Michael's Monthly Message - May 2009

Dear Family, Friends and Supporters:

Welcome to my Monthly Message for May 2009!

I hope everyone is doing okay and enjoying spring this year. Before I get too far ahead, I want to let everyone know that I’ve got a lot to share this month so bear with me if it gets a little long.

Okay, we can’t forget how important it is to wish all the mothers out there a wonderful Mother’s Day. To be honest, everyday should be Mother’s Day, because whether we want to admit it or not, mothers are awesome. When it comes right down to it, there is nothing more important than “love” and guess who has unconditional love all the time – yeah, mothers are amazing. This brings me to wishing my mother the best Mother’s Day ever. Happy Mother’s Day Mom! My mother has been the most consistent thing in my life. No matter how good or how bad things have been in my life, she has always been there to help. She has always known when it was time to let me go and when it was time to nurture. I was definitely blessed with a great mother in this life.

One other thing, she also has helped me spiritually throughout my entire life, and I most likely would not be as spiritually enlightened as I am if it were not for my mom. Heck, she helped influence my decision to move to Delaware with my friend John, and he introduced me to Jesus and receiving the Holy Ghost. So, that got me off to a great start. She also never forced religion or spirituality on me and let me grow and learn at my own pace. Eventually my spiritual path brought me into the lives of Judy Cali and Diane Blaszka who also helped me with trying to find my purpose. However, I wasn’t expecting the “eye opener” of being thrown in prison. But, even after the dust settled, they continued to show constant love. Diane Blaszka has been like a second mother with all her kindness and thoughtfulness over the years. She has written me every two weeks for nine years! What a blessing it has been to receive words of loving inspiration along with spiritual information every couple of weeks. So, I am pretty lucky to have such wonderful women in my life. Once again, Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, and thank you to my mom and Diane for all your love and support over the years. I am forever grateful that you both are in my life.

Now, I have to give a “shout out” to my Aunt Diane this month, because her birthday is on the 17th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Di! I have to thank her also for showing love and being supportive throughout my life. Plus, during our phone call every week, she listens to me ramble on. Normally that would not be such a big deal, but if you know me, it is quite an accomplishment. Also, I have to give thanks to her friends Terry and Marianne, because they too have shown much love and support.

Alright, I’m going to shift gears for a moment. How many of you remember the Pillsbury commercial with the little girl who clicks her heels three times and she’s home with her mom putting the pastries on the table? Yeah, okay, I’ve tried it many times, but it doesn’t work. Anyway, I wish thoughts were that powerful, but unfortunately I don’t believe our thoughts can manipulate or manifest our outcome when fate or destiny is in the equation. Here’s a question for everyone: Does being positive or negative really make a difference if the outcome of your intention is already established? Now I know there are a million arguments about why it is important to be positive. However, let me give you a couple of examples that just recently happened where the individuals not only thought the opposite would happen, but they felt it in their hearts that the result would be different or so they thought.

Remember the captain who was rescued at sea after his ship was taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia? Well, during his interview with Matt Lauer on The Morning Today Show, he said he knew in his heart that he was going to die after the third day in the life boat. That is why he attempted to escape from the pirates but failed. However, regardless of his negative thoughts and feelings – he was rescued. The other example is the owner of the horse that won The Kentucky Derby “Mine That Bird”. The owner, Leonard Blach said, “I did not have any feeling I could win The Derby with that horse”. Despite the fact his horse was a 50 to 1 odd and was near the back of the pack mid way through the race, “Mine That Bird” won by more than 6 lengths. So, both men thought and felt they did not have a chance especially against insurmountable odds. Yet, fate or our true destiny intervened. This subject always requires much debate, but I will leave you with the thought: Do we really have free will if our destiny has to happen?

In the reading department, I have been reading quite a bit - actually two books at once. I really want to share about a science book I am reading called “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson. However, that will have to wait until next month. For now, I took a break from all the spiritual books and just finished reading The Stephanie Myer Series about vampires and shape shifters. I read “Twilight”, “New Moon”, “Eclipse”, and “Breaking Dawn”. She did a really good job although I love anything to do with vampires and werewolves, I just finished watching “Twilight”, the movie which was not too bad, but I still like my favorite actress of all time (Kate Beckinsale) in the “Underworld” series. She is a vampire who falls in love with a werewolf. Although she was in “Underworld I” and “Underworld II”, she was not in the most recent “Underworld III” that was played by Rhona Mitra, another beautiful English actress.

I’m getting close to the end of this message – just hang on for a few minutes more. I was curious if anyone knew why they are scaring everyone in America with The Swine Flu when the regular flu strain that spreads through America each year is more than 20 times as dangerous. I’ve been taking a 7-week program called “Health Awareness” which primarily focuses on diseases you catch with unprotected sex. However, there is additional information about other bacteria, viruses, and funguses including some that are quite serious in a prison population like MRSA and the flesh eating bacteria. I’ve learned quite a bit about our immune system too. I must say, if you eat right, exercise, wash your hands regularly, and practice safe sex, you pretty much can stay disease free. Although, sometimes no matter how much you do, if it is meant to be (i.e. fate or destiny), there is nothing you can do. Yeah, I had to slip that in there.

Alright, I better end this message or it will be June soon. Oh, before I forget, Jewel has a new CD out called “Lullaby”, and she has a song on it called “Angel Standing By” which the vocals are phenomenal. I highly recommend it!

My movie recommendation is: “City of Angels” with Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage. I know the movie came out in 1997, but it really is an unbelievably good movie, and maybe it will help someone figure out whether we have free will or not. Personally, I believe destiny rules – but that’s me.

My profound quote is going to be a prayer that was sent to me from a good friend so I thought I would share it with everyone. “From all that dwells below the skies, let faith and hope with joy arise; let beauty, truth, and good be sung through every land, by every tongue”. (Unitarian Prayer)

Until next month, take care and remember: “The key to the mysteries of life hide in the pain of our most difficult experiences”.

Love & Light to All

Michael