Peter Pan

“We have created a nation filled with too many perpetual children—
Peter and Patty Pans—who were brought up getting trophies for participating in sports,
instead of winning, protected from the supposed horrors of being ranked
by grades and scores and sold corrosive message by the likes of Barack Obama
and Hilary Clinton that everyone deserves every kind of support,
regardless of the level of education they have or the work they put forward.”

Dr Keith Ablow

“Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough.
You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it.”

― J.M. Barrie

peter-pan

After yesterday’s post regarding the whole concept of disrespect effecting a
large swarth of our younger generations,
a story I had read last year came flooding back to mind.
It was a story written by a psychiatrist about the troubling phenomenon that we are
currently witnessing within our more youthful generations.

It is known as the Peter Pan effect…
as in, a generation preferring never having to grow up.

As in why should they….
life is pretty darn cozy remaining irresponsible,
being taken care of,
forever youthful,
beautiful,
always being reminded you are special…
ad infinitum….

But we mustn’t blame merely these young people who we’ve recently watched on
various college campuses protesting, marching, demonstrating,
refusing to attend class, walking out of class,
throwing benches through plate glass windows of campus buildings
as an all out temper tantrum has taken hold across this nation….

No, it is not really their fault.

The truth be told, those of us of the older generations shouldn’t be staring at our
television sets…those sets carrying the news stories of the troubling images
of the young gone amuck…
all with our eyes popping out of our heads as we are alarmingly heard to shout
“What in the heck is wrong with these kids??????….

For the truth be told it seems to be the fault of none other but us older generations—
Those parents and grandparents out there who bought into the notion,
hook, line and sinker
that molly coddling was kinder than tough love.
That “yes” was better for the self esteem than “no”
That television,
gaming stations,
video games,
video which became DVDs,
to iPods,
to iPhones,
to computers,
to tablets…
were all better than our personal undivided, undistracted and undistorted attention…

Just throw another trophy or award at them and let everyone win,
and it’s all good we thought.

While we were busy being “us” and finding ourselves,
spreading our own wings and doing our own things…
our kids, who were being raised at arms length by a group of people who decided
to become hovering helicopters in order to make up for our absences during
the more crucial moments…
well we just may have had a hand in these current shenanigans…

Maybe when we decided God wasn’t real, traditional families were passé,
patriotism was old fashioned and morality no longer current…
maybe, just maybe that was the beginning of our troubles…..

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/05/26/nation-peter-pans-have-created-country-filled-with-perpetual-children.html?intcmp=hpff

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of,
because you know those from whom you learned it,
and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

Inner Peace Award

inner-peace-award

A very lovely thing happened to me today…Steven Fox, a delightful young man from the UK, contacted me letting me know that he’s nominated me for two thoughtful blogging awards–the Inner Peace Award and the Sunshine Award. Steven has a great blog himself as he is blossoming into quite a young writer…..http://sfoxwriting.wordpress.com I highly recommend a visit to check out his work, as he even has a book now published—I think the dream of so many of us blogging.

If you’ve ever read any of my posts regarding awards–be it the Inspirational blogger award that I was awarded by Jolandi Stevens at http://dreaminginarabic.wordpress.com
or even professionally when I was awarded the Teacher of the Year award for my school system… I never feel very deserving. All because I know there are so many more talented folks out there…folks I look up to, admire and yield to for my own motivation and inspiration.

Blogs of more merit than my own such as Emma’s, in Queensland, whose blog is based and maintained solely on the memory of a dear friend who passed away not long ago and for his love of history and trivia—it is a blog which offers worldly historical information and tidbits, one I enjoy viewing each day in order to get my historical fix: http://addyourpieceofhistory.wordpress.com
Emma was equally as kindhearted and most generous when she nominated me for the Shine On Award–that was a couple of weeks back while we were out of town on holiday and unfortunately I’ve yet to fulfill the requirements for that one…. which certainly should not be taken as a lack of deep appreciation–again thank you Emma!!

I’ll be the first to tell you that those who know me may raise an eyebrow when they see the phrase Inner Peace and Julie associated together. But it is for this type of award that I am most honored because I think the ability to project such a beautiful attribute is truly gratifying. I’ve never been known to be too much “at peace” within. I’ve spent much of my life fretting and worrying. I want to be the positive one, the optimist, the glass is half full girl—Ottimista verses Pessimista, as my Italians friends will say….but sadly, within, I do worry.

I think this goes back to losing my mom to cancer. She was young, I was younger…it was all within 6 weeks..all from diagnosis to the end. My dad and I had barely processed what was going on when she was gone. From that moment, I can’t seem to help it, but I now tend to think the worst. Not for others, I always hope and put forward the best for other people and their life situations and truly believe that the best can and will prevail. It is, however, for me and my world that I tend to lean to the Eeyore (you know Eeyore, the little gray donkey from Winnie the Pooh) mentality of my dad….”oh no, we’ll (I’ll) never make it”…..

I fear. I fear losing those I cherish, I fear being too happy because that means tragedy can’t be far behind. I fear feeling good because feeling bad is on it’s way…it goes on and on….crazy I know. It doesn’t help my son being an only child and the sole focus of his mother’s (and dad’s too) worry.

I am a Christian. To be such means I trust in my God and Savior. There is to be no fear, no worry—He is to take my fear and my worry…as He took all of that with Him that day on the cross…as that was a day ushering in eternal Victory. I continue working on this with Him, truly I do —if anyone has had to bear this messy angst of mine, it has been Him—He is patient and kind and has yet to walk away from me….thank goodness….so maybe as I age, I may see an inkling of that “peace” slowly creeping into my being, taking over those screaming corners and areas of dread, gloom and doom….doing so quietly and, aptly, peacefully, as so it should be…….

So it is with great humility that I share this award with those of you who take time to read my blog.

Inner Peace is a desired goal of mine as it is THE desired goal for this quite un-peaceful world of ours.
Here is my prayer for inner peace for us all………..
Thank you Steven………

“Peace begins with a smile..”
Mother Teresa
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Part of this award it that I am to share it with another……

I wish to share this with a friend who has actually two blogs. It is for her second blog that I wish to offer her this award of Inner Peace. If you visit her blog you will immediately understand. Her’s is a blog that deals with the incapacitating battle with and against depression. She has lived her blog and it is now her desire to pay it forward if you will– as she does so daily…encouraging others to hang in there, move forward slowly–one step at a time, one day at a time..always with the hope of joy and peace in sight…here is to you nonfatlatte, my friend Elizabeth…the voice of support, kindness, compassion, empathy—a true life coach who isn’t walking away even when things get tough…..
http://depressionthroughthepain.wordpress.com