52 Thoughts: Change and Journey

There are fifty-two weeks in our year.  This means there are fifty-two opportunities for a person to take a moment and reflect on what has transpired in his or her week. We have fifty-two opportunities to reflect on experiences, learn how those experiences impact life, stir reflection, and observe what changes will transpire.

Just think about the number of thoughts and reflections we have traveling one time around the sun!  

Sometimes reflection occurs from one stream of consciousness to the next. You know, when you are sitting, looking through a window and your thoughts jump from the rainy weather to thoughts about what you will cook tonight, to thoughts about “Why did I say such things in anger?” Thoughts move from one place to another and sometimes, you just don’t know how you ended at your final destination. 

Anyways, that is what you will read here in 2020. In the words of Chuck D, 2020 is the number, “sound of the funky drummer.” Every week will be a thought or a number of thoughts! An opportunity for you to read unfiltered what is going on in my head about a number of different things. Now I have many interests. I read widely and I have a number of thoughts. I try to stay at home regarding religion, politics, race and poverty, and economics.  These topics are important to me as I understand my nonprofit work and how to negotiate a host of different issues. 

I mean on any given week I will read about a particular religious perspective, hear a talk about the problems of capitalism, socialism, or some other ism, and shake my head at a particular social issue. I try to stay home on these issues because really…I don’t find interest in topics such as climate change, engineering, or what makes the best car. 

I mean maybe you do… 

I did say these thoughts would be unfiltered? Yeah I did.

At the end of 2019- December 22 as a matter of fact- I joined the Catholic Church. This was liberating. I was tired with Protestantism. I love the people. But the system, the organization was…ugh!  It was lacking a consistent message and ethic I was needing in my life. The closure of Brookside took an emotional toll on me and the one place I found peace was the quietness of the St. Joseph Chapel. I was tired of the selective outrage when it came to racial issues, selective moral outrage regarding politics, and well…I just needed more structure, awe, and wonder in my life. 

Why we arguing about Beth Moore?!  Why does Trump get a pass and Clinton does not? I want to put my hands on this landlord! 

This has actually been a burden I had been experiencing since 2017. It was not until I began working on my dissertation, digging deeper into religious philosophy-Thomistic Personalism- which was guiding my nonprofit, and dealing with some personal issues, that something was awakened in my life. God breathed on an ember which was placed in my life way back in 1983-1986.  

Fires are good! Fires burn away things not needed in life and at the same time can provide you warmth. I anticipate losing on so many levels but courage is knowing to move forward in the certainty of great difficulty. So there is that. The glory of God is man fully alive and I have a long journey still ahead. 

​Speaking of journeys...

I had to submit myself to the Arkansas powers for permission to drive my Jeep for another year. Like whose idea was this?  Where is this money going?

This is a great hustle. 

Check this out…before you can drive YOUR car you have to get permission. You have to go to the Faulkner County Assessor to assess your property and then pay property tax. Then once that is done and you get your “permission slip” in the form of proof of Assessment, you head to the Revenue office with that “permission slip.” There you have to stand in line- depending on the time of the month-pay another tax and receive a sticker….so you can drive without being pulled over by law enforcement. 

Real talk.  You know your kids can’t drive your car without permission and if they did, what would happen? 

Some reason I still have not received any help from the state of Arkansas to pay my car note. I guess if my initials were HP or DXC…I’d be good. 

Ice Cube said it best, “No vaseline.” 

BE LOVE
BE KIND
BE GENEROUS

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