Death is not the end.

  Death.  Once you are born into this world, there is only one way out, and it has to be death.  It is something everyone must, at some time, go through.  No matter how it is defined in the dictionary, or by doctors and scientists, death is, indeed, the absence of the soul from the body.

  Once one dies, the next step is a funeral, and there are always many tears and tissues.  Some write letters to their deceased loved one.  Most feel an ache in their soul because they will never, in this life, be to see them again.  They feel bad for themselves. 

   My grandfather died less than six months ago.  It was unexpected, and at first, it seemed like the end of the world; everything just moved so fast.  Then, I stepped back and looked at the situation that I was in. I was beyond sad that he was gone, but was it because of how I wanted him back? yes.  I was sad for all the wrong reasons. I was self absorbed by my own feelings, not remembering that he is no longer suffering here on this earth. I know one might wonder, when not have been in the situation yet, why people are sad when one dies. I think we are more shocked by the realization that we have a certain number of years before we die and join that person, whether it be two years or twenty years. Such a long period of time can create a distance between two people; and sometimes it is hard to understand.

   Some people think of death as a dark, black, sinister thing; but when one, a Christian, really looks at it, they see a bright picture that was painted with the love of God. The only thing that stops most Christians from their own death from this world is knowing that each person, to include themselves, had a duty to complete, a mission to achieve, and until we die, we have not fully completed that mission.  God gives us a certain amount of time to complete what we were put on this earth for.  Once our mission is completed, he calls us back home, so he does not have to be separated from us, and we do not have to separated from him.


I guarantee all the dead people on earth who are now in heaven would never want to come back.  They are just waiting for us to complete our journey, so we, one day, will be reunited with the ones who completed their missions before we completed ours.

Why be negative when you could be positive?  Why be dreary when you could be dreamy? Why keep your pride so all you get back in return is death? Why not live for the light and choose Heaven over Hell?  Because is all does come down to your decision.  God is handing you his present.  It is your decision to either take it or leave it.  Choose wisely, because you may be sorry, and want to change your decision when decision-making time is over.
Choose wisely, in every aspect of life.

He chose you. Will you choose him?

A Powerful Pastime: A Book Review.

  Lately, I have enjoyed to spend my free time, when I have any, reading.  Any type of reading is good for the mind and the soul. I rather read fiction than non-fiction any day, because it gives me a chance to escape from normal, everyday life, and explore, through mental images, different worlds and scenarios.

  One id the most recent and my most favorite books I have read is titled Shatter Me, written by Tahereh Mafi. This is not your everyday love story.  The main character, Juliet, has a condition which restricts her from being in contact with others.  The story begins with Juliette telling the readers of her life in this prison she must stay in, so she does not come in contact with other humans. Then a boy, she hardly remembers, enters and becomes her cell mate.  The plot line starts off slow, and then adventure and thrill gets the reader involved.  Mafi's choice of words and imagery make the reader feel like he/she is really inside the story, experiencing everything with Juliette. 
   I don't want to summarize the book because I would ruin the book. GO READ IT YOURSELF!

  To my surprise, there is a second book coming out sometime next year.  If it is anywhere as good as Shatter Me was, I cannot wait to read it.

"My touch is Power."

Here are a list of other books you may enjoy if you have read Shatter Me and liked it!

And don't forget, Unravel Me is coming out soon!

 

A Mark Worth a Thousand Words

In some cases, appearance can mean nothing; but in many of the most important cases, appearance means everything. Going in for job interviews, people typically dress up to appear professional;”Dress to impress” is the cliché. One wants to impress to get the job; implying that the one who is hiring is judging this applique on not just his knowledge and personality but also on appearance. Tattoos fall under appearance; anything written on one’s body is there for the whole world to see, for the most part, permanently.

There are more cons to tattoos than pros. Many young people enjoy tattoos because it is “art” on your body; it’s different. These people wonder why others and judge based on appearance; and, wonder why people give into stereotyping others. Although stereotyping is looked at negatively, most people involuntarily do it, and these stereotypes aren’t always false. One can tell another to not “judge” all they want, but both parties will still do it; it’s a part of human nature. Remember, no matter where one goes, there are always people watching, and observing, if not your actions, then you, your appearance.

​The tattoo that I would choose has a meaning that contradicts tattoos all together. Away from the fact of stereotyping, we, as Christians, have to remember that many judge on appearance. Many judge on the fact that you have a tattoo, not what the design is. No matter what religion we fall under, all must remember that the way we present ourselves, including words, actions, and appearance, is also the way we represent what we believe. Of course there may be tons of sweet people who have a load of tattoos; but, not everyone has the same perception. One may be turned off due to the fact of one having a tattoo, and not even want to get to know the person.

​Contrary to the previous statements, I have no problem with a small tattoo in a place that is easily covered-up. Although I won’t ever get a tattoo, I like to entertain that if I did, I would either get a cross, a flower, or a bible verse. There are many bible verses that I can relate back to my life, and theses verses tell more of a story than a tattoo ever could. Every person has a story, but it is up to the individual to write it on their bodies and show it to the world, or not.

​Tattoos do tell stories, but they can also give a negative appearance. Just like one must watch what they say, watch what you put under your skin, because just like every decision, you can’t click an undo button and have it go back to exactly like it was before.

 

 "My tattoo is that I don’t have a tattoo."

A Different Stoke for a Different Folk.

The definition of an idiot is a person who does the same thing over and over again and expects a different result; so when one thing fails, why wouldn’t you try it a different way? In most ways, this may be true, but for others, like online dating, may be different.  Someone may fail multiple times while trying to find their “other half”, so they submit themselves to a thing called “online dating,” or this “online dating” may be the result of something different.  Online dating, when used in the right way, can turn out positive; but, when one is sucked in, it may take years of healing for one to truly forget the memories of the past.

There are many online sites, such as eharmony, that were created for singles to find their “soul mate.”  Many have different opinions on whether one should date online or not.  The couples on the eharmony commercials always seem to have a spark in their love for each other; but we must remember that every commercial is positive about their product.  Of course these dating sites may have good outcomes for some folks, but I would never commit to a dating site and pay money for something that I could do myself for free.  Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with these sites, and I personally know people who have used them, but using certain sites are at users discretion. For some, online dating can be a forte, and, in this way, it can be a very positive resource when positive outcomes come out.

There is also another way to date online.  This can be by joining a site online and “meeting” a person who sparks an interest in you.  One can call that “dating” if you want, but then it corrupts the whole definition of dating.  Of course, technology has come far, and one should take advantage of it, but should one take advantage of it like this? Is this moral?  One can cyber-talk to this person all they want, but can they be sure that what this person says is the truth? Can one truly “fall in love” with someone we have never physically met?  Of course one may say, "Well, I thought the same thing, until I was put in a situation like that," or "You cannot judge me when you have never been through a similar situation."  I am not implying that dating involves the other person's looks.  Of course, when dating through the internet, the looks of a person are not important, normally.  But with anything, once involved in something once, you can be addicted to it for life; including online dating.

Although many people live this lifestyle every day, we must consider the cons for these situations.  As Christians, we must realize how God created others to interact.  This can be a very debatable thing, but does one really ever know who the other person is behind that computer screen?  Although that may only be applicable for certain situations, we then must ask another question.  What is that other person doing in his/her life that we do not know about? Do we honestly know everything that we need to know?