I could have done so much more....

"I could have done so much more.."

Who can possibly forget the moving scene at the end of the movie Schindler's List where Liam Neeson is coming to realize the enormity of what has occurred in his midst, only to lament and regret that he did not sell his car, or his gold pin, to save the lives of more victims.

His heartache and pain is palpable as he realizes that, despite the fact he did more than many to save some lives during that horrible period in history, he could have done so much more to make an impact! He could have saved one more innocent life if.. if... if......

So often in our lives we miss real opportunities that we may never get back again - opportunities to impact other's lives and to help them during their struggles.Life can be hard and challenging and "all-consuming" at times - there is no doubt about that!

However, you will find that if you SHIFT the focus of your worry, your disappointment, your fear, your concerns AWAY from your life and STRIVE to make a difference in someone else's life instead- it is INEVITABLE that you will feel better about your life!

Do not believe me?? Try it! It is a FACT - not a theory.

How many times during your day do you focus on how other's are struggling - how your spouse, or sibling, or co-worker, or parents, or even strangers you encounter are dealing with their challenges and hardships?

How many times do you take a step back and "put yourselves in their shoes"?

It is not easy to do -- but if you make it part of your daily discipline and try that approach - as opposed to attacking or judging (the easy route)-- you will see an immediate improvement in your current situation!

Whether it is helping a stranger who is lost, helping someone on the subway or train, a smile to someone who looks in pain or to be suffering, a small compliment to someone known or unknown to you that just might turn their day around - a note to someone to tell them how much you appreciate them or a "thank you" note to someone who has been there for you.... taking a moment to stop and ask a neighbor how THEIR day is going..How can this not make you feel better??

It is IMPOSSIBLE not to!!

Do not end up like Schindler - wishing you had done more, wish you had taken the action to help someone more when they needed it - AFTER THE FACT - and regretting it for the rest of your life!

Start right this moment to take that step - and you will see the immediate difference this makes in your life!Stay Strong!!

The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. ~Leo Rosten

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!

An example of the Holy Spirit at work amongst us

If we ever needed evidence that the Holy Spirit is among us via acts of our fellow brothers and sisters, the example of Frank Becerra, Sr should be the only proof we need!

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, 2009Frank Becerra, retired newspaper artist, dies at 82

Retired senior editorFrank 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.

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

One more Reminder...

Romans 15:13,

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Reminder...

Joy Peace Righteousness Spirit
Romans 14:17. Having the Holy Ghost in our lives is the secret of happiness. The Holy Ghost provides us direction and encouragement to be in right standing with God. Without the Holy Ghost in our lives we are left to our own devices that result in sin and ultimately death. For us that have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have the spirit of God in us.

The Holy Ghost in us helps us to stay in right standing with God. By being in right standing with God (to be righteous) we can have peace and joy in our lives (Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost”).

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

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