Have a bit of a headache and a residual tiredness, so i shall attempt to make this snappy.Ha!
Shears. One day, the day before yesterday it seems to me, while out on the balcony and randomly pondering God and punishment and Karma and a whole casserole of things, it hit me that another way to look at this (which makes more sense to me and my conscience) is that God doesn't prune you, He prunes your life. Yes i know, the subtlety is major, blink and you miss it. Somewhere in me though, it's not as terrifying when i don't feel attacked. Now i am in no way saying you should tweak your Faith around to pamper you...But i do think this middle-ages Catholic guilt and fire thing is also a bit much in the other direction, if you catch my drift. God, i believe, ultimately works with us, guides us so that we go through the maze that we were put here to go through. Our own customized maze. As i have established in a trillion of my posts, i don't believe God harbours a personal Vendetta against any one of us...which is why this very image of Him pruning me is wonky. It has too many undertones of getting personal in a non-rainbow sort of way. Pruning my life, however, taking out bits i don't need, by force where necessary...well that's a whole other kettle of fish...or tub of ice cream or whatever pleasant things you can think of...As i say, the difference is subtle, but to me, it's there. God prunes my life, He has on several occasions pried out of my relentless grip things i needed to let go of but just could not be reasoned with to. He has dropped in my lap things i wouldn't have thought i needed..He is quite the Gardner in my life all right...But He isn't out to get me...as the other version starts looking when them Zealots have a go at it..i mean really!
On to the second part! Final Destinations (lovely movie too, by the way...a lot of laughs)...So I finished reading Eat, Pray, Love. Towards the end, i was reminded of a quote i came across while still in search of aforementioned book (oh i was dedicated all right). I think i come across things at the exact time i'm supposed to...a Sufi Quote..Hafiz, if i remember correctly: God long ago drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot you are standing now...oh wait...or is that from the book?.Hafiz say i! i attribute it to him in any case, like it or not...if you requote, you can go..IceQueen-Hafiz-Gilbery...ha!..anyways...it was the illustration her Bali medicine man gave her...about how he's been to Heaven. He starts off with that bit, about going through 7 levels and how heaven was all bliss and unimaginable beauty and just everything you think it is but to the highest power....and then he says he's been to hell too..but the seven levels on the way there, unlike the ones to Heaven are literraly that- Hell. Unpleasant, unhappy and in summary- you don't wanna go that way. So how's Hell then, Elizabeth asks? Oh..same as Heaven he says. The difference is in the way you get there. You might as well take the happy road.
This, i believe, sums up the way i regard this whole Journey/Tour of life business. You are here, we are all going somewhere when the show is over... No telling that it's not the same place, but that's not for us to worry our pretty heads about. We are here, and only here can we make decisions. Ones that affect us now, and hypothetically later. The later will sort itself out...Even the Bible says not to be anxious about tomorrow...SEE? they knew Amebos will about that want to plot everything plus write God's script and His entrances and exits...i roll my eyes, really...So basically...you choose if you are taking the happy route, or the unhappy one. Final destination unknown, but now highly suspected to be the same for us all...and we'll get asked by Stewie Griffin "what did you learn?" hehe..i crack myself up
I had a tangent thought..but i lost it :( hate when that happens...ah well..bottom line..oh there it is! Machiavelli. Good...now that i have that written down, it ought to keep me on track. This is how my mind works..associations...because when you come down to it, EVERYTHING is interconnected. Best believe it. Ah yes, Machiavelli. How i came to him. Seeing that we just might be the ones setting the rules that govern our individual lives, we are the ones who chose the laws, Karmic or otherwise, by which we are judged/punished...see?connections; what you believe will materialize and be your reality..i am not bonkers, i assure you. This thought sprung on me in the midst of defining my righs and wrongs and trying to monitor and scrutinze my every thought, for example : those shoes are hideous! whoops...am i going to hell now? am i going to fail my test? oh Lord! what will become of me for my impure thoughts? and then i think of all the famous people throughout history who swore by lewd behaviour...those memoirs and letters can make porn stars blush! and at the same time, you have people who swore by chasity...and also didn't get struck down and did not bad for themselves really....Ah yes, Machiavelli...i haven't forgotten that one, whom i misunderstood for a bit...until both he and the bible agreed in my head...Nic says if you are going to be an evil overlord, for crying out loud, BE an evil overlord, and don't pussyfoot about it. Be thorough, be evil, invoke terror in your minions and opposers until they wise up. No slacking...This is if you choose to go that way. If you choose to be a saint,m there are handbooks on that too, but we aren't going there today. Now the bible parallel. Can't remember where, but it says, be hot for God..oh wait..that sounds wrong..okay, have a hot heart, not a lukewarm one in any case, or God will spit you out (really, how do they come up with these things?) See what i mean? it says, choose a path and do that...i guess when you croak you'll find out how that works out...
Personally, i believe in goodness *shrug*, you know..regular, people-liking, non murdering goodness. As for slip ups, they happen, but in no way do they mean you have failed. Know what you are working towards (fingers crossed it involves fields of flowers and not world domination, cuz frankly, that's sooo tired and sad) and do that...
Lol..sometimes, i raise more questions than i find clarity with these things...But questions are good. M. Scott says to question (in a much more eloquent and logically all smartass convincing way, of course), and only when you have questioned and returned to the same general conclusions may you boast of your faith...Works for me...I would like to be understood to some degree, not just terrify people into supplication...Nosiree!..okay so i've gone and typed a minor monograph....
I am thankful for inspiration then! the miracles that happen, eh? i was going to do a paragraph and a half!
I am thankful for God...believe in Him or not, He exists. He is the one thing you cannot mind-bend or positive think away...I'd suggest you got with the program and incorporated Him into your life sharpish...
I am thankful that He gave us delightful puzzle within a puzzle to ponder...We get to live this life, and while doing so...get to wonder about it and try to figure it out...Freud might be right in that little bit that it's all about sex, but that's just one corner of the whole ouzzle...the huge giant picture of it is that we are all wondering the Meaning Of Life..trying to find the Key to the code..except that there are so many...see; on a Tangent..people search for The Truth...which is where we get knocked off course really...in the pursuit of One, when there are so many! ooh this is totally next week's post...there's a Shaw quote, i believe...there are so many ways to live a life...but as for the single right way, it doesn't exist. So with truth....the single, correct, universal one..is a myth...Life is beyond hitting that perfect combo and winning the jackpot..it just doesn't work like that...Right and Wrong, even, are forever debatable. Will go into this next Thursday...but one question..Is Judas to blame? see? not that easy afterall, huh? and if you say yes, i will pelt you with a teacup, for it is my blog and how dare you! Think! :P
I am thankful for my family...
I am thankful for my father...without whom i won't be me...not in any way that i can think of...physically, psychologically.... His mind, his principles...i don't claim to have inherited them verbatim (heavens no! what would we argue about?), but the bulk of the important stuff...yea...even the butterfly effect ones...
I am thankful for my mother...she is...whoa...she is my friend, she is my rock, she is my comforter, she is the one who grounds me, the one who props me up, the one who makes me see that the sky falling down is nothing but a minor problem that will right itself while we plaster on huge smiles and stick our tongues out at it
I am thankful for my sisters...i am not alone. My two widdle darling angels who are growing up wayyy faster than i can process...i keep starting a collection of go-to, default solutions to boy crises...how do i keep them in check? will a frightening mask do? how do i not smother them? so many questions...
I am thankful for my grandparents
I am thankful for my amazing boyfriend...baby, i LOVE YOU!
I am thankful for love
I am thankful for books...*ahem* and my sunshine of a book lady, and i am thankful for awesome books coming in....
I am thankful for friends...real, true ones...those are angels God surrounds you with
I am thankful for smiles and the people who never fail to get them out of me
I am thanfuk for kindness
I am thankful for change...this weather ne...as grateful as i am...Summer please come soon! if only i could Hybernate...
I am thankful for learning...and for new skills not eluding me..anybody need a quick sketch of a skirt?
I am thankful for beauty
I am thankful for art
I am thankful for talented people
I am thankful for intelligence and intelligent people
I am thankful for conscience
I am thankful for thoughtfulness
I am thankful for food
I am thankful for me
I am thankful for my life, and it being just the way it's meant to be..yea, fatalist me..except it's not that simple..but i saw an explanation recently, involved horses called Fate and Free will and you trying to balance them while performing a circus trick
I am thankful for spontaniety
I am thankful for music
I am thankful that he loves me :P
I am thankful for us...i keep saying this..but i am truly blessed..BLESSED i tell you!
I am thankful for humour
I am thankful that i'm so blessed
I am thankful for bloggers and their kindness, really....
I am thankful for indie films...nothing beats an indie film :P
I am thankful for humour! Sophie Kinsella is a riot!
I am thankful for every breath and every waking moment and every thought and and....God...I am thankful that after running around in all the circles people want to...the fact is that we exist. Descartes...i think, therefore i am...this has been my proof of God since i was tiny...the fact that i exist, and i am asking this question...
I am thankful! for things big and small, things obvious and sublime, things earth shattering and things you barely notice...all of it is a blessing..and nothing should be taken for granted or forced to be confined to our ill informed ranking system...really
I am thankful!
