Heard it on the News Today

It's getting impossible to stay away
From the reality of the world in which we play,
We're connected all the time
Cameras catch every single crime.

Used to be you had to wait to hear
The awful news we've come to fear.
But now that we're all plugged in
Check the iPhone before your day can begin.

So if I heard it on the news
No one can shelter any of our youth.
These kids have to grow up really fast
Hardly any time to learn from the errors of the past.

So all of us have to hear about
The senseless shootings, bullying and endless crime.
Floods, tornados, catastrophes to boggle the mind
Is Armegeddon coming from the flaws of mankind?

If we can't shelter the little one at play
What is it that we're supposed to say?
Yet just yesterday I also saw on TV
A young women telling the world that it doesn't have to be.

She was using the power of her voice
She had been poor and homeless, but had made a choice.
This young women shared a powerful idea
Nothing is impossible if you have love to share.

That message has been around from way before Jesus' day
But it was sure nice that I heard it on the news today.
Just like the Bible said way back when
Eventually we'll all hear the good news again.

Nostradamus, Kabbalah, Revelation too
Doesn't matter if you were born Muslim, Christian, or Jew.
Mankind has a light within that was born out of love
And we all have the freedom to tackle our ego and spiritually rise above.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky, 2012. All rights reserved

What Can One Person Do These Days?

When I was a teen and could only write one letter
I didn’t think there was much to do to make things better.
I mean what could one voice do with just one smile
All I had was one huge phone with a big round dial.

Back then how could I ever imagine a day yet
When just typing a few words or even better just saying it,
Could then be posted with just one click and there it goes
All over the world for all to see, who knows.

Nostradamus predicted an age of being anywhere in a blink
Ancient prophets spoke of days when all souls would understand our link.
This age we live in gives each individual such power
And we each have the potential to use it to make others grow or cower.

Each one of us can now so easily reach out to the masses
Teens today don’t need to feel so alone in their classes.
Yet anonymity in itself has bred deceit
And we read every day about the spouses that find new ways to cheat.

We can embrace the awe of what social media can do
There’s so much good that can come from me and you.
Just the other day I saw on the news
A young women used the Internet to stop corporate abuse.

There really is so much power these days at our finger tips
Even more than years ago when we only had our lips.
One person can certainly make a change be seen
And now it can be by anyone, not just a king or queen.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky. 2012. All rights reserved.

With You in My Life

I dream of making time stand still
Just before we fall asleep
Each other’s arms we fill
It is a feeling that I want to keep.

Like two fitting puzzle pieces
Or two spoons together in a draw
My heart is never empty
It’s you that I adore.

As I begin to melt
And become a part of you
For all the fibers of my being
You become the glue.

I can feel the world disappearing
In the serenity of this time
All my fears are now clearing
The beauty of the moment is sublime.

With such love am I blessed
It is the ultimate cure
This much I have confessed
With you in my life I can never be poor.


© 2010 Sheryl Skutelsky. All rights reserved.

The World's a Shrinking Place

Ignorance causes fear
Of those far and near.
Today we just hit start
The Internet can make us smart.

We can be any place
Learn about and connect with any race.
Share customs and ideas
Discuss concerns, joys and cares.

It's those tortured and underfed
Held isolated, uneducated, and bled
That can easily be taught to hate
When evil dictators hold their fate.

Intermarriage, interfaith
Multiracial ... the world's a shrinking place.
Understanding, caring, empathy
See how close we can really be.

But how do we stamp out hate
Throuhout our shrinking world
If we can't even love our neighbor
Because we've learned judgment as a basic behavior.

Rather than judge
Set your mind and not budge
Imagine children taught to smile
With acceptance for each individual's style.

Black, white, yellow, mixed
Straight, gay, cross dresser, fixed
Rich, poor, white collar, blue
Everyone has tribulations to go through.

Intermarriage, interfaith
Multiracial ... the world's a shrinking place.
But with understanding, caring, empathy
We can see how close we can really be.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky, 2012. All rights reserved.

Tolerance

All this war and blame
In each religion's name.
How can man against man fight
If God is all about love and light?

My religion tells it this way
No, mine says you can't be gay
Wait, mine says you're not going to heaven
Well, I'm going to die and get virgins, eleven.

Mohammed is right.
Jesus has the insight.
No, the Torah is older
But the Koran is much bolder.

How does anyone really know?
Have you seen a bush aglow?
Have you or you been to the other side?
I'd like to speak to one who's died.

Who gave us the right to judge one another?
Jesus said to show love to your brother.
The common thread was supposed to be love
But we're bogged down in push and shove.

Tolerance toward each other wouldn't be so hard
If we remembered that we all worship the same God.
We'd be teaching tolerance from the start
If we took each prophet's message straight from thier heart.

Each individual has thier own story
Some were taught to give God the glory.
Other's wonder if God even exists these days
Some let their own ego take all the praise.

Live and let live with love, not hate
Just in case there is a pearly gate.
If we could spend less time judging our fellow man
We'd have more time to see the bigger plan.

Yes, there is some true evil out there
There are some forces that we need to fear.
But if each of us could just see the big picture from above
We'd see how alike we really are when viewed through love.

Tolerance toward each other wouldn't be so hard
If we remembered that we all worship the same God.
We'd be teaching tolerance from the start
If we took each prophet's message straight from their heart.

The religions are all man made
Over time the message could fade.
Based on the prophet's word
Passed down from those alive that heard.

The light and love deep inside
That's what we shouldn't hide.
We're all just energy holding together each atom's glow
It's the individual spirit that we each need to know.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky, 2012. All rights reserved.

Why Me?

We've all heard the idea that you can look at a glass half empty or half full. Well in the same sense, spiritually speaking, you can look at your troubles as a blessing or a curse. It's all up to you and how you choose to veiw life. So, next time you find yourself asking "why me?" replace that thought with "what lesson am I suppose to be learning here?"

Our attitude toward life is our biggest spiritual tool. You can face each obstacle with a positive thought if you remember that everything in life happens for a reason. Each event or person in our life is there to teach us a lesson or to allow us to touch another person and help them to learn their lesson. If you've read some of the spiritual literature out there, you're already familiar with the concept that nothing in life is a coincidence. Each situation is placed before us by the Light (that is the energy of God) for a reason. Our attitude and choice in each situation is our gift. It is our God given freedom of choice.

Try to think of your life as a movie with several possible plot lines. All the plot lines have already been written. It is the choice you make at each scene change that determines which plot line you take next. You can run through the maze of plot lines in total chaos while hoping that you reach the end without taking the same wrong path over and over again, or you can stop at each crossroad and think about your next move so that you can choose the most sensible route.

In other words, the key to the question of "why me?" is the ability to stop yourself within each drama in your life in order to see why the Light has put you in your present situation. For instance, if you are in the middle of an arguement with your neighbor, you need to learn how to take a few seconds to stop yourself and ask why are you so upset with this person. What are you here right now to learn?

Often you will find yourself upset during a dramatic scene with your spouse, children, friend, boss or coworker. Your blood pressure is up and your adrenalin is pumping. There is a reason for this. Your body is reacting to a difficult situation that you have been placed in so that you can become aware of your choices and come out a better person on the other side. Are you upset with the other person because he or she is pointing out something within yourself that you need to change? True maturity comes when you learn how to stop yourself before reacting, and in those few precious seconds, place yourself in the other person's shoes. Where are each of you coming from and what can each of you learn?

So, next time you find yourself thinking why me, try to be thankful for this very situation because it is in the most difficult situations that true change can take place and the most valuable lessons can be learned, but only if you can step back and look at your troubles as a spiritual opportunity for growth. It's not easy, but then it's not supposed to be. However, with practice the habit of restriction and proaction can become your normal way to handle life's stresses, and this my friend, is one of the keys to a happier life. Remember what your parents told you. "Treat others the way that you want them to treat you."