You never find yourself until you face the truth. – Pearl Bailey
Every now and then we feel a nudge somewhere deep inside and close to our souls.
We feel the emptiness and the panic when the realization hits us that something is missing – but we don’t know what it is, or when it may have disappeared or if we had it in the first place. We may not even know it’s missing until we are teased with a glimpse of its existence.
Sometimes the most difficult thing to endure is realizing what we want does indeed exist; we just can’t get to it, or have it right now.
The longing, the missing, of something can be painful. However, pain can tells us something. Pain can serve as a compass to point us in new directions and new opportunities. Pain can motivate us to understand the purpose of why something is missing. Our pain can help us find the missing piece.
If you don’t think every day is a good day, just try missing one. – Cavett Robert
Article written by contributor Jarrod Clark of Optimistic Journey.
A positive attitude is one of the greatest assets you can have. People may not always look at what you do but they’re looking to see how you do it. When you have a pleasant demeanor about yourself, it makes people want to warm up to you and find out what you’re all about. If you have a sour and bitter attitude about life, no one will want to be around you.
The power of your smile
A pleasant attitude can work wonders for you in more ways than you know. People who smile appear more friendly, outgoing and more approachable. It even works in the workplace. I heard a statistic that people who smile more get promoted more often and maintain more stable relationships.
You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. – A.A. Milne
The enemy of your soul comes like a thief.
Worn down and tired, you believe your life isn’t going to work out the way you planned. You start to feel your dreams aren’t going to come true. And you begin to think you are too young or too old; too weak or too unworthy; too damaged or too shameful to have your heart’s desire.
Despair, doubt and fear start to seep into everything you do, think and feel. The theft is now complete. The enemy of your soul has claimed a temporary victory.
But there’s hope.
There’s a remedy for your soul more powerful than any poison the enemy may try to use against you. This antidote is pure, clean, and full of love. The antidote is the truth about you.
May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through. – Author Unknown
Black Friday was a blockbuster. Sales were up 6.6% in a record shopping day. When the day was over, shoppers spent 11.4 billion dollars; the best Black Friday ever.
Cyber Monday also set records. Sales were up 22% compared to a year ago, and people are still clicking.
While these sales records could be a sign the economy is recovering, it’s also a sign the Christmas Spirit is alive and well. No matter how tight our budgets, we try to find a way to find the right gifts (and at the right prices) to light up the faces of friends and family on Christmas morning.
The Christmas Spirit reminds us the joy of giving is more important than any gift we’ll ever receive. After all, I think what we really want isn’t always found in a department store or online. What we really want comes from a place that doesn’t accept credit cards at all.
Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. – Hamilton Wright Mabie
Article written by guest contributor Mariana Ashley.
The holiday season is often fraught with mixed feelings.
It’s supposed to be a time of the year which we spend with family and friends, accentuating the important things in life. While this sounds great in theory, in reality, most of us spend the holidays being abnormally stressed.
Whether it’s deciding whose house to spend Christmas, what types of presents to buy for which one of your loved ones, or where to go on your holiday vacation, you are likely far from relaxed enough to grasp this elusive “holiday cheer.”
But there is another way. It is possible to enjoy the holidays, as long as you make a commitment to keep it simple. Here are a five authentic ways:
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. – Dalai Lama
Article written by guest contributor Galen Pearl from 10 Steps to Finding Your Happy Place.
Simplicity is a buzzword these days.
There are books and magazines devoted to it. Alex has written some excellent articles on his blog about simplicity. In our over cluttered, over consuming, over scheduled, over teched (I made that word up), over stressed, super-sized culture, we crave simplicity the way a parched nomad in the desert craves a sip of pure cool water.
Lately, I’ve been craving it in my faith life.
Seeking simple faith
I have friends of many faiths, and I respect them all, both the friends and their faiths. In the last year, I have happily accepted invitations to visit several of their places of worship, and in each instance, I was touched by something beautiful. Yet, somewhere there was a subtle or not so subtle message – be one of us, not one of them. You must believe what we believe, or else.
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” ~ Japanese Proverb
December is almost here. I felt it coming yesterday.
65 MPH wind gusts made the drive home from Denver a challenge. Nine hours of dodging tumbleweeds, corn husks and other debris was exhausting. It took deliberate effort to keep the car straight and on the road.
Just before reaching our house, Mary Beth sent a text message to Brandon, Caitlin and Andrew telling them we made it home safely. With Thanksgiving behind us, my wife and I now turn our attention to Christmas.
December is almost here.
Eleven months ago we made resolutions for the coming year. With the best intentions, we attempted to accomplish each one. While we started with an honest effort, we quickly got lost in the year.
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