CHAPTER 12, PAGE 31

HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE !

 

To leave the old with a burst of song;

To recall the right and forgive the wrong;

To forget the things that bind you fast;

To the vain regrets of the year that's past;

To have the strength to let go your hold

Of the not worth while of the days grown old;

To dare go forth with a purpose true,

To the unknown task of the year that's new;

To help your brother along the road,

To assist with his work and lift his load;

To add your gift to the world's good cheer,

Is to have and to give a Happy New Year.

author unknown

 

Usually, when people get to the end of a chapter, they close the book and go to sleep. I deliberately write my books so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she must turn one more page. When people tell me I've kept them up all night, I feel like I've succeeded!

Sidney Sheldon

GOOD MORNING !

The end of my book for 2007 has come. Tomorrow I’ll start on 2008 and I hope to share with you some SUNSHINE and SMILES through out the NEW year.

Today’s entry is a little longer than usual, but I had so much to share that I thought you wouldn’t mind

I’ll be having some of my family over for dinner tomorrow and that is about the extent of my celebrating. If I can manage I’ll stay up and watch the New Year come in on TV then go to bed. Usually some of the babes call right after midnight so I try to stay awake to talk to them.

May you all be blessed with a wonderful New Year and may those dreams and wishes come true for you and if they don’t , just remember some of the best prayers are the unanswered ones.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

CELEBRATE!

Let this coming year be better than all the others.

Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time.

Call up a forgotten friend.

Share a funny story with someone whose spirits are dragging.

A good laugh can be very good medicine.

Make a genuine effort to stay in closer touch with family and good friends.

The sure way to have a friend is to be one.

Find the time to be kind and thoughtful.

Give a compliment. It's sure to give someone a badly needed lift.

Think things through. Forgive an injustice.

Listen more. Be kind.

Apologize when you realize you are wrong. An apology never diminishes a person. It elevates him.

Don't blow your own horn. If you've done something praiseworthy, someone will notice eventually.

Lighten up. When you feel like blowing your top, ask yourself, "Will it matter in a week from today?".

Laugh the loudest when the joke is on you.

Don't discourage a beginner from trying something risky.

Nothing ventured means nothing gained.

Be optimistic. The can-do spirit is the fuel that makes things go.

Don't abandon your old-fashioned principles. They never go out of style.

When courage is needed, ask yourself, "If not me, who?

If not now, when?"

Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look 10 years younger.

Don't be afraid to say, "I love you". Say it again.

They are the sweetest words in the world

CELEBRATE !

Some things do matter.

Every year gives birth to blessings,

little acts of thoughtfulness, devotion, courage and self-sacrifice.

Smiles unexpected and unasked for.

Silent, hard-won victories over evil.

Such blessings change lives, and one generation passes them along to the next.

On this final day of the year, why not leave some small blessing for those who will follow after you?

Celebrate to the fullest this whistle-blowing, toast-raising moment, for it is the threshold between the old and the new

May every day of this NEW YEAR be blessed with a few SMILES and lot of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

 

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CHAPTER 12, PAGE 30

 

 

 

Start Your Year With The 7-Up's

Origin Unknown. Modified slightly.

Wake Up - Decide to have a good day.

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Dress Up -The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

"... God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

Shut Up- Say nice things & learn to listen. God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.

Those that are careful about what they say protect their lives, but he who speaks without thinking will be ruined. Proverbs 13:3

Stand Up - For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything.

We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up. When we have the opportunity to help anyone we should do it. Galatians 6:9,10

Look Up - To theLord.

I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Reach Up - For something higher. Since you were raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

Lift Up - Your Prayers.

Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. Philippians 4:6

 

  GOOD MORNING !

When surfing the net as I often do, I found probably one of the best New Years’ resolutions I’ve ever seen. It is one that I definitely will put at the top of my list and it even may be the only one there .

You see most everything else will follow if I do this one thing. Just resolve to live better for God day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, and that will add up to our best for Him not only for this New Year, but for our entire lives.

We all have to live our lives just one day at a time, why not for our Lord? If we pray daily and give thanks for our blessings, it will bring us closer to God. We need to rely on God everyday, not just when things are looking down. He is always there beside us and hears our every prayer.

You will often hear me singing His praises as I’m blessed in so many ways, but what you don’t hear is all the prayers I say every day. An ambulance goes by and I say a prayer, a reporter on the radio tells of an accident on the morning news and I say a prayer, I go out the drive to work and I say a prayer. It has become a way of life for me and one I wouldn’t trade.

I’ll be off to church today as I usually do on Sunday and saying those prayers for all of you – you can count on it.

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

 Psalm 143:8

 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

WORDS OF WISDOM FOR THE NEW YEAR

The most destructive habit........Worry

The greatest joy.......Giving

The greatest loss.......Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work.......Helping others

The ugliest personality trait.....Selfishness

The most endangered species.....Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource.....Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm"......Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome......Fear

The most effective sleeping pill......Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease......Excuses

The most powerful force in life......Love

The most dangerous pariah......A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer......The brain

The worst thing to be without......Hope

The deadliest weapon.....The tongue

The two most power-filled words......"I Can"

The greatest asset.....Faith

The most worthless emotion......Self-pity

The most beautiful attire.....SMILE!

The most prized possession.....Integrity

The most powerful channel of communication.......Prayer

The most contagious spirit......Enthusiasm

 

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 12, PAGE 29

A life time of discovery awaits you right now.

Climb aboard eager and enthusiastic

for what ever experience awaits

and begin the journey.

Ralph Marston

GOOD MORNING !

As you know my journey through each year is kept in this book I call my journal. Months are chapters and days are pages. It seems as though this book just started and already the last page is about to turn. Time stands still for no one …least of all me.

I’ve started taking down what few Christmas decorations I put up and I’m thinking about what to put in their place. I always try to go with a color theme of some kind for each month and January, I’ve decided will be gold.

So far I’ve got a gold tablecloth on the table and some candles sitting on a plate for a center piece. When you walk in my front door, you see the dining room table straight away through the arch that seperates the living room from the dining room.

I also put a white runner trimed in gold on the buffet. I’ll have to look through my odds and ends and see what else I can come up with. Rarely is there anyone here to see it, but I enjoy putting a little something different around each month.

I need to sit down and make a list of what I’d like to get done in my 4 days off, but this morning, I’m just enjoying sitting here with my good cup of coffee and slowly waking up.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

May we continue to draw comfort

from past blessings,

and may we find new ways to share

the stories of our common journey.

 

May you day be filled with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 12, PAGE 28

Another year has passed and

we're all a little older.

Last summer felt hotter and

winter seems much colder.

I rack my brain for happy thoughts,

to put down on my pad,

But lots of things that come to mind

that make me kind of sad.

There was a time not long ago

when life was quite a blast.

Now I fully understand

about "Living in the Past"

We used to go to weddings,

football games and lunches.

Now we go to funeral homes,

and after-funeral brunches.

We used to have hangovers,

from parties that were gay.

Now we suffer body aches

and while the night away.

We used to go out dining,

and couldn't get our fill.

Now we ask for doggie bags,

come home and take a pill.

We used to often travel

to places near and far.

Now we get sore buttocks

from riding in the car.

We used to go out shopping

for new clothing at the Mall

But, now we never bother...

all the sizes are too small.

That, my friend is how life is,

and now my tale is told.

So, enjoy each day and live it up...

before you're too darn old!

Author Unknown

Good Morning !

It won’t be long now and we’ll be saying Happy New Year. I have another nice long weekend coming up. Thank the dear Lord! I’m not going to be doing much partying in the way of celebrating the New Year, but I’ll be enjoying it for sure.

Another year is almost gone and I’ll not be sad to see it go. A new one is waiting just ahead and I’m hoping for a much brighter one indeed. There have been lots of Joys and Sorrows for me in 2007 as I know there have been for many of you too.

That seems to be the way of life. It’s just like a roller coaster and I’m hanging on for the ride. I’m going to rejoice in the blessings and leave the sorrows in the past where they belong. Today is the gift ! Unwrap it!

It is FRIDAY and I just know it’ll be a great day!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

The New Year lies before you

like a spotless tract of snow

Be careful how you tread on it

For every mark will show.

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart!

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 12, PAGE 27

When it seems that you’re rough-riding the coattails of life, watch a sunset, listen to good music, or delve into an engrossing book..

Allow yourself time to reflect on the gifts you have been given, both big and small

…Life is always made up of more than meets the eye. Once we see this, we can put things back into perspective and regain a sense of serenity.

From my Wednesday evening meditation

GOOD MORNING!

Yesterday I saw the sunshine come out and how glorious it was. Everything was brighter and that included me. I am very dependant on those rays of sun.l

Maybe I should drink more orange juice. I remember a commercial that used to describe it as liquid sunshine.

Today is going to be one of those 'trip to the beach' kind of days for sure!

 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Each day comes bearing its own gifts.

Untie the ribbons.

Ruth Ann Schabacker

 

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES

and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

 

MA

 

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CHAPTER 12, PAGE 26

What is one to do? Which is right?

 

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

A silent man is a wise one.

A man without words is a man without thoughts.

 

Look before you leap.

He who hesitates is lost.

 

Many hands make light work.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

 

Actions speak louder than words.

The pen is mightier than the sword.

 

Clothes make the man.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

 

It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered.

 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Better safe than sorry.

 

There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions, You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of Leaning into the light

Barry Lopez

GOOD MORNING !

I’m not sure about you, but at this time of year, as we all get ready to turn the page on the calendar once again and look toward a new year of gifts, surprises, and outcomes. We need time to renew and to remember and to re-align with our most important values.

I will take the time to sit down and review and remember my roots, my loved ones, and my values. I hope you do too… Let’s take a look at the past year, toss the old that isn’t working, and bring in the new that can make a positive impact on your life.

Too often, our perspective on life, business, relationships and self-worth can become skewed by the forces around us. Have you ever had a day that was going along fine, even putting a spring in your step, and then—wham—you run into the black cloud.

A New Year is about to begin, and the sun is coming back! Give yourself a real gift this holiday season by taking an honest look at the people and perspectives in your life.

I’m going back to work today after a wonderful time off. Putting all things in perspective, I’d have to say that I could use a few more days, but just like that black cloud, work is over shadowing my sunshine today.

However, it is only a 3 day work week, and then I’ll be having 4 more days off ! Life is meant to be a forward journey. We need to take time each day and count our blessings and celebrate our victories both large and small.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you

Think of Things, you find sometimes that a

Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you

is quite different when it gets out into the open

and has other people looking at it.

The House at Pooh Corner

 

May Peace be your gift at Christmas

and your blessing all year through!

 

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 12, PAGE 25

This is a day of giving.

Christians around the world pause today to celebrate the birth of Christ, and the spirit of giving which is so gracefully embodied in that first Christmas almost 2,000 years ago.

Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. It is a simple truth, even self-evident, yet magnificently profound and powerful. For life consists of giving. We are, each of us, unique, with our own contributions to make.

At the same time, we are part of a greater whole. Giving is what keeps us connected. The more we give of ourselves, the more we strengthen our own unique aliveness.

The gifts we give become part of the world around us, where they grow in value with each life they touch. Anything that we truly and sincerely give, we will never lose.

True giving means giving of one's self. The physical object, if there is one, is merely a token. The essence of the gift is in the giving, in the expression of sincere love and caring.

When you give a part of yourself, it is not gone, it is bigger and better than ever. Giving is the most self-serving thing you can do. And therein lies the beauty of life.

Ralph Marston

Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.

Dale Evans

GOOD MORNING !

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

I do hope Santa was good to all of you ! You know I received many many gifts and all of those weren’t boxed up and tied with a bow for sure.

As my theme of GIFTS will still continue through the end of December, I do hope you will be thinking in a different way now as you read the word GIFTS. Along with GIFTS I’ll be giving THANKS for those gifts too!

Today I’ll begin by saying THANK YOU to all my family and friends for the wonderful gifts you’ve given me through out this year.

So remember while December

Brings the only Christmas day,

In the year let there be Christmas

In the things you do and say.

Anonymous

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Christmas Is

Source Unknown

Christmas is a gift of love wrapped in human flesh and tied securely with the strong promises of God.

Christmas is angelic music in the form of a carol and oratorio with a celestial descant.

Christmas is "glory to God," "good will to man," and "joy to the world."

Christmas is "peace on earth" for those who accept it and live in unity with God's will.

Christmas is a man on duty tending sheep, or machine, who senses the upward call and stops to worship.

Christmas is a tall green tree which serves as festive altar for any household which discovers the true meaning behind it all.

Christmas is a ringing bell calling a distraught humanity to gladness and hope.

Christmas is a glowing hearth gently placed in the winter of man's loneliness.

Christmas is an altar to which man can bring his heartache for comfort, his lostness for guidance, and his sin for forgiveness.

Christmas is the sparkle of anticipation and the steady light of faith in the eyes of a little child as he hears the old, old story.

Christmas is the shining star of hope in the sky of all mankind.

Christmas is more than words can tell, for it is a matter for the heart to receive, believe and understand.

 

May Peace be your gift at Christmas

and your blessing all year through!

 

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 12, PAGE 24

TIME TO BE QUIET

.. . it is time to

quiet ourselves,

 . . . to reflect upon all

the gifts we are

. . . and have

. . . and can imagine.

to give thanks

from our deepest selves.

to surrender to the love

that came before us,

lives now among us,

and is, forever,

before us

. . . . it is time

 

GOOD MORNING

AND HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE DAY !

It is time for me to be quiet and reflect awhile and give thanks for the many GIFTS I’ve received and given.

Today will be a calm and peaceful one for me. After all the celebrating I’ve been doing, the body and the soul say I’m long overdue for a TIME OUT.

Many of you may be just beginning your celebrations and I do wish you much happiness and JOY!

For me however, the celebrating is done and I’m singing ‘All is calm , all is bright!’

If you missed the entry yesterday evening, scroll down past this entry for some pictures of yesterdays trip the to the ‘CHRISTMAS STORY’ house.

Tomorrow I’ll go to church and celebrate the real reason for the season. Today I’ll rest.  It is time...

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

If I could have a Christmas wish.

Yes, if such things could be.

There are somethings that I'd wish for

that are just for you from me.

I know I'd wish when you wake up

the Christmas day to start

You'd find yourself a-smiling

from a peace within your heart.

And I would wish your mind at peace

- as you think about next year.

And freedom from all worries

and freedom from all fear.

And I would wish you joyfulness

and strength to reach your goal

And deep, abiding peacefulness,

And wellness in your soul.

I know I may not get my wish

but if I could - it's true

- A Deep, Abiding, Heart-felt Peace

Is my Christmas Wish for you!

 

May Peace be your gift

at Christmas

and your blessing

all year through!

 

MA

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PICTURES OF THE 'CHRISTMAS STORY' HOUSE, CLEVELAND, OHIO

After church today DS#5 and 6 decided we needed to visit the Christmas Story House.  The house is in Cleveland and not too far from us so off we went.  The movie was supposed to be based in Indiana but parts were filmed here.  We had another grand day.  After being in the 50's this morning with rain, an artic blast has come our way and with lots of wind we are now down to 27 degrees .  BRRRRCHILLLLLL.

CHAPTER 12, PAGE 23

The most vivid memories of

Christmases past are usually

not of gifts given or received,

but of the spirit of love,

the special warmth of

Christmas worship,

the cherished little habits of home.

Lois Rand

GOOD MORNING !

In case you missed it, I did put some pictures in the entry before this one of our Christmas celebration yesterday.l So...you'll need to scroll down past this entry to see them. 

All is very quiet here on the homefront this morning.  I do have company as the 'Newlyweds' came over to spend the night. They will probably sleep in for another half hour or so.  Then we'll get ready for church. 

It is raining here today and it's very hard to get moving.  I slept in and enjoy it very much too.  Now my 3 days of R&R begin.  All the preparation and celebrating has quite worn me out. 

I do hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and remember I'll be praying for you all.  The good Lord knows our needs and answers every prayer.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: 'How could it be so?'

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

It came without packages, boxes or bags!

And he puzzled three hours, 'till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.

Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!

Dr. Seuss

 

 

May the season's simple joys

Warm your heart...

Fill your home...

Last a lifetime

 

MA

 

 

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