Write with TLC

Every time I start to write this I get start hearing George Michael's voice singing "Charity is a coat you wear twice a year" from Praying for Time yet what I want to write about is being thankful... Sometimes I think thankfulness is something we put on like a scarf to go with that charity coat twice a year. I wonder... I wonder... Oh, God, I wonder why is that thankfulness only seems to matter in November? Why is it that charity only seems to matter in December? Why is it that we want peace on Earth and love for all mankind from Thanksgiving to Christmas? Then the rest of the year, we support war and violence and greed while we blame our fellow man for circumstances beyond their control. Why, oh, why? It seems like it's so hard for us to see the world around us through clear eyes. And then I wonder... I wonder... Oh, God, I wonder would we even bother to be thankful that one month a year if we didn't feel obligated   inspired by the approach of Thanksgiv...

I've been thinking about the idea of filling one's life with like minded people. I understand the temptation. When we surround ourselves with people who think just like us, we never have to question our beliefs or thoughts or ideas. We never have to expand outside our safety zones. We can reinforce whatever we want to believe regardless of facts or the picture beyond our front doors. We never have to find out we're wrong about anything because what a travesty it is to learn one is wrong. I don't know about you, but this would begin to bore me. Besides how do we find solutions to problems or figure out how to improve situations or even find fulfillment in life if no one ever challenges us? I have friends with myriad backgrounds. My circle includes people of a multitude of religions or lack thereof, people from around the world who expose me to various cultures, people with varying degrees of political awareness and involvement, pacifists, activists, those in the mi...

Kindness is always a good idea. Kindness without expecting anything in return is an even better idea. Kindness that spreads from one person to another is an even better idea. Kindness that is genuine is one of the most important riches we can share with one another. Spreading kindness is not a new idea. The movie Pay It Forward was built around the premise of spreading kindness to create a better world. Several years ago, Oprah had a show about spreading kindness. I believe the show topic was "Random Acts of Kindness" and the idea was to combat "Random Acts of Violence" with positives in an attempt to change the world one "Random Act of Kindness" at a time. At least that's how I remember it. Books have been written about the idea of spreading kindness. Some promise if you spread kindness without expecting anything in return, good things will come your way. I happen to believe this. I also believe that anonymous acts of kindness are much better t...