Nikki Rosen's Blog

 "The only person who suffers when you squirrel away all that hate is you." Jodi Picoult.   
Jodi got it wrong. Last night two mass shootings happened in the United States 6 days after an earlier one in California.  Innocent people shot, killed and injured all because of someone's squirreled away hate. 

The 21 year old's postings on his social media was full of hate towards those different than himself.  And in less than 24 hours, it happened again in Ohio. 

Hate is toxic. Destructive. It's a terrible thing that not only hurts the individual, but when fueled, ends up destroying others.  


My heart goes out to all the families and individuals in El Paso and Dayton.  And I pray 'never again.'  No more hate. No more shootings. No more innocent killed or terrorized. No more living in fear. 

Nelson Mandela said, "No one is born hating another person. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” 



"Red, brown, yellow black and white - All are precious in His sight."
C. Herbert Woolston,
  

“The world is waiting to hear from you. Don't wait for a Gandhi, don't wait for a King, don't wait for a Mandela. You are your own Mandela, you are your own Gandhi, you are your own King. Be bold. Step out and never walk on tiptoes, because anyone who walks on tiptoes can never leave footprints for people to walk in.” Leymah Gbowee



It's never left me, that fierce desire to reach out and touch the world and make a difference in someone's life. Ever since He turned my life around and shone His light where so much darkness had been, I've had a 'need' to give back, to make someone smile, to show kindness, and mostly to give hope. It's what He did for me and I want to give back. 

Giving back means being bold and being brave. I never was, but I'm incredibly grateful, and I know Someone's got my back, so today and everyday I'm stepping out in new directions, and in different ways to shine light for someone else. It's weird but when I'm giving back, I'm at my happiest.

Sometimes it just means smiling at someone, or stopping to chat or helping out at a local outreach. Sometimes it's writing or creating something that inspires hope. Sometimes it's just being a friend, listening, sharing, being there and showing kindness. 

Sometimes it's more than that - it's taking a stand, using my voice for someone who can't. It's what I try to do with my writing and books and speaking at local community events. I don't ever want to walk on tiptoes and water things down. I want to leave footprints where others can walk in. 

Last week I got an email from a woman released from prison. She said someone gave her my book and she thanked me for writing it. She said it inspired her to change her life. And someone else emailed to tell me she attended my self-esteem workshop a year ago. Afterward, she returned to finish high school and is now applying for university. Their emails inspired me and I'm cheering for them. 

Going forward, I still want to make a difference. It's the yearning in my heart. 

Happy Day, Guys.

“An ordinary life examined closely reveals itself to be exquisite and complicated and exceptional somehow managing to be both heroic and plain.”  Susan Orlean
  Real people. Real life. Real stories. Once nameless, faceless people in the community. They openly shared their story with a stranger, The good, the bad, the defeats, the miraclesYears that passed worrying, wondering, hoping, not knowing. Then life coming together. Affirming what they believed, what they dreamt, what they desired.Lesson learned that life gives back in timeAgain and again and again. 
Watching their faces Listening to their stories, I saw a stranger becoming realTheir hopes and joys and dreamsTheir challenges and heartache and setbacksMerging with faith and humanness Just like me. Just like you. A bond formed by the stories they shared. Real people. Real life. Real stories.
 It's out. The book, A slice of Life is a collection of short stories of twenty-six older adults living in Burlington, Ontario. They are stories of overcoming hardships, refusing to give up, finding romance and realizing dreams. All of them full of hope.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee to help them continue to push for policies that ensure dignity and high quality care for those living in long-term-care homes.  I have loved working on this book and meeting so many incredible people.  I got another grant. Now onto the next one.

"No hatred!"  Corrie ten Boom
She was 86 years old. An elderly woman living alone in an apartment, in Paris. A couple of days ago, someone stabbed her multiple times, set her place on fire and left her to burn to death. 

The woman was Mireille Knoll. She was a child in 1942 when the Jews were rounded up in Paris and sent to concentration camps. She survived the brutality of the holocaust, only to be viciously killed in a violent hate crime years later. 

Last April, another Jewish woman living in Paris was also violently attacked. She was Sarah Halimi, a 66 year old teacher and physician. Sarah's neighbour broke into her Paris apartment, threw her over the balcony to her death and yelled, "I killed the demon."

Hate crimes. They're still happening. People with so much hatred preying on the innocent and vulnerable. 
Hearing what happened to Mireille and Sarah left me reeling. How, I wondered, can anyone forgive the level of evil in those who do such terrible things?

And then I thought about Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch lady, who had also survived the holocaust. Her family were all killed in the camps. She had reason to hate. But over the years, I read her story. It was from Corrie, I learned about forgiveness. 

After she was released from the camps, Corrie went around the world telling people, God's love in me is stronger than the hatred.

Forgiveness, she said,  is not an emotion. Forgiveness is an act of will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. She also said, If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love. 
Corrie's  words helped me forgive those who had brutalized me. I used to walk around full of hate because of what those people did to me.
I still today don't understand why some people inflict their awful hate on others, but I've made a choice. I, like Corrie, want to live with 'no hatred.' And I have learned it's true, His love in me is stronger than the hate. 
Forgiveness. Not easy, but to live free, it's a requirement. 
Happy Thursday, Guys.   
 

"What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't even happened yet."Anne Frank

Someone once said, the best is yet to come. I believe that's true. 

No matter how great or awesome life has been at times, or even how bad and yuck - down the road, there's some amazing stuff that's still to happen in our lives. 

I love that thought. I believe it. It excites me and makes me what to live each day to the fullest. I'm holding onto that belief. Hope you are too. 

Happy Thursday, Guys. 

"When one door closes, another one opens." Alexander Graham Bell

It took a long time to let go of something I had been doing and enjoying for seven years. It was at an organization I believed in, a place I felt a part of. But things changed. I changed. And I knew in my gut the time had come to move on. 

I've always resisted change and I hung on longer than I should. But the thing is when I finally let go, gave into the angst inside me and closed the door to what was - another door swung wide open. 

I had worried what I'd replace the old with. But the new is amazing. The best is I am running groups again and writing like crazy - contract work that seemed to come out of nowhere. 


It's true - when one door closes another opens. Lesson learned. 
Happy Thursday, Guys.  

"Christmas reminds us we are not alone. We are not unrelated atoms, jouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but are a part of something, which holds and sustains us." Donald E. Westlake 

It seems like everyone is getting in on the Christmas spirit. I wandered around the mall doing some last minute shopping. Although packed with people, it was such a great feeling to see the smiles and nods from everyone. It felt as if we're all connected, a part of something greater than each one of us. I love it! 

Came home happy, and wished it was like this all year through - the consideration, the kindness, reaching out to friends and strangers alike. 

Something is in the air. For me it's a God thing. 
Tis the season. Have a Merry Christmas Guys!

Don't ever let anyone insist you can't do something. Follow your heart. Go for it. It's your right - and maybe even your calling.
So many times something burned in my heart that I wanted to do. And so many times people stepped up to tell me you can't.   It won't work. Some even said, it's foolish, not realistic. 
Looking back I realize how many times I closed my ears to those people who couldn't see or feel what I did. People who wanted the best for me but didn't have the vision, or the passion burning in their hearts like it did in mine. 
I think now, those things inside us, the ideas that won't go away, the desires that keep us awake at night, the pull towards something or other - might be a calling, the thing we are meant to do.
I think that's where courage and brave comes in. To follow our hearts. It's the best thing because when we do, there's this huge satisfaction we feel inside us.
There's something else. For a long time close friends have suggested I do something that I wanted but I hemmed and hawed because I didn't have the faith to believe I could get it off the ground. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to go for it. Amazingly, it's all falling into place. Taking that first step even when I don't believe it'll work is powerful.   
Happy Thursday, Guys.  

" Every single ordinary person has an extraordinary story." Cecelia Ahern

I've been interviewing and writing stories of so many people these last few weeks and yet, every story is completely different. 

Everyone I've met are all ordinary people with extraordinary life stories to tell - things that happened in their lives, challenges they've overcome, new adventures they embarked on, teachable lessons from an experience they had, dreams and longings realized, romance found when all seemed hopeless. The list goes on. 

I'm loving meeting the people, and hearing their stories. Makes me realize all the more just how much I really love true to life stories. 

I walk away in awe at how each life has been lived. And the best are the many new friendships I've made. 

People - no  life is ordinary. We are all living extraordinary lives. 
Just some thoughts on a dark rainy morning. 

Happy Thursday, Guys.    
 

"People, even more than things have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed. Never throw out anyone." Audrey Hepburn. 

They're everywhere, in every city, homeless people living on the streets, begging for a handout. Young, old, men, women - how did these people end up living like that - like throwaways that no one seems to care about anymore.

I'm helping out with, Out in the Cold, a group who cooks warm meals and then distributes it to those living on the streets.  I decided to join them because we all matter. Everyone one of us. Doesn't matter who we are, where we come from, or how we're living. No one is a throwaway. 

I think lives just get messed up sometimes and people don't know how to get back on track. But talking to these people, listening to their stories, I hear their heart and their humanity.
 

Happy Day Guys.