November 27, 2006

Walking in Honesty, Walking in Peace by Sandy

We all have addictions, flaws ad mistakes we make in our lives. We are human and it is natural for us to do all these things. However, certain behaviors are not tolerated when you want to be a successful person and keep worthy friendships. Lying is one of the behaviors that is not tolerated and should not be. When we lie we are not only hurting the people we lie too, we are also hurting ourselves. Its something that hurts just as if we had committed a crime. Everybody knows lying is bad, whether it’s a white lie or a compulsive lie. It is not the truth therefore it is wrong.
There are many factors that cause people to lie, one of them is fear. We fear we are not good enough , that our truth is not good enough. At times we think the easiest way out of fear is lying, not facing our reality. Fear relates to low self-esteem, because if we were confident we would not have to be afraid of our truth. Another reason that we lie is because we are angry, angry at someone or something. We think life isn’t fair therefore we try to change our lives by lying. The ironic thing about lying is that we think it will avoid conflict however, it only brings more conflict to our lives.
Breaking an agreement is quite like lying. We say we are going to do something, agree on doing it and then take no course of action to do it; breaking the agreement. There are many excuses or reasons that prevent us from keeping our agreement. It still doesn’t matter to the other person to whom we made that agreement to. As far as they know we lied and disrespected them by not keeping the agreement. That is why we must take action. We create our own world, and we are responsible for the choices we make. One must do whatever it takes to make the right choice in order to benefit both parties.
When we lie to people whoever it may be family, teachers, strangers or friends we are disrespecting them and expressing that they aren’t important enough to hear the truth. One thing that can break a relationship between two people is wrecking trust. Trust is something that takes many years to build and yet so little to break. Why cause that damage on that relationship? The lie itself is carried on one's shoulders and its like unsolved puzzle that never seizes to leave one’s mind. It can really cause damage in our lives.
Actions such as lying and breaking agreements can be avoided and spare the feeling of those involved. This can be done by thinking of the other party involved and just how much ones actions will affect them. One must then ask questions such as, are those people important to me, do I want people not to trust me? All these questions and more play a significant role in the choices we make. The most important question however is, what is the consequence of my action? If the answer is harm or pain then think twice about what you will do.
There isn’t a better feeling than having integrity, the feeling itself is so comforting more comforting than the feeling of lying. When one speaks with truth the mind, body, soul feel completely liberated. That is why we should free ourselves from lies and let ourselves be and show those people of who we really are, not be afraid, not be afraid of those around us, not to be afraid of ourselves. Being free is the most gratifying feeling one can experience because there is no negativity surrounding one. We should love and cherish ourselves by loving ourselves and walking in honesty in order to walk in peace.

October 25, 2006

CLICK ON TO VIEW AHA! BREAKTHROUGH

Download file

September 18, 2006

MAKING TRACKS comments from Neil K

I credit my steady ( albiet gradual ) success to everything I have learned
at AHA!. In the five years I attended AHA!, I learned an incredible amount
of knowledge that would never have come anywhere else. In addition to
actually having social experiences, I learned about the benefits of
acceptance, brotherhood, empathy, and open communication. In short, I gained
something to believe in. I owe everything to the support I was given at AHA!

HELLO STRANGER, HELLO ME by Kim

This was written by an AHA! participant that benefited from the donation only
therapy program!

I wrote this poem from my heart, and I believe that
the stranger in my poem is who I was when I was
younger. I had so many negative beliefs about myself,
and I truly believe that therapy has helped me
overcome my obstacles with dealing with my traumas. I
haven't learned to FORGET the bad memories, but I have
instead learned how to live WITH them. I now know that
my past doesn't make up who I am, it helps me learn
more about why I am the way that I am. Without my past
and memories, I would not be the person that I am
today. I am happy with who I am, and I think going to
therapy has helped me better understand my life.

POEM

Young girl, I am for you
Your angelic face is washed with fear
Dewy drops cling to the ends of lashes
As a single tear trickles down your cheek
No one knew that when the world turned off its lights
at night,
You sat in the corner crying silently to the moon,
Waiting for someone to rescue you
A face half-hidden in the shadows,
Pleading eyes reveal a sadness that will not subside
Take my hand and let me stop the madness that you
scream of,
Because I know that madness is what I helped create
Don’t be afraid
You let ME be afraid
Let me dry your tears
Let me conquer what came before, so you can start over
Let me wrap you up in my love and heal your pain
From the beginning, the past was never your fault
Unveil your true self hidden beneath your sorrow
Begin to step into the light
I believe we’ve crossed paths before…
You are me,
Or rather, who I USED to be...


September 13, 2006

as if by leroy

as if you took the time
to know my name
as if you learned how i like to dance
as if you listened to the curve of my voice
as if you looked beyond your presumption

but i am here
behind every blank stare
nodding indifference
and typecast
I am here

Continue reading "as if by leroy" »

thankful Jocelyn

you got up
made me tea
you wiped the counter
where i had spilled the cream
you dressed for work
yet again
as i typed on the computer
you called me to remind me of .......
you probably thought of me alot during the day
you made me dinner while i pretended to do homework
All i did was slide out of your body one bristly morning and now you still give me LIFE

dash

it didn't happen that fast
slow like knives dull cutting hard skin
it took me under
i breathed in like smoke was in my lungs
now
it is slow
water dripping from rusty faucet
fog wrapping coastline
flooded carpets in the entryway
slow in the way of wrinkles and gray
Do you remember what it was like before?
like the first time ice cream sweetened your tongue

August 26, 2006

Going Down by JC

I am not white
I am not brown
I am not any color
I am underneath your skin
underneath your hatred
your joy
you pain
I am down where no one can see me
thicker than blood
or family
or name Make no mistake I see you for who you are