Reflecting on Grace

“All the natural movements of the soul are controlled by laws analogous to those of physical gravity. Grace is the only exception. Grace fills empty spaces, but it can only enter where there is a void to receive it, and it is grace itself which makes this void. The imagination is continually at work filling up all the fissures through which grace might pass.” 
― Simone WeilGravity and Grace

For many people, myself included, this has been a difficult year. Despite that, I’ve come to the realization that all of the year’s blessings, though considerably less in number than the hardships, are (one-by-one) mightier (in force) than all the challenges combined.  

The few blessings have given me hope, solace and joy. 

The few blessings have somehow managed to outweigh all the pain and suffering.

The few blessings have made me deeply grateful.

The lesson to be learned is that “Grace fills the empty spaces.”  The blessings I’ve received this year are nothing short of pure grace.

In the spirit of this holiday season, count all of your blessings.  The challenges come and go. The blessings, however, have staying power.

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 Note: the pictures are of “Ollie” — I rescued this abandoned kitten <she was 5 hours old, see photo at the very top> and she is now a little over 3 months old <photo above>, and thriving. 

She is my greatest blessing of 2013.

“A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.”

Ernest Hemingway

Photos: Copyright © 2013 by Heather Joan Marinos. All Rights Reserved

On Gratitude

 

Feeling Good

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more… It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”  Melody Beattie

 

Thank you for following my blog, reading the posts…  and to those of you just passing through… thank you for stopping by!

Cheers,

Heather xo

 

 

Image via charlottesheart.com.

 

Cast aside all crippling fear. Believe in yourself. Be free.

 

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All that rest and relaxation did me a world of good… gave me some perspective.

I’ll start the week with a quote from the founder of Buddhism

“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.

Never fear what will become of you.

Depend on no one.

Only the moment you reject all help, are you freed.”

— Hindu Prince Gautauma Siddhartha (Founder of Buddhism, 563-483 BC)

Whether real or imagined, fear is what keeps us from making rational decisions.  When we shed our fears, we break free from the emotional and psychological shackles that keep us from doing what we need to do… from being who we need to be.

I have actually made this my own personal mantra.

 

 

Never on a Sunday

Melina

Greek Actress, Melina Mercouri (Movie “Never on a Sunday“)

 “Relax. Refresh. Renew. Play. Sing. Laugh. Enjoy. Forgive. Dance. Love. Hug. Share. Kiss. Create. Explore. Hope. Listen. Dare. Trust. Dream. Learn. TODAY!”

Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

Kudos to the Non-profit Organizations and Volunteers Who Fight the Fight… to alleviate hunger, poverty and homelessness

Earth fragile future

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Anne Frank

 

I have always viewed volunteer workers and non-profit organizations – such as (but not limited to) The World Food Programme, Feeding America and Action Against Hunger/Action Contre La Faim – with deep and profound respect.

It is a difficult and thankless job.

Ahhh, but many of these dedicated men and women don’t view it as a “job”…  nor do they expect a pat on the back, let alone an actual “Thank You.”

Imagine, for a moment, what it must feel like to see hardship, hunger, poverty and sickness… day in and day out. Yet, these volunteers press on… hoping, no, praying that they are somehow making a difference, making a dent in this world epidemic that is Hunger.

Imagine what it must feel like to try to recruit people to help… to contribute their time and yes, their money, to a problem that – like it or not – affects us all.  So many people (too many) prefer to turn a blind eye.  Until it happens to them. And for those raising their eyebrow: it can happen to them. And to you. And to me.  It is never wise to be complacent. As we’ve seen with disasters like Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, it can happen in a flash.  Here today, gone tomorrow.

So today marks the last day of my 3½-week Help Fight Hunger book promotion.

To say that I am “disappointed” is a huge understatement, but it will not deter me from continuing to contribute my time and writing to helping others, to raise awareness on important issues that ultimately affect us all, and to hope that someone – anyone – will listen and perhaps even join the effort to help those who need our help.

I’d like to take a moment to thank the family members, friends, and colleagues who have been kindly “spreading the word” on behalf of my Help Fight Hunger campaign. Most importantly, I’d like to express my deep love and gratitude to my husband for putting up with all the intensity. 

I hope that I’ve provided you with some informative, thought-provoking blogs on a subject that is discomfiting, but nevertheless very current and critical. 

Thanks for reading.

― Heather

HFH2

Image (t the very top) via erikarachel.com.

Perseverance and Hope

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“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”
― Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since launching this Help Fight Hunger book promotion, I have been posting blogs in an effort  to raise awareness on the hunger crisis that is not only afflicting the very poor, but also the middle class ― a class that is steadily descending below the poverty line, as a direct consequence of this serious, prolonged economic downturn. I’ve illustrated how this crisis has no geographic boundaries.  Its force and devastation is reaching communities around the world. I’ve shown you statistics, possible solutions, and highlighted some of the wonderful work and philanthropic efforts that individuals, communities, and non-profit organizations have been doing to help alleviate hunger. I’ve also posted some excerpts from my book, Casualties of the (Recession) Depression, to give you a snapshot in words of some of the challenges that people face. The vignettes are not fiction. They are real stories, featuring real people.

I am sad to report that my Help Fight Hunger book promotion has been a dismal failure thus far. Not one direct sale.

That said, I will continue the effort.

In this last week of my book promotion, my posts will focus on a powerful force which provides essential spiritual “fuel” to many of these men and women:  Hope.  

Hope is that source of renewable energy which helps us to wake up each morning, ready to face and battle the daunting challenges head-on.

I don’t know how many times I’ve said this, but I’ll say it again and again: There is always hope.

This, I know for sure.

Tomorrow’s post:  “Plan B.”

HFH2

From Aug 14-Sept 7, purchase a copy of  Casualties of the (Recession) Depression, and for every $20 book purchased directly from me, through my website, I will be donating $5 from the proceeds of each book sale to either: Feeding America (US), Action Against Hunger (Canada), or The World Food Programme (Global). The purchaser chooses one of the three.  As I’ve stated before and clearly state on my website, this promotion does not apply to books purchased from third-party distributors, such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Righting a wrong

FeedTheHungry

“He looked at the piles of food again, and it was like he was seeing it with new eyes. “This is wrong”, he thought, “Letting food rot while people die of hunger. It’s evil.”….
He breathed in the too-sweet smell of rotting food, “I can stop this evil.” 

 Margaret Peterson Haddix, Among the Enemy

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Image via tillhecomes.org.

Hunger up north

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 “Reducing household food insecurity, and the poverty that underlies it, is a win-win situation. It is a win for people facing low income, and for Canada as a whole. One does not need to look far to find many libraries worth of evidence that poverty is a key negative influence on health. Reducing low income leads to better health, which leads to higher levels of economic participation and lower costs related to health care and social services.”

Food Banks Canada, Hunger Count 2012

Here is the hunger news from our northern neighbors, and  my “Home and Native Land” …

The Numbers:

According to Food Banks Canada:

  • each month, 882,188 Canadians need to rely on food banks to feed their families
  • 31% more Canadians rely on food banks now, than before the recession
  • over one third are children and teens
  • 14% of the elderly Canadian population who live alone, are impoverished
  • 3.2 million Canadians live in poverty

The Solutions:

Food Banks Canada recommends some small policy changes that will help rectify some of the root causes of hunger and poverty:

  • make housing more affordable, and therefore more attainable
  • increase social investment in Northern Ontario
  • make pensions more adequate for the seniors who are impoverished, and who are experiencing food insecurity, as well as health issues
  • invest in good quality, support-intensive social assistance programs
  • address the issue of the decline in well-paying jobs

For more solutions, itemized in the Say No To Hunger campaign petition(sponsored by Food Banks Canada), go to:

http://www.saynotohunger.ca/SayNoToHunger/Our-Solution.aspx

Canadians, you may want to consider signing the petition!

 

HFH2

A tribute to the unsung heroes who help others

How-Helping-Others-Benefits-YOU

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

Mother Teresa

They don’t have the power of money or celebrity to back them up.  Nor do they receive any payment or compensation for what they do.  Self-gratification is not their ulterior motive. 

They are simply ordinary people who do extraordinary things… to help others − for no other reason than love and respect for humanity.

These are the people who…

… save their leftover food from their restaurant meal, so they may give it to the person standing outside… that hungry person who’s seen better times but who, for one reason or another, finds himself down and out.

… volunteer their time to work in community outreach programs.

… make daily visits to elderly neighbors who live alone, just to make sure that they are okay and to give them a little caregiving and companionship.

… regularly help out at the food banks and missions.

… notice that an exhausted single mother, trying to do it all, may need  a little assistance with carpooling, babysitting, or a few ready-made meals that she can freeze and reheat later.

… sense that a friend may be going through hard times, and invite him/her over for dinner each week.

… teach their children kindness and empathy towards others.

The list is endless.

These are the people who, although not labeled as “activists”,  are quietly making a difference in the lives of others.

One person at a time.

HFH2

From Aug 14-Sept 7, purchase a copy of  Casualties of the (Recession) Depression, and for every $20 book purchased directly from my website, I will be donating $5 from the proceeds of each book sale to either: Feeding America (US), Action Against Hunger (Canada), or The World Food Programme (Global). The purchaser chooses one of the three.

Image (of hands) via mysuccessprinciples.com.

The value of altruism

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“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community. And as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.  Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch, which I have got hold of for a short moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations.”

George Bernard Shaw

8-24-2013 2-06-22 AM

Image via faithkitchen.org.