Religion and Politics

Either of these subjects can lead a person into dangerous territory..that is; heated arguments, loss of friendships, judgement of one's sanity, hatred and ridicule, just to name a few. With that said, I will jump right in and state that I am a moderate "Demo-pendent" when it comes to politics (I shall avoid these today) and finally, after a lifetime of searching, reading the Old and New Testaments several times, along with many other religious books, participating fully in church services and activities, and seeking truth about religion and life's purpose since I was a very young girl, I have found an answer for myself.

This answer began to germinate nearly four years ago, when simply by gut feeling, I was compelled to go to the book store. Having no idea what I was looking to buy, I was led, again by this gut feeling, to the metaphysical section of that store. Yes, I have read many of this type book, some very thought provoking, others just plain ridiculous. So as I browsed through the titles, finding nothing pulling me in, I wondered what in the world I was doing there spending my precious time in futility. However, that darn gut feeling kept tugging at me until, on a lower shelf, I saw a small book entitled Conversations with God, Book 1, by Neale Donald Walsch. I somehow knew this was the book I should purchase that day, which I did. I went back to work and thought of this book for the rest of the day, anxious to read what MY self was trying to tell me. Later, I learned that these books (3) had been on the New York Times best seller lists for long periods of time. I had never heard of them.

I arrived home that evening, ignoring the Fireman, dinner, the dogs and the cat, taking time to get into my favorite flannel jammies, making myself comfortable on my bed, propped up by four big down-filled pillows, and started reading. I read those words with an increasing feeling of joy in my heart until all 211 pages had filled my head with a thousand questions when I finished that same evening. In the coming weeks, I read it over and over and over again. I shared it with some friends, co-workers and family members; some who read it and heard the message and some who read it and heard nothing. Either was OK by me. Later that same year, I obtained the trilogy of Conversations with God on CDs which have brought the words to life for me many times over. Certainly there are some things contained in this work that did not resonate as strongly as others in my heart. However, with each reading or hearing of these "conversations" my understanding becomes more clear.

In all honesty, there have been periods of time when I have not spent time with these words but when my soul thinks I need a refresher, it has nudged me into re-reading or listening once again.
I have been actively doing this for the past few weeks, sometimes forcing myself into stopping so that I can get the necessary duties at home done.

Today, after four years of studying these works and others by the same author or recommended by him, I am ready to declare that I have found my truth; something that rings true to me. It doesn't matter to me whether I am judged to be out of my mind, a heretic or anything else, I only care about what is truth for me and my soul and the joy this "knowing" brings to me. I love my God, my God love me equally. Of that I am 100% certain.

This post is in no way my attempt to proselytize anyone; it is simply my way of crying out, with no shame or reluctance, to the world of the joy I feel for the truths that make my soul sing.

Life is indeed, a bowl of cherries, even with the pits along the way! Love and peace to the world of humanity. Amen and goodnight.