It’s almost a new year and I can’t help but to look back at previous New Years and realize how much I’ve changed.
I remember a time, not too many years ago, when the most important thing to me was to celebrate with my friends and kiss my date at midnight. To me, that was the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of a new year.
I’ve often heard it said that the way you spend the first day of the year, is an indication of how the rest of your year will go. …A perfect excuse for me to make sure I had a date. Not like those saints who spend the biggest party night in church at midnight. Sunrise service…really? That was not for me, at all. And tradition or superstition, many Americans eat black eyed peas on the first day of the year.
Now, I choose to spend my New Year’s Eve reflecting on the past, the things that I hoped to have accomplished, the things that I did accomplish and meditating on what I hoped for in the next 12 months. I stay in prayer and ask God to guide me and increase my ability to hear Him and follow without doubt or hesitation.
To me, New Year’s Day is the perfect opportunity to re-launch dreams and goals. I find that when I have a huge goal, it’s best for me to divide it up into smaller goals that will get me to the larger one, and assign deadlines to each one. Then, I put the deadlines on a digital calendar, so an alarm will alert me when the deadline is coming up.
While it’s true that I, like many people, tend to fall short of some long-term goals, I do make several positive steps along the way and I get closer to my goals each year.
And maybe the most important part of the resolution is not the goal, but the journey, because sometimes I learn as much trying to make the short deadlines, as I do in achieving my goal.
But, however you decide to spend New Year’s Eve, I hope you resolve to make the most of the next 364 days.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
...We Get Up
It may seem that I fell off the side of the earth, almost as soon as I got started blogging. And I do apologize for that. I've had several growing experiences in the past year and I thank God for the experiences that He's blessed me with. As the song goes, "We fall down, but we get up." And, I'm back up and running. Okay, not so much running, but moving and shaking anyway. It was about a year ago that my life was introduced to new challenges.Those challenges included issues at work, issues with my family and issues within my social life. The issues were typical life circumstances. But, they came around a time when health issues that I had for several years continued to get worse. Then despite the awesome start I had at the beginning of 2008, twelve months later, I was diagnosed with Lupus.
The diagnosis itself didn't set me back. Though, it took me a while to accept that this is what I have. The pain and fatigue had been getting progressively worse. I began to narrow my responsibilities down to what I actually had to take care of. Well, temporarily... until I could group and refocus. Which leads me to today.
My plan is to focus on the things that I can do and leave the rest to God. The year has been a lesson in endurance, faith and patience. And though there have been times that I fell down, I'm back up. And, I hope that in itself can be a lesson for me to fall back on - in the future - to help me a long my journey. But more so, a lesson for others to be blessed with when they're faced with life's challenges... And to be blessed with a closer Father-daughter relationship, as I have been. Be sure to come back and visit www.wovn.org in the future, to get information on my Into the Light event, in April 2009.
I wish you peace, love and joy!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Chose to be Happy
I remember a time when it seemed like my life was full of storms. It was so hard to see past the storms. Many times I found myself swimming desperately to just keep my head above the water. And yet, there were other times that I just wanted to "give up the fight" and let myself drift downward "into that good sleep."
Eventually, I reached a point in my life when enough was enough. You have to get tired of being miserable to decide to make a change. Sometimes we pity people who are mean, or who complain, or are just sad all the time, because we think their situation must be so unbearable or unchangeable. You might think, if there was something you could do, you would do it for them. But the fact is, you can guide someone to the road to happiness, but you can't walk it for them.
It takes work to be happy through the storms. You don't just wake up happy one day. You can't find your happiness in others. And likewise, others can not find their happiness in you. While its true that finding a new "love" can make you feel happiness. That happiness is only a surface happiness. And without the foundation of true happiness, that "love affair" with that special person can fade or be draining on the person that the other is depending on to keep them happy.
So, how do you find happiness? First, prayer is the most powerful tool that has ever been given to man. Anyone can pray and believe in God's healing powers. The Heavenly Father is waiting for you to come to Him in prayer.
Second, you have to realize that your circumstance does not define you. You might have had a challenging childhood. But those choices were made by the adults around you, which were out of your control. Your marriage might have failed. But, we all make mistakes. And there is always a lesson to be learned. Your bank account may be overdrawn, but you are more than your bank account. Someone you cared for deeply might have died. But death, which is a temporary resting period, is part of the Circle of Life.
Whatever the situation, the failure isn't in the fall, it's in never getting back up. You have to pick yourself up, dust the self-pity and hopelessness off, and get back up. Count it all a lesson learned and allow yourself to grow stronger and wiser.
Third, make a list of things that make you happy and do them. Visit relatives that make you laugh and/or are good support systems through trying times. Take up painting or poetry. Take a walk through the park. Visit a petting zoo. Play a few games at a local arcade. Play a sport.
Physical activity is highly recommended for several reasons. Besides physical fitness, its also a good tool for mental fitness. Walking, jogging, cycling and other sports can help to release endorphins. This is a chemical in the brain that gives us a feeling of euphoria. A good laugh can release endorphins too. But you may not be able to schedule one every morning, before you go to work.
Last, think positive. It's more than just a cliche. It actually works! It may help to make a list of things that are great in your life, or a list of things that you're grateful for. Ask yourself, "What's more important, my bank account or my health?" or "What matters most to me, my failed marriage or the safety of my children?" Remember that life is the greatest gift given to man. Hold on to those things that you hold dear.
People who think positive know that their circumstances wont last and they can look toward the future, past the current storm. These people often learn what caused the storm and how to avoid it. They know how to hold on, so that the storms don't take them under. They also realize that life is full of storms, and everyone must endure them.
People who ask "why me?" or who tend to complain quite a bit, generally are only thinking of how the situation is affecting them negatively and may not see a way out or around their circumstance. These people generally have no idea why the storm is occurring and feel that they are at the mercy of the storm, which will inevitably come again.
You have to want to be happy, then make the choice to do those things that make you happy. Pray about your situation. It most likely wont happen overnight. But if you are sincere in your efforts, you will notice that things will start to change almost immediately.
I hope you will chose to be happy. It makes life worth living.
"Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination." - Roy M. Goodman
Eventually, I reached a point in my life when enough was enough. You have to get tired of being miserable to decide to make a change. Sometimes we pity people who are mean, or who complain, or are just sad all the time, because we think their situation must be so unbearable or unchangeable. You might think, if there was something you could do, you would do it for them. But the fact is, you can guide someone to the road to happiness, but you can't walk it for them.
It takes work to be happy through the storms. You don't just wake up happy one day. You can't find your happiness in others. And likewise, others can not find their happiness in you. While its true that finding a new "love" can make you feel happiness. That happiness is only a surface happiness. And without the foundation of true happiness, that "love affair" with that special person can fade or be draining on the person that the other is depending on to keep them happy.
So, how do you find happiness? First, prayer is the most powerful tool that has ever been given to man. Anyone can pray and believe in God's healing powers. The Heavenly Father is waiting for you to come to Him in prayer.
Second, you have to realize that your circumstance does not define you. You might have had a challenging childhood. But those choices were made by the adults around you, which were out of your control. Your marriage might have failed. But, we all make mistakes. And there is always a lesson to be learned. Your bank account may be overdrawn, but you are more than your bank account. Someone you cared for deeply might have died. But death, which is a temporary resting period, is part of the Circle of Life.
Whatever the situation, the failure isn't in the fall, it's in never getting back up. You have to pick yourself up, dust the self-pity and hopelessness off, and get back up. Count it all a lesson learned and allow yourself to grow stronger and wiser.
Third, make a list of things that make you happy and do them. Visit relatives that make you laugh and/or are good support systems through trying times. Take up painting or poetry. Take a walk through the park. Visit a petting zoo. Play a few games at a local arcade. Play a sport.
Physical activity is highly recommended for several reasons. Besides physical fitness, its also a good tool for mental fitness. Walking, jogging, cycling and other sports can help to release endorphins. This is a chemical in the brain that gives us a feeling of euphoria. A good laugh can release endorphins too. But you may not be able to schedule one every morning, before you go to work.
Last, think positive. It's more than just a cliche. It actually works! It may help to make a list of things that are great in your life, or a list of things that you're grateful for. Ask yourself, "What's more important, my bank account or my health?" or "What matters most to me, my failed marriage or the safety of my children?" Remember that life is the greatest gift given to man. Hold on to those things that you hold dear.
People who think positive know that their circumstances wont last and they can look toward the future, past the current storm. These people often learn what caused the storm and how to avoid it. They know how to hold on, so that the storms don't take them under. They also realize that life is full of storms, and everyone must endure them.
People who ask "why me?" or who tend to complain quite a bit, generally are only thinking of how the situation is affecting them negatively and may not see a way out or around their circumstance. These people generally have no idea why the storm is occurring and feel that they are at the mercy of the storm, which will inevitably come again.
You have to want to be happy, then make the choice to do those things that make you happy. Pray about your situation. It most likely wont happen overnight. But if you are sincere in your efforts, you will notice that things will start to change almost immediately.
I hope you will chose to be happy. It makes life worth living.
"Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination." - Roy M. Goodman
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Let's Blog About It!
The best way to combat this disease known as child abuse, is to bring it out into the light! We have to learn to talk about it openly and to write about it in columns, blogs and forums – since technology allows us to have open communication with the world.
I hope you will take this opportunity to talk about your experiences, ask questions, make suggestions, give advice, uplift each other and celebrate life.
Please feel free to get comfortable in here, reach down and blog it out!
I hope you will take this opportunity to talk about your experiences, ask questions, make suggestions, give advice, uplift each other and celebrate life.
Please feel free to get comfortable in here, reach down and blog it out!
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