A supergroup from forty years ago called the Bee Gees had a song with the following lyrics in it:
“Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive!“

Don’t give up and resign from living.  There are still rewards which are yours to be had.  Hold on to life and do something to reinforce it.  If you are sad or in pain, joy or relief WILL return.  And when it returns, or if you already have some joy, all the more reason for stayin’ alive.  Ah, ah, ah, ah. 

Have you ever thought that someone doesn’t know as much as you about an experience if they haven’t gone through it like you have?  There’s a lot of truth in that.

A parallel thought is having commited a wrongdoing which you benefited from, but you later repented because you realized it was wrong.  Someone who hasn’t gone through that doesn’t know how tough it can be to not do it again. 

You see, turning away from a wrongful act like that is much harder to do than for someone who has never transgressed.  Your choice can make you stronger and better off than that person… but that’s no excuse to sin!

Aaah, the beauty, depth and joy of love.  Relish it.

When you do something for someone, you usually look for some kind of reward, even if it’s only a word or two of appreciation.  But when you do something for one you love, your reward is the satisfaction and pleasure you get from doing it.  And the more you do for someone you love, the deeper your love becomes and the more intimate your spiritual connection with him or her.

Aaah, the bliss, comfort and warmth of love.  Savor it.

We all have our personal wall.  It is initially built by our family when we are quite young.  As we get older, we tear some of it down or we build it up even higher.

If you have built your wall at the right height, you will be able to just barely see over the top.  You’ll have the spiritual confidence to know that your personal wall is high enough to stop you from doing something you will regret, but low enough for you to see the world as it truly is and therefore experience its beauty and its sadness.  At that point you are not just aging, you are maturing.

A young child who becomes filthy dirty can look like a different kid.  But that child can be restored to original, beautiful condition by being cleansed of the soil covering him or her.

Your soul, your essence, is pristine and beautiful.  But like dirt on a child, it can get covered by transgressions which make you look different from who you really are.  This situation can be remedied in a similar way as for the child.  By doing good deeds sincerely and without looking for a reward, you will cleanse your soul of the spiritual dirt which is covering it.  Not only will you restore your essence, you will progress spiritually.

Some people find it much easier to accomplish a task than others.  If you are one of the others, take heart.  If a test was easy, then it meant little to you.  On the other hand, a challenge which seems very difficult to overcome will have a greater personal reward.

If you believe that after this life you will stand before God, you might have a conversation with Him similar to this:

We are instruments of God.  If we stand idly by and watch something bad happen, thinking that God will intervene, we are not seeing our purpose… which is to try and stop a bad thing.

Tragedy is, unfortunately, inevitable at some points in our lives.  But if we choose to look closely, hidden in most of those tragedies are signs of goodness and hope.  When tragedy strikes, find what is hidden and you will find peace.

All things and events in our world have a spiritual effect, and anger is no exception.  Anger can be compared to a large California wildfire:  Once it gets out of control, containing it is almost impossible. 

Remember, for every moment you are angry, you are losing a moment of happiness.         

Someone who has so much spirituality that they warrant the gift of a miracle may not want to use that miracle for him or her, but rather for another person or situation.