There has surely been a lot news reporting in the outside world, in the global world. Unfortunately, too much of it is not uplifting and is downright depressing. How many massacres have occurred this month alone?... Ukrainians are still fighting for their country and freedom... Inflation continues to climb. On and on it goes.

But I won’t leave you with those thoughts! I know we cannot keep our heads in the stand, but there is good news out there to lift our spirits so that we can shine our light, helping to heal the world.

“… I know I can only help the world heal with my positive attitude.”

– Deborah Perdue

 

So here’s some good global news:

An 84-year-old woman was filled with pure joy after completing her college degree that had been put on hold decades ago just 25-28 credits short of graduating.

A Jewish teen put her baby up for adoption during WWII. Mother and daughter just reunited after 80 years and had an instant connection; they also learned about one another’s remarkable life.

Where once thousands of rusted barrels oozed out industrial slime, and pesticides, arsenic, paint, and heavy metals ran along the ground, now lie tranquil forested ponds full of fish, insects, and amphibians. Flowers visited by birds, bees, and butterflies all grow along the borders of this now thriving ecosystem.

Now isn’t that more uplifting?!

I have good news on a personal note; it revolves around making a change, having the courage to make a change. I had been “pounding the pavement” although I already had a job. However, I needed and deserved a more fulfilling one, and yearned to honor myself with a role and work culture that feeds both my intellect and my spirit. Well, I think I found it!

Most of my job experience has been in the financial services field, but last week I started a job at a highly respected research university. In this organization, people are appreciated, respected, listened to, and supportive of others. There is a life-work balance, and the work is right up my alley—including utilizing the WordPress knowledge I’d garnered over 10+ years. Once I closed my business, I thought I’d not make substantial use of WordPress again, so I am delighted that I will be! My eclectic work and life adventures have paid off! I am so grateful.

“When people go to work they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.”

– Betty Nender

I clearly feel the difference in my soul, spending eight hours’ a day sharing my talents and skills; exercising my brain as I get oriented and learn; and, working in a warm, supportive, respectful culture. Not surprisingly, this contentment and joy has already positively impacted other areas and relationships in my life. In such a space, I am nourished into being a brighter presence in all my interactions, helping to raise the world’s vibration and increasing the good news.

The world so desperately needs healing. May you feel contentment and joy in your soul and help others to do so, healing this world one being at a time. It all begins with you and me. Love.

As explained by Naomi Judd in this video from years ago, there is an ancient Indian legend about a boy and his grandfather, who by night, would watch over their kinsmen in the form of an eagle and a wolf. The Judds share it in this video, which from what I can tell, at least parts of were filmed in beautiful Sedona (where I lived from 2009-2015).

"Go out and spread hope all up and down the streets as you walk them—hope for the world, hope in God, hope in the future." – Norman Vincent Peale

“My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth.” – Abraham Lincoln

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

– Joseph Campbell

Here in the United States, Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is one of our most sacred holidays. It is a day we set aside to remember the brave men and women who have fought and died to defend us and our freedom.

The origin of Memorial Day is complicated, but it’s not important who or where it was first proclaimed; what is important is that it was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

It is impossible to express our gratitude to the soldiers, and families of those soldiers, who are still with us and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. In what I know is a small gesture, nevertheless, whenever I meet someone who is currently serving or is a veteran, I make sure I thank them for giving up even a portion of their life and being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Hopefully one day there will be less soldiers we will need to honor on this holiday.

May you be at peace, be filled with joy, bear good news, and shine your light brightly.

Joyce S. Kaye, MSW