Life Is A Game. Play It Well.

Dimension means a measurable unit of space. The dimension of earth occupies a space-but only a tiny space as compared to the universe.

The earthly dimension demands our attention. But often we give it the wrong attention.

This dimension demands that we take heed of its specifications. However, we need to learn that its specifications-in a large way- are brought about by our beliefs. What we believe comes true-good and bad. We directly affect ourselves and our personal space on earth according to what our core beliefs are. That is why we must carefully guard our hearts and minds.

Of course, the constraints and freedoms we experience in our lives here are also spiritually determined. There is a path we have chosen to take that we find ourselves walking day after day. Our beliefs affect that path moment by moment, day by day, year by year. Therefore it is important to believe in good so that we end up in a good place-not only here, but also after our game here is over. This is true regardless of what has happened to us. If our lives have been harsh, we need to believe in good all the more!

Earth is a learning ground. We've all come here to grow. If we grow tall in light and love despite our circumstances, we are winning the game of this dimension. Because, after all, "life" here IS just a game. But an important game. A game, if played right, of growth and wisdom. The stronger we are-the more able we are to live according to love and light-the more we evolve.

Hardship is the greatest teacher. If you're experiencing great hardship, you're learning invaluable lessons that will help you evolve into love, light, and truth. Embrace it to the best of your ability. After all is said and done, when you're standing in the light of eternity, you will understand that this life has only been a game of learning. So play it well.  You'll be really glad you did!

Breaking The Silence Book Trailer

 Here is the book trailer for my book entitled Breaking The Silence. Breaking The Silence is a story about my life and a dedication to those who have suffered abuse, loss, and addiction. Breaking The Silence has won six awards for Inspirational Fiction and was written to help others overcome hurtful issues as I have had to do during my lifetime. I hope that my story will help many people to find hope, peace, and healing.

Make Lemonade

Learning how to make lemonade from life's lemons is a test. It is hard, it takes grit and determination. It is not for the faint hearted. When I think of the tragedies people have experienced while on this earth it hurts and it humbles me. I myself have suffered deeply. So I can empathize with the pain that others experience. I have come to believe that the strongest warriors are those that are able to make sweet lemonade from the hardships of life. Through death, divorce, illness, mental pain, and other agonies, the people who rise up and stand tall and true are the heroes of life. I call them the peaceful warriors. Those able to cry freely in the face of angst and oppression. My hat is off to all of you. You are a mentor to me. I pray I may also be a mentor to others as I suffer the travails of having been abused, buried several children and dealt with other hardships. Life can be agony. But at the end of the day when we are reunited with our loved ones in heaven, we will finally be at peace. Ride the winds of life with mercy, grace and understanding. You will be rewarded in the end.

Sky Maiden

My new piece titled Sky Maiden!

The Sky Maiden lives in the essence of love;

With butterflies, rainbows and peaceful doves;

The Sky Maiden reminds us to give love a chance;

To laugh, to inspire, to embrace, to dance.

We Are The World

We are the world. Together we can create peace, love and prosperity for Mother Earth. It is up to us individually and as a community to make the dream of heaven on earth come true. We hold amazing power to change for the better if we make the decision to do so.

Sending Some Sonshine

Angels and fairies laugh and dance,

When we give God's love a chance;

Through landscapes and heartscapes so divine,

Love heals and stands the test of time.

Missing You

The truth of your love you left behind,

A treasure, a gift, that you hoped I'd soon find;

You helped me to learn and wished that I'd grow,

I never imagined I'd be missing you so;

Life seemed so harsh many years ago,

Now darker than I ever wanted to know;

I'm not sure how to handle this agony and pain,

As I look at your pictures again and again;

A mother's love is not taken for granted,

For children she prayed for and desperately wanted;

I'm not sure how I can go on living,

But I know you'd tell me to keep on trying.

I think of heaven and I hear your voice,

In my heart and my head where you left a deep void;

I wonder if maybe I'm losing my mind,

Because I'm wishing so hard you hadn't left me behind;

Celby, Jazzy, my beautiful girls,

My love, my passion, my yearning, my world;

Please tell me you're still here, right beside me,

And ask God to wrap me in his presence and hide me;

I beg Him to some day heal these misgivings,

So I know I can live in a state of forgiveness.

I am lost without you. 

Love Mommy.

The Gift Of Life

When life gets tough, it's not easy to see it as a gift. When we are hurt or bad things happen, life seems to be anything but a gift.

This is a world where we come to learn, to grow, and to understand. The only way to do these things is by living through good times and bad, in pressure and happiness. Learning from rough things is what we need to do. And eventually moving past them is what we need to do, but only after we've addressed the issues presented to us.

Life is a test and a testament. A test of whether or not we can get through hardship and a testament as to what we've conquered.

Through pain and turmoil, we learn about meaning in even the littlest things. Life is a gift: of growth, learning, seeking, finding, and understanding.

Waiting

You are my love;

My heart knew you

Before you were born.

Together in another realm we laughed,

Made plans and shared kisses

As we flew through the endless skies.

My soulmate, my child;

A love so pure,

An innocence undefiled.

Your laugh is a promise

Of truth, beauty, and a profound future.

To be apart from you

Is like death-but death does not exist;

It is merely a lie of this three-dimensional world.

Truth prevails and glory remains;

Waiting for me in a realm

That some refuse to believe in.

However, I believe.

I know.

For I feel angel kisses on my skin,

And I hear the whisper of your voice in the heavens;

Wanting to collect me like a flower,

And bring me home in your embrace;

To my place of refuge where you wait patiently for me.

Keeper Of Autumn

The Keeper Of Autumn swirls the leaves,

As they fall from the trees in brown and green;

Another season passed in time,

A breath and sigh of the Divine.

Never Goodbye

You gave me your heart, I gave you my soul;

Your love and laughter made me whole.

Nearly nineteen long years, you graced my life,

Til the reaper came with sickle and knife.

Your silence is stunning, your absence extreme;

Every second of every day is crushing and mean.

My daughter, my love, the wind in my sails,

Taken from me abruptly, snuck through heaven's veil.

How am I expected to continue living,

When all around me is pain and misgiving?

In still, ebbing moments, I remember your voice;

Your laugh, your whisper, in this deep, numbing void,

That has become my new sentence to bear;

When all I want is to have you back here.

You were everything precious, a sweet gift from God,

That was ripped from my grasp, buried under the sod.

I love you, I break for you, you're the blood in my veins;

I beg for an answer to make life seem humane.

But I know, oh too well, the truth of this dark place;

I will miss you until we reunite in God's grace.

Review: Do Monsters Have Birthdays by Jasmine Williams

 

Jasmine Williams was kind enough to send me a paperback copy of her book so that I could review it with my three year old granddaughter. We both loved it! The words rhymed very well which kept my granddaughter interested and the illustrations were colorful and cute!

The story was understandable to my grandchild too which kept her waiting for me to read the next page. This book was full of the fanciful imagination of a child and was wonderful for me to read as an adult, remembering how fun it was when I was younger to think about imaginary things and situations.

I would highly recommend this book for any child ages three to seven. It is a perfect addition to a child's book library and also a lot of fun for adults to read too!

My Rating:  5 Diamonds! <>  <>  <>  <>  <>

Where you can find Do Monsters Have Birthdays:

https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Have-Birthdays-Jasmine-Williams-ebook/dp/B016TQ4QC6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Where you can find Jasmine Williams;

https://www.amazon.com/Jasmine-Williams/e/B00I8W8WE8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Freedom Comes After Decimation

Freedom. A word that we love. Personal freedom, financial freedom, business freedom. And of course, historical freedom. I come from America, the land of the free. The idea of freedom is hypnotizing. But freedom comes at a price. In order to be free, we have to be decimated: decimated on a personal level. For some of us that means financial decimation. For others that means mental decimation. For many that means decimation on all levels. Those are the people who really end up experiencing freedom.

I define decimation as being ground to a pulp; as being brought to a state of complete questioning; being in a state of total disrepair. People who are decimated are people who's preconceived notions have been ground to fine powder; people whose assumptions and ideals have been challenged to a point where they are no longer sure of what's true and real. Those are the people who are forced to look around and see the world anew-to understand that they know nothing of truth and that freedom comes only from learning the truth.

Many times we think we know what freedom is-until we are decimated.  Then we pick ourselves up from the dust and rubble and realize we really didn't even know what we were talking about in the first place.  True freedom isn't money, power and prestige.  True freedom isn't winning at the sake of causing others to lose.  True freedom is peace and happiness.  How many of us can say we are truly happy?  Most of us believe happiness hinges on what happens in our lives day to day.  That couldn't be farther from the truth.  Happiness is a peace-an internal knowing of truth-on the inside of us that doesn't change with the tide of life. It's knowing who we really are, where we came from, what we are here to do-and being okay with that-despite who and what is happening around us.   It's our purpose, our mission, our true selves hiding beneath the flesh and bones of our bodies.  It's our eternal identities.

Our nation was decimated by war before we became free. And now as we look around, we see that once again we are being ground into fine power to awaken from the lies surrounding us to seek freedom again. We've lost ground-we've forgotten how much we had to lose to gain what we sought so readily. We've forgotten who we really are.  So now we're being forced to lose what we thought we had gained in order to learn how to acquire what we all want and need with renewed vision.  In all honesty, if we could wake up again and call ourselves 'one nation under God' we'd be accomplishing a lot.  Oneness is part of freedom as is our eternal truth. This knowledge is part of the life learning process in coming to grips with what freedom really means.  Unfortunately it seems life runs in circles. Cycles of loss and gain.  Being ground into a fine powder to destroy assumptions, prejudices and preconceived notions is a way of coming to freedom and truth. We are all born, live lives that teach us truth and then we graduate to heaven to see what this earth has really taught us. How do we learn? Hardship and pain.

Do you feel like you've been ground into fine powder? That you don't know who you are anymore or what the truth is versus the lies? If you do you're in good company. It's common to all of us humans on this planet. When you find yourself in this situation, try to find peace with it. Try to be grateful for the lessons you're learning. Because if you meet these processes head on and refuse to become bitter, you will eventually find freedom-the freedom and truth you need. Remember: some of the greatest people who lived had to fight the hardest and had to lose darned near everything in order to gain what they really needed to learn. Never give up and never lose hope!

Everything I Needed To Know I Learned In Hell by Dan Balestrero

 

Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Hell is a compilation of things I've learned about succeeding and failing - in life and business - while teaching. Teaching leads to a lot of revelations, laughter, tears, disbelief, theater of the absurd, the occasional miracle, and, more often than not, exciting progress.

It's important to point out that I'm an observer of behavior, not a therapist. Having said that, the reason I wrote this book is I felt a need to put down some thoughts from my personal point of view about how to work through limitations and move on to full success. Anthony Robbins is right, "Success leaves clues."

And just as importantly, failure also leaves clues. Or, more directly, it leaves a trail - usually an icky trail- of bad choices executed with no plan and way too much false hope.

We all have our own self-doubts and small hell that we have to escape from in order to succeed. Over the years, I've seen different people succeed and fail, and I've made notes about the causes and traits that seem to create those two outcomes. I've tried to offer encouragement to the people I've worked with, and I've laughed and cried with many in an effort to discover how to escape personal demons and model the success of others. Other people's success can be inspiring, and sometimes totally annoying, as we try to figure out, "Why not me?"

Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Hell is about the things that have helped me and others escape our private hells. I offer this information in the hope that it might be of some help to you. Even given the difficulty of life, everyone- I mean everyone- can escape. This book contains my personal view of how the mountains of shit can be used to fertilize your orchard of success.

Where you can find Everything I Needed To Know I Learned In Hell:

https://www.amazon.com/Everything-needed-Know-learned-Hell-ebook/dp/B06XB4M2MY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490647315&sr=8-1&keywords=everything+i+needed+to+know+i+learned+in+hell

https://www.amazon.com/dp/154409809X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490647315&sr=8-2&keywords=everything+i+needed+to+know+i+learned+in+hell

Where you can find Dan:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34507930-everything-i-needed-to-know-i-learned-in-hell?ac=1&from_search=true

Here's The Press Release For Poetry and Ponderings!

The new press release from Online PR Media!

Online PR News – 18-June-2017 – Green Bay – In this rare collection of nonfiction Christian poetry and prose based on real life experiences, Diamante Lavendar, a victim of abuse, shows the reader the raw emotions of pain, hate, and denial that occur before a victim of abuse can find a way to heal from the pains of assault. Knowing herself the very difficult journey of being a victim, Diamante was abused as a child, and turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain. Many years later, she started to heal under God's watchful eyes and was able to find love in her life again. She shares these truly inspiring, religious poems in the hopes that it may help other victims heal their hurts, as she did while writing the poetry collection.

"Poetry and Ponderings is the most loving and beautiful dedication to Diamante Lavendar's daughter. Anybody who has gone through a grieving time needs to read this classic expression of love and devotion. I tip my hat to the author for this marvelous collection of wisdom, insight, and truth."—Mel Novak, Actor, Best known for his role in Bruce Lee's Game of Death.

“Poetry and Ponderings is the most loving and beautiful dedication to Diamante Lavendar’s daughter. Anybody who has gone through a grieving time needs to read this classic expression of love and devotion. I tip my hat to the author for this marvelous collection of wisdom, insight, and truth.”—Mel Novak, Actor, Best known for his role in Bruce Lee’s Game of Death.”

"Tragedy turned triumph. Poetry and Ponderings beautifully leads the reader from gut-wrenching pain to glorious freedom and healing. A must read for survivors and those who love them."—Sarah Boes, Founder of More Precious Than Rubies, reaching victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

"Ms. Lavendar takes the reader through her powerful, unfiltered emotions on each page with every poem. The personal nature of her poetry opens a window into her life, into her being."—IE Castellano, Author of The World In-between Series.

"Diamante's Poetry and Ponderings are an affirmation, and flow to the close of her book with the summation of her awakening. She has in each poem walked us through to her understanding, and acceptance; we are the creation of God's breath, as souls to live life to the fullest, and with forgiveness… ‘Writing is her way of leaving her mark; one poem, one story at a time.’ This book achieves this endeavor."—Sam Eastwood, International Poet.

"A really nice collection of poetry. The poems flow well, as well as vary in structure and length…I enjoyed the positivity that took over the majority of the work and the enlightened affirmations that punctuated every few pages. I really enjoyed the branch graphic on every page; it’s neat how the branch reflected healing."—Maddy Drake, Dreaming Big Publications.

About the Author: Diamante Lavendar has been in love with reading since she was a child. Diamante believes that everyone should try to leave their own positive mark on the world, and to make it a better place for all. Writing is her way of leaving her mark-one story at a time. She began writing in college and has published poetry in anthologies over the years. Most of her writing is very personal and stems from her own experiences, and those of her family and friends. She writes to encourage hope and possibility to those who read her stories. Her book, Breaking the Silence has been nominated for and won many awards. To learn more about Diamante Lavendar and her books, please visit her website at: www.diamantelavendar.com.

- See more at: https://www.onlineprnews.com/news/912410-1497614270-poetry-and-ponderings-a-new-chapbook-of-hope-and-healing-by-award-winning-author-diamante-lavendar.html#sthash.zXJ59Vmb.dpuf

Review: The Magnum Opus by Christopher and Christine Kezelos

A beautiful, sentimental story written by Christine and Christopher Kezelos.  If you enjoy fantasy and whimsical storytelling, this book is for you.

I absolutely loved how the authors wove spiritual wisdom into the book's pages in a subtle yet striking way.  The story is a must read for anyone looking to develop more meaning and intention in their lives.

I highly recommend this book to adolescents and adults alike.  The Magnum Opus would make a wonderful gift for anyone interested in fantasy or fiction.

My rating:  5 Diamonds!  <>  <>  <>  <>  <>

Where you can find The Magnum Opus:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnum-Opus-Seek-shall-find/dp/0998462802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496742473&sr=8-1&keywords=the+magnum+opus

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-magnum-opus-christine-kezelos/1125384778?ean=9780998462806

My poem entitled Life, set to music.

I wrote this poem a while ago but recently decided to set it to music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMHeJpo7ij4

As is everything I write, this poem has a lot of personal meaning to me.  I hope you enjoy it!

Feel free to follow me on youtube.  I have created 20 videos there with different types of content.  I'd love to have you join me!

You Shone Like The Sun On Autumn Leaves

You shone like the sun on autumn leaves, Their remaining life brief before they fell from the trees;

The sun's light was strong, the warmth intense, Just as was your heart; loving, immense;

But the leaves shriveled up and neared their end, Just as you when you left, my child, my friend;

Your meaning lives on in every new day, I begged God for time to extend your stay;

It's a hard lesson to learn that you have no control, Over life, over love, over a darling child's soul;

All we can do is sift through the hours, And beg for provision, mercy and power,

To experience life's sentence of lessons and fate, Before we, too, find ourselves in heaven's estate.

Love us and guide us from your ethereal view,                                                                                 Until one day we are reunited with you.

-Diamante Lavendar

My lyrics video for my song For My Baby.

This is the first song I wrote for my daughter who passed 7 months ago.  It is an easy listening/pop/light rock song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g71C9ImczQA&t=2s

If you enjoy it, you can purchase it on itunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/for-my-baby-radio-version-single/id1206895872

Ominous Clouds

Ominous clouds on a haunted street, Passers by shuffling quickened feet; Ghosts lurk behind windows, and half open doors; Watching, waiting, squeaking furniture and floors; Their time has stopped, clocks are meaningless pieces; Of a life they once knew, before meeting the reaper; Confused and rattled, they are bound to cold earth; No longer feeling happiness, meaning or worth.

-Diamante Lavendar

Available on Fine Art America at:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/ominous-clouds-diamante-lavendar.html