Daily Reflection

“We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God.” (St. Francis De Sales)

So often, when those storms come a rumbling in life, people have the tendency to run to something for ease and comfort, especially when those storms end up lasting for more than just a short period of time. Over the last several years, I have had one of those tumultuous storms going on myself and unfortunately, so far it hasn’t passed yet. But through it all, I’ve remained clean and sober from all of my former addictions and have not run to anything to take the pain away that this storm has constantly brought me. I believe there’s only one reason why I’ve been able to do this and that’s God. Why I do say this? Because every time I ever sought out ease and comfort in the past during any of those storms that came upon me, I never asked God to help guide me through them. Instead, I was always trying to shield myself as fast as possible from those storms, seeking quick relief, and doing everything I can to avoid the pain they brought me. Yet ironically, some of the greatest spiritual growth I’ve made in life has come through enduring this tumultuous storm for as long as I have. And the only thing I’m really doing differently now is asking God every day for the strength, guidance, and direction to make it through. Somehow it’s working and somehow I just know this storm will eventually pass, because they always do. Some pass quicker than others, but no matter what the length, the only way I know today to avoid seeking that quick ease and comfort while going through them is to ask God for help, of which I will continue to do until it ends, because it will.

I pray for the strength, guidance and direction to safely make it through this storm and I pray I continue to endure it rather than seek ways to avoid it, as I know I will spiritually grow in doing so, as much as I know the calming of it will eventually come.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

October’s Questions For You To Ponder (Halloween Themed!)

Happy Halloween everyone! I decided to end this month with my questions for everyone to ponder. 🙂 This time I decided to utilize a theme to them because it is Halloween. And while I know a few of them aren’t necessarily “spiritual”, I thought it might be fun to ask them nonetheless. I hope you will continue to take some time to mull them each over, and as always, my own answers are listed below.

  1. If Halloween were about every home handing out something they felt was spiritual to every trick-or-treater, what would you want to hand out?
  2. If one person could come visit you from beyond the grave on Halloween night, whom would you want to show up?
  3. What was the most fun costume you’ve even worn on Halloween?
  4. If you could be given the ability to see and communicate with all ghosts and spirits on the planet, would you want that and why?
  5. What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?
  6. What candy do you have the most problem with eating way too much of when its around in abundance?
  7. What is your most favorite memory of Halloween from your childhood?
  8. What is your least favorite memory of Halloween from your childhood?
  9. What do you like the most about Halloween as an adult?
  10. What do you like the least about Halloween as an adult?

And one more for good measure as always:

  1. What would you consider the scariest thing to be doing on Halloween night?

My answers:

  1. A wooden cross.
  2. My mother.
  3. A court jester.
  4. To help them cross over into the light. (A Ghost Whisperer)
  5. Lifeforce.
  6. Mounds or Almond Joy.
  7. Running from house to house over the course of 2 hours to get 2 huge bags of candy on one particular Halloween night.
  8. Getting egged and shaving creamed by some bullies or the truck that went around my neighborhood shooting kids with a BB gun.
  9. Seeing all the tiny tots wearing the cutest of costumes.
  10. The same thing I did as a kid, the people who use the night to create mischief and do damage to other people’s property
  11. Walking through a cemetery known to be haunted.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

The Dollar General Resentment That Didn’t Go Away

A friend of mine recently walked into Dollar General where he promptly was greeted by one of the workers there who said “Hey, aren’t you that kid I punched back in school when we were kids?” And indeed, it was that person who had bullied my friend in his early school years on a particular day when this guy felt like it would be a good idea to hit someone really hard for no specific reason.

So how does one respond to something like this? Well, the path my friend took was the cynical one, when he replied “Hey, aren’t you that guy who did nothing with his life and grew up to work at a Dollar General?” While that might seem funny at first and almost vindicating on some level, the end result really isn’t all that satisfying to the soul. The fact is my friend still resented this person afterwards and their sarcastic response merely only added onto it.

I too have been in this exact place before and said comments no different to those I still found myself resenting many years later. The downside to making them though is that it doesn’t do any good. It doesn’t heal that wound that’s been buried for years. It doesn’t take the pain away. And the reality is that it only adds onto it. This is precisely why I decided a bunch of years ago to forgive all the people who had ever harmed me and let all that anger and resentment go once and for all. And you know, doing so has helped me tremendously.

Now if I were to encounter a situation like my friend did at Dollar General, I’d take a totally different path than those old cynical and sarcastic ones. Instead, I’d reply “Hey, yeah, that was me and while it did hurt me for years afterwards, I want you to know that I forgave you for it and I really just hope you are doing well these days. Anyway, have a good day my friend.” And with that I’d head back out the store, free of the burden, free of the pain, and free of the resentment.

Saying something like this is truly so much more powerful because it’s removing the poison from my system instead of adding onto it. And just as important, the reality is that any burden that might be remaining is probably going to be on the former bully at Dollar General because it’s his guilty conscience that’s bringing it up all these years later, not mine.

So the next time you find yourself facing someone you still have resentment towards, take a moment, breath, and try communicating to them from a place of love, forgiveness and peace, instead of one that comes from darkness and hate. I can assure you that if you do, you’ll feel a lot freer in the end…

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson