• Society and Religion •

Does being religious make you a good person? The basic principles of most Christian churches are having faith in God, respect, honesty, loyalty, peace and humiliation. But just because you call yourself a Christian doesn’t mean you put these values to practice. Jesus never believed in self-righteousness, so why are so many religious people guilty of it? Instead of wanting to learn about Christ, people are more concerned with where they fit in the “hierarchy of society.” Just because you donate a percentage of your earnings to your church doesn’t mean you’re punching your ticket to heaven. If God only wanted your money, he wouldn’t have sent down his son to be crucified for the sake of humanity. So before you say “My body’s a Temple” evaluate what’s on the inside of your walls. Temples don’t rot at the core. Those people are more like mummies. They cover up all their problems with deceit, while underneath they are rotting. The self-righteous accuse people of wrongdoing so they can feel better about themselves. It’s Ironic because that’s what the people who crucified our savior were doing. The difference is those people were blind. There’s a reason Jesus yelled from the cross “father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” When Jesus died, the blindness was cured. Everybody had vision. So before you’re quick to judge someone on their beliefs, understand they may view things different. There isn’t one way to look at all things; religious or not. People are entitled to believe what they want to believe. God doesn’t care if you served a mission, hold a position in the church or aren’t a member of any religion. Don’t act entitled to anything, because everyone is given the same chance at eternal happiness. So before you point your finger with disgust, remember Jesus pointed his finger with hope. The hope that with help everyone can be forgiven; everyone can reach eternal happiness. So it’s our responsibility not to boast in our ignorance, but to be hopeful in our humility. 

•Life•

Life is like a puzzle. Each breath we take and each moment that passes are all new pieces to our puzzle of life. With each day that comes and goes, we are that much closer to our puzzle being completed. Every one of us is guaranteed to receive at least two of the same pieces: our first piece which comes with our first breath, and our last piece which comes with our last breath. What we decide to do in the years between is what makes our puzzle unique. 

Life is like a river. It all began somewhere, small and slow. Along the way it may get faster or slower. At some parts the river may widen or shrink. People may come and go. But the river never stops for anyone. The people that matter are those that are along for the ride till the very end. Eventually the river ends and it empties into something much larger: heaven.

Life is like a blindfold. We don’t quite know what we may face each day. What we end up seeing may not always be what we want. But what we see is what we get. We just have to find happiness with what we were dealt. There are no do-overs in this thing called life. Once we take our blindfold off, once we are able to see the surprise laid out in front of us, we have to accept that and do our best with what we were given. Because in the end, it was completely out of our control anyway.

Life is like a party. We can’t always control who comes and goes, but we can control the actions and decisions we decide to make. Some people may leave earlier than we want them to or even sooner then they intended. But that’s just how this party works. The memories we make with these people will stay with us forever. One day we’ll all meet again at a much larger party.

Life is like a painting canvas. We decide how we want people to perceive us. Like the first stroke of paint by the artist, the decisions we make are final and can’t be erased. It’s our responsibility as the artist of our own lives to carefully analyze every move we make. The best artist isn’t always the one who doesn’t make mistakes. Instead he’s the one who learns from his mistakes and turns them into his strengths. 

Life is like a marathon. Everyone starts out the same way: taking their first breath, receiving their first puzzle piece. If you get out to too quick of a pace, you’ll run out of energy to fast. If you wait to make your push to late, you may miss your opportunity to be the most successful. You have to find that constant pace that will allow you to reach the finish line. It’s not always about who wins or loses this marathon. Instead it’s about enjoying the company around you and making the most out of the journey to the end life.

No matter what river we take, what blindfold we wear, what party we attend, how colorful our canvas is, or how fast we ran the marathon, we all end up at the same place: surrounded by the ones we love the most. Everyone is suffering and praying that you won't receive the last piece to your puzzle; at least not today. But with that last breath you take, your final puzzle piece is connected and it’s finished. Make sure the picture you created is worth looking at, because that's how you'll be remembered.

•Courage•

We often think that the only people who are courageous are those who are the biggest, strongest or the most respected in the community. We think that we ourselves can’t be courageous. We continually fall back and think that somebody else will eventually come along with enough courage to do the job. Courage doesn’t mean you have to be the biggest, strongest or smartest. Those who are courageous are those who can be the biggest, strongest, or smartest at a given time. Courage is believing in yourself when nobody else does. When everybody turns the other way, when the other road seems easier, when it’s just you, that’s when failure tests you. Courage is getting up and moving forward after you fail. Courage is looking your failures in the eye and saying, “you won’t beat me today.” Courage is not backing down from your fears. Don’t turn the lights on. When you’re engulfed in darkness, you being courageous will automatically lighten the way for others. Courage is doing what’s right, when everyone else is doing the wrong. Courage is losing all sense of fear. Courage is handling diversity. Courage is looking yourself in the mirror at night and telling yourself I did the best I could today to make the world a better place. Don’t be afraid to be courageous and don’t be afraid to make a change in the world. Everyone of us have something to give. Have the courage to find what that something is.

•Today’s a new day•

Take a look at the world today,
at all the anger, sadness and dismay. 
You sit and wonder why this could be,
you come to the conclusion, it must just be me. 
You glance out the window, consumed by your thoughts,
your mind begins to race, your stomachs in a knot.
You walk through the forest, everything seems dead,
you sit in the rain, on a lonesome flower bed. 
You sit and wonder what the world has become,
where all the worlds hatred could possibly come from. 
The rain pours down around you, everything is wet,
you stand to go, but the wind says not yet.
You look to the sky; the clouds begin to part,
almost as if they feel the sorrow of your heart. 
You feel the sun’s rays radiating from the skies,
Mother Nature’s way of answering your cries. 
You sit and think how the day has changed,
it happened so fast, it was rather strange. 
Always remember no matter how dark or gray, 
no matter how yesterday was, today’s a new day.

•My Grandpa•

This is a poem that I wrote and read at my Grandpa Kallas' funeral when he passed away. I love and miss you everyday grandpa. 

Death. As humans we don’t cope well with losing someone. Especially those that we love so much. Or those who have had such an impact on our lives. 

Life. We live each day to our very best. Not knowing what life may throw at us. Not knowing if we will live to see tomorrow. 

Love. Often times we take the people we love the most for granted. We forget to tell them how much they mean to us. Don’t. You never know when they’ll be gone. 

Life, Love and Death. 
These three words intertwine. One leads to the other. And one brings the end to the other. It’s a cycle; The cycle of life.

The birth of a baby. Watching so intently, my grandpa witnessed my dad take his first breath; Life. My grandpa cries. 

Walking down the aisle in the presence of his family and friends. In front of many of you who are here today. My grandpa devoted his whole life to one human being; Love. My grandpa cries. 

Our family sits at the hospital, hoping, wishing, and praying for what seems like a miracle. Just hoping that somehow my grandpa can escape from what seemed impossible; Death.

Now we cry. And then, My grandpa dies. But his memories live in each and every one of us here today. And they will never die. I love you grandpa.

Love always,

Beau Kallas

•Remembered•

We all start as a small seed, planted on this earth from the heavens above for one purpose: to grow. From when we were first planted upon this vast land, we’ve always had the opportunity to be healthily nourished and have always had the opportunity to grow. It’s what we decide to do with this opportunity that will determine how high we rise.

Sometimes along this path we tend to hit a drought. We forget why we were sent down to earth in the first place. We begin to question what our purpose really is. We slowly begin to slip and fall. Our greatest glory isn’t in never falling; it’s in rising even higher each time we fall. Sometimes you may not think you have what it takes. You constantly doubt yourself. You lay awake at deep hours into the night thinking: I’m not good enough, I don’t have what it takes, and I’ll never be who they want me to be. Don’t think this. We were all sent here by the father above for the same purpose: to grow and experience life. Give your self the best chance to be nourished. Give yourself a chance to grow. You never know how high you can rise until you give yourself the chance to do so. The world will never know how good you really can be if you don’t give yourself a chance to reach greatness. When people doubt you or when people judge you, look upon them with confidence. The confidence that you have the only person you need by your side: God.

There comes a time where you stop being nourished. The greenness of your stem turns brown. You slowly start shrinking until one day... your head drops.... and your heart stops. You rise back to the heavens and stand before your maker. When that time comes, when you’re face to face with your heavenly father, hopefully you can look him in the eyes and say... “Father I did everything I could to reach my highest potential. I gave my self the best chance and I rose as high as I could. Father with your help, I believed in myself.” If you can truly say this when the time comes, then you’re job on earth was fulfilled. You’ll forever be remembered.

•The Crown•

It’s a long winding road, this path that I’m walking. I don’t understand. I look to the sky. Darkness. Constantly surrounded by darkness. Then there are wasted hours of just, walking. Confusion consumes me. I try and try to understand why? I often times cross people on the path. Most of them stare. Some will smirk. Others spit. While others stand on their balcony and point down at me with disgust. These people don’t understand that we walk the same path, we share the same road, we feel the same darkness and share the same confusion. Who are they to look down upon me? Why do they disrespect and tell me that I’m worth less? 

I finally reached a town of King and Queens. Then there’s me; a peasant boy. I sweep the streets they walk upon, I clean the thrones they boast upon, I make the meals they dine upon and in return I get.. nothing. Instead they laugh and call me their little peasant boy. They don’t understand the time, the effort, the humiliation. 

One morning, shortly after sunrise, I walked into the forest and dropped to a knee. I raised my hands to the sky, and pleaded,“Oh lord, father, if your there please come to me.” Minutes went by with nothing but silence. I dropped my head in dismay and turned to walk away, but then a light shined onto me. I glanced up, but had to shield my eyes from being blinded. I was suddenly over taken by a voice, “My young one. What may it be?”... “It’s the village, they don’t understand. I’m only a peasant to them. I work and work to prove myself, but nothing... nothing but disappointment.” “My boy, you’re all viewed the same by me, rather you wear a crown or sweep the streets. It’s not about how much you have. It’s about what you do with what you were given. In the end, the people who indulge in their humility will rise above those who are ignorant in their greed.  Remember son, it was never between you and them anyway.” The voice disappeared. 

That day, and every day after, I swept the streets, I cleaned the thrones and I prepared the supper. But every night I’d sleep with a smile; because I knew in the end, I’d be wearing the crown.

 

•Stars•

Stars. Stars are the holes on the floor of heaven. 

Greatness. Greatness is the stars. 
Fear. Fear is the darkness. 
The constant darkness of our fears often overshadows our greatness. 
Heaven. Heaven lies on the other side of the darkness. 
If Heaven shines through the darkness, why can’t our greatness shine through our fears? It can. Greatness doesn’t come from never having fear. Greatness comes from looking your fear in the eye and saying you will not beat me today. You will not overpower me anymore.  
Courage. Courage is what it takes to stand up to your fears and shine brighter then the darkness. 
Without Heaven there is never any light to shine through the holes of the stars. We would constantly be engulfed by darkness. And without courage, we will never be able to stand up to our fears. If you’re struggling to find the courage to face your fears, drop to a knee and pray to the stars, for we know heaven lies on the other side. Never be afraid of your fears. Find the courage to know how great you can be. And always remember, Heaven shines through the stars at the darkest of hours.