I and Thou – Zero Contact

Blog_Pic56 Relationships are not simple, far from it. Many parents have experienced children who pull away – sometimes for reasons parents can’t figure out others for apparent reasons. Children who distance themselves from parents believe the parents failed in some significant way – typically unbeknownst to them. The parent is left befuddled and profoundly heartbroken. Like a limb that has been severed; yet still feel is there. Human relationships are fragile. A relationship with the Divine is 100% contact. Faith in God is your rock. For those of you who have zero contact with your children – don’t lose hope. As long as there is breath in life – so is there a chance of reconciliation. Today, tomorrow or the day after. May you find restoration.

I and Thou – Love, Sweet Love

Blog_Pic54
Love for a child,
Runs deep in the soul.
Anger shades the leaves so green.
Love for a child,
Runs deep in the soul.
Shame shades the leaves so red.
Love for a child,
Runs deep in the soul.
Blame shades the leaves so brown.
The tree grows and matures through time,
The leaves once green are now so brittle.
Deep in the roots the tree lives on,
The roots fed by love sweet love.

Photo Credit: Abhishek Kumar

I and Thou – New Year’s ABC’s

Happy New Year!

Artwork Credit: David Baruch Wolk
Title: Holy Alphabet

In with the new and out with the old.

In with…

Affirmation and out with rejection.

Blessing and out with condemnation.

Calmness and out with turbulence.

Delight and out with discontent.

Endearment and out with alienation.

Friendship and out with aloofness.

Gratitude and out with thanklessness.

Harmony and out with discord.

Improvement and out with stagnation.

Justice and out with falsehood.

Kindness and out with selfishness.

Love and out with hatred.

Magnificent and out with ordinary.

Navigate and out with ignore.

Optimism and out with hopelessness.

Passion and out with indifference.

Quirky and out with conventional.

Relationship and out with estrangement.

Self-reflection and out with self-absorption

Tranquility and out with upheaval.

Understanding and out with unfeeling.

Value and out with worthlessness.

Warmth and out with coldness.

X-traordinary and out with the standard.

Yet and out with but.

Zip and out with inactivity.

In with the new and out with the old.

I and Thou – Celebrate Life!

Mother’s Day is bittersweet if you have a good relationship with one child and a non-existent relationship with the other. How on earth can this happen? Well, today we are not going to try to figure this out. No one is to blame, and no one is to be sad.

Today is a day of celebration!
Celebrating love. Blog_Pic43
Celebrating life.

Whether or not you are in good standing with your children, today is a day to celebrate Mothers; regardless of the emotional baggage that may or may not be there. Mother’s are rocks. Mother’s are saints. Mother’s are close to being divine. Whether your mother is alive or not, think of the nine-month gestation period which she carried you. She loved you from the moment she suspected she was pregnant. She delivered, fed, and nurtured YOU! And, that is worth celebrating!

I and Thou – Dare to Stand

God created all people. Over the years, people have scattered and lost sight of God. Many cultures rejected God and began to believe they were self-sufficient. They didn’t need God in their life. Many people today, still believe they don’t need God and worse, they think that people who do believe in God, are somehow weak or less than. It is the people who dare to stand up and say YES I believe in God, the one True Blog_Pic41 God, the God who made heaven and earth that is seen and unseen, who hear God’s voice. The Giver of Life. The Almighty God. God brought all goodness to the planet. It is the people and the work of Satan that destroyed so much of the goodness. In the end, God will reign. Forever and ever. The human mind doubts this, and it is tough to believe that there will be a forever and ever. Life will end as we know it; yet, our spirits will live. It will BE forever. Your soul will commune with God eternally. You will live in the light, and your physical aches and pains will disappear. You will have no more pain. No more sorrow. No more heartaches. You will be reunited with those who have passed onto the next life before you…spouses, parents, all of your loved ones and especially estranged children. Declare God’s divinity now! Stand up! Be accountable! Ask Forgiveness! Go and spread the Good News! God is alive! Every knee shall bow down to God. Be bold and worship! All are welcome and that means YOU…it is time…rejoice! God is alive!

I and Thou – Without Just Cause

Adults fed you falsehoods which made you feel unsafe; yet, you don’t understand why. You felt abandoned. Stalked. Unjustly crucified. Accused of something you did not do.
You severed a relationship without just cause. Blog_Pic36

Fear of abuse. Sexual abuse. Physical abuse. Financial abuse. Emotional abuse. Buried deep down within your soul the fear is there. Fear of the unknown. It is latent, and you don’t remember the specific events.
You severed a relationship without just cause.

Trusting is difficult. You readily accuse without facts. You wanted to control the situation; yet, you were helpless. God lit a path you did not take because you wanted to live on your own terms.
You severed a relationship without just cause.

I and Thou – Pain of Estrangement

The Pain of Estrangement

Mother and eldest son estranged
Since the divorce.

Mother sent gifts first Christmas
Father returned them unopened.

Mother doesn’t understand why
Father doesn’t talk to mother either.

Mother feels betrayed, shamed and disrespected
Father feels in control, full of power.

Mother fights the tears away
Father delights in seeing his son.

Mother hasn’t seen son in years
Father sees him regularly.

Mother moved 5 times in 6 years
Father moved none.

Mother, uncle, and grandmother shunned at graduation
Father and other grandparents celebrated with the son.

Mother’s mother passed away
The eldest son was unresponsive.

Mother watched college graduation through live stream
Father flew to witness and celebrate.

Mother has no address for son
Father doesn’t share information.

Mother loves a child unconditionally
Father loves a child unconditionally.

Then, why does the Father
Keep the Mother away?

I and Thou – You are not Worthless

You were and are not Worthless

You were not worthless
because you were molested as a child.

You were not worthless
because you were date raped in college.

You were not worthless
because you married a man, who lost his love for you.

You were not worthless
because your husband sought to financially destroy you.

You were not worthless
because you needed to protect vulnerable children.

You were not worthless
because your husband alienated your child from you.

You were not worthless
because you worked four jobs to pay bills.

You were not worthless
because you brought enormous and abundant value to so many.

You were not worthless
because actions had consequences.

You were not worthless
because you were kind, gentle, and compassionate.

You were not worthless
because you were responsible, a good communicator and role-model advisor.

You were not worthless
because you loved to teach, coach and mentor.

You were not worthless
because actions caused visible, invisible, and physical reactions.

You were not worthless
because your words were meaningful and profoundly insightful.

You were not worthless
because you would never stop talking to someone no matter what the circumstances were.

You were not worthless
because you love with a never-ending love.

You were not worthless
because you could whip up a gourmet meal on a moment’s notice.

You were not worthless
because you achieved the goals, you set for yourself.

You were not worthless
because you had grit and an abominable spirit.

You were not worthless
because you overcame many trials and tribulations

You were not worthless
because you placed other’s needs above your own.

You were not worthless
because you overcame.

You were not worthless
because you forgave those, who needed forgiveness.

You are not worthless
because you are a child of the almighty creator of the universe.

I and Thou – The Gift of Peace

God is so glad you are here. God cares about you. He seeks to bring you peace. Are you a parent? God designed parents to love their children and encourage them and to supply their needs and to build character and to be a blessing. Each child in this world needs to know that they are a blessing. A blessing. A gift. A gift from God. No child should ever feel they are a burden. Even when one parent does not feel they are ready to be a parent, Blog_Pic14 that parent needs to rejoice and celebrate the creation of life in the womb. No partner deserves to be called names. No partner deserves blame. No partner deserves to feel alienated. Alienated from love. Estranged from children.

Mothers and Fathers have an obligation to their children to love them unconditionally and to be good role models. If you have young children, spend quality time with them. Read. Tell stories. Play in the bath. Give them time. As children grow, they will need more space. Continue to love them. Be there when they need you. Lean on God when your children are not physically with you. Reach out to them by phone. Tell them how much you love them. God wants you to have peace. Peace for you. Peace for your children. Peace for your marriage. Or, peace for your divorce.

I and Thou – Estrangement and Panic Attacks

Have you ever had a panic attack? One of the reasons you may have a panic attack is because you don’t trust God enough. You don’t think God hears your cries nor keeps the promises He has made. In God’s time – not yours. Trust is important. You need to trust God more than anyone else in the world. You Blog_Pic11 need to know that God is truth. God is life. God is the way. God has power over all that is, and all that will be. God can connect people or separate them. God has a higher purpose in mind that you can not understand. Panic attacks come from fear. Fear that something will happen to a loved one. The concern that a loved one needs care. Doubt that you will not see a loved one again. Panic attacks are real. It feels like a limb has been amputated. You feel ghost pain. Panic attacks are wake up calls. It is a call to turn to God. Turn to love. Turn to trust. God is the keeper of time. God is the keeper of truth. God is the keeper of love. Time is so very short on earth. And, heaven is timeless. It will be in the present, and it will be eternal. It is forever. The love you have for your child is eternal. It is forever. It is love. It is the same love from God. Each time you think of your child and feel love, I want you to think of God and the love He has for you. This is the Good News. The love of God is Good News. When no one else loves you, God does. The love you have a for a child is similar to the love God has for each one of us. God’s message of love is for everyone. Not all who hear will believe. Rewards will be abundant for all those who believe and it will offset all of the loss you have had in your life. You will gain in eternity what you have lost on earth. So, don’t be troubled. Keep on the high course. Keep doing what you are doing. Keep on the path. Keep reaching out to your estranged child. He or she needs to know your love. No matter what. Your child will return one day. Know that. That is God’s promise to you. Only God knows when. Keep praying. Keep loving. May your panic attacks be replaced by faith, hope, and love. And, anticipation. Anticipation of a reunification. Some day. Some place. Some time.