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Charlie Keating IV, American Hero, Runs the Mile, Mom Finishing the Race!

May 30, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

Attended a Memorial Day Mass for Charlie Keating IV, Chief Special Warfare Operator, the Navy SEAL who died on May 3rd, 2016 in Iraq doing his duty to our country. His family lives in Ponte Vedra Beach. Solemn, patriotic & inspirational… childhood pic with Mother Teresa… who gave the family a card at the time which read… the fruit of silence is peace… the fruit of peace is faith… the fruit of faith is love… the fruit of love is service… the fruit of service is peace… clearly played out in his life of 31 years… duty & sacrifice… You are My Sunshine… On Eagle’s Wings… Amazing Grace… God Bless America… God Bless Charlie Keating IV… thank you for fulfilling your duty & giving us & the world the ultimate sacrifice. .. (Facebook, Andy Reistetter with 14 Pics, 5/30.16).

K9s for Warriors Dog Named C4, Gold Star Mom’s ‘Big Hearted Charlie Runs the Mile’ Book (7/3/17)

Gold Star Mom Krista Keating Joseph sharing her book “Big-hearted Charlie Runs the Mile.” Photo Credit: Fox & Friends

“Well, Charlie was a character, it’s so wonderful, he loved animals, he loved children. The worse thing when you lose a son is that you don’t know what they would have done for ‘the rest of their lives.’ So I felt I could write a book about his life and name these dogs after Charlie. Charlie always wanted to have his warriors back. He has his buddies back by making sure the warriors are taken care of as well as kids who missed out of having fun with him.” –Gold Star Mom Krista Keating-Joseph

Hero’s mom pens children’s book to show true meaning of Memorial Day (5/28/17)

Mom wrote an inspiring book about her hero son. Photo Credit: Bob Mack Florida Times Union.

Keating-Joseph said she remembers plenty of children in attendance at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, listening closely as a retired SEAL spoke about her son. Many of their parents approached after Mass to express their condolences.

“The parents were so grateful that it touched their children because I honestly don’t know if kids understand what Memorial Day is except for a day off to go to the beach,” Keating-Joseph said. “I think they were really transformed.”

A year later, Keating-Joseph is trying to transform more children to be like her son through the pages of a children’s book in his honor.

Credit: Joe Daraskevich Florida Times Union

[Show slideshow]

Filed Under: Sources of Inspiration

You Can’t Keep Hating People…

May 30, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

CLICK here for the Feature Video—The Flags of Their Fathers— by CBS Sunday Morning.

“You can’t keep hating people”… but some people do and to who’s expense?

“At the time that was my job and I could not question that.”

“Kept it Locked inside…”

“Ghost of long ago enemies…”

“I have never been there,” said the son but haven’t we all been there in our personal life?

Justified, rationalized, in denial that our resentment and anger was the right thing to do at the time?

We don’t have to keep hating people…

We don’t have to keep hating ourselves…

We can turn the spoils of our lives into the fertilizer that enables peace, joy and freedom to grow from within creating a whole new life for ourselves, our loved ones and the people we connect with for the rest of our lives.

They aren’t justified memories of hatred… they are self-created, self-imposed prison bars containing our innate spirit to grow, to love and to be a part of the an emerging next-generation worldwide humanity of our times.

Separation in life from others we love and need is good in life as far as it goes for a limited time only.

Nothing is forever except in death and beyond that it is all forever.

Can you see beyond what seems to be in your life?

It is better to give than receive…

It is better to look within… be selfish for awhile… and grow to love yourself…

It is better to learn how to accept, love and be compassionate to yourself…

And then be accepting, loving and compassionate towards every other human being on our home planet Earth…

Is it time to go within and find the True Self of your birth destiny? To re-discover and re-energize the Eternal Child Within?

And then go outside and play in the world?

Something is wrong with me and that is okay as long as I come out of denial; out of the self-justificating, self-rationaling, and self- distinguishing world of hate of myself, others and the world in general.

I maintain if we put one human being from each country of the world in a confined space with limited resources we would not kill each other but help each other to survive—you and I would figure it out, we would figure it out of love…

Yet the governments and religions that we have constructed between us have not…

Something is wrong…

We have yet to figure out the mystery of ourselves, yet to figure out why and to stop killing one another on the battlefields and in our own back yard.

That is the logical and emotional solution.

Someday this will become the Church of TROML but first if you are like-minded (love life, love your country and love the world but don’t accept the insanity within or outside your self) let’s start growing together in the right direction.

Our circular leadership of the past has always brought us to the same realization:

“You can’t keep hating people,”… so why do so in the first place?”

Have a TROML Day today!

Your Personal Revivalist,

Anonymous Andy

Filed Under: From the TROML Journals, Sources of Inspiration, Spirituality

It’s all about the Connections in our Beliefs…

May 29, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

Hallelujah and Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

Editor’s Note:

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo means Glory to the Sutra of the Lotus of the Supreme Law and is the central mantra chanted within all forms of Nichiren Buddhism.

Hallelujah is a transliteration of the Hebrew word הַלְּלוּיָהּ, which is composed of two elements: הַלְּלוּ (an exhortation to “praise” addressed to several people) and יָהּ (the name of God) and is generally translated as “Praise be to God.”

I have a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, which is a fancier way of saying: “I see the connections in everything.”

I believe that connections exist everywhere, all the time, and it is our privilege as humans—if we want to grow and expand our knowledge—to find these connections.

I was born a Roman Catholic and baptized, and received my first Holy Communion. Then a major change in my family life occurred. Oddly enough, I was the child who started this roller coaster ride when I came home one day and asked my dad why we didn’t read the Bible. Soon afterwards, my father left the Catholic Church, taking us along with him, and we became “Born Again Christians” attending a fundamentalist Baptist Church.

Since this transformation at the age of eleven, I have been mindful…more like consumed with the topic of religion, eternal life, who goes to heaven, who doesn’t and why. Is there a heaven, or is it a stream of energy in the Universe, or the now more popular term: Multiverses?

This has been a journey for over four decades. I have written a thesis on the topic and my fascination with formal religion, or a more broad way of looking at it…spirituality. I have finally decided that I categorize myself as the latter of the two. My disappointment with formalized religious doctrine, is just that. I see it as doctrine. Humans often times crave or look for rules to guide or decide which way to go. I believe that these rules should be more like guidelines. This is my personal belief. That said, I have extreme respect for all people and all religions and hope they will share their stories with me throughout my lifetime.

Anonymous Andy wrote an article on the Secret Chord…this secret chord we will strike with our life. He then went on to talk about Shrek (one of my favorite movies, for different reasons), but most of all the song, with lyrics. I got caught up in the Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah…almost to infinity, and that is what Hallelujah represents. It represents the word of all words in Christianity…Praise be to God. When all words fail us, it is this incredible chorus to sing, in repetition as a comfort. It is the chorus of Handel’s Messiah and many other hymns, I am sure many of you have sung on multiple occasions, if you are Christian.

So, there you have it. It is a mantra. I do jokingly call myself a Catholic/Buddhist. Much to my father’s dismay (if he knew), I would have to say that Catholicism is my culture, in my DNA, and impossible to dismiss completely.

I have had the chance to attend many different religious ceremonies and have felt welcomed wherever I have visited. I got the chance to chant at a Buddhist service and although I didn’t completely feel the transformation, I did feel the connection with this group for the hour I joined them in chanting. As I learned, the purpose of chanting, is to attain perfect and complete awakening and unify with the spiritual force which animates the Universe.

As humans, we are so small. Yet, we want to feel important, and that is where the Ego comes in. At times, we have to dismiss our own egos to become a part of something greater than ourselves. Something greater that leads us to another life—eternal life or this stream of eternal energy.

It’s what makes us feel less lonely on this planet. Yes, so, I do get the organized religious stuff. We crave a sense of belonging. We want to grow and expand our knowledge—to find these connections.

Filed Under: Buddhism, Guest Contributors, Spirituality

So inspired by Church this Morning…

May 26, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

From Paul the Apostle to the Galatians (5:13-25) we have “the Works of the Flesh,” the list of 15 should not do in life—fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factious, envy, drunkenness, carousing and things like these. Also, a shorter list of 8 of “the Fruit of the Spirit”—joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control with the differing comment that there is no law against such things. Or I would add that the first list that there is no human law in our world of free will to not choose what we will choose at any point in our life.

In the Gospel of Luke (9:51-62) Jesus, setting face towards Jerusalem (and the Crucifixion), simply asks us in His own way to “follow Me.”

In the beginning and end of the priest’s sermon our prayer for courage and strength to love and follow Jesus with gladness and single-mindedness of our hearts. If He is the primary pursuit of our faith journey then everything else comes second and works out just fine. I have experienced this at times in my life especially early on growing up impacted by the disease of alcoholism and later in life and more recently in recovery from the disease of compulsive overeating and sugar addiction. “I can’t fix that” transforms to “with God and Jesus I can,” were the words of the priest. Is a faith journey a primary purpose in your life? If so, what is the true primary purpose of that faith journey? These questions, at times, are difficult for me to answer.

“Finding the right balance” in life is why I seek a spiritual journey in life. It is difficult in the world we live in. Yes it is but we need to question our denial, our rationalizations and our justifications in our life. What is the truth of our human being, what is the true purpose of our life?

The priest referenced the 2015 Charleston Church Shooting where nine beautiful souls were lost. How the remaining victims and their family and loved ones were now more focused on the grace and love of Christ and not being sucked into hate from the traumatic experience. On their “Journey of Awakening” they are learning how to pray for the shooter that he experience God’s mercy and forgiveness to live a different life and to be able to tell a different story with the rest of his life.

The Children’s Talk where the kids go up on the altar and here a more childish version of the gospel had a special message for me this morning. Actually I usually connect closely with the message to the children, maybe it is the Eternal Child Within? The kids’ translation was simply put as a prayer when confronted with something we don’t like in life.

“God, can you help me to see this (experience in my life) in the way You see it?”

It connect the dots once more for me in my pursuit of a “Splendid Spiritual Self” and the “?4 Ask God 4?” translation from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous where I ask God four things in times of crisis (anxiety, indecision, contemplating a slip in abstinence)— to free me of my self & selfishness; to direct my thinking, to inspire my decisions and to show me the next step to take in the moment.

How can we think, how can we be more like God in our lives?

After the mass (or service), there is more interpretation and a question and answer session with the rector. There are usually ten or so questions asked and I love this part of my morning spiritual experience because I learn so much more about the Word of God and realize we are all imperfect and struggling a bit at times to get through this experience we call life. More dots are connected in my mind and more importantly in my “Splendid Spiritual Self.”

We are spiritual beings first that the world has duped us into not believing this. Some spend their whole lives denying this but in the end it can be suppressed but not denied. Hopefully and eventually we all come to this realization in life.

I formulated a question as the discussion went on and was surprised at the end that there was silence when the audience was asked for another question. I took this as a Godsend and asked my question. Making reference to the two lists above, I commented that we all come to a place of acceptance and realization the we are not God in our lives or the lives of others and as human beings we die. It seemed to me that our experience will follow Jesus’ experience in that we all ultimately die. I didn’t say it but that is indeed true, that we all share one thing in common without except— we die! But nobody talks about it to any great degree or minimally likes to talk about it. So you would say, as others did, hey where is the question in that?

Here’s the question I asked of the rector: When you look at “the rest of your life,” what comes to mind, what will Jesus say to you in your 60s, 70s, and 80s that is different than what He is saying to you today? Always a TROML question from me!

I loved and was inspired by his response, first making reference to the first list as things we do when Jesus is not first in our lives and that the reality is that the second list spills out into our life from a God-centered life. As to my 60s, 70s, and 80s question he does not think that way, mainly because he isn’t there yet age wise. As he continues his journey, he will grow more in God’s grace and love and shared that he wants to always be a person that believes in wonders, that he is intrigued by people who have lost their sense of wonder. Why have they lost their sense of wonder of life?

Have you lost your sense of wonder?

For me, as inspired as the morning was, the real inspiration came when an older gentleman in his 80s came up to me afterwards and tapped me on the arm. He looked up and looked me in the eyes and said that in his 60s he was focused on transitioning into retirement. In his 70s he began walking closer with God. As he told me about his 80s he turned and motioned to his wife saying that he continues to walk closer taking big steps and that it is overwhelming how much he loves his wife today.

I connected with his spiritual insight as though I am single today when I pray and ask, and meditate and listen, I hear God sharing that I will be married by the time I am 60 which is only a few years off. Which reminded me of my neighbor the other day sharing what his wife wanted him to share with me. Reminding me that I said that I will be married in 1-1/2 years. Evidently six months ago I said I would be married in two years. But I don’t remember that as I always thought I heard 3 to 4 years which would be 60 for me!

LOL, when and to whom will God direct me to? I do know one thing that will be required. That she and I put our relationship with God first and foremost above all else and that No. 2 on the list will be our marriage and each other.

I left to go back out in the world I heard the message from today. Courage and strength for gladness and single-mindedness of God’s love, grace and mercy. I hope to live the rest of this day in an abstinent manner in peace, joy and freedom.

Plus I will ask God to help me to see my tragedies and successes in life in the moment in the way he sees them and act accordingly.

For I am my True Self, with God within me with my Trusting Ego, an Eternal Child Within…

Have a TROML Day today!

Your Personal Revivalist,

Anonymous Andy

Filed Under: Christian, From the TROML Journals, Sources of Inspiration

Today, Throughout the Day, I am Grateful for…

May 21, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

My TROML Journals are a simple bound composition notebook that I buy for less than a dollar at you know where. They date back to September 3rd, 2000. My current one is No. 141. As I fill up one and transition to another, this is always an opportunity to improve the patented TROML Journal Process. Some things are static like numbering the pages and creating a Table of Contents. Other things are dynamic like the content of the journals, how I capture inspirational moments and how they are digested to improve my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.

Over the years the TROML Journal Process has become very easy to use, almost as easy as having a conversation with God or a good friend. Indeed, the TROML Process is all about having a conversation with oneself and reconnecting to the meaningful and powerful innate abilities that we all possess as human beings. Part of the patented TROML Journal Process is 100% electronic, present on my cell phone though my hardcopy Journal No. 141 is never very far away.

One of the things that is electronic and is archived and started anew when I transition to a new hardcopy TROML Journal is my Gratitude or Thankful For List. When a grateful thought pops into my head I like to capture it to insure my TROML Perspective is always one of gratitude at first thought. To insure I actively work on an “Attitude of Gratitude” once a week I intensely document three thoughts of gratitude every hour, on the hour, plus upon awakening and retiring. For a recent day that was 17 times 3 or 51 thoughts of gratitude.

Here they are:

Today, as I awake, I am grateful to be alive, to wake up to another day.

Today, as I awake, I am grateful for dreams, to finally realize my mental capacity is to be used like a computer, only when needed as directed by My Spirit (my life is not directed by Spam, I am not Spam).

Today, as I awake, I am grateful for having visited with a dear friend this past weekend.

Today at 8 am, I am grateful for the love of my first wife who I was married to for over 25 years.

Today, at 8 am, I am grateful for being a father to two awesome sons.

Today, at 8 am, I am grateful for this abstinent breakfast of sugar-free oatmeal.

Today at 9 am, I am grateful for Yogi & his yoga class.

Today at 9 am, I am grateful to be able to read a Bible verse at the YMCA.

Today at 9 am, I am grateful to be inspired by the Spirit of the Lord, this is Liberty, this is Freedom!

Today at 10 am, I am grateful for McDonald’s & consuming a sugar free iced coffee.

Today at 10 am, I am grateful for a feeling of euphoria from yoga class.

Today at 10 am, I am grateful for working the ACA Twelve Steps with a Co-Traveler in recovery.

Today at 11 am, I am grateful for the ACA 12 Step recovery process.

Today at 11 am, I am grateful to be an adult child of an alcoholic in ACA recovery.

Today at 11 am, I am grateful to be a compulsive overeater & sugar addict.

Today at Noon, I am grateful for being able to grocery shopping at Fresh Market.

Today at Noon, I am grateful for being able to grocery shopping at Publix

Today at Noon, I am grateful for being alive & to begin to feel a pain of hunger.

Today at 1 pm, I am grateful for my home, my creative condo.

Today at 1 pm, I am grateful for God & being close to Him, & following His will for me in life.

Today at 1 pm, I am grateful for knowing that the next 10 waking hours of my life will be the absolute best time of my life, absolutely, positively, without a doubt.

Today at 2 pm, I am grateful for knowing that I am loved by God, my family & friends.

Today at 2 pm, I am grateful to have a place to call home & to be a home in my home today.

Today at 2 pm, I am grateful for being with and enjoying time with a dear friend this past weekend.

Today at 3 pm, I am grateful for all the wonderful people, my new friends, which God continues to bring into my life.

Today at 3 pm. I am grateful to feel the love, acceptance & compassion of an abstinent life which is a much better feeling than the loneliness, despair and tragedy of compulsively overeating and being actively addicted to sugar.

Today, at 3 pm, I am grateful for this attitude of gratefulness & thankfulness that has opened my mind & heart to new possibilities in my life.

Today, at 4 pm, I am grateful for my friends who came over to play tennis.

Today at 4 pm, I am grateful to see my friends and neighbors, one who is recovering well from knee surgery.

Today at 4 pm, I am grateful to write about the Spirit of Olympic Golf.

Today at 5 pm, I am grateful not to be obsessing about food.

Today at 5 pm, I am grateful for my creative condo, a place where I am inspired to write about golf & life.

Today at 5 pm I am grateful for the love of my father & mother through which God created me!

Today at 6 pm, I am grateful for being alive & enjoying this day.

Today at 6 pm, I am grateful for having work to do & feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Today at 6 pm, I am grateful for growing up with siblings and good childhood friends.

Today at 7 pm, I am grateful for my hometown & experiencing a sense of community growing up.

Today at 7 pm, I am grateful for the education I received, as much for what I learned as for how I learned to keep learning my whole life through.

Today at 7 pm, I am grateful for my three abstinent & healthy meals with nothing in between or consuming any added sugar.

Today at 8 pm, I am grateful to visit the beach and be in awe of the vastness of the ocean.

Today at 8 pm, I am grateful to hear the surf crashing in and quietly receding out.

Today at 8 pm I am grateful to experience a sense of overwhelming peace, joy & freedom in my life.

Today at 9 pm, I am grateful for my neighbors.

Today at 9 pm, I am grateful to be home in my creative condo.

Today at 9 pm I am grateful for my relationship with God, more secure, compassionate & loving than ever before.

Today at 10 pm, I am grateful for being abstinent, not overeating compulsively or eating sugar.

Today at 10 pm, I am grateful that I have had a full day and am starting to feel tired & sleepy.

Today at 10 pm, I am grateful for all the people I interacted with today that made me think, made me laugh and taught me something about life.

Today, as I retire I am grateful to have walked with God throughout the day with no need to make amends to anyone, including myself.

Today, as I retire I cherish this day, No. 20,477 of my life & No. 5,521 of TROML.

Today, as I retire, I pray & meditate to start a new day with a restful & restorative sleep.

Have a grateful TROML Day today!

Your Personal Revivalist,

Anonymous Andy

Filed Under: From the TROML Journals

Why do I ever Abandon Myself, especially in Difficult Times?

May 21, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

No, we never really ever abandon ourselves do we?

How could we, we are we physically and never have the ability or opportunity to leave our bodies, do we?

We are always our own best friend, even in difficult times, except when we are not.

I know I have abandoned my self at times seeking to escape being someplace, in some situation, with somebody or many bodies or associating with a thing.

How did I do that?

Through sugar and compulsively overeating what others eat for nutrition and pleasure in a normal fashion. At times in my life I have eaten to escape, anesthetize myself, to medicate myself sometimes gaining large amounts of weight in very short periods of times.

I have probably gained and lost 100 pounds three or four times in my life. Then there were the times I lost twenty to only gain forty and lost that forty to gain sixty. This disease of compulsive overeating and sugar addiction is a disease and it is progressive. Unattested there is no doubt in my mind that I would become morbidly obese with the onset of diabetes and a severe reduction in the number of years that I would be of existence on this earth.

In recovery from the disease of compulsive overeating and sugar addiction my slips are minor in comparison to my past personal experience. Months are minutes and pounds gained and lost a small fraction of what they were. I don’t obsess on weight or body image anymore. I focus on utilizing my abstinence, the Twelve Steps and TROML to maintain my life of peace, joy and freedom.

I think there are many like me afflicted with something we took for granted and almost treated like a prize, a positive reward earlier in our lives. Be successful, eat and drink all the good stuff and as much of it as you want because you are successful and able to. It is an insidious trap.

Most afflicted don’t realize it or certainly don’t look at it like a disease. They see it as a willpower thing or a character weakness thing when in fact I know and believe it is a disease, no different than alcoholism, the common cold or cancer. No one wants to have this disease and no one can get rid of it alone in isolation or by themselves.

That explains the why of compulsive overeating and sugar addiction—there is no why.

There however is a “why not,” or several of them.

Why not continue to solve the mystery of your self?

My how can be your how—freedom from compulsive overeating through Overeaters Anonymous.

Why not be introspective and look within for what is happening on a subconscious level in your life?

Why not embark on a TROML Journey, free yourself and travel down your own road in your life?

Why not discover, accept and then change the habits and patterns that have kept you imprisoned in a cell of your own making in life?

Why not let go of fear, anger and resentment and anything that is not true in your life?

Why not escape from your “Silly Ego” and unite with your “Trusting Ego?”

Why not embrace a new and better God of your understanding or no God at all?

Why not free yourself instead of abandoning yourself?

Why not have your God right there beside you at all times and in all situations?

Why not let go of the apparition of perfectionism. control, all-or-nothing thinking and judgmentalism in your life. After all they are not real but the truth is that you are real.

Why not embark on that TROML Journey today and forever be your best friend traveling with a renewed, understanding and helping God of your understanding by your side never abandoning yourself again on the way to your destiny in life and beyond?

Have a TROML Day today!

Your Personal Revivalist,

Anonymous Andy

Filed Under: From the TROML Journals

I have yet to Solve the Mystery of My Self…

May 19, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

I grew up reading the Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. Advertised as a practical guide to mastering the problems of everyday living, this book written in 1952, was a complementary addition to his previously published Guide to Confident Living. This book was my first endeavor to looking within to solve the mystery of my self, something that is always ongoing for me, never to be mastered.

Never to be mastered by me but maybe it is for you? Of course the challenge is to get to the essence of our life, that which is buried beneath our rationalizations, our justifications, our dishonesty (imagine that) and of course our egos. Plus throw in the subconscious and conscious levels of awareness and our dynamic, elusive True Self and Eternal Child Within becomes a lifelong pursuit. If we are lucky and haven’t taken an early exit in life to a place of numbness, circular logic and limited living.

Sometimes it seems we are always on detours in our life. Detours triggered by the realities in life for some of us, nearly all of us, definitely all of us at one time or another—death of a loved one, job loss, divorce, addiction in one of a hundred forms, and ultimately our decline and death—the ultimate detour in life. But if you are looking at it as a sort of dead end or a depressing consequence of life, you are not looking far enough ahead in our pursuit of eternity.

Detours are tough and can be fatal to the peace, joy and freedom of life. Imagine the days before cell phones and GPS and being in an area which you are not familiar with. Although you know you are on the right road traveling through one section of your life, one of those detours pops up and forces you into the unknown. Follow the detour signs and eventually you return to the main road of your life. But life is complicated and some combination of factors, some within your control, some not cause you to miss one of the turn here detour signs. You may not even realize it or you may and think ardently and arguably that you are still on the right path in life for you. Good luck finding your way back. Some do, some never do.

Solving the mystery of our selves is a lifelong pursuit and then some.

If you think you have solved the mystery of yourself, think again. The moment we arrive in life it is time to leave. That’s the true essence of life in that it is really only in being and living in the present moment no matter what the circumstances of our lives are.

Connect our mind, body and spirit. Be emotionally intelligent. Mind over body. The power of positive thinking—to survive one’s childhood, one’s forced detours, one’s ego. The challenge of the mind the biggest and longest distance to overcome is that six inches between our ears. So they say and we sometimes concur.

But seeing beyond that isn’t the biggest challenge in our lives navigating the road between our mind and our heart? Both ways. The love, charity and youthful ways of our childhood growth are innate, are they not? The intelligence of the world and self-knowledge of ourselves we accumulate as adults, do they make their way to our hearts. Has our spirit emerged from our mind, emotions, body and soul and become us in a living way?

Have we let that spirit, our unique spirit, dictate our life’s journey?

Or are we still on some sort of detour in our life with only a vague feeling that we may be in denial of the truth and essence of our life and with that denial comes an internal self-imposed denial of a full life?

I have yet to solve the mystery of myself.

I hope that I am still trying to figure it out on my last day of earthly existence for then I know the peace, joy and freedom in my life is still expanding to fill this universe of life we find ourselves.

Let’s go beyond the mind, body and emotions and live a rich and rewarding spiritual life for while on a spiritual journey in life there are no detours, only the right road for us to travel through to where we are going.

Have a TROML Day today.

Your Personal Revivalist,

Anonymous Andy

Filed Under: From the TROML Journals

Searching for Euphoria; then Finding Fulfillment in Life!

May 9, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

Searching for Euphoria; then Finding Fulfillment in Life!

That’s what humans do. We search for it in a variety of ways. Some are productive, some are destructive.

But that’s what we need. We look to fill this void in our human selves. We know we are a part of a higher calling or mission. Some people call it God. Others call it the Universe.

All civilizations, from the beginning of recorded history left their mark in looking for this higher calling. Humans looked up to the sky and knew the power of water, soil, light and air.

Our human selves seek to be a part of something greater. But on the way to that need to be a part of something greater, or connection, we seek thrills, satisfaction through many devices and, literally, our brain is looking for a way to be fulfilled.

This need for satisfaction comes in such a variety of ways. Some seek endorphins through exercise, extreme or otherwise. Others have a “need for speed”. Fast, falling, climbing, driving, “on the edge” kind of speed.

Others look for this brain fix through things like drugs, (legal or not) dictated by pharmaceutical companies. Others choose a more traditional route through alcohol, which is legal in this century which makes it a more acceptable mode of endorphin seeking behavior.

Others get this same satisfaction through food…how much more legal can that be? We need food to live, to grow, to function. Sometimes our brain tells us to keep going. Why not? It’s necessary, right?

We feed our children and are very concerned about their growth and development. We feed them good food. I help new moms and I cannot tell you how many times I deal with the struggle “breast is best”!

Well, when things don’t work well or they are not producing enough milk, I tell them, relax, “both is best”! In less than four or five months you will be feeding them food, not from your body. These new moms need to adjust as much as the babies they are feeding. It’s okay. There is so much controversy about food, chemicals, etc. in our society. We think that if we eat the right foods, we will not get cancer or any other malady. Truth is, we just need to try to do the right thing. I have seen so many people who have done “everything right” and still, they get cancer or heart disease. So, there is something more outside of our control. A whole other subject that I could also write about…another time.

The key to life, or living a good life is moderation. That sounds great, right? Just be moderate, in all things. The Bible, the Koran and all other religions and programs have a guide book which refers to this key to moderation.

Not easy, because we are humans and we want more, we want euphoria, satisfaction and have a need to be in this state ALL THE TIME! We seek what scientists now call endorphins.

I have been watching neuroscientists and have “high” hopes that during my lifetime, surgeons will be able to make adjustments to our human brains through laser or other non-life threatening adjustments.

So, be kind to yourselves fellow-humans. We desire these “states of euphoria” because we want to feel good, reach a higher state of consciousness, as our own God or Universe has lead us to do.

Filed Under: Guest Contributors

Happy Mother’s Day!

May 8, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

I was very blessed to be with my Mom for 42 years of her life. I wish I could have been with her for longer as she was a dear beautiful woman that everybody loved right along with me. Her love, passion for and curiosity of life remains with me today. I miss being with her but I don’t miss her. As far as I am concerned my mother was a saint and my father a hero to me in life and beyond. I am grateful for not only the gift of life they gave me but for all the inspiration too!

CLICK here for a Video Tribute to My Saintly Mother…

My Mom is a saint and an inspiration to me. She never stopped loving Dad or anyone else she ever knew, her whole life through. In fact, her love of aging people as a Senior Center Supervisor and her curiosity about life was the seed we planted and nurtured together that grew into the TROML process. We were close and shared many thoughts and feelings, especially after Dad died. I was inspired to capture her way of looking at life so I asked her to start writing down the story of her life. This turned into the beginning of the TROML book. Sadly, she died late the night before the September 11th tragedy in 2001. Looking back, my personal and professional world changed drastically within those few hours. Life would never be the same nor looking back would I want it to be.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms and Mom Memories out there in the world!

I love you Mom!

Your loving son…

Filed Under: Other Beliefs & Holidays, Sources of Inspiration

Life may be Programmatic & Problematic, but TROML is NOT!

May 5, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

We grew up and live in a world of programs… programmed education K-12, programmed religion, programmed Twelve Step Recovery, programs of programs on television transitioned to social media and the internet—with books of faces and faces of books galore…

ALL VERY GOOD programs with an appropriate place and time in the life of nearly all 7,420,323,205 human beings on our home planet…

But we are not the programs that we have imbibed over the course of our lifetime whether it be for a decade or two at this point or nearly a decade of decades..

We are not simply the sum of those programs…

Did we learn how to learn?

Did we learn how to learn from ourselves throughout our lives?

We are a unique person beyond what seems to be in our life…

There is only one of us… there will only ever be one of us.

Our spirit will endure for ever and even longer if we find that special spirit of our being while being here on Earth.

Our special spirit of peace, joy and freedom emerging from a life devoid of perfectionism, controlism, all-or-nothing thinking and judgementalism… emerging beyond the fear, anger/resentment, dishonesty and selfishness of our earthy existence…

TROML is not a program, it is a 17-day process to free you of the programs of our lives while still being able to tune into those programs as needed to live a proper worldly life while transitioning beyond to a sense of youthful spirit.

TROML becomes you and you become your TROML program in 17 days. There are no limits thereafter.