Uncategorized – Drake Gaetano

Vulnerability, the last thing I want you to see is the real me.

Posted on June 27, 2021by staff

We are living in a world that to some of us seems to be a world without connection. I am not referring to the world of being connected by technology, but the world of being connected to each other. My belief is that we are neo-biologically wired to feel connected to one another, but there is one major reason we deny that wonderfully human emotion called love to grow, and that is — vulnerability.

With all this “data without a soul” we seem to seek every day, our perception of if you can measure it, it does not exist, allows us to become disconnected from each other and prevents us from being human.

Life is messy, love it anyway
Don’t jump into discomfort, lean into it
Have the courage to be imperfect
Connection is why we are here, it gives real meaning to our lives
We believe we are worthy of love but fear that we are not worthy of connection
Find that compassion to be kind to yourself first — then you can be kind to others
As a result of our own authenticity, we will gain a compassionate connection to others around us
Fully embrace “vulnerability”, believe that what makes you vulnerable — also makes you beautiful
Revealing all that we are is not comfortable, but it is necessary. Without it you can never be the “real” you
Letting someone in so far they could hurt you, will allow them to give you everything
Vulnerability is the willingness to say I love you “first” — with no guarantees of receiving it back
We try to numb our vulnerability, but we can’t selectively “unfeel” our emotions
There are no assurances in life, but let yourself be seen, and love with an open heart
Being unprotected is the birthplace of love, life, joy, and belonging to God

I am empty, come and fill my soul with who you are. I am at a loss for words, but in my silence still hear me.

But most of all — believe that you are enough…

Uncategorized

A Man Called Father

Posted on June 20, 2021by staff

Today is the one day of the year that we celebrate the existence of a man we lovingly refer to as the father.

Why only one day? What is a father really all about? He’s more than just a tall man with a beard, an adult male human being. The best examples of what a father is has been portrayed in movies such as Father of the Bride (1991), Mama Mia (2008), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), and National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983). My favorite is the 1942 comedy, You Were Never Lovelier.

A father is not just a man who has the given right to bear arms (and only with consent and assistance of a woman) to bear children. He’s still just a man, and as such becomes a whole lot more of a suitable contributor to society. He’s a teacher, a mentor, a person who pays his share of the bills, is loved by his wife, looked up to by his son, adored by his daughter, and is a committed father and a gregarious member of society.

A father is the birds and bees version of a parent. He is someone that is there for his children, watches, and actively participates in their lives. He helps them grow, nurtures them, and is always present. He invariably looks to his wife for the “difficult” answers.

So, let there be no mistake about it; on this particular day and every day forward let it be known that a father (man);

Carries cash

Can cook eggs

Can talk to dogs

Though making mistakes, he will let them pass if no one notices. Like dropping the steak in the dirt.

Knows how to sneak a look at cleavage, without caring if he gets caught once in a while.

Call him dad, father, or just a man, but when a woman bends to pick up her underwear, he feels that thrum that only a man can feel — and he never points out that he does dishes. A father welcomes the coming of age, knows when to step aside, gets the door without thinking, and even when he reveals his quirks and imperfections he’s still just a man.

Happy Fathers, Dads, or Men’s day!

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Bury The Past? – Never. But stop digging up the bad stuff!

Posted on June 13, 2021by staff

The New America– A Vision of Promise

Throughout history, conflicts abound (and are of such intensity that they) create so much suffering that humanity, in order to remain aligned with the roots of its conscience and morality, must seek to address the root causes of such conflicts, bringing an end the destruction that their continuance would create.

Such is the time we are now engulfed in; a time in which the latest separation of our ideals upon which our country was founded is fading quietly while rapidly being replaced by fear, hostility, and suspiciousness. Yet, in the meantime, it’s creating great dissension between certain groups of people. There is no remedy for this strife other than that there cannot be a world of peace where one brother fights against another, feels that they are of greater importance than another, or have less of a right to exist than another. What affects one nation affects the world, and the consciousness of humanity must soon grow to incorporate and embrace this truth so that the world as a whole can finally find a resting place of peace and harmony.

We need not bury the past, it has its rightful place, but constantly digging it up in favor of fueling hatred and anger among its people creates an eternal chasm of unsettled and ongoing separation.

Love for America has many colors and visible good, and these may be seen to join together when trust is present to work toward a common good. For America’s virtue is not her might or economic superiority, it is her grandeur in pronouncing the spiritual truths by which all men may live, and her righteousness is creating a path toward the realization of these truths.

The “new patriotism” that America needs is based on its diversity, not homogeneity of belief. It is based on honor and trust, not on fear of one another. It is also based on a changing view of America’s role in the world toward one in which she stands proudly among nations, wearing the banner of morality and integrity that has to do with faithfulness to her ideals, not to be better or greater than others.

The freedoms of yesterday are as priceless today as they were then. It is time for all to awaken to the need to preserve and protect that independence upon which America has been built, so that in unity with one another, America can move forward past the darkness that has descended upon her, into new construction of identity.

This new consciousness will be both a healing and a rebirth for the fundamental principles upon which she has always stood. They are necessary to the furtherance of the destiny of America and they are essential to the advancement of the positive rights of the people, not to be erroneously mistaken for “negative” rights that permit or require doing nothing. Freedom and self-determination must belong to all or they belong to none. We must find a way of speaking with each other, and of seeking the accord that may only be found beneath the outer disturbances of relationships within the true essence of unity that rests below.

A new consciousness must be established for our children to bring forth for righteous sake and the sake of our nation’s future dedicated to the collection, cultivation, and preservation of her sacred honor.