Happy Hump Day, y’all!
It seems like the days are going by slowly at first when the week starts, then … WHAM!! … the weekend is upon us again!! Have you been enjoying your summer vacations?! Well, maybe just enjoying summer and … taking that vacation when you can?! The latter is more like what I experience from time to time. Now, I’m not complaining either ’cause I like to work … as long as I can! I remember when my father was “toying” with the idea of retirement before his bone marrow cancer became full blown … He always liked to work, and work he did often … weekends and nights sometimes, even. This was the guy who took life in leaps and strides as he sought to raise his family with my mother … in peace.
Last night was the last class with a wonderful client I have had the pleasure of working with – Daniel Nehdar. It was a client sent through divine direction, if you will. I always add “if you will” because it may be some of us reading may not agree, which is fine with me. “We can agree to disagree!” as some of the most famous philosophs often did … if we are mature enough spiritually! This was essentially an opportunity for me to hone my skills, though I often just open up to my “higher power” for direction while I bring my “people skills” and general knowledge to the table. In our last class last night, we discussed the on-going fighting in the Middle East as well as in the Russian/Ukraine area. In exchanging reports we’ve heard, it seems that the bombing there in the Gaza Strip area and Israel will be continuing for a while. Can we stop it?? Can you stop it?? … the violence, that is … When the fight isn’t even ours??! I guess we have to hope that “THEY” can stop themselves, though the reports look bleak. Daniel and I both agreed that this will be a hard sought after “quest for peace”, if anything at all …
Perhaps, we have to settle for “their” inability to find peaceful coexistence there. Perhaps … we have to settle for the scribbling of swastikas on temples in Miami … Maybe, we have to settle for the painting of words like “Hamas” on vehicles of Palestinians living in the USA … Miami in particular. Enter, personal peace. What?!? Yes, personal peace. We can’t always make “the other party” accept peace when that is all we may be seeking. One can’t even convince another that one is genuinely peaceful through conversation or writing them. One can hardly convince another person of anything, let alone peace. In our last session, Daniel presented a speech which he wrote completely by himself, and, delivered it to me. His words were rather mature and insightful for a youngster, a teenager at that. In his words flowed his own self concept, which he says improved tremendously through our sessions of reading, writing, current events, essays and planning activities. I was so impressed at his words, and charged him to continue along this path he has charted out for himself. I also told him how wonderful his father, David, is and how he and I worked together to get the proper course of study to get Daniel ready for this upcoming school year and his move with his family to a new state and city. The moments of parting were rather emotional … the memories are permanent … as we all embraced our miraculous meeting and the divine direction our friendship has taken. I charged Daniel to continue. He said he would.
This peace thing I talk about, as well as so many others, may seem worthless in a world where wars are waged for “a misunderstanding” or “a disagreement”, not to mention different approaches to life. Can we “live and let live”? Or do we humans have to meddle in each others affairs until “we” find an excuse for war??? Wouldn’t it be nice if we all could complete this “quest for peace” … if only within ourselves?! I charge each of you with that … for homework, if you will! Have a great Hump Day … and … be at peace with one another.
Peace,
John I. Cook
Educational Excellence 