The chapel

I stepped into the chapel for a word of prayer and insightful reflection. Directly in front of me stood a podium that held a large book. I walked to the altar to make sure it was the Holy Bible. I walked back to sit in the back row and glanced to the right. A menorah was draped on the wall. The bookshelves under it were lined with Holy Bibles and books marked with Hebrew lettering. I peered behind me over my other shoulder and a cross in a frame hung on a partition. Videos about Jesus Christ were available for viewing. The far left wall was lined with a large rug. A man was there praying. Photographs of different mosques from around the world adorned this wall. Another shelf was labeled, "prayer clothing" and "prayer rugs". On top were Holy Qur'ans. After he finished praying he sat and read from the Qur'an. After I finished praying I sat and read the chapter of the Bible that was open on the podium using a borrowed bible from the chapel.

Peace overwhelmed me as I sat there. I became emotional in my conversation with God and in my reckoning with the Word. When I completed the short chapter I looked the chapel over entirely. On the sign in sheet I wrote a thank you note and left my name and city of residence. As I was writing, my Muslim brother exited the chapel and said, "God bless you" as he left. Religion was not a question nor an issue. We were both in the same place and honored that there is one God. 

My gratitude to the Washington Dulles airport for providing a place of worship and peace. There is unity in diversity. Ubuntu!   

2013

The clocks have turned and 2012 is fast behind us as we zoom into 2013. A new year and new expectations for the masses. I chose to be realistic is setting goals for this year. I didn't need to change much from the goals I set last year because I am simply continuing what I began a few months ago. Projects are still in motion and I am thrilled about what is to come. It is my hope that people realize that the new year is just a day like yesterday. A new year can begin at any point in the 365 and a quarter days throughout the calendar just because a person says so. A new year is mental, unless you are dealing with finances and fiscal quarters. Whatever your position, commit to something and do it with great intentions. Claim your successes this year and be renewed in spirit and mind.

Happy New Year!

A world forgotten: Part II

I laid back on my straw mat and peered into a blue sky. Cranes glided through the sky by day and tiptoed through the tide as the red sun sank behind the horizon. The crickets began their nightly opera and the silhouette of the city stood quietly in the distance. My hands and feet became one with the sand.
I was the land; undisturbed.
I was the land; calm.
I was the land; free.
  

STARVATION

Seems like the ages have left nothing but a shadow cast among the people. A dark oversight of greed, fear, and ignorance.
Tormented membranes thrashed with negativity and doubt, lost without hope and a vision for the future.
Arguments between leadership direct the masses into confusion leaving a labyrinth of isms and tarnished values that once guided the land.
Realism is lost in fantasy. Respect is decimated by hatred. Reflection has yielded to an insensitivity of history and its purpose. Repetition of calamitous disasters are inevitable.
Vivid scenes painted by the media leaves us afraid and our souls tormented with the disturbia of death, violence, self-hatred, deceit and beyond.
Anarchy is far too prevalent across states. Protests and riots sputter. The rights to speech lose compassion and create chaos.
There is no consideration or courtesy given to people, to officers, to dignitaries, or the elders.
In this age we have abandoned wisdom and do not seek its face, but riches and fame propel us forward.
Onward towards a sky of nothing our children are doomed to gaze because the treasured teacher has disappeared. Trustworthiness, kindness, friendship, helpfulness, and other good character traits elude us.
Now is upon us and here we stand. Craving redemption and desperately needing greatness because our skin is feverish from starvation. We need to be quenched with a zeal for life.

C. Cunningham

Life

Life has often been called a race when making an analogy, or when used in metaphorical terms. Some of us are trying to beat out the competition for material things and status, and others with their personal goals at the end of the line. In any case, we are all moving somewhere. An infant is learning to walk, a toddler is learning to talk, a kindergartener is learning to count and add numbers as life continually progresses with time.

The race begins on our day of birth and from there it does not stop until we transition to death. We all leave the womb and into this world breathing with our own healthy lungs. We may not choose our own races in the beginning, but eventually success and achievement will be based on personal decisions. Some of us will walk while others will run. Then you have those who will fall down, and either get back up and continue, or leave the race altogether.

Like any challenge, life will give you what you prepare for. If you want to be the best and perform the best, then you train and work hard to accomplish just that. Being physically fit and mentally prepared are key in any event. You must be knowledgeable about your course and have a plan on how to run it. The goal is there and it is the individual or team that strategizes on how to get there most efficiently. Time and speed may be a driving force in people's actions. Quality and patience may be a factor in someone else's journey around the track. It does not matter what we decide on and how we spend our time, but it is imperative that we are cognizant in knowing that this is indeed a race and the goal is forward.

9/20/12 11:28 AM

Freedom of speech in the negative

What happens when the Freedom of Speech loses compassion?

We offend our fellow brethren and disrespect our fellow sisters.
The tongue tears down the walls of humanity with lashes of the vocabulary.

What happens when the Freedom of Speech loses compassion?

It is like an untamed fire running through the forest wild.
Destruction is the aftermath.
Hurt feelings and broken hearts ensue.

In God we trust and follow the command to love our neighbor as our self.
Shall we look in the mirror and condemn ourselves?
Shall we look in the mirror and spit?
Shall we look in the mirror and curse?
Shall we look in the mirror and not love what we see?

No matter the region or sections of the sea,
We share the common value of human decency.
But such is lost when the Freedom of Speech loses compassion.


Remembering the lives of the four Americans who died in Benghazi, Libya on September 12, 2012 after an attack on the US Embassy. This post is a reflection on the current turmoil sprouting across Northern Africa and the Middle East after this event. There is never any excuse for violence or a violation on human life. I continue to stand for peace. 

C. Cunningham 

Voter registration

Back to the polls in November to vote again. I have the right to show the America I believe in.
If you trust that it's a conspiracy, deception or the real thing, remember that opinions are just that, but truth is solid. Liberal, conservative, right wing, or whatever you proclaim, "Liberty and justice for all" is the foundation on which we stand. Liberty being freedom without restraints and justice is fair and impartial, dealing only with facts. So, as I take to the polls in November, I will only deal with the facts.