My Grandma and Orlando Bloom?????

Guess what?  I have a secret (well not really, since I cant keep a secret but its not common knowledge) but I 1/4 Syrian.

Yep.....I have Middle Eastern blood pumping through the veins in my blonde hair and blue eyed body.  Better yet, my Grandmother was born in the embattled Aleppo. 

My mom and Grandma

She moved here with her family when she was 7 to escape religious persecution (imagine that).  Even though they lived in a Christan stronghold, they were still the minority and in danger because of their religious beliefs.  The events of the past several years months have weighed on me, just as they have every American, but often I think of Aleppo.  If I have family still there...are they safe?  Are they alive?  Which brings me to my point.......

Holy Wars do not end.  When you put people and their religion to the test, when someone's personal commitment to their God/Savior/Creator is questioned or put to the test, a primal fury will come out and sadly, people will die.  My grandmother is proof of that.....she was 7 in 1921 when they left Aleppo because of the same reasons people are dying in Aleppo right now.  The Sunni Muslims want to stop Assad, who follows a Shi'ite religion.  The Muslims are lined with Turkey, Assad is line with Iran.....no on wins.  People die. 

Same thing happened in Ireland (where my blonde hair and blue eyes come from).....can you say Protestants vs Catholics?  The IRA is still active....don't fool yourself into thinking only Muslims can be radicals.......there wouldn't be travel advisories to Northern Ireland if it was only Muslims.

Sidebar:  My brother always told people to watch my temper because I'm Irish and Syrian.....terrorism is in my blood.  That was alot funnier on 9-10-2001 then after that. 

Its very sad, but (and this sounds bad) not my problem.  Its not...really.  Its not solvable.  Its not reconcilable.  There is no good answer....people have been living and dying by Holy Wars alot longer then I have been around, alot longer then U.S. has been able to step in aka drop bombs and make things worse better and they will continue to go as long as religion is around.  And lets face it, nothing has been around longer then religion so the cycle will continue. 

Some people may think I'm not very religious and maybe I'm not.  But I am very spiritual.  I just don't think I need to go into a building to have a good Christian heart.  My personal beliefs were shaped several years ago when I was told by a Confirmation leader that my job as a servant of God was not to question but obey.  Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to do my own thing, my own way and while I'm always up for doing stuff with other people, I don't follow the crowd if I don't want to.  Hence, "obey" isn't really up my alley, regardless of WHO I'm supposed to Obey.  I don't see the hurt in questioning....in finding out the WHY behind the DO.  It was that point that I shut down "religion" and going to Church and I did for a very, VERY long time.  I made my way back, under my terms, but along the way I found that I do not have to go to a building to have a relationship with God.  Some people feel that you do....that going to church on Sunday's gives them that connection once a week to sit and be with God in His House.  I think that is wonderful.  That is where they are comfortable and where they want to be.  I'm happy for them and that connection.  Mine tends to be located in the middle of the oil strip as the sun is cresting the hills, at 44 degrees while I'm getting my sweat on.  Seriously, I have had some of the best conversations with my Lord and Savior while running....and I don't mean praying for the finish line either ;)

Have you seen the movie Kingdom of Heaven?  Its got hottie Orlando Bloom in it??  You must have...who wouldn't want to watch Orlando......Anyway, watch the movie for the whole story but what I love about it is that theme of the movie is that the Kingdom of Heaven, long thought of as Jerusalem, is not really a place, so to speak.  Its a Kingdom of Consciousness.  Of Awareness and Acceptance.  That is where the true heart of God and Allah can be found, in a Kingdom of Consciousness. 

A new world. A better world. A Kingdom of  Conscience...a Kingdom of Heaven.

Godfrey of Ibelin

I pray for peace of heart and mind, for those of who are accepting of that.  Some people are not....radicals on all angles of the religious spectrum wont see peace as I see it.  They dont see acceptance as I see it.  Those are the people that will keep the Holy Wars rolling and while there isnt much I can do to stop them short of traveling over, slapping the shit out of them and running for cover, still, I pray for them.