"I Choose" - by Anonymous

"I Choose...
to live by choice, not by chance;
to make changes, not excuses;
to be motivated; not manipulated;
to be useful, not used;
to excel; not compete.
I choose self-esteem, not self-pity.
I choose to listen to my inner voice,
not the random opinions of others."

- Anonymous

The Spiritual and Creative Genius of Robert Hammond

Every once in a while a spectacurly talented human being creates something with such all-encompassing genius. 

That happened, not once, but twice with author/screenwriter/producer Robert Hammond and his astounding books:  Ready When You Are: Cecil B. Demille's Ten Commandments for Success, and C.B. Demille: The Man Who Invented Hollywood (A Novel), both published in 2012 by New Way Press.

One book is more compelling the other; different in presentation (nonfiction and fiction), yet the same; both centering around Demille, another creative genius.  As everyone may know, DeMille directed seventy feature films, including classics like The Greatest Show On Earth (1952) and The Ten Commandments (1956).

With both Ready When You Are and C.B. DeMille (A Novel) Hammond takes his cue from Commandments, and invites us into DeMille's epic and electic world.  With his work, Hammond delightfullly delivers with such grace, style and intuitiveness not only deep insight into DeMille's incredible life; but explains how the reader may apply the legendary director's existence and philosophies as a guide to success in every aspect of life.

More than just the average self-help book, Ready When You Are presents, as the Prologue outlines, "how to make your dreams come true"; different than any novel you have or will ever read, C.B. DeMille manages to tell a wonderful story of a unique human being without leaving the reader out in the cold. 

Indeed, both Ready and C.B. are nothing but warm-hearted, well-written literary platforms for much more than just the casual reader. 

No - you just don't read Hammond's books - you experience them; you live them.

All the way to your "A-Life"!

Reject the Rejections!

I don't know about you, but my brain only functions on positive thought.

Or at least, it only functions WELL on positive thought; positive thought and words motivate me.

Negative thinking...just writing that phrase...is disfunctional to me; it deflates me;  there isn't enough room in my brain for negative thought.

Yes, it's a fact that we live in a broken world.

And that in and of itself may sound like negative thinking; but it's ultimately it's a truth of this world.

So what do we do?

Well, all I can tell is you what I do...and/or at least strive to do:

Ultimately, I live by a joyful rule...a hard and fast rule...but a joyful rule:

Whatever we concenrate on, expands.

Focus on the good, things get better.

Focus on the bad, things get worse.

Upon first consideration, it seems a difficult task to think positive, and be positive, mostly because we're not yet in Heaven and we are yet unable to grasp the Heavenly things of perfection.

But thinking only good thoughts all the time, even in the midst of turmoil...in fact...especially in the face of turmoil...is just like laughing at a bully:

Laughter renders bullies powerless.

As such, positive thoughts do the same with negative thinking and circumstances.

So concenrate only on the good.

Think only good.

Speak only good.

Project only good..and discard the negative...laugh in the face of a bully...reject them and reject all negative thought...reject the rejections!

We'll never be able to fix this broken world.

But we can certainly mend at least a few of its cracks with positive, joyful "glue-full," glee-full thinking.

And then - watch, as if by magic, how the heart-"breaks" become less and less...while the heart-"warmths" increase and increase again!

Letters of "Light" For Aunt Amelia

Growing up on Erie Street in Rochester was a magical thing.

My parents had each come from large families (of 10 brothers and sisters); the extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins was massive.   As a result, every night was a party mostly because every night was a celebration of someone’s birthday. 

Into this mix were regular visits by any number of neighborhood or lifelong friends, and sometimes even kind strangers; all were welcome into the double red brick house that my immediate family, my Mom Frances, Dad “Herbie P” and sister Pam then shared with my Uncle Carl, Aunt Elva and cousin Eva Easton.

Also, too, of course were the holiday parties through the year.  The summer holidays were celebrated between Aunt Rita and Uncle Vincent Tacci's summer home in Honeoye Lake and my Aunt Sue and Uncle Pat Borrelli's summer home in Waterport.  Easter, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were mostly celebrated on Erie Street, as was Christmas Day.  New Year’s Eve took place at my Aunt Rita and Uncle Vincent's house on Lake Avenue.  Thanksgiving was at Aunt Anna’s; and Halloween would be spread across the board, depending on where we’d learn that the combined children of the family would best be served as trick or treaters. 

Many times we'd celebrate Halloween at Aunt Amelia’s on Arnett Blvd because that was the largest, safest neighborhood.  Aunt Amelia and Aunt Alice, and their respective families, shared a double house on Arnett (though an “up-and-down”; and not like Erie Street’s “side-by-side” configuration).

Suffice it to say, Halloween was the main reason I liked to visit Arnett Blvd.

But there were other, more important reasons.

Aunt Amelia, Uncle Val, Rita, Fred and Bill Valerie (the latter of whom, God bless him, just passed into Heaven) lived downstairs; and Aunt Alice and Uncle Angelo Schiano lived upstairs in a home that was placed in what I had then perceived as a Leave It To Beaver neighborhood.  It seemed every house had a white picket fence in front with lots of manicured brush, and each displayed the greenest of lawns.

Aunt Amelia and Aunt Alice also had the most magical of “inside front porches” that they used to call “sun rooms,” mostly because of the visual light and physical warmth that these rooms exuded. 

But clearly that “Light” and “Warmth” could also be defined as and possessed of a spiritual nature.

I spent many an hour in those sun rooms, reading old magazines, and book’s like Archie Comics and the Farmer's Almanac. 

And every so often, when dozing off in Aunt Amelia’s sun room in particular, she would walk in and ask me to mail one of her letters.

And that didn't mean emailing or even driving to the post office; it meant walking to the corner mailbox.

Uncle Val was a mailman, and maybe that's partially why Aunt Amelia loved to write letters; because her husband was on "the inside" of the postal circuit.  But she also loved to write letters because she loved to talk and communicate with people; she had several friends with whom she corresponded.

So I always enjoyed walking to the mailbox for her; I felt honored, actually. 

That little red and blue mailbox was only one block up the street, although it seemed like a mile away at the time.

Yet it could have been two miles from her house; I didn’t care.  I had a mission and a purpose.  I felt important that Aunt Amelia trusted me with her trusted written thoughts to her trusted countless friends and family (including the wonderful Bob and Bonnie Marinetti; and Rene and Maxine Piacentini).

I miss those Leave It To Beaver days and neighborhoods.  I miss Halloween on Arnett Blvd, and Christmas on Erie Street.  I miss my Mom and Dad; Aunt Elva and Uncle Carl; Aunt Anna and Uncle Tony Fort, Aunt Alice and Uncle Angelo; Uncle Joe and Aunt Antoinette Turri.

And I miss mailing those letters of “Light” and “Warmth” from…and for…Aunt Amelia.

 

Widen Your Margin of Error

"Nobody's perfect," says the old adage.

And that means you. 

And me.

And everybody on the planet

The Universe and in other dimensions?

Well...that's for another blog post.

For the moment, let's just keep things to THIS reality.

Which means we live in a broken world, with too many instances of overtly-high expectations set down by and for others - and by and for ourselves; expectations that are impossible to meet.

"Lose expectation," Confucius said.  "Gain everything."

So, here's the deal:

We need to cut each other - and again, ourselves - some slack.  A lot of it.

If we know of someone who has made a mistake, and we're unwilling to forgive them that mistake, you can bet your bottom dollar that, when karma comes back around to bite you on the butt, others will be just as unforgiving towards you...when you make your mistakes.

And you will.

Because you're only human.

We all make mistakes, and the biggest one is not fully realizing how not understanding this important point can end up affecting your life in many conflicting ways.

As Emerson said, "Whatever we send into the lives of others, comes right back into our own."

So you really need to lighten up and "get that."

Take your life seriously.  Take your work seriously.  But never take yourself seriously.

And most of all, just know that we are imperfect beings in  an imperfect world; a world that will never be begin to be remotely healed or perfected until we all start understanding our imperfect ability to comprehend the perfection of Love, which surpasses ALL understanding...and overlooks ALL mistakes.

Consequently, it could only benefit you and your existence in this world to widen that narrow margin of error that is constricting your life in ways of which you may not even be aware.

Free yourself...from judgement of others...from self-condemnation - and just embrace what you can start to view as the joys of imperfection, otherwise known as just "being human."

Your Child-like Heart Will Save The World

A few weeks ago, I had a silly disagreement with a friend and, in a heated moment, he scolded me and said, "You're acting like a child!"

Upon first hearing that, it wounded me.  A great deal.  Not because acting like a child is a bad thing (because I think it's a great thing), but  because my friend made that accusation with so much venom.

In the end, I was hurt more for him, than me.

And yet, as I look back in retrospect, the "child" reference is such a compliment...as the child's heart that I posses has always been so very good to me.

It's kept me healthy, and strong - and young.

I always take my work very seriously, and I always take my life very seriously.

But I never take myself seriously at all.

The "unseriousness" of my child's heart has kept me singing and dancing since 1960 - and it will keep me energized forever, through good times and bad.

For, ultimately, on the flip side, I know how mature I am.

I know the maturity that it takes to have accomplished the things I've accomplished in life, professionally and personally, against all odds and obstacles.

I know the maturity that it required to serve as primary caregiver for my elderly ill parents for 15 years - and I was certainly younger at the time, then I am today (physically, psychologically and and even spiritually).

I know the maturity - and unsurmountable courage - it takes to have uprooted myself, time and again, to follow dreams that others, in many instances (if not all), have tried to curtail me from pursuing, if mostly with their best intentions.

I know the maturity it requires to dream big.

I know the maturity it requires to stand firm in the midst of any challenge.

I know the maturity it requires to laugh in the face of the bullies of the world, as they battle their insecurities and personal demons.

I know the maturity it requires to "take it like a man," and to laugh like a child - even when I feel like crying like a baby.

So if someone happens to one day say that you're acting like a child.

Stand firm, keep a smile in your heart and on your face, and remember all the maturity it required to get you where are.

And then, somehow, your accusor will one day open their eyes to understanding the importance of widening their margins of error.

Soon following, they will bless you for having been in their lives to help them see their flaws - the flaws that we all share in this broken world - a world that that is more times than not held together by the laughter of a child.

I'm A Love-tian

Anything that is said or done or thought that is not Love is not God...

Because Love is God.

And I listen to what Love says...

Because with Love there are never any conditions, commands or judgements.

Love is Love...unconditionally...without judgement or demands.

I listen to Love.

I'm a Love-tian.