Change

February 26, 2015 By Leave a Comment

would you “follow” @neuclare, if i asked nicely?

a friend, met through times of grief, sorrow and darkness like never before.
We touched base from time to time, but I don’t publish much. Still follow him
but cannot send him tweets, ’cause, when I send tweet to him, Twitter says,
“Message could not be sent. Recipient must follow you for note to go thru” – sorrow, sadness, loss and feeling of alienation. Can’t believe this. Used to have open, real time occasional tweets, but geographical change for me, has become a chasm between me, and a special group of “friends” who once were struggling, as I was, and welcomed me, a stranger – every Thursday morning!
Now, all but 2 or 3 precious folk, occasionally send a word. Fewer respond to my response. Is this deliberate? Wishing I would go away, disappear, while I long to keep in touch, with warmth & gratitude, for the friendship they shared, in the flesh. I don’t want to smother, distract, impose or seek benefits from them, other than true, simple, humble humanity – such as SEEMED to be growing, developing and shared around the table.
Are you still there?
Do I still enjoy human status, in your world?
Have I crossed a border, line, deserving punitive exile from y’all?
Grant me, please, the knowledge of my sin, name it for me, that I might see, vet the charge, confess & repent, if real. Restore unto me, the joy of your friendship, that I might live as one who never needs to feel alone and separated from my friends, nay true brothers, on the journey, walking together, as opportunity affords, with the steadfast spirit of unchanging Paraclete, with open arms, embrace, with gentle soul, and ears which hear, hands and heart which really feel, a life too soon become “complete”. Yet let not shortness of time ahead, or breadth of time to expend here, now. For we are offered life, and hope, to live today, as is our hope, for future blessings, not yet fulfilled, yet tasted sweetly, daily, monthly, annually, or when, we are always “ready” to be, what we wish could be, our lot in life, in harmony.
Do I have rights, to claim from you? You’re right I do, and demand them I could. That’s not the way grace and love should come my way, begrudged and burdened because I may retrieve my rights, and force my way. It’s better here, to be granted grace, in and through the freewill of my “other[s]”, for thus they reflect and represent the wonderful colour of Immanuel!
So will you, friend, be gently kind, and show what we all have signed, in our commitment to uphold another, though it cost a price, to be upheld, and offered “paradise”, as one who hung alongside Christ?

Today’s letter was written by Name: Clare
Twitter: @neuclare
Blog:
Written From: my home in parksville

Filed Under: Change Tagged With: (not = private), grace and renewed imagination for a hope not yet seen, Love, over the horizon of utter adulation!!, PersOnal

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October 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Broken promises

To Whom It May Concern:

I do not think as a black man I will ever get use to racism or discrimination especially when it affects children. It is a dirty and evil thing and it needs to be eliminated from society, but until men hearts are changed and converted that will never happen.

My story begins with this lady/philanthropist offering me a grant for my non-profit mentoring program for at-risk and disadvantaged youths. She stated that my program had all of the credentials and skills needed to offer support and guidance to the youths I serve and she wanted to help. But when she discovered that I was an African-American and that my program helped a large percentage of African-American youths, she decided that my program was no longer in the running for the grant. I asked her, when did my program fall out of the running for the grant? She could not tell me but said that maybe next time.

This makes me angry that in this day and time we are still facing bigots who are still judging people by the color of their skin instead of their character. It hurt me deeply to see this type of behavior, but what hurts more and disappointing is that I will have to tell the children as we were counting on that funding to do some great things. That is the hurting part most of all….

I am proud to be who I am regardless of what others may say or think of me. I am honored to work these youths and I will continue to work them, In spite of people like her. I know that there are genuine people in the world and others like myself who care and want to help make this world of ours a better place for all. I feel sorry for people like her who have the resources to help, but chooses to remain in darkness and refuse to accept people for whom they are but instead judge them by the color of their skin. I am truly sorry but I had to rant and rave on this because this truly bothered me deeply and I had to share, please forgive me. May God have mercy upon her and others like her souls…. God bless you all…

From,
Him who still believes in Hope

Today’s letter was written by Name: Christopher
Twitter:
Blog:
Written From: USA/Louisiana

Filed Under: Change Tagged With: Change, children, crime, dicrimination, funding, grant, Hope, mentoring, mentoring program, philanthropist, poverty, racial hatred, racism, sin, violence, youths

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June 23, 2012 By Dave 1 Comment

Life is just beginning

Dear You,

Today I turned 30.

It’s an age that we’re taught to dread. 30 means the end of your youth. It means gray hair and carrying a keg around your midsection instead of a 6 pack. It means the end of fun and adventure. You are growing old wether you like it or not.

Who cares?

Here’s what I’ve found out growing through my 20’s. Gray hair can show up when you’re 18. The keg around your midsection can show up when you’re 25. Fun is still around every corner, it just doesn’t last until the wee hours of the morning ’cause bed time is at 11pm (on a very late night). Adventure doesn’t just mean risking your life doing some extreme sport or moving across the world to live by yourself just to work, surf, and meet new people from different cultures. And even though society tells us to have it all figured out by 30 so you can settle down into your nicely packaged life, it’s not going to happen.

I still have no idea what I’m doing and that’s the adventure.

I have had to deconstructing the image of who I was told I should be and embrace the reality and truth of who I am. My view and perspective of the world has changed so drastically in the last decade that all I see now are endless opportunities. With each passing decade, new things are learned and new perspectives gained. 30 is just one of those milestones. 40 will be another and an even greater adventure than the one I am about to embark on.

So this year I am not getting old. Rather I am stepping into the adventure that I was trying to find in my 20’s but am only able to fully appreciate now.

Here’s to 30.

-Dave

Filed Under: Change Tagged With: 30, adventure, Life

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April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dear Boy With the Twinkle in His Eye

I will never forget promises we whispered to each other in the cold nights. I will never forget your strength and the heart behind all of your giving. There is so much behind your smile and your words that a girl can get lost in it and feel… everything. All true meanings of what it is truly like to be able to tell our hurts and share our scars. I felt your love as strongly as I never imagined I could, I feel it every time your eyes met mine and you matched my pain every. single. time. There were so many times that your smile was the haven to my breaking heart, reaching across the room and enveloping me with your endless love. Which I allowed myself to be pulled into again and again and again.
Today, you have gathered me in your arms again, pulling me in and offering to be my rock as you have selflessly done so in the past. But for the first time since you first allowed me to seek refuge in your arms, I had the strength to pull away and face the world alone.
So thank you. Because you are the one who taught me that.
Yours, with all my heart.

Today’s letter was written by Anonymous Twitter: Blog: Written From: Canada

Filed Under: Change Tagged With: Change, Compassion, growth, Love

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March 30, 2012 By Dave Leave a Comment

To all the lost ones…

Dear Lost One, It’s hard to imagine the pain, the incredible suffering, that you must have gone through: physically, emotionally, psychologically. It tears my heart out knowing that a life which was meant to be lived in such fullness has been taken. People may say that you took your own life. But I know better. I know better because I took it. Me and every other person who has picked on someone because they’re different: because they don’t look the same way, talk the same way, or believe in the same things that we do. Because they weren’t cool enough. I will never know what it feels like to see things as black and white as you do. I will never know what it’s like to see the world through eyes of someone who as Aspergers. But what your story has encouraged me to do is try. I don’t understand our obsession with grey, as if by being able to blur the middle line enough you can never see when good ends and evil begins we will benefit somehow. The reality is, one may benefit but a whole lot of people lose. For you it was the blatant disregard of what was being done to you on a daily basis: being bullied. We turned our eyes. We said things were okay. We blurred the line. Grey. Our inaction, our selfishness, cost you your life and the many lives of those before you. I am truly sorry. And although I can never tell you this face to face, you are not worthless. Your voice is not silent. Your sacrifice will be remembered forever. – Dave Today’s letter goes out to all those who kids who have lost their life because they were being bullied, and especially to those who are being bullied today. There is no grey: Love One Another. And please go see Bully. It’s in theaters today.

Filed Under: Change Tagged With: Bullying, Conviction, Pain, Value

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March 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dear Kid I Used to Know,

I know things are weird now since you and her broke up (her being my best friend) but remember when we all used to like each other? I hadn’t seen you in months until I saw you tonight with your new girlfriend. You ignored me. I thought we were beyond that. Just because you and her aren’t together doesn’t mean you can’t acknowledge me in public anymore. I’m sorry you’re so confused and I hope that you’ll be able to come back to the God that you know loves you. This isn’t the real you and this isn’t the life that you want. I know you, or I really thought I did.
Love, Caroline

Today’s letter was written by Anonymous Twitter: Blog: Written From: FL

Filed Under: Change Tagged With: confusion, ignored, old friend

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October 7, 2011 By Dave Leave a Comment

Your Time To Be A Crazy Misfit Has Come (Will You Answer The Call?)

Dear Visionary in the Wings, The other day was a tragic day as the world lost a man who not only changed technology and the way we interact with each other, but he forever changed the way we think. He forever changed "possibility"; for that I will be forever grateful and consider myself so fortunate to have lived in this lifetime of brilliant, impossible change. But he is just one man who dared to be different; who dared to go against the grain and not buy into the status quo. Some will say that he left an unfillable void to which I say "Good". To try and fill the shoes of such a world changing thinker would be childish and foolish. Rather, his passing is a call to the rest of us to lace up our own shoes and change the world in ways the he himself would never have thought possible. That's what he would want. That's what he would expect. It is time to come out of the shadows. Time to shrug off our insecurities and the illicit cultural expectations that we have lived under for far too long and reimagine what is possible. I know you have what it takes. Will you change the world? I sure as hell hope so.

Through all of the great words spoken of the late world changer, Steve Jobs, these words of Hugh MacLeod (@gapingvoid) are ones that inspire and challenge: