LET ME BE A LIGHT

 LET ME BE A LIGHT © 2009 Pashena T. Casimire

Several years ago I was part of a book club that met every Saturday morning. The first book we read was You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. Each Saturday was a well-spring of new ideas and our ability to create grew immensely. Two of us started businesses [www.themegodsees.org and www.deval-designs.com] as a result of opening ourselves up to the omnipotent presence of God. During this time Holy Spirit started downloading songs to me and we often started our book club sessions with one of the songs. LET ME BE A LIGHT is a very simple song with simple request to God. The lyrics are as follows:

Chorus: 

LET ME BE A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD. LET YOUR RADIATING LIGHT SHINE SO EVER BRIGHT FOR ALL TO SEE.

Verse I: 

I BELONG TO YOU AND I AM SET APART, YET MY FLESH DESIRES TO FLEE FROM THE SAFETY OF YOUR LIGHT AND YOUR LOVE.

Chorus:

LET ME BE A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD. LET YOUR RADIATING LIGHT SHINE SO EVER BRIGHT FOR ALL TO SEE.

Verse II:

SOME DAYS I'M  SO ALONE. MY MIND IS IN CONTROL. I TRY TO QUIET MY MIND, YET MY RACING THOUGHTS CONSUME MY WHOLE BEING.

Chorus:

LET ME BE A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD. LET YOUR RADIATING LIGHT SHINE SO EVER BRIGHT FOR ALL TO SEE.

Verse III:

I RECONNECT TO YOU. THE ALL-SUFFICIENT GOD. IN THIS SPACE I'M SAFE, HIDDEN FROM THE CARES OF THIS WORLD.

CHORUS:

LET ME BE A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD. LET YOUR RADIATING LIGHT SHINE SO EVER BRIGHT FOR ALL TO SEE.

Be a light today in the midst of any darkness.

ORBS or DUST?

My administrative assistant is an avid amateur photographer. Having your photograph taken by her is analogous to being in a short film. You have to point your toes, look at her forehead, say money, remove chewing gum, drop your chin, tilt your head and finally "stay still". Imagine the shock on last Thursday when she was reviewing and admiring her work of the previous day when one of her pictures was filled with orbs. She freaked all the more as I was one of the subjects. Actually a community civic organization was presenting me with a check and I asked her to capture a picture of the momentous event. These globes were on every part of the picture [the other subjects were cropped out]. Well I don't know if we were visited by clusters of spirits or if there was dust on the lenses. However, the display on the picture made for some interesting chills, goose bumps, and wows. I'm just wondering if the visitation is from dust or orbs. What do you think?

LIVE IN THIS MOMENT

"I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly God was speaking "My name is 'I Am'." I waited God continued. "When you live in the past, with it's mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not 'I will be'. When you live in this moment, it is not hard. I am here. My name is 'I Am'". (Helen Mallicoat)

SHE HELPED HERSELF

Viewing the major motion picture The Help was a moving experience. The characters were so vivid it felt as if I was eavesdropping on several people as opposed to watching a movie. My paternal grandmother was a domestic worker. As a child I didn't know what that meant. I only knew she wore a snow white starched dress, white stockings and white nursing type shoes. I never fully appreciated the breadth of her accomplishments until I was an adult. Her lifestyle was so exquisite one would never have guessed her occupation. Several years ago I penned a poem that captured sentiments of my grandmother's home in New Orleans.

1724 CLIO STREET

It was on Clio Street, 1724 that is, one block off of historic St. Charles Avenue that I was exposed to the fine things of life. It was on Clio Street Joseph and Irene's home that I first smelled expensive perfume. It was on Clio Street that I made my first friends, chased dragon flies and touted lizard, lizard show me your palette. It was on Clio Street that I learned peaches and figs grew on trees. It was on Clio Street where I learned backyards could be paved with bricks. It was on Clio Street that I learned people of color attended tea parties. It was on Clio Street where I learned a buffet was a fine piece of furniture, not only a restaurant. It was on Clio Street where I first saw silverware, china, and pocket doors. 1724 Clio Street is dormant, but not dead. She's resting. Preparing to be resurrected, and once again she'll be the pride of our family.

My grandmother was so ahead of her time. She was working as a domestic and living far better than the people who employed her. She didn't wait for a hand up or hand out. She helped herself and I am so glad she did.

JUST KEEP LIVING: IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER

Whenever someone makes a despondent or grandiose statement in my seventy-six year old father's presence he says, "Just keep living it ain't over till the fat lady sings." I am learning daily that the proverbial fat lady has really strong vocal cords and can hold notes a long time. It ain't over till the fat lady sings is not intended for offense. It is a colloquialism, essentially meaning that one should not assume the outcome of some activity until it is actually finished. The difficult part of waiting for the song to end is that life keeps spinning and the slopes become slippery. Keeping it together and not falling into the realm of absolute thinking (never and always) is the mentality behind my father's quote. We are sometimes too quick to draw conclusions. We cave in and quit too soon. Scripture refers to it as "getting weary in well doing." Circumstances can turn in our favor on a dime. Therein lies the proof that "it ain't over till it's over." We do not have the ability to see everything from beginning to end instantly. Life is a process of high and low notes mixed with transitional runs and pauses. We have to take our position on the center stage of life next to the fat lady and wait until she completes her song. Only then will we know it's over. In the meantime just keep living.

BEWARE OF HIDDEN THINGS

Life is filled with hidden things. Hidden costs, hidden fees, hidden agendas, hidden calories, hidden sugars and the list is endless. I am admittedly a news and information addict. The media format is insignificant give me audio, visual or print. Invariably a few times a year there is a story in the media regarding a person living a double life. These individuals go about their dual existence and in many instances show no outward signs of stress or distress. They have two families, two careers, two cars, two sets of friends, associates and rarely is there any type of intersection. Dateline NBC is notorious for these type stories and I have a ravenous appetite for the details. With each viewing I ask how they keep all the lies straight. It's a challenge for most of us to manage our lives as they are currently structured. The thought of adding sets of additional people into the mix is far beyond basic comprehension. A common denominator in these stories is the person leading the double life is an expert at hiding things. They have strategically compartmentalized their lives in a way that they believe their lies are truth. It is so easy to become judgmental and critical of these persons, but how different are we when we have hidden things in our lives. Many of us fail to face things in our lives that are just not working for us. We take on the position of an ostrich sticking our heads in the sand pretending nothing is wrong. Each of us must have someone in our live that has permission to rattle or dismantle our self-constructed cages. Yes, these persons are like sandpaper rubbing us the wrong way while also unmasking our hidden things. 

So what are you hiding?

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER CHANCE, AND ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY

Growing up the elders in the Baptist church I belonged to often said "God I thank you for another day-a day I have never seen before and a day I will never see again."  Those words are so true. Regardless as to how many days we are blessed with there is never an actual replication of a day. So often body weight struggles give the impression that all of our days are compressed into one large ball. We somehow lose the ability to segment or see the newness a day brings. Each day is an opportunity for each of us to see our worth and our value. We are not our bodies or our weight. We are beautiful gifts with loving hearts desirous of living optimal lives. Thank you God for Another Day, Another Chance and Another Opportunity. I promise to not let this day be wasted by not seeing the newness that lies within it.

~PEACE~