Recently, I've been reading a book by former president Jimmy Carter called "Living Faith". This is the second book by president Carter that I've read and the more I learn about this kind man, the more I respect him.

His voice comes through very clearly in his words and I can almost hear him speaking in his southern cadence. But what comes through to me most of all is that this is a man who truly walks his talk. He does not cloak his actions in the guise of spirituality; rather, he embodies his beliefs to walk the path of kindness and service to others. This is something I am working toward. Working toward the goal of making my words and my actions congruent. For some, that's probably pretty easy but for me, it's only come into my consciousness that I haven't been doing that. Reading about the life of president Carter and the questions he's raised while making decisions that affect the entire United States has helped me see that, while difficult, one can truly live their beliefs.

It's also given me space to examine what my true "of the heart" beliefs are. It is my desire to be of service to others using the gifts that I've been given. I believe that all things, large and small, happen for reasons we may never know. That there is a guiding order to the Universe is probably my strongest belief and has been with me for many, many years. And the more I delve into the world of spirituality and metaphysics, the more I see this is true. I believe that thoughts have energy and what you think about expands. You bring to yourself what you put your focus on (consciously and unconsciously)and I've seen this in action in my own life. I have other core beliefs but for now, I will leave it at this.

While I don't fully share president Carter's evangelical beliefs, I can see and respect the energy he brings to living those beliefs. Not to get into politics since I've tried to keep my feelings about that off these pages, but his presidency is considered to be a failure. And that fact saddens me because it seems to me he was the most concerned about the greater good of all the citizens he was elected to protect. He writes openly about his feelings during that time and the questions and struggles he endured. It's enlightening, to put it mildly.

I would encourage anyone interested in "walking their talk" to read some of president Carter's writings. Interesting and engaging, he comes across as one of the most honorable men in our midst today. And I respect that immensely.