MY WRITERS SITE: Keep the faith

Keep the faith

“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”

Of course that’s easy to say but difficult to put to work in our lives. Faith is a symbolic, powerful doctrine that we train outselves to have and to keep. (You have to work to keep faith because losing one’s faith is easy to do and it is usually lost in seconds.)

I’m not talking about religious faith, here. As important as religious faith is in our lives, the definition of faith goes beyond that. Rather, I’m talking about trust without proof that we should trust, belief without proof that we should believe. Trusting and believing in what we cannot see.

And why not? Why not trust and believe in the invisible?

We lose our faith, we lose our nerve and we lose our self-assurance mostly over things we cannot see. Things….worry, negative thoughts, doubt…. that have no proof that they exist. We make them up. The worst thing can happen, true, but we tend to give it life and authority before it does. (By the way, the worst thing usually never happens)

And yet while we allow these negative, pain in the butt invisible forces to dictate our lives we tend to lose faith because we’re looking for concrete, rock solid evidence that faith in the positive is worth having.

If you want faith, create faith. If you need to see it, look for it. Look at the miracles that are everywhere and if you can’t find one remember this, you’re a miracle.

Look, every day is going to be a test of your faith so look for daily affirmations of faith.

They’re everywhere, everywhere and all you have to do is to want to see them. It’s all about what you allow yourself to see and to think. You are the result of what you allow into your life, it all plays a role in creating us and our attitudes. So see the miracles, hell, be the miracle.

Remember, a happy person, a person of faith, isn’t someone who enjoys life due to pleasant circumstances. Rather, a happy, faithful person is someone who has decided to adapt a positive set of attitudes about life no matter what the circumstances are. Speak to your soul, affirm your own faith “I have faith in myself and my fellow man. Life is good. I will find the positive and I will live the positive”

Remember to stay reasonably healthy. Commit yourself to that. A healthy body is a happy body and a happy, positive mind.

And dream. Dream about all the great stuff that can happen in your life. It’s good for you. Dream your oldest best dreams. Our society demands practicality out of its citizens and in the process drains the dreams out of them. Society is wrong. Dream if you want to. It’s your life, not theirs.

To my friends....

A referral point for my friends (personnel friends, meaning people I know in my personnel life) who want me to “Take a look at my stuff.” For years I’ve said sure, I’ll look at it, meaning edit it. But I have always forewarned them that I take the processes seriously and I won’t pull any punches and not to get angry with me. They always, always, always assure me that they want to a professional edit and that I shouldn’t pull any punches just because we’re friends. Then I edit their work and they get angry at me. So here’s what we’re going to do. If you want me to give my opinion on your writing or edit your work, the charge is $50.00 an hour with a four hour minimum. That should stop most of you from asking me to look at your work and while preserving our friendship.

Why this blog is here.

I am largely self-educated, and this blog is continuation of that education. I have an MFA, but that doesn’t have much to do with an education, not the kind I’m talking about. An advanced degree means I am able to follow instruction.

Never ending self-education means I adore knowledge and enlightenment of both the ordinary and the odd and that’s what this blog is about. It is by me, written for my benefit. You are more than welcomed to drop by as often and for as long as your heart desires.

John William Tuohy

I was born and raised in Connecticut and now live in rural West Virginia with my wife, Mary, and my dog Eli.

I hold an AA and MA in literature and an MFA in writing from Lindenwood University. I spent most of my career as a political consultant and hated every living second of it.

I am produced and award-winning playwright. (Cyberdate, The Hannigans of Beverly, etc.)

I am the author of 12 books on traditional organized crime, an autobiography (No Time to Say Goodbye) two books of short stories (Short Stories from a Small Town, Washington Behind the Monuments) a novella (Imago Summer, 1971) and several books on Connecticut history. I proud to be the historian of Ansonia Connecticut. I sit on the board of Mt. St. John's School.

I occasionally and reluctantly work as an editor but only when I need money to travel.

I am an accomplished amateur photographer, a frustrated painter and not a half-bad gardener and I cook. I collect coins, stamps and political memorabilia. I love film so much that I built a large theater in my home. (I also wrote "On the Waterfront: the Making of a Great Amercian film")

Welcome

Keep the faith