Share joy and sorrow alike. ~ Duke Shanxiang, Zhou Dynasty
People want to be a shoulder for you to cry on when you have sorrow, just as much as they wish to share in your joys. Do not feel you are a burden to others when you have trying times in your life. Let others lift you up. Share your joy and sorrow alike.
I am thankful for good friends and neighbors! I had the opportunity to connect and socialize with both a good friend and a great neighbor today, which was a timely reminder for me on the importance of having good people in my life. I find that Facebook makes it easier for me to stay connected; and, I am grateful that many of my friends, neighbors and family members use it.
I am thankful that those in my life who do use Facebook are mindful of netiquette, which is the term used for internet etiquette. Good manners and positive treatment is very important whether we are on-line, face-to-face or on-the-phone. With social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, which are so public, I am very conscious of how I present myself.
I make an effort to post only positive messages; moreover, I make a point to praise and promote my Facebook friends whenever I can. I value people and their feelings, therefore, I make a practice of only stating kind and positive statements about others. If I cannot say something nice, I do not say anything at all. I will not sing-song with others who wish to go down the path of negativity; and, fortunately for me, my friends rarely take that path. This builds meaningful interpersonal relationships and positive communities. I appreciate my good friends and neighbors.
Today I spent much of the day painting more Gifts of Love. I will share those images tomorrow. More importantly I had the opportunity to give “Gift of Love #9” to a dear friend who I learned is moving. What is amazing about this is I did not know she was moving until after I gave her the gift. My heart (as inspired by God) urged me to give her one.
The story behind this gift presentation is as follows. Earlier this week I reconnected with some friends from a church in which I was a regular member years ago. This transpired during a special service that honored the recent death of the founding reverend pastor of that church. I was close to this pastor and it was a bittersweet event. I carried a heavy heart, but he wanted us to celebrate his passing. After this special service, many of the regular members of the church wished me to return to the parish, especially one of my dearer friends.
So, my husband and I planned and went to this evening’s church service. I felt compelled to give my one dear friend a Gift of Love. She was absolutely delighted. This is what I love about her, she always values and appreciates everything and everyone! This is when I learned that she and her husband are moving at the end of this month. I am both sad and happy about this. I will miss her and her husband; but, she will be closer to her children and grandchildren. The Gift of Love was perfect!
I also was given the opportunity to speak about my Gift of Love campaign and the importance of addressing bullying. I felt so much support from my peers at this church as we discussed the timeliness of my campaign and the importance of addressing bullying… empowering and equipping parents and children with the emotional tools they need to survive bullying.
I truly feel that I have been Divinely led tonight, which has again renewed my already profound faith in Jesus Christ. This is what I need to be doing; this is my purpose and calling. I have been chosen to be an advocate and inspiration of love and kindness as the way to address bullying and negativity to create positive changes in my community and in our world.
My friendly challenge to you is to find a way to spread love and kindness this weekend, not just to those who you feel deserve it; but, see if you can be especially nice to those who may be gruff, persnickety, prickly or even a bully.
A Kiss Of Bliss 