CHRISTMAS TRADITION - A Family Treasure

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The perfect words to understand family Christmas traditions.....
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I have read this on my dear friend's page, to quote......

"It's true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you'll find you've created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul..."

- Caroline Kennedy


 MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone! God bless you and your family.


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TO YOU ALL........

To my dear friends here in the blog,

a heartfelt MERRY CHRISTMAS!  May the season bring to you bountiful blessings from the heart of God .. way beyond measure -- far more than your kind hearts can hold.  Thank you for the gift of your friendship. 

God bless you and your dear dearest ones now and evermore.

Ellen

LIFE CANNOT BE LIFE WITHOUT PEOPLE IN IT

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I was on my way down the hill at the tail-end of my morning walk when this silver-haired gentleman-foreigner heading my way from the opposite direction on seeing me slowed down and greeted me with a huge smile and a question... "How many times do you go round the neighborhood?" I replied "Twice, most times." To this he smiled even more and said.. "Good for you!" And walked past me still wearing his big wide smile..
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Apparently he too was doing his usual morning routine. And so were other Filipino residents of the neighborhood at that early hour. But one thing looks quite clear to me.... Filipinos are shy .. in fact, just too shy to jump at the opportunity to make friends or simply share the good vibes of the moment with someone. They hold back too much that the golden opportunity flies by swiftly and becomes lost forever.
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I remember Mom said this long ago....... "The art of giving and receiving does not come naturally to many. But it can be learned. Start with loving yourself, life and everything in it."
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Life without people would be similar to a landscape of meadows, mountains, rivers, forests running endlessly beyond the horizon and even farther. Magnificent but somehow incomplete. Full yet empty.
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People, on the other hand, bring into life those thousand-and-one things which make it come pulsatingly alive. Challenges... perceptions... insights.... excitement... adventure... joy and happiness... creativity... productivity... emotional diversity... development... growth, etc. Add to the same pot the worrisome and wearying disputes... arguments... sorrows... questions... destruction.... conflicts... negativity... and other things more which make you want to bang your head on the wall. These things happen between man and man interacting and colliding in a manner they alone best know how. We can include what happens between man and nature interacting and colliding too.
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Life cannot be life without people in it. Truly by God's design.
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Wishing for you and your family God's blessings beyond measure.

WORRYING WON'T TAKE YOU UP THE MOUNTAIN

 

 

  

One of the nicest things about early morning walks is the chance to watch the day unfold. Trees seem to look greener, flowers brighter, animals on the street light and cheery chasing each other on the paved streets, and people... Well, people are a good mix of both great and not so great. I get a good feed of both in that morning walk.
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Great disarming smiles come from people who have learned how to make peace with the world and life. Wan smiles come from people who are not there in the moment. Their thoughts, as a friend once said to me, may be on some worry or care, mostly of yesterdays, which they can't shake off or won't because it's their comfort zone. Can you believe that? Worry as a comfort zone? Perhaps they think that worrying is the thing to do. And that NOT worrying makes them LESS responsible or efficient.
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Well, when worrying tries to mess up my day, I turn to this verse.....
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Matthew 6:25-27 -- “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"
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Peace, as God has promised us.
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The absence of worry, as life has taught me, enables you to have a clear clean field to sort out issues with. It affords true discernment as to what is important and what is not. Then you can decide better what to do with it without the unnecessary fuss and flurry which usually accompanies stress and anxiety which in turn clouds the brain. That, in all good reason, is the responsible and efficient way of dealing with issues, problems, cares and woes. As a good friend once said, "Worry makes me lose sight of my goal. Makes it harder to climb the mountain."
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True, people can't help worrying. Worry, as seen to be, has its uses too. But don't overdo it. It's a struggle not to worry, I know. A habit hard to shake off; worry warts abound. I struggle with that, too. But be kind to yourself and save yourself frequent trips to the doctor, too.
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You might miss God's blessings if all you do is fill your mind and heart with anxiety. Free space for awesome blessings to come in!

Further, life is beautiful; you might be missing that too when all that you do is worry.

Wishing God's bountiful blessings upon you and yours.

LIFE CANNOT BE LIFE WITHOUT PEOPLE IN IT

I was on my way down the hill at the tail-end of my morning walk when this silver-haired gentleman-foreigner heading my way from the opposite direction on seeing me slowed down and greeted me with a huge friendly smile and a question... "How many times do you go round the neighborhood?" I replied "Twice, most times." To this he smiled even more and said.. "Good for you!" And walked past me still wearing his big wide smile..
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Apparently he too was doing his usual morning routine. And so were other Filipino residents of the neighborhood at that early hour. But one thing looks quite clear to me.... Filipinos are shy .. in fact, just too shy to jump on an opportunity to make friends or simply share the good vibes of the moment. I remember Mom said this long ago....... "The art of giving and receiving does not come naturally to many. But it can be learned. Start with loving yourself, life and everything in it."
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Life without people would be similar to one landscape of meadows, mountains, rivers, forests running endlessly beyond the horizon and even farther. Magnificent but somehow incomplete.
.
People, on the other hand, bring into life those thousand-and-one things which make it come pulsatingly alive. Challenges... perceptions... insights.... excitement... adventure... joy and happiness... creativity... productivity... emotional diversity... development... growth, etc. Add to the same pot the worrisome and wearying disputes... arguments... sorrows... questions... destruction.... conflicts... negativity... and other things more which make you want to bang your head on the wall. These things happen between man and man interacting and colliding in a manner they alone best know how.
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Life cannot be life without people in it.
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Wishing for you and your family God's blessings beyond measure.

FLOWERS GRACING MY EARLY MORNING WALK

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This morning I decided to do something different with my early morning walk ..... to take pictures of flowers down the paths winding round the hilly neighborhood.
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You see, sometimes we, in-spite of our brilliance, don't notice our surroundings as much as we really should. We simply gloss over the terrain not minding the many wonders, big and small, God placed in there for our enjoyment and pleasure.
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We know it's there but we take it all for granted. Just as we think that the trees around us will always be there and so pay no attention to them. Not realizing that even trees, or all of nature for that matter, also need our attention and care. They too, as we all know it, take care of the air we breathe and the ground we walk on, and the water that rains down on our fields.
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Life on this planet is a give-and-take. A symbiotic existence.... there is something you have that I need or something that I have that you need. An interdependent relationship between man and man... and man and nature.
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So this morning I decided to pay closer attention to my walk. And with heightened expectations hied off with the rising sun so eager to see lovely surprises packed into this particular morning landscape. By God's design.
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These pictures were taken with my phone. It could be better with the right tool I know........ but this little ole lady makes do with what she has. I think in this case, it is the object and not the tool which is magic...... magically Magnificent!
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Of course, the morning walk wouldn't be complete without the usual trip to the talipapa (market) for fruits... banana, lansones, mangoes, pineapple (later sliced and slid into the refrigerator to cool). Added to my basket too were.. golden squash, sweet potatoes and saging na saba.
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Great day.. indeed! Thank God!
May God bless you and your dear ones.

LIFE IS BUCKETS FULL OF TURBULENCE - BUT ONLY BECAUSE WE NEED TO GROW

"The heart has its reasons and they aren't debate topics." 

 --- Robert Brault (American writer)

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When I saw this in my email this morning from Mr. Quote Man, but of course, immediately it resonated inside the walls of my brain and my heart. How many times in the past have I done this or that and to which I was pressed for an explanation or was imposed on with an argument. Words which didn't have to be there in the first place, if only they thought more on that my life was running its own course and story and that it really didn't have to be theirs, too. The heart more often than not moves in the direction of least resistance. I myself am not one for debates on any subject or for any reason.
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Life, as I now know it to be, is buckets full of turbulence or commonly called conflict, confusion. But we are asked to grow in its midst, like it or not. Yet we cannot if people around us stand as obstacles or hindrances by imposing or poking their own life stories upon us. Life is so designed by a bigger Authority above to be a perfect fit for every person who walk it...... male and female, black and white, rich and poor, young and old, and whatever your race and religion.
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We each have our own tailor-made set of experiences... successes... failures... dead-ends... mistakes... challenges... and the peeling off of layers in our core and character which do not belong there if we are meant to grow. And grow is the big thing on the agenda of life.
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We are continually asked or made to grow in the little and big things in life. The reason why stacks of problems are sent our way. Sometimes we understand it and sometimes we don't but the command still remains...... grow!
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Then the big questions come out to the fore..... What is it that we need to do to improve the self?... Why are we asked to change?... Where should we start?... When shall we begin?... Who can best help shed light to the path we need to be on?... How will we work things out to achieve the goal?...
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And this is how we begin to write our life story.
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May God bless you and your family. Stay rooted in your dreams.
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(Thank you, Mr. Quote Man, for the lovely quote.)

NOVEMBER - EVERYTHNG FLOWS, NOTHING STANDS STILL

Another new month for the living … ironic to start it by thinking of the dead or of death as traditionally marked by All Soul’s Day (November 1). November is close to the end of the year. Most of us measure life by the number of years lived. We say ‘A good year’ or ‘A bad year’….. Blowing out candles on our birthday cakes accordingly with laughter in that year or a big sigh in the next.
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I have had my share of both the good and the bad. A huge diversity of experiences which comprise my storybook of life. Childhood, school, working, family, children, birthdays, debuts, anniversaries, death, travel, joy, sorrow, fear, disappointment, embarrassment, anger, suspicion, betrayal, surprises, sadness, adventure, worry, anxiety, middle age, adult, and now the golden years.
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That’s how life rolls out for every one of us. Our separate experiences despite being individual and unique run parallel to each other on the spectrum of life. We’re different from each other and yet so much the same. What separates us are the dividing lines of continents, countries, nations, governments, color, race, religion, ideologies, and this crazy idea that we are better than the guy sitting next to us. That makes living in this world such a burden.
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Well, since I can’t solve the world’s problems, neither can superman, but…………..
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I could at least do something about my day and life in my little corner of the world.
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I have learned that life should be measured not by the number of years but by the number of breaths of awesomeness we embrace. Those moments which fill our whole being with authentic joy, contentment, passion, compassion, understanding, love, empathy, gratitude, and positivity.
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Many have written about this '...not by years but by the number of breaths...' but it truly is a good thought. Imagine those many times we have wasted on negativity...... Imagine what we have lost by not loving enough what we love and instead wasting breath on bashing what we hate...... Imagine the strain on our senses as we ourselves create our problems...... Imagine how we have bit by negative bit been draining our souls of its power to heal our lives. We have always been our worst enemy… undoubtedly.
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November has a purpose. That is to remind us that we can’t live forever. Wake up and live life the way it should be lived…. By God’s design. The year will soon be ending as all things in life do. But let it not be said that we didn’t live a good life (tough life notwithstanding)... one precious moment at a time… one precious memory at a time… one joyful heartbeat at a time… one positive experience at a time... one prayer of gratitude at a time... one precious day at a time. Thank God for November, too.
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Blessings to you and your family

 

 

 

TODAY'S MORNING WALK AND MORE...

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I almost missed my morning walk today because it felt good staying in bed... rather overstaying... just feeling cozy and comfy.... the temptation was so great to sleep on. But..... habits are indeed hard to break. So I pushed myself up and out of bed grudgingly and gathered my morning-walk-stuff and walked out the door. Oh yes, I remembered to bring some money for some fruits and to pay my one-day-old debt with Mang Obet, the fruit vendor at the talipapa (market).
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Once I was out on the street the feeling of exhilaration returned and kept me moving at my usual pace and gait.
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You know, I've been at this for so long already that maybe you would be thinking by now that I have become quite jaded or bored with the landscape... both human and natural. Well, it's a yes on some days when the mood isn't there... but a no on most days when a small whisper from within reminds me that it's a beautiful world and life and that there is always something new to see everyday.
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The streets I walk on are the same ... perhaps worn and beaten in some parts through the years... but still good. The people I meet down those same paths are the same people too.... oh perhaps grayer in the hair... have put on some weight or lost a few.... have lost someone or gained a new one.... but still the same normal people in my same normal neighborhood.
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The trees, plants, flowers, animals... the flora and fauna, so to speak... of my neighborhood also seem the same.
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So I reply to that tiny voice inside... 'There's nothing new.' Immediately it comes out right back at me with.... 'You're not paying attention.'
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I'm NOT paying attention. --- I'm not paying ATTENTION.
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Oh boy! Okay, Mr. Tiny-Voice-Inside, let's see what you want me to see.
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From the top of the slope and looking down the road up ahead... it was nice watching the play of light and shadows as the sun began its ascent into the waiting sky. It's the newness of day which warms the soul.
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While I was admiring the view, somebody whisked past me in his jogging shoes and flew down ahead nodding a greeting at the man sweeping the garage of his home, and farther on till he was lost from sight. It's a nice neighborhood when a smile is freely given away like that.
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As I resumed my walk, I saw this bush by the road .. so pretty in its graceful leafy arch stretching out towards the street. Pretty in green! It reminds me of people whose wonderful friendships stretch across or beyond barriers of color, race, or religion.
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Not far from it was this ball-shaped plant and its spiky leaves thrusting out from its center. It's pretty. In fact, so beautiful. So much like life. Sometimes beauty can come from unexpected places.
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And then I came to this ugly stump of a tree. What remains of a once glorious and magnificent tree. Maybe we fail to understand it that these trees in its wonderful way help to keep the soil together thereby giving us the solid ground we walk on everyday. There's more to learn if we would just stop awhile and try to understand.
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Oh yes, that sign there. Garbage! It says 'No throwing of garbage in this area'. Speaks for itself. What about the garbage we find inside our heads... and hearts -- what do we do with it?
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See the plants thriving down on the ground? Talbos ng kamote. .... SCIENTIFIC NAME : Ipomoea Batatas. DESCRIPTION : The leafy part of the Camote plant is familiarly known as the Camote tops or Talbos ng Kamote, Thanks to that sign.. it IS thriving beautifully. ------ It's health benefits ---- It contains protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron.

► Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol.
► Regulates good bowel movements.
► Boost the immune system and thus helping to prevent infections and disease.
 
I have it with my meals almost everyday.
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And finally at the end of my walk, a quick trip to my favorite fruit vendor, Mang Obet. Bought a few mangoes, lansones, rambutan, chicos, oranges, bananas... and of course I paid my old debt of thirty pesos. We exchanged pleasantries spiced with his usual contagious smile. Gee, people are lovely!
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In your day there are many things to see.... the old becomes new, the new becomes more interesting, the interesting becomes much more amazing. Just pay attention. Life is beautiful! By God's design.
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Have a great and blessed day, folks! :-) God bless you!

LIFE IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU -- IT'S ABOUT OTHERS TOO

The homily at mass today was one I consider among the best I have heard. Delivered by a Filipino priest, it was so simple so much that it was easy to grasp. Unlike some other sermons delivered which tend to fall on the wordy nerdy side of telling, this one talked straight from the heart to other hearts.  Others failing this criteria will find me appreciating the architectural details of the church or chapel more rather than on God’s servant on the mike telling me how to be a good Christian. Oh but I do find others with their own ways of coping with a boring bland delivery… they doze it off or walk out to smoke their cigarettes. (This doesn’t happen with Bishop Soc Villegas with his homilies. In ten minutes, you get the right dose of medicine for your soul. You come out of church happy that you went in.) In this article he talks about ‘homily abuse’……..… 

http://www.rappler.com/na…/88758-bishop-warning-homily-abuse

Today’s homily in essence says about living a life not simply for ourselves but for others, too. Further down the narrative the priest tells of a story of new graduates for the priesthood. When asked how they see their future in about 5 – 10 years in the midst of the political and social problems of the day, the common reply was ‘I’d be very successful… get to a high position… storm the Vatican with my brilliance…’ Then the priest turned to us and said ‘Nothing wrong with all that. But what will you do with what ails your country and people?’

These are times when one is called to be more for others, too. Sadly this is not much understood in some. I have read this somewhere...a writer remarked that the present generation is called the ‘me generation’. The question topmost in one’s head when something presents itself is ‘What’s in it for me?’

Observe our politicians today as they gear themselves for the coming election; notice their gestures, mannerisms, their beliefs, thoughts-words-deeds. Do they seem familiar?

A wise man once said that ‘People are mirrors of you and me. Their good and their bad.’ Thus, they are not just bad politicians to whom we entrust the leadership and management of our country with, we are bad voters too. Is that right?

Selfishness. Selflessness. Two words poles apart (i.e. North Pole, South Pole) in meaning and intent. As defined by Webster…. Selfishness is the quality of being selfish. Selfish is lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure. Selflessness or selfless is having or showing great concern for other people and little or no concern for yourself.

Like mom would often say…. ‘Honey, life is not all about you. It’s also about others, too. Life is about being in this together.’   By God's design.

Let's be kinder. God bless you and your loved ones.

LIFE IS ATTITUDE.. HEART.. PRAYER

Musings on a surprisingly sunny day! The storm threatening our shores must have passed. Did somebody say it's paying China a visit? Be safe, China.
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To quote... (oh you know already which book I'm quoting...)

LOOK TO THE GOOD
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"Look only to the good,. Look only to what you have, to what God has given you. Do not let your eyes come to rest upon any other thing but the blessings and peace of Christ. Do not fix your gaze upon the negatives, upon the past or the future. Remember, your life is hid with Me. By now you know that I can be trusted and that I have all your affairs in My hands. Not one thing escapes My attention."
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Unquote.
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But first..... I get this tiny suspicion that many of you do wonder why I often quote lines off the book 'Good Morning... God'. The answer to that is simple.
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I am a mere mortal running the course of my allotted life and time on this beautiful planet. Many things cross my path... some good... some bad. I cope with the best I can manage with the inherent skills God has wisely equipped us all with. Sometimes I win... sometimes lose. When times get tough... or when I forget who I am... or when utterly get lazy - crazy - bored - sad - lonely - scared - confused - unbelieving - suspicious - furious... or when simply at a crossroad ----
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The need there is to energize.. recharge.. renew.. reconnect.. reboot my soul. What better way to do that but with the Source. Prayer does a great thing.. and supporting that is a tiny (and perhaps trivial to some) humble book waiting beside my bed. It encapsulates or sums up simply and beautifully my thoughts on life which are humbly presented to God. In turn, God imparts His wisdom to me. He does that to anyone and everyone who stops to listen. Oh let's remember that God works through people, places, events, and things. That's the way He operates.
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And... I sincerely hope you won't or don't mind when I share these treasures with you every now and then.
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Now back to the musings.......
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Positives and negatives... life is full of both. We have no problem with dealing with the lovely positives of life. In fact, we often wish life was only made up of those. Heavenly, right? - On the other side of life's coin are the negatives. Oh brother! these can surely tear down everything you may have built! And you know what I mean.
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But only if you let it!
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So how do you do that? "Look only to the good"
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Yes, I agree it's not always easy. Life's troubles are such that they sure can prick you hard and hurt you harder. But that is when you are asked to fight your battles hard, too... and hardest! Look for the good in your life. It's there.. maybe under some cover... but it's there! Fight the bad with good. Turn the negative into positive. It all takes the right attitude to beat the odds and come out winning.
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Life is ATTITUDE... HEART... and PRAYER. Nope, it is not magic nor is it an instant formula to banish your cares and woes away. It's even better. Because it sure can give you the best chance at winning. And winning..... is God's design for our lives.
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Look to the good. There's plenty if you look hard enough.. or truly seek it with your heart and mind. Frankly, no other better way to live life.
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Blessings, everyone. God sprinkled plenty in your day.. your life.

YOUR PRESENT SITUATION IS NOT YOUR FINAL DESTINATION

Oh I know there are times in our lives when 'tough' isn't always a lovely go-to word. Sometimes that cliche is not a bit comforting to the weary mind and heart. Sometimes we need more than just that.
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The thing is we won't get any other kind of comfort elsewhere. The real kind of comfort can be found from within ourselves. It is right here where we are-as we are. It is in trying, and I mean really trying, to understand that life is not the villain but just a vehicle on which rides the lessons we should be learning. And learning is what we are supposed to do on this planet.
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Life will happen as it happens to us... mean, hard, nasty, bad, unfair, scary, desolate, dismal, biased, unkind, sometimes hopeless. Yet no matter how easy we may possibly fall into its trap or fierce grip, it cannot really snuff out the spark within that struggles to shine bright and even brighter regardless. May I nudge you to the thought that God knew we needed something to help us along with life and living, so He put that tiny spark there to help us through.
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You see, I have learned that if the story of our life be bad, terrible perhaps, and that the common perception is because it is bad it will therefore mean it will also end bad...... Well, that isn't always the case. It does not have to end bad.
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It is not what happens to you, them, us..... but how you respond to it that truly defines you. What we do with life is who we are. Allow that spark within to shine bright and even brighter out to the world.
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As the cover photo says..... "Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come." And that, dear friend, is by God's design.