Pondering strength?

What is strength? 

Throughout history, even the strongest of men have fallen to their knees in times of great despair but rise again to fight the battle, and ultimately save their kingdoms. 

There are circumstances during our lifetimes that challenge every ounce of our strength. IT is then we must realize, it also takes great strength and humility to admit we are only one person in the ocean of life, in need of recuperation so we can begin the swim again - like the ocean, we humans also ebb and flow. ~Kym L. Pasqualini

Walking through a haze

Walking through a haze clouding one's perception, a reality no longer based upon the hearts true intention.

Like a beautiful onion as it's peeled, ideally each layer should take us closer to what is real.

Straining to see through the fog in the world we are forced to exist, sadly each layer reveals superficiality persists. 

Have I idealized my entire existence because I do not see? I can't help but feel nauseated by clarity of hypocrisy. ~Kym L. Pasqualini

Message from an Advocate

I'm not not all doom and gloom I just write about things that matter to me. I feel sharing one's personal journey, wherever it may lead is how we learn.

To anyone who may perceive my writing as negative or something possibly hits a nerve, it should not be taken personally but it is meant to hit nerves. My written expressions are not directed toward any specific individual. I happen to believe there is strength in being real and I've never been one to "create a persona" of what I want people to think of me. 

We do live in a beautiful and magical world b

ut unfortunately it is not Disneyland. I just know I have learned the most from those who have shared not only their triumphs but the time they spent in the dark trenches of struggle.

The last two decades my advocacy has focused primarily on missing persons and homicide victims. I never anticipated finding myself advocating for rape victims, child sexual abuse survivors or those in poverty but I find too many fall through the cracks of obscurity. Also, I never knew it would become an incredible journey of my own spiritual growth. 

Whether writing from personal experience or something my heart won't turn away from, one thing I am certain of - I've known my mission on this earth is not to paint a picture of what I would like to see but to expose what some do not want to see.

The Value of a Little Humility

We live in a world where society places far too much value upon material possessions to define success. A place where much of the time our deeds and contributions to the world are measured monetarily. However, in the spiritual realm humility has been considered one of the most valuable of virtues a man can possess.

Having humility enables us to think and act without "self" meaning we see beyond o

urselves. When we have humility, there is no room for arrogance and we no longer have the capacity to elevate ourselves above others in mind or spirit. Instead we see ourselves as part of the brotherhood/sisterhood of humanity.

Humility provides us with the ability to see the incredible worth of our fellow man which brings equality of spirit. ~Kym L. Pasqualini

Hitting Home

Some attend a Sunday church service, continually glance at their watch, catching bits and pieces of the sermon about compassion and the scripture's warning for those who choose the side of indifference. During the service, some might throw a wadded buck or two into the church basket while others may stop momentarily on the drive home to throw a handful of change at the man standing on the street corner. Sadly, some may even brag how they give to the poor.

While claiming poverty, churches collect ungodly sums of money, then pick and choose who they will assist. Some bask in the attention and glory of organizing galas only the rich can attend (while wearing clothes that could support the homeless for a month or two). Some put their children safely to bed at night and proceed to count their blessings after ignoring the pleas of another parent and child in need.

In my opinion, many who climb the ladder in life forget where they came from, while others may feel the little they can do may not make a difference and apathy sets in. Some act as if they do not see while glancing away or tuning their radio, as if tuning out makes the weary stranger non-existent. Some may even feel a superiority and get some satisfaction when looking down upon those who have hit the concrete with their knees.

While many are fortunate enough to have the basic securites every human should feel, it seems we fail to acknowledge how easily we could be kneeling next to the stranger who stares back from the coldness of the street corner. Sadly, we continue to ignore those sitting right in our backyards.

Poverty can quickly consume the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health of the strongest of human beings - I know, for I am not too proud to tell you I have lived both the dream and the nightmare. Unfortunately time is not on the side of those in need.~ Kym L. Pasqualini

How important is Hope?

Having hope is defined as having an expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. We can hope for many things during our lifetime. Some hope for new cars, some for love, and others hope it will not rain tomorrow. Some people simply hope for peace of mind.

I have learned a little something about Hope. During the last two decades working with families of missing persons, I have seen the unimaginable. When faced with the unthinkable, I found maintaining hope is necessary for the survival of us humans. I have learned that maintaining hope can anchor the soul during life's most turbulent times.

If we have nothing to look forward to, we can become easily consumed by the darkness of fear and apathy. When experiencing feelings of indifference it is impossible to see light at the end of the tunnel and without hope, we lack emotion, excitement, and the drive to even get to the end of the tunnel.

Some may not understand how one could sink to such depths because we all experience crisis in our lives differently. The fact is, we do not need to understand how it happens. What is important is our ability to identify it. This moment of recognition could save a life. As much as hope is something we contain within ourselves, by reaching out to another person in his or her time of desperation - hope becomes a gift. ~ Kym L. Pasqualini