Season of Eternal Love

Today was Mother's Day. I've been dreading this day and how I would feel. This morning, I woke up bright and early for church. Prepared to sing and knowing that it would be a long day that I always enjoyed.( It seems I can't start my week without singing in church. It just makes me week better). Today, we sang " Will I" and "Seasons of Love" from the Musical "Rent". This morning went good but I was just in a "funk". I sang my solo. Thinking about the words, it was very hard for me to get through. " Will I lose my dignity? will someone care? will i wake tomorrow from this nightmare?"

There I was, Standing on the stage. All Alone. Holding a candle. Thinking about my life. Where I have been. The people who have raised me and taught me all my values. Gone. Just this lone candle. But then I turned around. I saw that there was another candle lit on stage. It was the White candle. This candle represented the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the bridge to God within you. It is the part of your mind—the part of your Spirit—that is joined with the Mind of God. The Holy Spirit is the Voice for God and acts as a reminder to all of God's children of the unconditional love that God has for them. I knew then, that I wasn't alone.

One by One, other Praise team members came in singing the same thing that I sang with candle and lit there candle. My Candle was from the Holy Spirit Candle and I lit the 1st persons candle, and they lit the next person's candle and so on, until all the candles were lit.

On this day, when we celebrate Mothers, a day that I was really dreading, God showed me that I wasn't alone. He sent the gift of the Holy Spirit to show his love for me.

We then sang " Seasons of Love". This song raises the Question: How do you measure your life? how do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of love.

Again, it made me think. My life has been so full of different seasons. But all of those seasons we full of love. Today, started a new season. My praise band, my co-workers, my friends, all banded together to show me that they love me. That we can be a family. They showed me that unconditional love. No matter what has happen, My Mother and Godmother loved me.

In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or the way that she died.

This new season was showed today when I got into my car at 6:50 pm and I felt the breeze against my skin. This wind was The Holy Spirit, Mother, and my Godmother telling me to Celebrate that I have made it through all these seasons

It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends. Remember the love! Remember the love! Remember the love! Measure in love. Seasons of love! Seasons of love.

To all my friends and extended family, I love you. Thank you so much for being there for me.

To Mother and Godmother: You have reached the Final Season. The best of all. The Season that never end. No ups and downs. No Drama. Just a true season of Eternal Love.

Antony

The Final Analysis

For those of you who follow my facebook or myspace status or have been around me see that last week was rough. For those of you who dont, Well it was rough.
Worked a lot and have several other issues come up. I was very emotional.

Something I never do is cry at work. I try to be professional. But I just became overcome with emotion and cried uncontrollably. That was Thursday and had continued through Saturday. Saturday night, went to dinner with friends(Had a mint Julep in honor of the Kentucky Derby) and came back home. I sat and began to count all the great things in my life. All of my blessings. I prepared for Sunday. Sunday for me is the day that I get "Refilled". I sing with our praise team then go to work and then back to the church for our second service. The support of these people help.

At work, I am very nice to everyone and unfortunately, a lot of those people are not nice back. They don't say hello back to me or act like they are better than me. I began to get a hardened heart. I didn't want to speak to them. I didn't even want to look at them.

But then that old saying "WWJD- What would Jesus Do?" came to mind. Yesterday, one of the Pastors at my church, David, preached about "The mind of Christ". He talked about Christs' compassion and how he washed is Disciples feet. He also Did a poem by Mother Teresa Called " The Final Analysis". When he began reading it, I did all I could to hold back tears. I remember this poem was hung up in a frame in my mother's room when I was little. She truly lived by the principle of that poem.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the FINAL analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway

Months before mother died, I received an award that was given to a High School senior boy and girl who were thought to be a true "Blue Devil" ( My High school mascot). We got to have the first page in the yearbook to right something and I submitted that poem for my page. 5 months later at 8:10am on February 3, 2005, a girl from the yearbook staff walked in and handed me that poem and the pictures that I had submitted and told me the yearbook has been sent off for printing. At the exact same moment, my teacher and best friend Kathy, receive a phone call telling me that Mother had " Gone to Heaven". I looked at that poem and picture and cried.

Things happen for a reason. Nothing is an accident. We cant allow the things of the world, the way people act, negative things, make us hard towards people. That's not what Christ would have done and its not what He did. If we don't go through hard times, how do we know the good times? Remember " The Same sun that hardens Clay is the same sun the melts wax". Jesus, the Sun of God, is there with you and me through the hard times and the easy times Gently saying " You see, in the FINAL analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway"


Antony
http://antonylarry.blogspot.com