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. Not only to reflect, but to capture what was sought through the moment. The photographic memory - the mind / brain, as I watched our Houston Astros team play, to begin the series with the Toronto Blue Jays. I am truly honored to represent the 2017 MLB world series champions, Houston Astros. I know many may not understand the depth, or what it means for simple presence, but for me just to know that, I was able to make it there for Houston, Texas was a very profound happy feeling. From a year that began with illness, realization, to recovering, it feels good to try to make an outing / day trip. It's nice to have Houston here - Virtual hugs, big hugs!! You may have heard me shout out loud" "we love you Houston," "lets go Houston," or "Lets go Astros," or the names of the Houston Astros team members. It was just love trying to find its way to pour itself out. Houston you represent much more that winning. You are a city that overcomes, faces obstacles, believes, never gives up, and most of all support each other. 

     This time 2 years ago, I was with you all, to support the recovery of Hurricane Harvey. Now you are here. I'm grateful for that. It is nice to represent, be part of an experience, show sportsmanship, or building sports diplomacy between nations, but once in a while winning does override! Winning feels great! Good luck, love and hugs for the rest of the match-ups. In my eyes y'all are already winners!!! Houston thank you for coming to Toronto! We love you Houston, Texas! Congratulations on a great team win!!! 

Memories to Share

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 30th, 2019.
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All images and videos are my own. 

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.

     As I was taking the time to think about the art of survival, where one desires to fulfill the need to eat food. I thought about how other parts of the human self, the various facets of life need / desire nourishment, for instance: the human mind / brain. Of course we can gain instant stimulations. Additionally, we must learn to cultivate and nourish the mind, for a healthy development and growth. As well as gaining spiritual nurture, and care for one's soul. This is gained by challenging the ming / brain, learning something new, skills, knowledge, work experiences etc. Of course we cannot do this at every moment, because sometimes the brain needs to rest, or remain in a neutral state. However, I write these words as a reminder: for whoever desires to do so, possesses and acquires the capability, that any acquisitions that include some sort of growth for our self is a privilege and blessing.  

Dedication: These thoughts are dedicated to all who are going back-to-school, new beginnings or any endeavour. All the best!! :)

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 28th, 2019.
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Related Reading:
Democratic Debate 2019
Peaches?! :)
The Venezuela Chapter
Democratic Restoration | Venezuela​

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.

     It's interesting to see candidates running for 2020; when we really take the time to think about it, it just seems like most of the Trump presidency so far, has been about trying to fight to claim office, even whilst being a President. We could say much of the resistance is because humans find change difficult or even painful, whilst change is a normal occurrence that humans go / grow through. We could take the change of presidency to thinking about the impact upon "race." Where we have a person of color, a black president, to another person of color, a white president. (Whilst there is debate to whether black or white are even colours, for the purposes of this writing I will say they are). We can think about how populations resist and embrace leaders that they can resemble with the most, and how human grooming takes place so that humans will embrace individuals who are different to them. We can think about inter-racial marriages, individual advocates, groups, or simply put - people who wear invisible masks, to protect otherness / differences. 

    I maybe blunt, but I think I could be blunter. But the fact of the matter is that we can't erase history. We can learn and try to understand how to progress forward, building upon what was deemed positive. Whilst yes, there is a white President in the house - but does this mean gruesome histories such as slavery should be ignored or repeated? Maybe some individuals / groups including white people / groups / advocates have felt this way. Or maybe resistance / protection is just another social construction to influence and sway the public? Including national and international levels. But then I wondered: why do we even contemplate on the issue when the Trump presidency is now going to its 3rd year? Whilst I touched briefly upon this issue with previous writing, it could simply be because President Trump wants to get re-elected, and oppositions have to tactically find a way to call him out? There have been accomplishments, but I don't think a Presidency can fully develop within a single term. Meaning that the maximum of two terms is probably better in the long-run, if desired. If we want to see how a presidency can develop, accomplish and achieve.

    Whilst saying this, it is important to remind readers of my own neutrality, as I myself think that criticism far out-weighed what could have been achieved, between both Democrats and Republicans. As leaders gather to strengthen the Northern border alliances, between Canada and America, there is still much more to be done on the northern and southern end. Pressing matters regarding immigration, migrants, and the treatment of the vulnerable seem to have been shoved under the rug. Why is it that humans could careless if the triggers are pulled to shoot and kill, and then create rampage when trees burn? Again the fact of the matter is that both are important. 

    Human life, regardless of color of skin, religion, faith, sexual orientation, ability, (dis)ability and so on. Human life matters - from the young person who desires to learn in the classroom, to the elderly who want to enjoy their senior years. And the planet, the precious rain forests that are rich in resources for humans as well as habitats, that have been created and preserved. This goes for all nature, even the single tree that is standing / growing upon the sidewalk. We are grief stricken with the recent mass gun shootings, and wish that the burning of trees would end. We could think about how these events simply reveal the importance of both nature and nurture - human life. Again to connect that; political splits can no longer be about focusing on one more than the other. Or desiring to protect one presidential legacy over another. 

     The truth is that Presidents who are alive / living can still do something with their platforms, to preserve what is close to them. Why should ordinary humans have to lift their weights? Populations will grow, natural spaces will need to be conserved as well as utilized. Which is why presidencies are important. Maybe it is time to remove the invisible masks and look in the mirror. Who are you? You matter as much as another. Majority, minority. Animal and plant.  
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Further Reading: 

*The New York Times - The 1619 Project 

*The Atlantic - The Amazon Cannot Be Recovered Once It’s Gone.

*ABC News - There have been at least 17 deadly mass shootings in the US so far in 2019

*The New York Times - Who’s Running for President in 2020?

Further Questions:

❀Are mass shootings a product of politics? 

❀How do mass shootings create emotional trauma and tactically create fear?

❀How does, or should re-elections or running for candidacy interrupt with national political work?  

❀Are the burning of trees / forest fires another political constriction?

❀How will the burins of the Amazon endanger species, especially indigenous populations? Is this another form of eugenics or population control?

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 24th, 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.

   They say change the way you look at things can change your life. This is what I thought about with regards to the daily rotations, and even the act of living. We might get stuck, uptight in our daily acts, but if we turn the thoughts around, to think of life as a blessings. A blessing to be alive - to live. Another day, another chance, another opportunity to live - how would these simple cognitive adjustments change our outlooks upon life?

Meditation - Originally handwritten on August 22nd, 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. 

     When I think of the word sentience or sentient human beings, I can infer some type of characteristics from science fiction, or futuristic qualities that reveals the superior qualities of human beings, especially with the development of artificial intelligence. But the truth is that philosophers / thinkers have been interested in the idea / concept of sentience throughout the ages. Of course the ideas have evolved as the human capacity to understand more has gained ground. With the help of technological advancements, science and the arts. We can even think about how the word is itself defined:

Oxford Dictionary Definition

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

     How the word source is defined by two different dictionaries also reveals how the word, idea, concept of sentient / sentience is viewed in two different countries, American and the UK. This also speaks to the state of human evolution, social progress and macro-demographics within nations. However; we can gather from the definitions the superior qualities of humans. The ability to sense, feel, think. The human consciousness.  We do desire to fulfil our survival needs. We also desire to achieve, through what we could call the strife of aspirations. However, our actions will always begin with what is thought, conceived and received. Which is why I would argue that what is unseen is as important as what is seen, hence; the actions that we take, initialized by thought. However, both are important as each other, as they are each derivatives of the soul.
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My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 20th, 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.

     The truth is that as I was taking the time to reflect upon my writings, I began to realize that sometimes we have to write over and over again, repeat what we have to write. The same things over and over again, and of course analyze a same topic from many different angles. To exemplify: we can think about my recent writings about Venezuela. Where a series of writings, were then formulated as The Venezuelan Chapter. Or we can even think of an idea / concept, such as peace, love, or the achievement of such. Just because one has written about something, it doesn't mean that is has been achieved or not. But it does mean that someone had the audacity, or enough care to write / meditate upon such a topic, event or idea.

     The cyclical nature of thought, might sometimes mean repetition, but sometimes it does not. We can think about repetitions as renewed focus upon a specific thought, as a cyclical nature of social progress and innovation. To further exemplify this thought, we can think about the poets, philosophers, thinkers, artists, who wrote about the minute details of life. Even if we take a simple poem, we begin to understand that sometimes - what previous writers / poets wrote about could even be true to this very day. Poems: acting like teachers who desires to show / guide humans, often ignored and undervalued.   

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1881)

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" ... Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal: // 
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate; ..."

- A Psalm of Life

"in his poetry is characteristic of the gentle, dignified man who lived a life of reflection. More over, he was simply practising his belief that the function of poetry was 'to charm, to strengthen, to teach.' " 

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 18th, 2019.
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Related Reading:
The Second Coming?! :)

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; particularly with regards to my previous thoughts.

     The second coming of Jesus is a point that should strive to unite not only the two major religions, but also those under the umbrella of the patriotic father - Abraham. Whilst the idea of the second coming is a moment for unifying religions, as well as deep reflection. I began to think about what will happen next? There are of course many ideas posed by the religions themselves, but I simply stated: the unfolding of the events are really in God's hands. In a similar way - we can think about our own life, or the course of our human life. 

    What we desire and hope to achieve. Some say fate, kismet, fortune - but truly we can also be reflective and say that our life is in our hands, or even Gods Hands = Human Hands. Life is not merely a simple quest of what we ourselves want. Although we hope it can be. As our goals are what we desire. But it is the intersections / interactions, that also inter-play, with what we desire and hope to achieve. For the who believe in: God / higher source / higher consciousness, will also understand the idea: Our Hands = God's Hands. 

   We ourselves contain a spirit that was breathed within us. God's spirit. So maybe we could even say: a second coming is already manifesting itself through the human spirit? Spirt of God. As God himself wants to see how we humans will traverse the Earth, desire to achieve what God has placed within us, and how we treat our fellow humans.

Lamb of God

     As I have been reflective of the unification of the major faiths in terms of Jesus' second coming, I also begin to think about Abraham's sacrifice, also known as "The Binding" in Hebrew. This sacrifice is is celebrated by Muslims with Eid-UL-Adha. A major part of the celebration is to distribute meat to the poor, needy, family, friends and relatives. There is some confusion as to exactly what animal was slaughtered, but the idea of a sacrificial animal, further made me think about a reference to Jesus - who is very often referred to as the Lamb of God, and it is the hymn that is sung as the holy Eucharist is remembered.  

It is with this note I offer all who are celebrating or witnessing the celebrations of Eid-UL-Adha, Eid Mubarak! Happy Eid!

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 10th, 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.

     Throughout history and to the present, we can learn and see that leaders of various faiths have worked tirelessly for the purposes of building inter-faith dialogues. To create mutual understandings between religions. These efforts are often disrupted because individuals that belong to different religions desire to prove that one is right and the other is wrong. When we move to this frame of mind, we are led to dichotomous ways of thinking. Where one forgets and ignores the efforts that have been made, to build human bridges for peace. This is also quite natural because as humans, we want to defend what we believe, and why wouldn't we want others, to do as we we? Or believe as we do? Something as complex as religion is not quite as simple. There are many layers that interact with religion. Such as politics, culture as well as regions of the world. But this is not to say that efforts should be diminished, or completely erased. As humans: whilst in their differences, we desire harmony. Harmony for self and with others. A plain fact. 

    Humans have to live and interact. Within a familial space or publicly. Rather that thinking of right / wrong, we could utilize socratic thought. Where one is inclined to turn the gaze of the soul. In this way we are more inclined to desire mutual understandings. Allow each and every hum to flutter in their own greatness. These thoughts especially came to mind when I reflected upon Muslim and Christian relations / faiths. Whilst to this day we do see divisions; with the public outcry from Muslims and the silent, cruel persecutions of Christians. What unites the two is much more profound than what separates. 

     It only makes sense for Christian's and Muslims to strengthen mutual understandings. As they both believe in the second coming of Jesus - The Messiah. A point which is non-negotiable for the two faiths. So what baffles me is why we fail to focus upon this point? A point that unites two major faiths / religions. We could say: simply to continue to create divisions, or even politically constructed for the sake of division? Everyone should feel free to believe as they so choose to. Without hurting or harming the other, because that's when extremism comes to play; What will happen after the second coming of Jesus - The Messiah, is really in God's hands, not humans.

​     Dedication: These thoughts are dedicated to those who spoke of love, peace, unity in a recent faith dialogue that I attended with regards to the St. Frances and the Sultan, who was considered the Apostle of Peace. I was particularly reflective upon the attempt to continue the efforts for peaceful dialogues, that truly did uplift the spirt. I was grateful that there are individuals who truly do desire: unity, love and peace, especially from the divides that stem from religion. Let us hope that words and attempts such as these can create a loving embrace for all kinds of religions / faiths. The believers and non-believers.

St. Francis and The Sultan.

1912 - Artist Depiction of St. Francis and the Sultan.

"In 1219 St. Francis and Brother Illuminato accompanied the armies of western Europe to Damietta, Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade. His desire was to speak peacefully with Muslim people about Christianity, even if it mean dying as a martyr. He tried to stop the Crusaders from attacking the Muslims at the Battle of Damietta, but failed. After the defeat of the western armies, he crossed the battle line with Brother Illuminato, was arrested and beaten by Arab soldiers, and eventually was taken to the sultan, Malek al-Kamil.

Al-Kamil was known as a kind, generous, fair ruler. He was nephew to the great Salah al-Din. At Damietta alone he offered peace to the Crusaders five times, and, according to western accounts, treated defeated Crusaders humanely. His goal was to establish a peaceful coexistence with Christians.

After an initial attempt by Francis and the sultan to convert the other, both quickly realized that the other already knew and loved God. Francis and Illuminato remained with al-Kamil and his Sufi teacher Fakhr ad-din al-Farisi for as many as twenty days, discussing prayer and the mystical life. When Francis left, al-Kamil gave him an ivory trumpet, which is still preserved in the crypt of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi.

This encounter, which occurred between September 1 and 26, is a paradigm for interfaith dialog in our time. Despite differences in religion, people of prayer can find common ground in their experiences of God. Dialog demands that we truly listen to the other; but, before we can listen, we must see the other as a precious human being, loved by God. There is no other path to peace in this bloody 21st century.

The flames behind Francis and the sultan have a dual symbolism. In Islamic art, holy persons are shown with balls of flame behind their heads. The second purpose of these flames is to disarm a later medieval legend in which Francis challenged the Sufis to step into a raging fire to prove whose faith was correct. In this icon, the flames represent love. The text at the bottom is from the beginning of the Koran: "Praise to God, Lord of the worlds!"

Reference: 
Lentz, R. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.trinitystores.com/artwork/st-francis-and-sultan

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :)

​Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 9th, 2019.
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Related Reading:
El Paso, Texas.
Dayton Strong!

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. 

     As national leaders, communities and individuals express their sympathy for the string of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio and Gilroy, California, that have hurt a loved nation; we once again come together to collectively grieve, and offer support for the lives lost. Physically and psychologically injured. When all is said and done, we don't even have to conclude, but to say / state that mass shootings are destructive. There is no rationale behind the idea of desiring to kill. Hurt. Harm. For the simple sake of it. We can condemn evil, but the difference comes when one truly seeks to do something to make a difference. Sometimes the doing begins with the public talk, to condemn - and collectively  condemn. Democrats/ Republicans or even if you don't support any political side.  But I wonder how much this has already been done? 

    The same can be said for collective mourning. Mourning does not have to belong to a particular side, but rather; to all. When a community is attacked - all hurt and grieve the same. This is why at times as sensitive as these - politics is put to the side to share each other's grief and mourning. There are truly no words that can heal, a mother who lost her child, or a child who is now without parents. The shock, horror and grief needs to be cradled with love. These attacks, attacked happiness, freedom, and ordinary humans, like you and I. We publicly outcry motives that support any kind of murder, mass destructions. And continue to pray for healing, strength, hope, love. As the victims, communities, and all those affected gather themselves and question, why? 

   It is with these thoughts I thank the first responders, and leaders of the communities. I also thank President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for visiting those grieving communities. And also former Presidents for speaking out. Any kind of change or gun reform happens from within​....

My thoughts to share with love & kindness. 

​Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 7th, 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.

     The truth is that there are various systems that have been organized by humans. Including: health, education, or legal. Whilst it goes without saying that the systems are imperfect; which is why those that care enough for betterment / improvements will desire to push forth barriers. Those that inevitably become part of a system, eventually begin to understand that to a certain degree, that are also responsible to protect a system, and those that intersect within a system. For example: We can think about a teacher in a classroom, who is absolutely aware of the positives / negatives, as well as intersections that take place within a system. Also the worldly, current events that take place. Students begin to learn how to challenge ideas, events, or even leaders, within the protected space of a classroom. Where they can feel safe enough to take risks, eventually learning to defend their ideas, as they progress.

    The idea of protection from an educators perspective, merges to the very idea of parenting or guardianship roles. Where as parents we desire to protect our children, as they interact with the world. As well as through the natural process of love and care for our off-spring. But with this protection, also carries the idea of what is "just." In other words how we desire to protect has the potential to intersect with the human-made systems that are in place. Therefore, resulting in the limit or control of protection, or what is desired to be protected. 

     As parents, teachers, educators, guardians, we are well aware of the processes of adolescent-hood, learning processes and the experimental phases. However, when these phases spur out of control, or have led to hurting / abusing the self and others, then interventions are needed. Meaning that protection may even hurt the ones who desire to protect. Interventions should not be viewed as punishments, but rather a part of the learning process. Because there comes a point in someones life where one realizes responsibility, accountability, and consequence. Sometimes this cannot be realized within a protected space. No human beings should ever be written-off by the ethical professionals who are part of the system, or the helpless parent. As everyone can learn / reflect upon what was deemed hurtful to the self, individuals, community and society.

     We can even connect these thoughts to a spiritual / God perspective. As even when we suffer or feel that we have been treated unfairly, God doesn't step to the side. It is humans that leave the side of God. When we realize that even in the tough times God still stands with us, the spiritual healing, energy, is simply God's way of helping us through the tough times. Even God sometimes allows suffering, pain to take place in our lives, because it would probably be the best teacher at the specific time in our lives. What we go through simply grows us, and we could also say, heals us. 

     It is with these words I pray for healing and strength, as we navigate the systems in our daily lives. Let us hope that humans act through what is deemed as ethical - a clear conscience, as we seek entrust them. As those with positions of power, should also not abuse their powers, to decide who gets to "make it or not." Or who becomes a failure or success. Inevitable knowledge is power. But a misuse of this power is an abuse of self as well as others. The more we ourselves learn, the better we can also ensure that the systems we encounter are helping, not hurting. 

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

​Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 5th, 2019.
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