Thursday, December 11, 2008

Together, We can

I have a dream.
our people, united.
Our people around the world,
Our people next door,
Our people.
 I believe that this dream
Begins with you, with me.
Together we can reach higher than we can see.
Together we can be.
We must join our hands together
And bow our heads in prayer.
....
We form a bond,
We form a community,
We become one,
We are..
We the people.
....
....
I have been holding an idea close to my heart, I am ready to let it fly. It has grown to big for me. It is time to share it, to find a sturdy foundation for it to come alive. I'm not sure how, I haven't bothered to ask, all that I know is that I am a vessel, my mind, my body and heart.
The "idea" started out as a lot of questions, and becoming aware. Becoming aware of myself and the needs of my neighbors and friends.  I have friends that have money and no time, I have friends that have time and no money, friends that have a job and no car, and ones that have a car and no job. Friends that can cook, friends… I think you get the point. It drove me mad, knowing I sit here, with the ability, and the desire to help if only I knew where to start?
Then I started to become aware of fear. Fear so great that they turn their heads to everything around them. All these people running around trying so hard to keep their heads above water, ALONE.
We are not a species  that travel alone.  We are individuals who must be a part of a companionship, a family, a village, a community. We all desire to be needed, to be allowed to share our talents, to be proud of our individualism. We love to work together when there is a common goal at hand, when it is fun, when we feel like we are contributing.
This idea started out as a group of people getting together, just to get together. Get together and talk, share, dream, live, create and enjoy. This is a huge umbrella for the things that a group can do. The ideas I was coming up with led me to our children being in a group. The imaginations of our children is abundant, we need to start listening and giving them a platform to share their ideas. We need to give them permission and support to change the world. A group men that  get together and tackle big projects, with and for each other, together. (a house needing to be painted is an enormous task for one, and a fun afternoon for a group).
The point, the dream is us, together.
The dream grew again, how could I involve my mom and the rest of my family across the country?  How could I get my mom to form a group? This brings in the internet, an awesome tool that can be a great link to a global group, a global village. If we were to combine all of these amazing websites and programs into MYLIFE, a place where we can come together, a hub to create plans, dreams, schedules. A place to trade our goods and services, a place to plan events and exercise together, across the world and down the street. A place where we could even store our important documents, A myspace, facebook, twitter, youtube, wiki, groups, business, all in one.
....
If we join together, neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, mother to daughter, consumer to salesman, we can began to trade goods, talents, plans and dreams.
The idea of groups reaching around the globe is envisioned through the pyramid effect.
There are many avenues for this idea to stretch and grow. The groups give opportunity for EVERYONE to come together, no matter what your religion, color, or origin.

Together, we are bigger than money, more than politics, healthier than the health plan. The permission to start a group allows everyone to be involved without joining, believing or becoming anything… just because you are you. Your opinions and ideas matter. You are important to us becoming one.
....
I have begun a bubble chart to get some of these thoughts and ideas out, to see them and stop trying to keep them organized in my head. I have started at the core of the entire idea, together.
Together we will find hope, success, friendship, health, values, growth, opportunity, a healthy environment, exchange of services (rather than money), etc. Together we will inspire, mentor, influence, serve, pray, and love.
....
In summary, this is an idea, a way for us to come together. A way for us to reach out our hands, cross bridges, together.
....
When we are eager to share all that we are, there can be no less fortunate.
....
We are ready.
....
Justina Kerstein
....
A little about myself, I am a dreamer, I am an optimist, a softie, a lover and a friend. I know that there is heaven, here, on earth waiting for us. I doubt, and I have feared, I have wondered if I am doing the right thing. Most importantly, I have faith. I have faith in humankind, in America, in the world. I will live my life serving God, listening to his whispers.
I don't know where this letter is going to travel, I have faith that it will lay into the most appropriate hand. I have a dream.

Monday, November 24, 2008

a blustry poem

Is this the mood
I have been waiting on?

Is this the feeling
I'm searching to reflect?

Fear is a monstrous cloud
of intimate rain drops.
Each fleeting feeling
put emotions at bay.

Words escape my thoughts.
None known to relay
to you, my heart.

Patience is a  virtue.
Restless
Show me the way.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

dreaming, awake.

wow. There are millions of thoughts rushing through me, trying to get to my fingertips first. It is particularly overwhelming to think about the changes my mind, body and thoughts have come through in the last year.
I have asked so many questions of myself and the world. I have found faith, peace and love within myself and the feeling is fierce.
Questioning everything has been my quest lately, being aware of my thoughts has become much more pleasant. Changing habits that have been close for 30+ years has created many challenges on every different level. It seems the habits that were the most difficult to change, were the ones that seemed to be  huge umbrellas, effecting much more than I could possibly see at the time.
Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a dreamer. I have traveled through life, dreaming an enormous dream, learning every step of the way. I have seen the end results of my dream, I have felt it, tasted it, and I embrace the day that I can share it with all of you.
Things are coming together, the language is becoming easier to understand.
xoxox
justina
Writing is an amazing outlet for me, it allows me to reflect myself, to myself.  I read an awesome saying on my yogi tea  the other day. It said, " to learn, read. to know, write. to master, teach".
I have found, to understand, love.
Much love to all xoxoxoxo

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

weight

Justina's Story..:
I've been practicing The Secret as you all know....I'd like to share the how I changed my mind about my body.
I realized that when I looked at myself in the mirror, my eyes went straight to my fat here,.. my pimple there..  my hair looked terrible etc..., and on and on. I had been refusing to buy the size of jeans I needed for a couple years.. now because I was going to go buy ALL new clothes for myself... as soon as I got to the size I WANTED to be.
Anyway, enough of that... After learning to pay more attention to my thoughts, I thought about what I intended to do Right now, instead of tomorrow.

I cleaned out my closet. (I kept a couple of my favorite (when I get skinny) clothes, but tucked them way in the back, hiding them from myself!).
I went out shopping for new clothes, in MY size. If this is me, this is what I got to work with, I better start decorating it!
I stood and looked in the mirror for a while... This was hard,.. I cried.. until.. I smiled. I found the things that I like about my body... I like the curve in my calve I like to look in my own eyes... I like my neck... I found just a couple things and I started concentrating on them. from this point on I
looked at these things and complimented myself on them... Slowly and with a lot of times catching myself in the middle of a train of criticisms,.. my body started changing.
I noticed little things at first... I started enjoying looking at more and more parts of my body. Honestly, I don't remember ever looking at myself in the mirror before. I have always looked at parts of my body 1 at a time (always the bad parts..) when I looked. I saw my hair,.. then that zit, complaint by complaint.

It was only 1 month before the clothes I had bought were loose...

Story.. after.. story.., exchanging.. habits for habits.

Small.. changes, little habits I have changed, have snowballed.. into an amazing love.
xoxoxo
Justina

If you wish to lose weight, then the most important thing—more than anything else—is to be in joy and to be happy.. now, despite your weight. If you can be in joy now, to the point where you feel so good that the weight doesn't matter so much anymore, then it will fall away... The only thing keeping the weight there is your resistance to it, and when you are in joy you will let go of your resistance about your weight.

If you feel bad about your body, that is a powerful feeling, and you will continue to attract feeling bad about your body. You will never change your body if you are critical of it and find fault with it, and in fact you will attract more weight to you. Praise and bless every square inch of your body. Think about all the perfect things about You. As you think perfect thoughts, as you feel good about You, you are on the frequency of your perfect weight, and you are summoning perfection.