You are not ALONE!

YOU are NOT ALONE!

Certain days it seems like things pile up and pile up on you until you feel like you are at a breaking point.

You feel helpless, hopeless, useless, anxious, lost, overwhelmed -- you feel like you are all ALONE in this universe!

Well I have news for you - You are NEVER alone!

It is easy for our minds to go immediately to the worst case scenario and isolate ourselves from others when we are in trials and strife! It is all to easy to rollover in the face of pain and fear!

Don't Do It!

You are Never alone!!

The Holy Spirit waits for you to ask for His help! That is why He has been given to us by the Lord!

He is ALWAYS with you!! Utilize Him!

He is the answer to all sincere prayer!! He is the Comfort we seek in all times of challenge!!

Never despair! Never fear!

Call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance - and it will come to you!

A Tremendous Loss to All; Frank Becerra, Sr.

When Through one man a little more Love,
a little more Goodness, a little more Hope,
a little more Beauty, a little more Joy,
And a little more faith
Has come to the world
Then that man's life has has Meaning

Rarely in life do we encounter a soul as delightful, caring, pleasant and comforting as Frank Becerra.

No matter the occasion, Mr. Becerra was always upbeat, always had a smile and a "twinkle" in his eye. You were always delighted when you would see him at a function, a party, a ball game, or his home - and he always seemed delighted to see you (whether or not he was -haha)!

Mr. Becerra was a gift from Heaven to us all - an inspiration to everyone as to the kind of person we should strive to become and the life we should all attempt to lead.

He will be missed by all who had the true honor and privilege to have known him, laughed with him, and shared time with him. His kind do not pass this way often!

Rest well, Mr. B - and Thank You!
God Bless!

May 27, 2009
Frank Becerra, retired newspaper artist, dies at 82Milt HoffmanRetired senior editor


Frank Becerra Sr., whose artistic talents brought him fame as an editorial cartoonist for The Journal News' predecessor newspapers and for thousands of portraits he did for the community, died Monday at Sarah Neuman Nursing Home, Mamaroneck, after a battle with Parkinson's disease.

A resident of White Plains, he was 82.



More than an artist, Becerra was the newspaper's unofficial goodwill ambassador. In 1982, he was inducted into the Westchester County Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of his sports cartoons and illustrations. The work he did as an artist for charity causes was cited in 1998, when he was inducted into the White Plains High School Hall of Fame. He also was awarded the Luric Werden Golf Journalism Award by the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association.



But his portraits were not restricted to the Lower Hudson Valley.
In 1962, when he painted and sent to the Vatican a picture of Pope John XXIII depicting the "adoration of the cross," Becerra received a warm letter of thanks from the papal secretary of state that granted him and his family "the paternal apostolic benediction of His Holiness."
"My father touched so many peoples lives, not only through his artwork but through his kindness and generosity," said his son, Frank Becerra of Brewster, a photographer for The Journal News. "I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with him, and observe firsthand his work ethic. Anyone who has ever met my father knows what a humble and wonderful man he was."



Former Gov. Mario Cuomo once invited Becerra and his wife, Isabel, to the state Capitol, where his drawing of Cuomo was mounted outside the governor's office.



On occasion, he illustrated the scenes during high-profile trials at the Westchester County Courthouse. In 1970, he drew Westchester's answer to Smokey Bear - "Flora the Fawn," a cute deer to illustrate directional signs in the county parks system and urge people to pick up their litter and be careful with fire.



Becerra was generous with his talents, often offering to draw pictures for friends, whether it be of their grandchildren, or in the case of Francesco Spinali, a portrait of the Francesco's Italian restaurant owner that has graced the cover of the menu for more than 30 years.
"It was special because he made it," Spinali said. "He was something special."



One of his best known editorial cartoons depicted New York City banks as octopuses with tentacles trying to move into Westchester and take over local banks. His cartoons concerning the accident carnage on Westchester's parkways helped convince the state to take over and modernize the county-built roads.



Becerra's infectious smile and the twinkle in his eyes drew the comments of a colleague in 1960, when he illustrated the newspapers' 12-part story, "The Year That Christmas Disappeared." In a promotional story, Madelaine Wilson wrote, "How nice they chose an artist who believes in Santa Claus. … Actually, Frank's eyes have a sort of built-in twinkle. It gives him the appearance of knowing something delightfully pleasant which, with a little encouragement, he will share with you."



He was born in White Plains to Theodore and Angelina Tedesco Becerra and, after high school, joined the Coast Guard in 1945, during World War II, serving as a radioman. After three years of service, he studied at night at the Art Students League in New York under the G.I. Bill while working with an ad agency during the day.



He joined what was the Macy Westchester Newspapers in 1954, rising to the post of chief artist for the group when it was called Gannett Westchester Rockland Newspapers, directing all editorial art, illustrations, cartoons and photo retouching. He retired in 1992, but continued to draw portraits of high school students chosen as the Con Edison athlete of the week.



The portraits appeared in the newspapers; the originals went to the students. There were hundreds of drawings of celebrities Becerra met in his career, including Joe DiMaggio, Ralph Branca, Roy Campanella, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey and Bob Hope.



He and his wife met on a trip to Spain in 1950, and were married two years later.



A considerable amount of art charity work that Becerra did in the community sprang from working next to Isabel in her many volunteer activities, which included White Plains Hospital Center and the former St. Agnes Hospital.



An avid fisherman, Becerra was a familiar figure knee-deep in the Bronx River on April 1, the start of trout season, and friends made it a habit to drive by and wave to him - and he waved back.



Besides his wife and son, he is survived by a daughter, Maria Gallagher of Yorktown; sons Peter, Joseph, Anthony and William, all of White Plains; nine grandchildren; and two brothers.

Give it up!

How many of us struggle daily with the seemingly overwhelming burdens we place on ourselves in the form of worry, anxiety and Fear?

How many of us continually pile problem atop issue atop worry atop fear and carry this gigantic weight of problems around on our shoulders every single day??

How do we handle these issues?

Usually we do 1 of 2 things:

1. We ignore them and hope they go away. We simply stick our heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich and hope when we peek back out at reality that the problems will have simply disappeared.

Or we:

2. Allow the enormous weight of our issues to force us into attacking them one by one - using our own frame of reference of reality as a guide.

We should know from past experience that neither one of these actions or inactions deliver the results we seek - which is Peace and Joy!

So - what can we do to reach that goal??

It is simple - Just Give it Up!!

Give up your problems, fears, worries, and anxieties to the Holy Spirit!!

You may ask as I certainly did - "What does that mean exactly??"

It means that all of our efforts to gain peace and remove fear fail when we try to do it ourselves! We cannot do it alone!!

Why do we think that after so many tries to remove this Fear on our own, with our own perspective and limited knowledge, that simply doing the same thing repeatedly will yield different results?

Afterall - that is the definition of "insanity" - is it not?

Try this tonight -- either lying in bed prior to falling asleep or find a quiet spot without any interruptions. Summon to your mind ALL of your current worries, fears, concerns, troubles, problems, etc. Be specific - really feel the fear and worry that these thoughts bring to your awareness.

Then simply "Give Them Up" to the Holy Spirit!

That is right - Ask the Holy Spirit to assume these issues for you!

Turn them all over to Him and allow Him to take care of them for you!!

Literally say to Him "Holy Spirit, Please take these fears and worries from me and deliver me Peace - I trust in your guidance"

Say it numerous times if you must although only one invitation to Him is necessary!

I guarantee that after sincerely turning over all of your worries and fears to Him, you will have the most peaceful sleep you ever have experienced and wake in a state of peace!

Just Give it Up! He is waiting for your invite! It will not happen unless you open it up to Him!

I would love to hear of your results on the comments section...!!

Try it tonight - It works and what do you have to lose trying it?

God Bless!
DF

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

3 Proven Steps to "Dig You Out" and Heal in no time...

We are all susceptible to that creep of despair, uncertainty, anxiety, fear and worry no matter how strong we fashion ourselves to be.

Even more frustrating is the fact that we can feel absolutely invincible - on top of the world one week (or day) - only to find ourselves in the throes of doubting and anxiety the very next!!

It can be maddening indeed! At least until we get more consistent with our "mind work" and our "Mental Aces in the Hole" (MAITHs).

Well - critical to avoiding this trap and shortening the periods of time between the peaks and valleys of our moods and attitudes is the ability to "snap back" or "dig out" of the trough!

This can be done relatively easily but it takes some practice before it becomes second-hand!

Here are some tips on mastering this important catalyst:

1. Ask the Holy Spirit for Guidance! The Holy Spirit is at our disposal for guidance and assistance in achieving Joy and Peace! This is His only mission, objective and goal! The only "catch" is that WE have to invite Him! He will not impose Himself on us but once we ask - He will DELIVER. Therefore, take the time daily to ask for guidance, invite Him into your life and hand over all your fears, worries, and anxieties to Him! It NEVER fails.

2. Shift focus from what YOU want and need to helping out another person in need!! Seek out those who are suffering, confused, or facing a battle of their own! You will b e shocked how quickly YOU feel better helping someone else with their own struggles! Like inviting the Holy Spirit to handle your problems and reveal the Joy and Peace we all have waiting for us, this is also foolproof - and there is never a shortage of people in need of your support, smile, shoulder to lean on, or kind words!!

3. Focus on the NEXT Thing to come - not on your current situation! The surest way to stay stuck and mired in your present strife is to remain focused on it! Stop right now and close your eyes! Forget about your financial woes, your lack of whatever you want or need, and instead picture what you WANT!! What would make you happy right now if it were to be your present state? What do you WANT to become, do, visit, etc?? Focus on how that future state of joy and peace make you feel! Amazingly different than you felt 5 minutes ago I bet!

I know- I do it constantly! And it works wonders!!

Now take that future state of joy and peace you can almost taste and apply a PLAN to getting there! ATTRACT people and circumstances into your life by remaining faithful and positive on what it is you WANT - not where you are now!!

If you do these 3 steps you will be amazed at how great your life will become, how much more fulfilling life will be - and how quickly Peace, love, happiness and Joy come into your reality!

Just as the Lord has arranged it!!

Clear the clouds of illusion that your mind and ego have created and embrace Reality!!

It is waiting for you!

Stay Strong!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Recommended Site of the Week

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To Have All, Give All....

None of us can do anything worthwhile alone! Whether we recognize it or not, We all need each other to reach Peace and Joy!

We are all tied together as Brothers and Sisters with One Father and we cannot reach our Goal of Peace and Joy without helping our Brothers and Sisters get there as well!

So often we get so mired in our own little worlds, our own dramas and problems that we close ourselves off from the rest of the World!

We make our own trials and tribulations the centerpiece of our existence and remain so focused on these things that we miss the Big Picture!

Think about it - when our earthly bodies are dead and buried, or in those last few moments of our earthly lives before we pass to the Father's Kingdom - is there any real thought of a mortgage payment, a car payment, credit card bills, job, career or work worries?

No - of course not! All these things that consume our daily thoughts and create endless worry, anxiety, and pain for us and everyone around us WILL PASS!!

They really do not matter in the Grand Scheme of things and even though they are a fact of life, we cannot let these things overwhelm our lives!

Give All to Get All is a simple concept. Shift all of your focus from your problems and ceaseless worry to HELPING someone else with THEIR problems and issues!

There is no more of a sure thing to jolt you out of worry and fear than to set your mind, heart and soul to HELP mode and reach out to a Brother or Sister in need of comfort, a laugh, a smile, an ear, or a shoulder to lean on as they fight their daily battles!!

Give ALL to get all! It works wonders and puts things into perspective!!!

Try it today - and you will be amazed at how great you will feel - regardless of your current state of mind!

Stay Strong!!

Featured Site of the Week

True Strength comes from Faith and Belief in who we are, what we are, and why we are here.

This site captures the essence of that core Faith and lends ideas on how to achieve the Secret of Happiness, Joy and Peace in all of our lives!

It is as simple as asking for Guidance and Seeking the Right Path!

http://askholyspirit.blogspot.com/

Stay Strong and enjoy...