Morphing to a Better State of Being

As an introduction to this post, I offer up a short note from an avid reader:

 Good beautiful Sunday morning Tony!  As I leave [Bob] to sleep a little more I am having my coffee, reading The Path, writing, and realizing that being happy is really a choice, a state of mind that we can choose to be in when we open our eyes every day.  Feeling loved is a most amazing feeling!

 You mentioned the word "morph" in today’s sermon.  And yes, The Path is MY sermon, so there.  People always say that people don't change, but we do. Maybe "morph" is a better word than change. People grow. We are capable of changing ways, habits, and beliefs. Understanding is important, but acceptance is the key to tolerance.  Only when we accept that we are "different yet all the same," maybe then we can be tolerant. 

The fact my friend finds "The Path" worthy of consideration, humbles me.  She humbles me often, as I witness her deal with life hands her.  I have watched, and listened, while my friend has journeyed down the latest fork in her path.  She has encountered some bumps and bruises, and she has initiated change to simplify her life and solve issues.  She has sold her house, changed jobs, and she has discovered a "work in progress" - a significant other.  Of what she speaks, in her message to me, she has learned in the school of hard knocks.  She doesn't seem to act humble, but she will probably be the first to deny that she actually knows as much about life as she does.  What has helped her along her path?  She reads and listens, debates and is able to admit error.  She goes it alone, yet is able to ask for guidance.  She has found the best use of the internet - finding sites and motivational speakers that offer her positive ideas and reinforcement on living life and dealing with roadblocks and issues it throws in front of her.  But, is she right in what she says about change?

I'm going to share someone, in my own life, whose words of wisdom have guided me since I was a young airman.  He is gone now, a tragic loss to mankind.  I stumbled upon Leo on a television special, probably PBS, when I was in my early twenties.  He was discussing love, and happiness, and relationships.  I was laughing, and then crying, grabbing for the tissue box because I could stop the emotional rollercoaster, the truth I found in the words he spoke.  If I could name one person in this world that has had the greatest effect on who I have become, other than my parents, it would certainly be Leo Buscaglia.  

He appeals to the very young and old alike.  His love is boundless.  He was not an ordained minister, and one wonders why not, yet we realize he is, and always shall be, a "minister of life" to those who care to listen.

I want to share with you a link to a short video of him.  Along the right side of this site, you will find many more clips to choose from.  Please take the time to come back and watch those clips as well.  Bookmark the site and purchase his books.  He is worth having in your life.  Even though he is no longer with us, he has left us a legacy of information, understanding, and love, that can change the world: Leo Buscaglia: "The Time Is Now".

Leo taught me about change, this sense of morphing from what we are into what we are supposed to become; caterpillar to chrysalis, to butterfly.  Crap to manure, to fertilizer... for seeds yet to grow; change being the only true constant in the universe and creation the one true miracle.  I forgot his words during the years I watched my marriage dissolve, as I was fighting a losing battle, trying to hold it all together.  I was so much better than this, and I had so much more to offer to so many others.  Why do we fight battles against those we love when they don't love us?  Because we're selfish, or because we care.  Maybe because we're afraid... to let go.  Change is inevitable, so why fight it? 

I believe that you control your destiny, that you can be what you want to be. You can also stop and say, 'No I won't do it. I won't behave this way anymore. I'm lonely and I need people around me, maybe I have to change my methods of behaving,' and then you do it. 

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.

-- Leo Bucaglia (1924-1998)

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.