my previous thoughts, as I continue to embrace and share the happiness of the ring ceremony at the 2ND Houston Sports Hall of Fame. I particularly thought about ones ability to speak in front of an audience. Whilst news reporters or presenters are trained for the role of public speaking, what happens when individuals are asked to speak? We can assimilate these thoughts with Fred Cuellar, The Diamond Guy®, whose presentation ability was simply natural - like a natural diamond! :) 

     Natural talent becomes natural when one has known, learned, possesses the knowledge and the skills, to simply give this to the world audience. But these skill are enhanced and amplified with passion, love and intensity. These are also the good quality traits of trained teachers. In a similar way, who possess knowledge about subject areas. But it is the infusion of passion, love and intensity that sets and stands great teachers apart. The ones who are willing to go the extra mile, or do whatever it takes. Just like the passion, awe and excitement that could be felt visibly on  Fred Cuellar's face. We see a meeting of the brain and the heart. The tools of the master creator! 

​My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

​Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on June 29th, 2019.
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As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect. 

     On Tuesday 25th of June 2019, the Houston Sports Hall of Fame had it's second ring presentation ceremony. Held at the House of Blues 1204 Caroline.  The recipients had already viewed images / designs of the rings that would be awarded to them, as honored members of their hometown city Houston. I think that the creation of the Houston Sports Hall of Fame is a great idea, simply because of the talent that has grown, and continues to grow in and from Houston, Texas. I am appreciative that I was able to be a part of this event and see for myself, the significance and happiness, as the rings were presented by Fred Cuellar of Diamond Cutters International® himself; simply a natural speaker, as he presented the awards, but you could also feel the love, the great love and care, as the members received their recognition. 

     The love, intensity, passion could be felt and sensed. These are what makes these events much more meaningful, the generous spirit of recognition, infused with love. Humanizes the recipient as well as the creator. This is what I thought about when I was thinking about The Diamond Guy® Fred Cuellar.  Who also deserves a place in the Houston Sports Hall of Fame. Not only to reveal where and how the rings were made, but also with Fred's words himself. As a member of the proud city of Houston, Texas. The love, depth, passion and honour to be able to create this hand-made, one-of-a-kind pieces for Houston's living legends. 

    It was truly a great honor to watch and be a part of history in the making. Love is boundless. The only way to show love is to reveal its depths. Through what we think, feel or say. The passion through our creations and exchanges derived from the heart. The heart is what makes everything more meaningful. To value what one has achieved, shrouded with love. Love makes everything come to life. This is why love cannot hide. 
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     Congratulations! Jackie Burke Jr., A.J. Foyt., George Foreman and Dan Pastorini. Congratulations to Diamond Cutters International® The Diamond Guy® Fred Cuellar for this magnificent achievement. You are truly blessed to be the jeweller for your city, Nation and at the International level. Your awe, magnificence continues to inspire! Well done and congratulations to Houston Sports Authority and all who made this event possible! :) 

WITH GREAT LOVE AND KINDNESS TO ALL 
SHAZi! :) 

Further Reading:
✬Indy Car Series | NOTES: RING FINALIZES FOYT ENTRY INTO HOUSTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME

✬Houston Chronicle | George Foreman, A.J. Foyt, Dan Pastorini, Jackie Burke enter Houston Sports Hall of Fame

✬Facebook | Diamond Cutters International

✬Facebook | Houston Sports Authority

​✬Click 2 Houston| A look at the 4 2019 Houston Sports Hall of Fame rings

✬KHOU II | Live Ring Ceremony Video 

​My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on June 28th, 2019.
Image I Canva Creation, Image Source. 
Image 2 - Web Link 

Related Reading:
Love's Message 

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

There is much happening in Washington in terms of building foreign relations, the inhumane treatment of minors at the U.S. / Mexico southern border, and also historic attempts to secure peace between Palestine and Israel in the Middle East. The following diagrams that I created can be useful to reflect upon the current events, aims / goals of the nation building, and peaceful efforts.

     In terms of my current thoughts that were focused upon religion, I began to question and decided to seek the common elements, the common ground for all religious / spiritual teachings. A basic list to reveal common traits - seeds.  

     The harvest from the seeds can only be reaped if the seeds are sown, cultivated with love, kindness, trust, generosity and honesty, just to name a few. The more one keeps trying to prove if one is right, or the other is right, the seeds don't germinate as desired. We can think of our daily dialogues, conversations and exchanges. However; it takes one whose frequency that is not the same as the other to produced a desired result, even if we do not receive a desired response. Or in the cases of disagreements. In any case, this diagram was created to simply raise awareness, because once awareness is created, we really can be selective in how we choose to respond. At the micro - conversation level, larger audiences, responses to current events, or those who are seeking to build peace, where there are religious tensions in foreign nations. 

Religion

❃ Proving to each other that either one is right or wrong, is simply a mechanism to sow seeds of hate, rather than love.

❃Which seeds would you like to sow?

​❃You reap what you see, what is cultivated. 

Further Reading

❃The New York Times - Migrant Children Moved Back to Troubled Texas Border Facility

❃U.S. Department of State  - Travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, June 23-30, 2019

❃The Washington Post - Kushner presents vision of a Middle East at peace

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

These thoughts and images were created on June 25th 2019.
Image 1 - Web link 
Image 2 - Personal Creation
Image 3 - Personal Creation 

Related Reading:
​Reflection: "The Drug Wars"

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     I have written and thought much about the idea of survival. Human needs that need to be fulfilled for the sake of basic necessity. It is only when the basic necessities are filled, can we begin to focus on other facets of life. For instance: if someone is homeless, the necessity for safe, secure shelter and housing, is necessary for health and well-being. This is accompanied with food, water and clothing. So we could say that these are the basic necessities that are the critical foundation to ones survival and growth. But there is another element that I desired to explore that is food tied with health.

     A person can possess or have adequate access to the necessities of life, and have built a strong foundation, yet; ones health creates limitations, such as the desire not to eat, not feeling hungry, or loosing taste buds, that result in not being able to taste what one is eating, but still requires food to survive. This is and was part of my healing journey. But if the desire was to eat to survive, one must also shift the attitude from not just surviving, but to thrive. To ensure that eating is also for the purposes of enjoyment. An experience of life. When we try to think from this point of view, we don't only fulfill our basic bodily need for food, but we increase our appetite for life, for love. To taste life and realize that each and every day we are given a renewal, an opportunity to live life. 


    Reflection: After I finished writing these thoughts I began to meditate upon what I had written, and realized how closely connected they were to the Holy Eucharist, and receiving the communion. Food is survival, thriving for life, but can also be thought of as a sacred, spiritual act. 

     Instagram: These thoughts are also reflective of my recent instagram posts, where I posted images of food that I had cooked. 

*Further Reading: Pope Francis: The Eucharist is Jesus alive

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on June 24th, 2019.
​Image 1 - Web Link 

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     We all have our beliefs, opinions and views. Political, religious or with any concern. But I wonder: to condemn another in order to make one right, is that right in itself? When we think about religion specifically, the actual condemnation of another is simply reflected back to the one who is condemning. As humans we are going to sway away from something, even a belief that we feel hurts, or has condemned another, through the one who is doing the condemnation. It's the survival mechanism of fight / flight performing its functions. We have to also remember that it is not a religious belief that is doing the condemning. As condemnation comes through another person, or members who belong to specific groups. So we could even say that as humans we have to learn to grasp control of the fight and flight mechanisms, to decipher where there is actual danger.

     Part and parcel of faith is to attract those of differences. The intentions may be different, but in my view it's simply an act of religious unity, at the level of the microcosm. Disagreements are like purposely breaking another down, but really to build one up and break another down, that is not faith in action. What if we were to put religious differences aside, and think of God as me. The human as God? Sprinkling the essence of faith with each and every human encounter, and even as we treat, and think about the self. Because when all is said and done, I think: is it necessary to convince others of a specific belief or not? What if condemnation and convincing is doing more harm than good? Wouldn't it just be easier to aim to be a living truth? The truth that exists within God's message? I Am Love? Love, compassion and healing?

​My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

​Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on June 19th, 2019.
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​     This page contains all of the recent writings with regards to Venezuela. More specifically the current political crisis that is taking place in Venezuela. While this page does not suggest that the questions and thoughts have concluded, but rather to collect and add ease when searching for thoughts about Venezuela. As the conversation continues, and events unfold - please feel free to navigate my web pages through The Venezuela Chapter. Any additional future writings related to this topic will also be added here. Thank you! 

The Venezuela Chapter! 

Venezuela
Venezuela II
Venezuela III
Reflection: Venezuela
Venezuela IV - China
Human Nation
Peace And Border Ethics

I continue to believe in the potential of this nation, and know that the crisis is as much human-made as political. It is simply an utter shame that the innocent are made to suffer. 


My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 
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Image Source 

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect. 

    Perception is usually how we perceive our immediate surroundings, environment and those that we interact with. However, how we formulate our views / opinions and beliefs encompass more than perception. Deriving from cultural forces, our conditioning that are highly dependancy upon ones immediate environment. We can think about politics / lifestyles, customs and traditions, that shape our values / beliefs, from our raw perceptions. These can then turn to prejudices, stereotypes and biases. Especially if ones views towards another are not aligned, or someone is perceived different to another. While it is the internal work of the human being, to regulate and remove the individual stereotypes that are held; sometimes it is important to go back to the evolutionary processes, including heredity. Humans tend to like those they can assimilate with, or who they can relate to. It's our human nature. This is why human historically formed tribes. These thoughts are simply offered as reminders, but it is also important to remember that humans have evolved from this. Especially as historically and to the present day, migrations took place from all over the world. Revealing the amalgamations of humans who are perceived as different.  

    To the present day: we can think about how stereotypes and prejudices are still held, and the continued work / efforts that are needed. We can offer specific examples such as: youth and young adults concerning school discipline. Individuals who become targets. Due to youth crime, or have been involved with the police. Once we normalize our very own stereotypes, we ourselves become guilty - and essentially part of group think. 

     The key is to rise above stereotypical views and prejudices, if one is to rise above and think from one's own lens. We can even relate these ideas to systems. Such as Government Systems, school systems, police systems or the legal system. When one is charged by the police, it is automatically assumed that one is bad. But this is where the legal / law system should step in. Whilst the law has gained negative perceptions, especially by those who have been charged by the police - we have to remember the essence of the law. Or what the law should stand for. It is to provide chance, opportunity, and an equal player for all parties. In a sense to seek resolutions, should one seek to transform an action, that was deemed harmful to society. 

    Human reforms can happen, and should be allowed to happen, without stereotypical views or prejudice. But it does take investment and courage from all parties. It takes guts or strength to recognize ones own internal prejudices / stereotypes.  And the same for those seeking reform, all who are deserving of chances. The key is to empower yourself, seek knowledge / information, and know that you are worthy. Which also means to transcend above the normalized stereotypes. This is what it means to be human; to recognize our own imperfection and to continuously strive to evolve. 

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on June 18th, 2019.
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As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     This year Father's Day is celebrated on June 16th. Whilst Father's Day, appreciation of fathers and paternal bonds can be shown any day of the year; days set aside on the calendar are simply a day to say: it's your day dad. However, days as these can also be a source of tension, anxiety or hurt. Especially for those individuals who do not have good relations with their fathers, or never felt the love of a father. This is where we can think of the many loving and caring individuals who have taken it upon themselves, to care for the individuals without fathers or parents. Societies, communities and families come in all different forms. And to be able to find unconditional love of a father / parents is truly a blessing. 

     We can consider single parents. Single mothers or single fathers, who are fulfilling both parental roles. For instance: we can think of a single mother. Will she get the recognition on Father's Day? And vice-versa. It's an interesting space for questioning. Now I turn to those father's who are far away, we can think about how this day can be utilized for wholesome communication. And the father's who are no longer alive - how memories can be remembered and cherished. All the different relations reveal the various threads that make-up families. And how celebrations such as Father's Day can be celebrated with the making of new traditions, according to ones relations. The varieties also reveal the openness of the arms of God, the spiritual father. Whose ever-lasting, ever-lining presence satisfies our human needs / want for the fatherly touch.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers!

Feliz Dia Del Padre! :) 

May we celebrate with happiness and be grateful and thankful for the many individuals who are caring and loving those who are without. With a special focus on the youth, the homeless, orphans, and the ones who are living  at the margins. May God protect you with love and care. ​

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 
​
Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on June 16th 2019.
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Image 3 / 4 Twitter weblink 
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Congratulations to the Toronto Raptors on their first ever NBA championship!! Congratulations to the team, coaches, staff, support staff, trainers, and the fans. Who cheered and gathered in crowds, to support their team.  2019 Champions!!! :) 

     It was truly amazing to share the atmosphere of the win for the Raptors. Thier win reveals that with determination, dedication, and perseverance anything is possible. This win is significant not only for the team and city, but especially for the potential of what a win can do to uplift communities, and those who are fans and supporters. And also an avenue to give back to family, friends, communities and build upon this historic win.

     Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors who defended their title through the injuries of athletes, times of frustration, but defended successfully and with honor and dignity. Well done for congratulating your fellow team. Your hugs and love of the Toronto Raptors team reveals that there is no such thing as enemy soil, but simply what is constructed within the human mind. 

Congratulations to the 2019 NBA champions, Toronto Raptors! :) Celebrate with dignity, honor and respect. Embrace happiness.

Clink on the image for the link to the instagram page.

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My thoughts to share with love & Kindness! :) 

Image 1 - Web Link
All photos are my own personal photos. 

     Congratulations to the 2019 National Hockey League Champions, the St. Louis Blues! The Blues won their first ever Stanley Cup title on June 12th 2019. Congratulations to the team, coaches, staff, support staff, trainers, and the fans. Who cheered and gathered in crowds, to support their team. 2019 Champions!!! :)

     Also to the Boston Bruins, congratulations to a well-run Stanley Cup final championship, and to all the fans who stood and cheered for their team, who have held six Stanley Cup title championships, well done for your defence. 

Image source 

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