Til Death Do Us Part...

“That's my sweetheart in there. Wherever she is, that's where my home is.”
~The Notebook

Best Email of the Year

SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE

1. A tendency to think and act deliberately, rather than from fears based on past experiences.

2. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

3. A loss of interest in judging others.

4. A loss of interest in judging self.

5. A loss of interest in conflict.

6. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

7. A loss of ability to worry.

8. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

9. Contented feelings of connectedness with others and with nature.

10. Frequent attacks of smiling through the heart.

11. Increasing susceptibility to kindness offered, and the uncontrollable urge to reciprocate.

12. An increasing tendency to allow things to unfold, rather than resisting and manipulating.

~Author Unknown

RAIN WASHED

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated, "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

THE ONE FLAW IN WOMEN

Courtesy of: http://itsallaboutwomen.com/

SLOWDANCE

Have you ever watched kids

on a merry-go-round

Or listened to the rain

slapping on the ground?



Ever followed a butterfly's
erratic
 flight

Or gazed at the sun into the
Fading 
night?



You better slow down

Don't dance so fast

Time is short

The music won't last



Do you run through each day
on the 
fly

When you ask "How are you?"

do you hear the reply?



When the day is done,

do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

running through your head?



You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast

Time is short

The music won't last



Ever told your child,

We'll do it tomorrow

And in your haste, not see
his
 sorrow?



Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

'Cause you never had time

to call and say "Hi"?



You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast

Time is short

The music won't last

When you run so fast
to get somewhere

You miss half the fun
of getting 
there.


When you worry and hurry
through your
 day,

It is like an unopened gift....

Thrown away...



Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.


~AUTHOR UNKNOWN

I AM STRONG

"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell."
~Lance Armstrong

WHAT IS YOUR PASSION?

On a particular Wednesday morning, I was waiting for a tram, after consulting with a client. A lady walked up to the tram stop, while pushing a walking aide. As soon as we looked at each other, we smiled. In a recent edition of my newsletter - Ideal Insights, I spoke about the power of a smile, which is an exchange of positive energy. I started a conversation with her, and then we boarded the tram. I sat next to her, and we spent the next 20 minutes, having a friendly chat.

This lady's name is Patricia; she is 73 years old, looks very vibrant, very energetic, and was a pleasure to talk to. On that particular day, she was on her way to her choir rehearsal. As it happens, she sings for the 'Choir of Hope and Inspiration'. How appropriate, I thought!

She goes to choir rehearsal twice a week, and travels interstate to perform. Now, you could be saying, she does all this at age 73? Yes, even at age 73, she has such a contagious positive energy. Her vitality was obvious in her speech and her actions.

You see, Patricia is so happy, vibrant, and energetic because of the passion factor. She has such a passion for what she does, and that is the reason why she catches public transport, with a walking aide, in the middle of winter, to her choir rehearsals.

I see through my work in the self help industry, that people like Patricia are in the minority. The masses of the population have given themselves permission to miss out on living with passion. Choose in favour of your passion. If you feel passionate about something, make a decision based on what you are passionate about. Doing so will be beneficial in the long term. If you are passionate about something, that passion can be used as a driving force to face any challenge ahead.

Passion is defined as a strong feeling towards something, an object of enthusiasm. To do something properly or to your liking, you must be passionate about achieving your desired end result. The more passionate you are, the more you will be emotionally attached to getting to the result that you seek. Being passionate can mean becoming so consumed by what you wish to achieve, that in your mind, there is no room for compromise or settling for less. This is a great starting point in the process of bringing to fruition, what you seek.

Aristotle said that passion is one of the causes for all human action. Be that as it may, you would be wise to direct more passion into your actions which lead you to the result that you seek. In other words, whatever you are doing to get what you desire, do it passionately.

Anything that you put your passion into, you will be good at. It is a simple universal law, applicable to everyone, at all times. When people ask me why I love what I do, and I do what I love, my response is simple ‘I am passionate about creating lasting positive changes in people and organisations.’

So, come and join the Patricia’s of this world, and allow yourself to be driven by passion. After reading this story, please ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is your passion factor at the moment?
2. How can you unleash more passion in your life?
3. How will living with passion support your personal growth?

What better way to end this story than with this quote from Mac Anderson . . . 'You can't fake passion. It is the fuel that drives any dream and makes you happy to be alive.'

Inspired by passionate Partrica and written by Ron Prasad

The Red Ribbon

Everyone wants a blue ribbon. Blue. First place. The best. Even kindergarteners want that blue ribbon. In sports, I was never a blue-ribbon person. In a race I was always last. In baseball I was as likely to get hit on the head as to drop the ball. In basketball I was fine as long as there weren't nine other players on the court with me. Where I got my horrible sports ability, I don't know, but I got it. And I got it early.

During the spring of my kindergarten year, our class had a field trip to a park in a town about 20 miles away. Making that drive now is no big deal, but when you're six and you've lived in a town of 300 all your life, going to a town of a couple thousand is a very big deal. Nonetheless, looking back now, I don't remember much of that day. I'm sure we ate our little sack lunches, played on the swings, slid down the slide, typical six-year-old stuff. Then it was time for the races.

However, these were no ordinary races. Some parent had come up with the idea to have the picnic kind of races, like pass the potato under your neck and hold an egg on a spoon while you run to the other side. I don't remember too much about these, but there was one race that will forever be lodged in my memory, the three-legged race. The parents decided not to use potato sacks for this particular race. Instead, they tied our feet together.

One lucky little boy got me for a partner. Now what you have to know about this little boy is that he was the second most athletic boy in our class. I'm sure he knew he was in trouble the second they laced his foot to mine. As for me, I was mortified. This guy was a winner. He almost always won, and I knew that, with me, he didn't have a chance.

Apparently he didn't realize that as deeply as I did at the time. He laced his arm with mine, the gun sounded, and we were off to the other side. Couples were falling and stumbling all around us, but we stayed on our feet and made it to the other side.

Unbelievably when we turned around and headed back for home, we were in the lead! Only one other couple even had a chance, and they were a good several yards behind us.

Then only feet from the finish line, disaster struck. I tripped and fell.

We were close enough that my partner could have easily dragged me across the finish line and won. He could have, but he didn't. Instead, he stopped, reached down, and helped me up, just as the other couple crossed the finish line. I still remember that moment, and I still have that little red ribbon.
When we graduated 13 years later, I stood on that stage and gave the Valedictory address to that same group of students, none of whom even remembered that moment anymore. So, I told them about that little boy who had made a split-second decision that helping a friend up was more important than winning a blue ribbon.

In my speech I told them that I wouldn't tell which of the guys sitting there on that stage was the little boy although he was up there with me. I wouldn't tell because in truth at one time or another all of them had been that little boy, helping me up when I fell, taking time out from their pursuit of their own goals to help a fellow person in need.

I told them why I've kept that ribbon. You see to me, that ribbon is a reminder that you don't have to be a winner in the eyes of the world to be a winner to those closest to you. The world may judge you a failure or a success, but those closest to you will know the truth. That's important to remember as we travel through this life.

You may not have a red ribbon to prove it, but I sincerely hope you have at least a few friends who remember you for taking time out from your pursuit of that blue ribbon to help them. I'm thinking those will be the ones that really count. I know it's the one that counted the most to me.

Written by Staci Stallings

Are You A Bucket Filler...or a Dipper?

You have no doubt heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favourable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.

A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little and even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called.

If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another's bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him.

When one's bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.

Let's say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady's skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed.

Bright Eyes sitting across the table says, 'You upset that glass of chocolate milk.' I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake. I call this 'Red pencil' mentality!

Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied? Emptied many times because people don't really think about what are doing. When a person's bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, 'That is a pretty tie you have,' and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.

Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.

The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another's bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another's, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another's bucket we do not fill our own ... we lose a little.

For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds 'false,' or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is 'brown-nosing.'

Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone's life in order to fill their bucket.

Author Unknown