Spiritual Awakening: Color My World!!!
As I reflect back on the events of the last 6 weeks as they relate to COVID-19 Crisis I have experienced many emotions from grief to gratitude to worry to hope. I have come to realize that hop is not cancelled and with hope you can color your world.
In having hope you are able to open up the channels that allow you become an action taker thus expanding your spiritual awakening. When I was told that I would be furloughed from my job effective April 1 I was in despair wondering how I would pay my mortgage, the maintenance for the condo association, buy groceries and how I would make it through the situation created by COVID-19. I immediately turned to prayer and then sat in meditation. As I came out of meditation I started to post that I needed some help and asked people to visit www.paypal.com/jdogg8265. A few people visited and made it possible for me to go grocery shopping and pay a few bills. I then posted about needing gift cards and a couple of people came through including a young football player who I met through my role as a pa announcer who dropped off a $75 gift card. As I begin to see how many people were willing to help me I went from despair to hope knowing that if GOD brought me to it GOD will bring me through it. On Thursday (4/30/2020) I decided I would go out and return the favor and I volunteered at a community food distribution. At the end of food distribution volunteers were told to take a few things if they needed and as a result I was able to take a food items. As I left and drove home I kept thinking how hope prevails when we detach from outcomes and begin to help when and where we can. When I arrived home and unpacked my bag of food I reflected on just how grateful the people we gave food were and this really had me thinking about how we can create hope across all sectors of our society.
A few years ago after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans I wrote this poem.
Hope Prevails
By Jonathan Steven Lederman
A flag is tattered a house shattered no food, no water,
a parent’s search for their daughter reunited a family together
Hope Prevails.
A baby born under the storms
born healthy, happy, and saved provides a smile today
Hope Prevails.
Rescues continue supplies arrive
strangers become friends
Hope prevails
Communities work in unity
helping all to find dignity a nation unites
Hope Prevails.
A few years ago I was given a bracelet like the one pictured here. I was asked about many times and I would tell people it is about helping other people to excel. I gave the bracelet away about a year ago to someone who is a cancer survivor and she inspired me with her story and asked if she could could have my bracelet. It was my way of passing hope along. Through out the COVID-19 Crisis I have continued to hope for the best outcomes knowing that we will all come out of this stronger spiritually for we will all have learned that despite hardships we grow personally, professionally, and spiritually with a little bit of hope.
Over the last six weeks I have seen many losses but I also have seen many gains. I have seen events like Relay For Life get postponed but then I saw how resilient people are as they did virtual events to raise funds and shifted from disappointment to joy because they were still able to plant the seeds of hope and healing for those touched by cancer. I was able to see a shift in myself as well as I went from a sense of fear wanting to forget everything and run to a sense of purpose as I decided to face everything and rise. I was able to show gratitude to those on the front line with small gestures of gratitude. I was able to look deep inside and reconnect to my inner divinity and remind everyone that we are divine children of GOD and GOD wants us to be of service and value while coloring the world with hope.
Hope will help us to overcome all the blockages that are stopping us from reaching our full potential thus enabling us to make a mind, body, and soul connection.
It is amazing what happens if you have just a ray of hope. The universe delivered this song to me today titled A Song Of Hope. May you have hope. Namaste!!!