Category Archives: Random Thoughts

May 17 2012

Embrace that spirit of hope

p10329 We tend to look outwardly for our happiness, love and for acceptance. God gave us all the tools within us to be happy, love and be loved. Pretty much anything we need to be or do is within our own selves, God gave us everything within, it is only the matter of having the faith to utilize what we have been blessed with. We can not find happiness from an outside source if we can not even embrace the happiness god gave us within. It is hard to love anyone or anything if we can not embrace the love God gives us deep inside. Once we learn to have faith in and embrace the gifts god planted within our souls we then will not worry about acceptance because we know we belong to God. As long as we don’t allow the distractions on our modern lives to get in the way and we don’t fall to the spirit of fear we shall live a happy and successful life. We must embrace that spirit of hope and the sound mind God blessed us with. We can not allow those in this world who try to make us believe we are hopeless or condemned without salvation. They wish only to drag you down with them, we shouldn’t have hatred for those people for we should pray for their souls and show them the compassion we are taught by Christ‘s teachings.

Look within yourself for the blessings god blessed you with and do not fall for the traps of our modern world.
Raymond Barbier

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Apr 29 2012

We must choose as well as Believe.

MP910221000The power to be happy is in our own hands, no outside force be it circumstances or another person can change how we feel unless we give it the power to do so. Too many times I have seen people who allowed the opinions of others and circumstances to effect their mood as well as negatively influence their self-image. God gave each of us a spirit of hope and not one of fear or negativity, the world is what brings fear and negativity into our lives. The good news is we can choose not to allow the negativity or fear to effect us and keep ourselves in a positive and happier mood. The words and actions of others have effected so many people negatively in life that they have no self-worth or confidence. The ability to achieve anything you desire is within us all, it is something we must choose as well as believe.

God gave us all the power to live a happy, productive and love filled life, we just have to realize that the power is within us and accept the gift as well as be thankful for it. That is what Jesus was trying to say when he was talking about the faith of a mustard seed. All things are possible in Christ and with faith, to choose to believe and have faith is the key. God wants all his children to be happy, confident and live in love with each other.

Just a few thoughts for all to ponder
Raymond Barbier.
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Apr 25 2012

Cherish each day and enjoy each moment with those you love

CB100292 With several friends of mine getting sick and/or hospitalized lately I have reflected on life and how we seem to take it and those we care about for granted. Times like these makes me remember how blessed I am and have been with the few friends I have and kept through out my life. Life is a precious thing that most of us don’t cherish as much as we should. We allow too many things out of our daily routine and stresses to sidetrack us from the things in life that are important to us. Sometimes we even put entertainments such as television and the internet come between us and our family and/or friends. To be honest it has been a long time since I sat at a table with love ones for dinner other than for holidays and eating out once and a blue moon. There is nothing wrong with having time for yourself but I think sometimes we forget we need to have together time with those we love.

 

MP900442811We need to turn off the computer and the television from time to time and take out a board game or go
outside with the family for some together fun time. Not only is time with the family fun and helps form
a stronger bond between its members it is quite therapeutic in the sense it enhances ones mood towards
the positive. Then there is the good old compromise of watching a movie together or going out for dinner
with each other. It also is almost as important to spend time out with friends to give you a change of
atmosphere as well as a place and time to vent or blow off steam. What ever way you choose to spend more
time with family and friends is beneficial to everyone involved.

Cherish each day and enjoy each moment with those you love
Raymond Barbier

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Apr 22 2012

All we can do is learn from our past and work in the present to make a better future.

MP900426559Seems the person we all judge the hardest is ourselves, We hold ourselves to a higher standard and expect to achieve it. We tend to forgive and overlook other people’s faults and mistakes much easier than our own. We can have compassion for every one around us but we seem to find it hard to have compassion upon ourselves. We need to learn we are also human just like everyone else and we can’t be perfect or without flaw. We must accept ourselves for who and what we are and forgive ourselves for our shortcomings. We always have room for improvement but we must realize we are beautiful and good as we are. We should build upon what we are and not try to destroy that which makes us unique.

We definitely need  to wake up to the reality that we are who we are and that it isn’t that bad being an imperfect human.  It is quite relieving to know we are like everyone else in the fact we are imperfect and make mistakes. We just need to learn from those mistakes and improve what we don’t like in ourselves as well as embrace the light that dwells within. God made all of us the way we needed to be in order to learn the lessons of life he set before us. We can not live in the past or the future because we live in the present and we shouldn’t dwell on what was or what might be. All we can do is learn from our past and work in the present to make a better future.
MP900399589We need to love ourselves and one another in the same way God and Jesus loves us.We need to accept the grace given and give as much grace as we can to ourselves and others. God gave us the spirit of love, and of a sound mind not of anger or fear and Jesus taught forgiveness and compassion.  For the spirit of love, forgiveness and compassion is not only meant for others but also for ourselves as well. For it is hard to love, forgive or have compassion on others if you can’t even have it for yourself. The sound mind comes with loving oneself and having the compassion to forgive yourself. With a sound mind you will find that there is very little others can say or think about you that will matter much. You will only be concerned with the truth and not of opinions and/or hear say.

 Listen to the heart God blessed you with and not the mind that the world helped program.

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Raymond Barbier

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Apr 18 2012

A Middle-aged Man’s Thoughts on Life

MP900321192 A lifetime sounds like a long time, but it is but a drop of water in the ocean of time. It goes by in a blink of an eye, one minute you’re in high school and the next minute you’re a grandparent or at least old enough to be one. It really does seem just yesterday I was a teen and a day before that I was a child. Life goes by way too fast and there is very little time to appreciate everyone and everything in it. We get so wrapped up in everyday life we don’t even realize that life is flying by. By the time we figure out that life goes by fast we are past the mid part of our life here.  Getting old isn’t so bad at least until teenagers and kids keep pointing it out to you. Just because I am so-called old doesn’t mean I don’t have dreams or that I don’t want to have fun or that I am incapable of doing so. I am pretty much the same person I was when I was 18 to 19 years old just a bit wiser and a little slower to be as compulsive. I have quite a few battle scars from relationships and life’s lessons that I didn’t have back then but still I try to be optimistic.

I guess the funniest part of it all is I went through most of my life never being old enough for one thing or another and now I am too old for a lot of the same things. Seems I missed that right age for everything somehow. Well phooey on all the people who think I am too old to do what I like and the same that think I am to young to have my own opinions and wisdom. I am me and no matter what age I am and will live to be I will live life and enjoy it with all my heart. If I am not the right age or good enough in someone else’s eyes then they don’t have to look. To live life by the opinions and ideals of others isn’t living your own life. To live by what is your own ideals and beliefs is living a full and hopefully  a happy life. Even if it isn’t as happy or as fulfilling as I might want it is still my life and my choice and that is what really matters.

For life goes by quickly and we should enjoy every moment we are blessed to live to see.

Raymond Barbier

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Apr 12 2012

To make the changes needed in time to save our beautiful home called Earth.

editforlogo1b Toxic wastes being dumped and pumped into our precious world. Greed outweighs common sense and our sensibility. Our beloved planet and our beautiful home called earth is becoming our garbage can and eventually our graveyard. We only have one Earth and we should be responsible stewards of our beautiful home. Progress, greed and the lust for power seem to be in control as well as convenience instead of responsibility and compassion. The greedy keep the green technology too expensive for the average person to afford so that we will keep relying on their oil, coal and the utility companies to live our convenient and comfortable lives. Eventually the price for our comfort and conveniences will cost the future of our species and most if not all other living creatures on our precious world.

There is no easy answer in converting our carbon based world into a more green world, there will be winners and losers alike and for the greedy there is profit to be made. It is up to us the common folk to get the message out and to start the change to a greener lifestyle. Our future generations are counting on us and if we fail there may be a high price to pay for those who come after us. As we can see we can not count on the governments of the world or the big businesses to take the ecological problems seriously or to make the changes needed in time to save our beautiful home called Earth.

God gave us this beautiful planet and made us the stewards of it all. We should do what is right and not what is easier or more profitable.
Raymond Barbier.

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Apr 2 2012

They have no fear of their parents or respect for others

040 Why does it seem some people find pleasure in causing others pain, embarrassment or emotional distress? Could it be they are suffering in some way and it lessens their pain to share it? Or maybe they think by bullying other people they avoid being bullied themselves? So many reason why someone could desire to cause suffering on another. What is a victim of bullying supposed to do to deal with the bully? Fight back? well it works sometimes but it is usually something to avoid in the long run due to the possibility you may get hurt quite bad. Where does the real problem lie? within the bully, the victim, the society we live in or just the lack of compassion in our children? Well I think there is some truth to each of them, the bully needs discipline and probably some anger management while the victim usually needs some self-esteem boosting along with maybe some defense classes. Society needs to be less apathetic about the problem and more enthused in correcting it. And we all could learn to have more compassion. Obviously there is something going on with our children, they are becoming more violent and less obedient. The bad part is some children nowadays are even bullying their own parents, there is no way I would have even back talked my parents nor even think about bullying them. They would have tanned my hide so bad I wouldn’t have sat down for a year. I guess they have no fear of their parents or respect for others anymore. Now there are some really good kids still out there and that I am glad to see. Where all the anger and violence is coming from is an answer I will leave to the professionals. How to solve the problems with bullying is something that will take a multi faceted approach. Maybe some psychology or sociology major will figure out the answer. Till then All I can do is pray that no child will commit suicide before we fix this ever-growing problem within our modern society.

First step in finding an answer is knowing what the question really is.
Raymond Barbier.

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Mar 29 2012

Groggy thoughts before coffee… lol

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Sometimes I can stare at the screen for hours and my mind stays blank, sometimes thoughts come flowing out like a river. Sometimes there is no one who can stop my serenity and other times the littlest thing can cause me to explode. Some days I am fearful and other there is no fear within me. In the end regardless of what emotion goes rampant in my head the logical and reasonable mind kicks in and restores the peace. The battle between reason, logic and emotions is one that has raged on since my birth, The mind usually wins but sometimes emotions become too powerful to contain. Maintaining a balance of the mind and heart is essential to a healthy life, yet its one of the hardest things to do at times. Writing blog posts is one of the ways I try to keep balance and seems to be quite therapeutic in the end. It helps me express my opinions, emotions and the real me few ever get to know.

If my blogs ever get popular or not isn’t something I worry too much about since they are already successful in the fact they have helped me be who I really am. Hopefully it has at least sparked a few ideas in others if not gave them some entertainment. Random as my thoughts are and as unstructured my writing style is, the blogs continue to grow in traffic.

 

Raymond Barbier

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Mar 23 2012

I still consider Overland, Missouri my one true home

018  Just chilling in my computer chair, feeding my addictions and listening to music from days gone by. Reminiscing and reflecting on the 44 years I have spent on this pretty blue rock traveling through space. Thinking about friends I have lost and those I have found. The many places I have lived and the many memories I have of the people I knew. I just pray that those I done wrong can forgive me and those I did right will remember me. Too many years have passed since the days of my youth and the friends that I will never forget. The summers walking all over town. I guess that the saying that you can take a person out of their hometown but you can never take the hometown out of that person is true. For no matter where I live I still consider Overland, Missouri my one true home. No matter how much its changed and even the fact it has become quite dangerous still doesn’t take my love of it away. The schools, the streets, the people and the memories will never fade from my heart or mind.

Raymond Barbier

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Mar 22 2012

Love – So sought out and so easily took for granted.

p10053 Love, Such an illusive emotion and such a powerful force. When you are within its warm embrace life is wonderful but when you wander away from it you feel the cold reality of life. Hard to find but so easily given away, impossible to capture but simply surrendered too. So many levels and so many depths, so fleeting yet so eternal. Not just a biochemical reaction and more than just a word. It is so grand you can not see its boundaries and it has no limits. So sought out and so easily took for granted. One of the greatest treasure one could find and the easiest one to give away.

Love has no prejudice, it comes to the rich, poor, powerful and the weak. Love humbles the strong and then it gives strength to the meek. Love has been blamed for the start of wars as well as bringing peace. Such a wonderful thing love can be and it still remains one of mankind’s biggest mysteries.

 

 

Love is the question and it is the answer as well.
Raymond Barbier

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