December 2007
Into the Light
We Can Turn the World On
“Who can turn the world on with her smile?” Everyone remembers the 1970's theme song to the Mary Tyler-Moore Show, written by Paul Williams and sung by Sonny Curtis (Love is all Around). Being left alone through divorce, separation, or death, and left to face the daily challenges of life on our own, is something many of us can totally relate to. It can be a very frightening experience, but it can also open new windows of opportunity.
These are difficult times for anyone, but the thought of facing life alone can, to many people, become overwhelming, especially, if they are not adapted to doing things for themselves. In accordance with the Universal Laws of Divine Timing, we must learn to be attentive to doors that are opening and those that are closing in our lives on a constant basis. We must boldly walk through those that are open before us now and we must learn from those that are closed. In order for certain things to come to fruition, other events have to take place to pave the way.
You may have relocated and are looking for a whole new circle of people, or just ended a long term relationship that did not workout, and you are faced with uncertain changes and have been removed from your personal comfort zone. In any case, you have arrived at a pivotal point in your life. Embrace these changes and walk tall and with confidence through these new open doors of opportunity. A new chapter in love awaits you. A new infusion of happiness and love may be just what you have worked towards and waited on so very long. A new partner in your life can fill the void and inspire happiness for you both.
Changes in your life do not need to be painful. As we stand on the shore and watch the waves wash away old familiar objects, we also see a new wave bring new and intriguing things shortly after. Life does not stand still and that which does not bend will eventually break. These are lessons our hearts teach us. Who we are today is a product of things past and a beginning foundation to the future.
Self-improvement requires a positive mind-set. Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves. Although, we enjoy having high standards, we must view ourselves through loving eyes and allow for mistakes and obstacles along our journey and forgive ourselves when we fall short of our expectations. These events mold us and time becomes our teacher, thus we live and we learn. When you are at a crossroads and unsure what to do, start with a smile. “You can turn the world on with a smile.”
Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all
How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big, girl this time you're all alone
But it's time you started living
It's time you let someone else do some giving
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all
Artist: ("Love is All Around" by Paul Williams)
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all
How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big, girl this time you're all alone
But it's time you started living
It's time you let someone else do some giving
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all
Artist: ("Love is All Around" by Paul Williams)
Song: Mary Tyler Moore Show
Into the light is a weekly column dedicated to rational discussion of legislative pursuit, moral proposition and the general quest for equality of the LGBT Community.
Jim Lawson
webcowboy42@aol.com
Into the Light
Three Words, Too Late
Miranda’s eyes scanned the room for familiar faces. Who are these people, she thought, and how did they know my son? One young man, in particular, caught her attention. He was an extremely handsome young man, probably around her son’s age. He sat alone in the front row of chairs and stared blankly at the coffin of her son. His face was emotionless and his eyes were glazed over. He turned suddenly, as if he felt her eyes on him, and looked directly into them-- searching for answers from them. Miranda looked away from his stare, but not before reading his thoughts and feeling the pain that his own eyes silently screamed out. She, immediately, realized that she was the stranger in this room full of her son’s friends and ‘family’.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She suddenly wanted to know everything these people could tell her about her son. Her baby boy was gone. Where had time gone and when did the distance between him and her become so great? Tears flowed down her face as she mentally begged him for forgiveness. She desperately wanted to tell Michael that his ‘mommy’ loved him right now.
On the other side of the room, in the next to last row of chairs, sat Sean and beside him, his newest interest of two whole months, Randall. Michael and Sean had engaged in a very heated, intimate, affair a couple of years earlier. The relationship only lasted a few short months (an average span for most of Sean’s relationships). The words of the familiar voice speaking to the group that gathered in the room to remember the life of Michael Carson, faded into the background of Sean’s mind as his thoughts drifted back in time.
Sean, unconsciously, smiled as he remembered a particular day the two shared together, but as his memory faded and he focused back to the speaker and the room, a very strange wave of hopelessness pulsated throughout his entire body. Michael was gone and he had never told him the truth about how he felt. He always thought there would be a more appropriate time for them. Michael was gone. He then turned to the man sitting beside him, a stranger to him, he wanted to see Michael sitting there.
“Michael was my best friend in this world” said the man speaking from the center of the room into a small microphone attached to the podium. Berry had to hold the sides of the podium, he was sure his legs would give out if he let go. His voice sounded distressed and erratic in tone. He felt like there was a vice around his heart. There was so much invisible pressure. He forced himself to continue speaking. He glanced up from his notes that he was trying to hold steady in his shaking hands and looked up from the podium and out into the faces in the crowd. Each face igniting the memory of Michael’s voice and hours upon hours of conversation and stories they shared. He could recount Michael’s relationship with each and every one of them.
He suddenly stopped speaking as his eyes looked into Sean Tanner’s, who was seated near the back of the room. He had never considered Sean worthy of Michael. Sean shifted in his chair as he sensed the resentment in Barry’s eyes. He wished Barry would stop looking at him that way in front of all these people. A small grunt escaped Barry’s mouth as he acknowledged the familiar rehearsed smile Sean managed to have on his face, even now. Barry continued to speak....,but his words were soon interrupted by a young man’s sudden outburst of sobs in the front row. Barry stepped down from the podium and wrapped his arms around the young man. “He loved you very much” Barry whispered in his ear. The young man broke away and stepped back from Barry. “He never told me that he loved me”, he said calmly and walked out of the room.
Into the light is a weekly column dedicated to rational discussion of legislative pursuit, moral proposition and the general quest for equality of the LGBT Community.
Jim Lawson
webcowboy42@aol.com
Into the Light
My Faith
I have received lots of emails from my readers when I have touched on subjects close to their hearts through my writing. We have shared heartbreaks and just about every emotion I can name. Someone has related to the experience I have written about, in most cases, but I have always felt alone in my spiritual philosophies or ‘my faith’.
Like most people, I have searched my lifetime for answers to age old questions like: “Is there a God?”, “What happens to our souls when we die?, “Will we ever see those that passed before us again, and more importantly, will we recognize them when and if we do?”, “Is there more than one physical life for our souls on earth?”.
I have conducted research on most forms of organized religions and am quite intrigued by the whole subject of religion. However, I cannot say that I am even halfway sold on any of them. Many of you just felt your heart skip a beat, I am most sure, from reading those words. Religion is the single largest factor that separates the human race.
Growing up in a very economically challenged and rural area of West Virginia, I was brought up to fear that which I did not understand. I am not exceptionally intelligent, but my curiosity is very exceptional. I think. I think a lot.
It can all be so confusing. One deity verses another, or no God at all? I would like to present a very basic outline of the fundamentals of my faith.
1) There is no actual deity greater than man.
2) Heaven and Hell are both just a ‘state of mind’.
3) Our souls are much older than our current bodies.
4) We can and most likely have existed in another time or form.
5) The powers of the human mind are unlimited.
6) Our souls are constantly learning from our interactions with others.
7) We occasionally do meet a kindred spirit and connect with them on a different level.
8) Those who seek the truth find it.
9) Life is eternal, but takes many different forms over time.
10) We change as our souls are educated by life.
There have been great philosophers in every generation of mankind. Many were enlightened beyond the capabilities of their time. This suggests to me that the soul is not only capable of traveling to the future, but can also descend in time. The recorded research and theories of Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist (July 26, 1875–June 6, 1961), suggests that the unconscious human mind does not differentiate between the past, present or future. I am inclined to believe this. Although, not all of my beliefs are parallel to Jung’s theories.
Jung did offer that modern society put too much emphasis on science and logic. He suggested that we integrate spirituality and the unconscious realm into our thought process.
Based on my respect for witchcraft and the powers of the mind, I am often labeled a witch or associated with the Wiccan faith. I do share the Wiccan philosophy that it is nature that is in charge, however I do not believe in the concepts of a God or Goddess.
Most religions offer a source of hope for it’s followers in some form or the other. Some type of final justice or reward at the end of life’s journey for those who obey or disobey the teachings of that particular faith. Others believe that ‘Karma’ is something you experience in this lifetime.
It often takes a lifetime to disprove what we were taught and handed down as children. I believe that spirituality is very important and that we all will, at some time, need to come to terms with our personal faith and the difference between right and wrong as our own conscious dictates. The important thing is to think with both the mind and the heart and learn from both the good and evil that we experience throughout our lives.
Into the light is a weekly column dedicated to rational discussion of legislative pursuit, moral proposition and the general quest for equality of the LGBT Community.
Jim Lawson
bravenet.com