Day four of gratitude!!! 🇺🇸🙏 Today I'm thankful election day is tomorrow and that "We the People" get to exercise our right to vote, no matter who you choose. I have been quite outspoken about politics, but it's never really been about POLITICS for me so to speak, it's been about human decency and basic human rights. My outspokenness has been about each and every person having the right to pursue "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness" This was too important not to speak about some injustices and untruths unfolding right in front of our eyes. It's about our freedom. The freedoms my Grandmother, my Mother, indigenous people, minorities and people of color did not have. They fought hard for it!!! I do not want anybody to take us back to a time when this existed. It's about the freedom to vote that Susan B Anthony went to jail for. We still have voter suppression and gerrymandering going on, and much hate which is an "us or them" mentality in our divided country. I don't want to live in a divided country. We will fail if we continue to do so. Democracy is not something to take for granted, it's something we fight for every day. It's something our military fights for every day. Now I have friends and family on both sides, most whom we have maintained our lifelong relationships since 2015 while going through all of this division, whether you're Republican or Democrat. I respect them and they respect me. There are some though that I call rage baiters (that have not brought the best side out of me) these rage baiters continuously have posted memes of hate and false information towards the Democratic party, knocking Biden and still Obama at every turn.. but know that the minute I voiced my opinion or choice ( on my own posts not theirs) some of these people left my life, That's perfectly okay with me.. our morals and values are not the same...life is not one-sided. I did not leave them for their choices, even though some of them were filled with the most distasteful, untruthful things posted and worst of all hate..... I don't like that word. My own church and my own Priests have never told me who to choose while I struggled through the polarization of our country... They have only guided us that only we can ask our conscious and heart to make our choice through prayer and under God's help. Know that I'm a former Republican, but the party that once held conservative values is anything but that in my view right now. I left the party because of DJT. He is against the people in my view, he's not anything Christian or conservative in my eyes. I feel it has become the party of Trump- not the Republican party. He is only for one side and half of the people as January 6th has shown us when he refused to accept the votes of the American people in a free and fair election. This is why true members of the Conservative Republican party are voting against him. The truth of the 2020 election was verified by both the Republican and Democrat parties and this is why we have checks and balances- to keep one person's power in control. That's why we are a democracy. I will never wrap my brain around someone who thinks an election is only fair if he wins.. that is what dictators do they attack people, the free press, freedom of speech, and the opposite party. We are fortunate not to live under a dictatorship and I am outspoken because I do not want to.. and a few believe that can't happen, those that believe it can't, you need to remove your blinders of love for DJT and hear what he is saying and who he is. Most importantly you should be listening to the violent rhetoric against anybody who opposes him. That is truly scary. That's my personal take on everything and I want it to be known. Choose who you want. You have your own choice and freedom to choose and I have mine and I have a right to voice my opinion even if you don't agree with it and you have the right to your voice ( in a tasteful manner) even if I don't agree. I think it's very important at this stage of our country's polarization. I thank my friends that have valued and honored me and our relationships, despite my own opinions and views. Tomorrow I'm hoping and praying that life can resume to normal. Hoping that we can get on with happiness in our nation, it's never going to be problem free, but with the help of our leaders and our vote we can try our very best. No one candidate will ever fix problems that exist in our country, but with the help of Congress, Senate, and house leaders on both sides we can come to more fair decisions in all matters. God bless you all and your own decisions. At this time I just asked that God shed his Grace on our country. We are considered to be the greatest nation in the world, I would like it to stay that way. 🙏🇺🇸 After tomorrow hopefully I won't talk about it anymore. Accept mentioning the Victor in the Presidential race. I know in the past we were told not to talk politics, but this is not the case right now in our divided country.... It's not politics, again it's about basic human decency and the honor and respect of who's leading the USA...the whole world that has always looked up to us is watching... Get out and vote. 🇺🇸

2023

A New Year is fast approaching in a few days. I think every year we are so graciously given is a complete and total blessing, and a chance to celebrate more life. We must never forget our ancestors and those who have gone before us. We must continue to pray for our families souls and give them a chance to look down upon us, this is very important for all future generations to come. In most every culture around the world this is practiced widely. We as human beings all have good and hard years, some suffer tremendous loss during the year, heartache and pain and other years are joyful from beginning to end, for most people it's a complete mixture of both all year, as this is life.... We must accept it all and we have to be grateful for the time given on this Earth. Living in the present moment and being mindful is perfection. We must hold onto our faith. I'm feeling blessed and grateful to be offered a chance to walk into the New Year and so prayerfully with all the Graces that God has to offer. My Wish for all is have a beautiful, blessed, peaceful and wonderful New Year. Hopefully with more joy and less sorrow. If you are troubled,I pray you have faith for a complete deep healing. The most important thing is to stay grateful for our joys and continue to be grateful in our sorrows. When we accept life for the way it is, peace comes to us in every way. If there's something that's within your control that you want to change, then do that. Look inside yourself introspectively and truthfully. Rest all else on God and the answers come. Personally I try to stay away from the materialistic or egoistic world. I'm also very careful about what I follow and see on social media, this can be a big danger if what you're seeing and reading doesn't align with your soul. I find it incredibly sad that people seek continuous attention for their ego on social media, what is important in life can't be found in the shallow. Don't get me wrong. I love sharing with friends and family across the networks, but I'm very careful what I allow to enter into my being or who I follow specifically. I try to stay outside in nature more when I'm able to and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. Simplicity is such a key factor. I live a very simplistic life....I am extremely grateful for that. If we individually care for others, the world we live in, we collectively start to make it a better place for all. I end and start the year and complete gratitude for all I am and all the blessings I have in my life. I'm feeling extremely blessed and my wish is that you do too. Happy New Year 2023.~ Diane Masi

The Homeless

Something hit me in the heart, very deeply in the heart today and very profoundly to the point of tears. A fairly young man maybe in his late twenties or early thirties with two dogs, a bowl and a jug of water that he's clearly been using over and over again, like an old milk jug, filling it somewhere he can access water.It was sweltering hot and he was on the pavement very unclean and unshaved in ragged clothes. I've always been one of those people since a young child wishing I could solve the world's problems.It's always affected me very deeply from a very young age when something is wrong or someone was in need. I myself always fed every kid in the neighborhood whose parents did not feed them and even those that did have food at home, were still welcome to food as well. If I had it I gave it. I have found out over and over again later in life people have reached out to me when I needed something and didn't always have it anymore.I would think to myself what did I ever do for someone to be so kind to me. Even though I had my ups and downs in life financially, It was a good life basically. I had a skills from a technical school to sustain a living. It wasn't easy, you only made money when you worked. No sick days, no vacation days, no 401K, no retirement plan, no health insurance. These things have to be done on your own back, and you sure had to do a lot of work just to survive if you were working on your own.. Being homeless was always the biggest fear in my mind, especially being a single Mom raising a family. There were good times and bad times, but the priority was always to keep a roof over our heads. I consider and I'm extremely grateful that I was very blessed to thrive survive and have many good blessings in my life.Some are so unfortunate that they aren't able to do this at all. They don't have the love and support of a family. My heart ached for this man today as I reached in my wallet to give him a few dollars. I have limited means myself right now in my older age, no longer able to work as I did for 47 years. But I felt a great need to give him something. People will say maybe he's a drug addict or an alcoholic and I don't know that for sure. whatever the case, he sure looked hungry. As I handed him a few dollars, I told him "I hope God will bless you" and he wished that back to me. When I got home I prayed that many people will stop and give him an abundance of money, and lots of food for him and his dogs can be purchased. I prayed he would get more money than I could give him. I could not give more myself. as I drove away I completely broke down in tears. The thought of so many people and animals living on the streets hungry is just heartbreaking. and the threat that looms for many people of losing everything is a reality everyday.There are many people that live pay to pay and one job loss or one unfortunate event can cause them to be homeless. I constantly pray for the end of hunger, war, poverty, homelessness, violence and suffering of people and animals. I pray that one day we will find peace across this world and share all good things that we have, starting with love and compassion. I like many have seen this many times in a week where somebody is out begging for something, If I have it I will give something. Sometimes I say I hope you're not using the money for drugs or alcohol. Today I did not. Something in my heart told me this man was in desperation with these two pups. I'm hoping my prayers are answered and he received an abundance of money to get food and shelter for the night for him and his dogs. I hope one day he is restored to a normal life, as I wish for all the people living on the streets. May they know the comfort of warm food in their belly, a warm or cool home, depending on the weather. a soft bed to fall in and a place to dream.That's all I can say about this today. It hurt and touched my heart in a deep way. Be grateful for what you have always and never look down on another. You don't know their circumstances. Even people with labor skills can only use their backs so many hours a day to make money and survive in this world. Be kind. My wish is that each of you are grateful for every sunrise and sunset. I wish all to have a roof over your heads and an abundance of food. May your family and children be safe, and your pets too. May you come to know the love and blessings of God.

Hello May 2022

Well Hello all and happiest May, the most beautiful month of the year!!! I hope this May of 2022 you grow as much love in your hearts, as the blooming flowers that come this spring. It's been a long 2 years of a global pandemic. So much has changed in so many lives. Sadly many lives were lost. Keep your loved ones in your hearts, let the love radiate like a bright shining star. We turn our thoughts and hearts to the people of Ukraine, pray soon that their lives are restored to goodness and beauty and that they can be taken out of refuge. We pray and are thankful for the good people around them who have taken them in to refuge, the ones that are comforting them in their time of need..... We pray for the poor souls lost senselessly. It is up to all the people of the world to keep peace and beauty in our nations. We must wish goodness for all others, we are really united as one when it comes to the heart and soul. What we put out in the world comes back to us. It is up to us to keep and restore the beauty of the land God has given us. It is up to each of us to make the world a better place. As I'm writing this there is a beautiful thunderstorm, one that will wash everything clean. Everything will become new and beautiful in spring. We also can wash clean our hearts in our lives and make the world beautiful and clean again. If we practice everyday mindfulness, live in the moment of each and everyday, be completely mindful of our choices and thoughts, we contribute to the moment of this time and this day. Love and goodness has been practiced and handed down for centuries to overcome the evil of this world. It is all up to us to practice goodness daily. We must never take for granted the comforts that we have been given, and the gifts God has granted us. If you have children, the most beautiful thing you can teach them is to have the spirit of God in their hearts. Love is everlasting. Love never fails us. It's so important to focus on the good things. It is so urgently important to nurture the heart and soul on a daily basis. It brings peace, joy and hope to all that surrounds us if we put good thoughts into the universe. gratitude is the key of life. We must be grateful in each moment for what we have, life is fleeting. I wish you the most beautiful month of May, I wish growth, love, peace, hope, joy and happiness in your hearts. I wish everything good to all human kind in every aspect of life. This moment is the only moment we know for certain that we have. Respect that, respect others, respect this planet, respect all people from every background. Praise and worship God and be grateful in all moments, God living in your heart and soul is the only steadfast thing you can rely on. Strengthen the heart, this is the most important task of all. My wishes for all to live this day in peace, joy and beauty. May every sunrise and every sunset bring you hope for a new day, one filled with the love of God. Happiest May 2022! May all things become beautiful. © Diane Masi May 1st 2022 ©Photos by Diane Masi