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Hold Fast to Dreams

A great poet, Langston Hughes, once said:
Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams for if dreams go, life is a barren field, frozen with snow.
This poem has been running through my mind lately. I have been thinking about the meaning of life. My purpose in life. As morbid as it sounds, people my age and younger pass away every day-car accidents, suicide, cancer, eating disorders, what have you. There are self help books I have read, such as Purpose- Driven Life (author?) and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, both spiritual books in their own right. The latter spoke more from a psychological point of view, and touched on anger, forgiveness, the "ego", identity, destructive habits, etc. It helped me achieve a new level of enlightenment.

There's a verse in the Bible that says "a cheerful heart is like good medicine" and another verse that says "hope deferred makes the heart sick." (Proverbs).Both are so true. Anytime I have felt like my goals and dreams were unattainable, I have felt sick...more like depressed. I will be super tired, won't want to leave the house, and just lay on the couch on my computer all day. I will feel drained.

But when I find a glimmer of hope for my dreams, formulate a plan or written agenda of "to-do's" for making my dreams come alive, I feel alive, energized, productive...and happy! Please, my dear's, DON'T GIVE UP
on yourself. You owe it to yourself to fulfill your potential, and we, the general public, are missing out without it! I am often motivated by how much someone does; many of my favorite artists are also philanthropists, volunteers, encouragers and motivators. Many of them fund causes and give back. Then there are those that have the self-marketing products such as perfume lines, clothing lines, their signature brand of shoe, a reality show. Although being widely known may be their dream, I think the most important thing for you to do is to first seek out your dreams with all of your heart. Or rather, the Giver of dreams. God says that we will find him if we seek him with all our hearts. He also points out that He is the one who gives us the means by which to succeed and work. I don't claim to be particularly religious or a super-duper-Bible-reading fanatic. But I do remember the things that stand out to me from my early Bible learning days. And most of them are scriptures of encouragement and hope.

I once asked a confident and seemingly successful man if he ever gets discouraged in his line of work. His face sobered from a smile into an almost mournful grimace as he said: "I get discouraged every day. EVERY day." That took me aback, but made me realize we are all human. We doubt, we lack trust and hope and faith. Look to your inspirations. My main heroes are Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey. Both overcame abuse, poverty, and more to become the moguls and icons they are today. And look at how they give back. I love how Perry uses the Black family and community to tap into sensitive issues that leave me wiping away tears in the theatre, and how Oprah's show incurs the same reaction in me by how generous she is and how serious she is about resolving some of today's toughest issues. She's not afraid to look those baby's in the face!

My conclusion: Keep those dreams alive as much as you can, and with any strength you have left. Because we more than likely could sure use whatever you're holding back from us. Let's all help save each other.

Moni

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