Christ the Lord is risen today!

Martin Luther wrote this famous song back in 1708.  It is the best known of all Easter hymns and it announces the great news that Christ has opened paradise.

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! All creation  joins to say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, O heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now your  sting? Alleluia! Dying once, He all doth save, Alleluia! Where your  victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia! Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head,  Alleluia! Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the  grave, the skies, Alleluia!

HAVE A HAPPY EASTER!!

Spend time with your children

The weather is getting nicer every day and soon it will be time for shorts and sandals!    Spring is my favourite time of year.  The days are getting longer, the sun shines brighter and it is getting warmer.

Yesterday we took my 20 month old grandson to one of our many local parks.  There were lots of families there with children of all ages, enjoying themselves on the swings and slides.    Our grandson loves going down the slide and he giggled the whole time he was on the swing.   I’m not sure who was having more fun – our grandson, my husband or myself.  It brought back memories of when our girls were small and we spent many happy hours going to the park and watching them play.

Now that I am a grandparent, I can see how important it is to spend lots of time with your children.  Many people get so caught up in the busyness of life that they have no time left to relax and have fun with their kids.   I’m certainly guilty of doing this and I won’t make the same mistake with my grandchildren.  Children grow up so fast and we can’t go back and re-live the past, so we need to make sure that we don’t forget what is important in life.    Paying attention to our children and giving them the gift of time will have lasting, positive effects on them.  Show them how much you love them with your time!

“To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today” – Anonymous

It’s Good Friday!

Good Friday for many people is just another holiday.  For others it is a solemn day of mourning for their Saviour who died for them.  For me it is a day to celebrate God’s love for his children.  He sent his Son to die for our sins so we could be free!  What an awesome feeling it is to be loved so much, especially when we don’t always deserve it.  My husband and I are on the way to our amazing church to celebrate this marvellous day.   Hallelujah!   Have a great day!

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

How to save a marriage

Being married is certainly difficult especially in this day and ago.   No two people can live together without having arguments, misunderstandings and a million petty differences.  Even the best marriage will have times of turmoil.  If anyone tells you anything different, they aren’t being honest with you or themselves.

My marriage has certainly had its ups and downs and I could never understand why life was always so difficult.  I tried very hard to be a good wife but the harder I tried, the worse things got.   Then a few years ago, I started reading some good books on marriage and I discovered some very important things that we should know about marriage and all our relationships (husband, wife, children, friends, co-workers, anyone we are in contact with).   These things have helped me tremendously by allowing me to understand why people have relationship problems.    My marriage has gotten a lot better.   We are still struggling, but we understand each other and are working together which is really important.

1. Men and women are different in many ways.  Until we can understand and accept our differences we will never be able to communicate effectively and work together as a married couple or have a good relationship with anyone.  We are all different and we don’t have to think and act in the same way.   We just need to figure out what our differences are and how to get along with each other.
2. We all drag our past unresolved issues into a relationship.   Most of us have been through difficult times and are carrying along anger, bitterness or resentment.   This may be on the surface or buried deep inside and just waiting to pop up when problems arise.  We need to resolve these issues so we don’t use our past pain to hurt others and ourselves.  We often pass the blame for our past issues on to those we love and make them pay for things they never did.
3. We are all selfish and want our own way.  Research shows that people are born negative and self-centered and that we need to teach our children how to be positive and unselfish.   Sometimes this doesn’t happen and we grow up to be selfish, negative adults.   This creates a problem in marriages or any relationship because when both sides want their own way and nobody wants to give in, conflict arises.   We need to understand that both sides can’t always be right and consider how important the issue is that you are fighting about.  Most times, we waste hours, days or even longer fighting about the stupidest, most unimportant things.  Selfishness is a huge problem for any relationship and it only destroys, it never resolves anything.

Last week I heard this story about a woman who was fed up with her husband and was considering divorce, but she wanted to hurt him as much as he hurt her before she left him.   You will be surprised at what happens.

A woman was extremely upset with her husband and decided to leave him but she was determined to make him suffer for hurting her and wasn’t sure what to do.  She went to her pastor and explained the situation to him.  She asked what she could do to hurt him very badly.   The pastor told her not to do anything quickly but to take some time so it would have a bigger effect.  For the next three months, she should be as nice to him as she possibly could.   The pastor told her to praise him, cook him great meals, spend time doing things he liked to do, give him hugs and kisses and let him watch his favourite TV programs.  This would make him feel so good that when she finally did give him the bad news, he would be absolutely devastated and she would get her revenge.

The woman did as the pastor told her and started doing everything she could for her husband.  When 3 months had passed, the pastor called her and asked if she was ready to talk about the divorce.  The woman said, ‘No way, I’m enjoying my life now and my husband has started being nice back to me.  I wouldn’t think of getting a divorce.”

I think this story has a great lesson.  That pastor was certainly a wise man.  He knew what might happen when the wife started to be nice to her husband.  He responded favourably to his wife’s actions and the marriage began to repair.  We all want love and kindness.  If we don’t give love and kindness we probably won’t get it back.  If we don’t receive love and kindness, we won’t want to be loving and kind to others.  However, if we are loving and kind to other people, we will likely receive a good return dose of love and kindness.   Kindness has a way of rubbing off on other people.  Many marriages and relationships could be saved if people would start being nicer to each other.    Peaceful relationships are certainly worth working towards.   Sometimes now, just to make peace, even if I know I’m right in a situation, I’ll just let it go.  Some things in life are just not important enough to fight about.  Being right is not such a big deal anyway!  Peace is a big deal!

Bullying doesn’t just happen to children and teens

Until a few years ago, I thought that bullying was something that occurred on the playground at school.  When I was a child, I was bullied because I was small and shy.   I remember a group of  bigger boys cornering me at recess, calling me names and throwing stones.   In high school, I just stayed away from everyone so they couldn’t hurt me, but I still got picked on verbally with rude comments and cruel jokes.    I figured that once I left school, I wouldn’t be bullied anymore and it wasn’t until I was working a few years ago for a temp agency that I had a boss who I realized was a bully.   Luckily I had gained enough confidence in myself to not let his bullying get to me and I quit that assignment.

Bullying can happen to anyone at any age right from young children to seniors.   People who are bullies in their youth will continue to be bullies unless something stops them or until they are taught how to act properly.    Workplace bullying is a growing problem and can result in the loss of jobs for those who are being bullied.  Stats say that up to about 1/3 of workers may be bullied.  We all need to take a stand when we see someone being bullied, whether is a child or an adult, and step in to help the person being bullied.  Don’t just ignore what is happening and walk away.  Research has shown that when people intervene, this can put a stop to bullying.  Speak up and tell the bully to stop.   Tell someone about the incident.  Help in whatever way you can.  Don’t risk your life if there are weapons involved or you are out-numbered – this is when you need to call the police as quickly as possible.

Here is a short video clip on workplace bullying.   http://youtu.be/V-q2VRAxjh8

There are several organizations that are working hard to stop bullying and they need your support.  Here are just a few  www.bullying.org   www.stopbullyingworld.org    www.bullyingcanada.ca   www.antibullying.net

What are you doing to stop bullying?

The real Audrey

I’m sure most of you know who Audrey Hepburn was.  I think she was an amazing lady with incredible talent.  Her story started in 1929 and ended in 1993 when she died at the early age of 63 from cancer.  During her lifetime she worked hard to become an actress who starred in over 25 movies becoming greatly loved by the world.  Audrey considered her greatest achievement was her work as a UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador.

Audrey had a great compassion for her fellow human beings and was especially passionate about the plight of starving children.   Her final years were spent visiting countries where she saw famine and great suffering.  When visiting Sudan, Hepburn said, “I saw but one glaring truth.  These are not natural disasters but man-made tragedies for which there is only one man-made solution – peace.”   It’s too bad the world doesn’t understand this simple logic.

I found these “timeless beauty tips from Audrey Hepburn’ and wanted to share them with you.   Audrey certainly was a wise woman.

Beautiful video. Grab a coffee and relax for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Simple Tom

This honestly just made me smile and I know it’ll do the same for you. Just sit back, relax, and take it in 🙂

Have an amazing day!

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People watching can be therapeutic

What is people watching?  This is when you go somewhere to observe people without them being aware that you are watching them by glancing quickly back and forth from person to person.  It isn’t done to spy on them or look at them inappropriately, it is done to learn something from their actions.

People watching works best in a crowded area where you won’t be noticed.  You can sit and look around at people acting naturally and not behaving as if they were being studied.  People watching is a great activity that can help you understand people better and give you a different perspective on life.

If you are feeling lonely or depressed, people watching can elevate your mood.  Go to a mall or somewhere that has a lot of people and find a comfortable place to sit.  Smile at people.  Try to figure out what they might be thinking or what kind of person they are.  Surrounding yourself with people will help you get your mind off your own problems and show you that you aren’t alone in the world.

People watching is a great way to teach your children how to accept themselves and be happy with who they are.    Children can become overly immersed in the media and lose their sense of self-worth.   Every day they see images of ‘perfect’ people and they become convinced that there is something terribly wrong with them.  They need to learn the truth and people watching can be a great teacher.

Have your children sit with you and teach them how to inconspicuously look around at all the people walking around.  Talk with them quietly and get them to observe everyone.  Ask them to find two people who look and act exactly the same (without pointing or staring).   This will get them thinking about how different everyone is.   Discuss how we are all unique individuals and we are supposed to be different.    Ask them to show you the people who are ‘perfect’ – those who are stunningly beautiful or extremely handsome (without pointing or staring).  They probably won’t be able to find many of these.  Discuss how most people are just average looking, some may be more attractive than others, but nobody is really perfect and never will be.  This can start an ongoing discussion on beauty and body image and how we should accept ourselves as we are.

People watching can help your children and yourself to build esteem.   It shows life in reality from a real true perspective instead of looking at unrealistic images that are distorted by the media.

 

 

Are you a good friend?

What does it take to be a good friend?

What kind of qualities does a good friend have?

Are you a good friend?  Do you think you have good friends?

There are certain qualities that show friendship and this pertains to both sides of a friendship.  These include:

1. Being genuinely interested in other people instead of trying to get people to be interested in you.   Good friends listen more than they talk.
2. Being positive about life and having a good attitude.  Good friends are comfortable to be with and fun to be around.
3. Being honest and open with others.  Good friends are not hypocrites who try to be something they are not.
4. Being okay with differences in people.   Good friends understand and accept our differences.
5. Being helpful and thinking about what you can do for the other person without expecting something in return.   Good friends think about their friend before themselves.
6. Being there when needed, especially during difficult times.   Good friends are loyal.
7. Being respectful of their opinions, their beliefs and their interests.   Good friends celebrate who you are.
8. Being trustworthy and able to share your thoughts and secrets.  Good friends don’t spread gossip or lie about you.

To have good friends, you must be a good friend.   Are you a good friend?  Do you show a good example to your friends?

Consider these questions……….

What would you do if your friend showed up at your house late one night after you had gone to bed and was crying?  Would you ask your friend to come in so you could sit and talk or would you tell them you are tired and that you’ll talk tomorrow?

What would you do if your friend’s car broke down and called to see if you could give a ride to work?  Would you drive across town to pick up your friend or tell them to call a taxi?

What would you do if a friend got sick and was in the hospital for several weeks?  Would you make time to visit your friend every day or two or just wait until they got home from the hospital?

 

SOME FRIEND QUOTES

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.  ~Douglas Pagels

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.  ~Sicilian Proverb

The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend.  ~Aristotle

The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.  ~Henry David Thoreau

A good friend is cheaper than therapy.  ~Author Unknown

A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.  ~Arnold Glasow

Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer.  ~Author Unknown

A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.  ~Grace Pulpit

 

 

 

 

What kind of baggage are you carrying?

As we travel along the pathway of life, we pick up problems and stuff them in our emotional baggage.  This often starts in our childhood and continues on into our adulthood.  By the time we start a serious relationship or get married, we are carrying lots of baggage.

Often we are taught to hide our emotions or push them aside and forget about them.  However, this doesn’t work.  It is normal to feel emotions and we need to acknowledge them.   Avoiding emotions will just result in physical, emotional, mental and spiritual problems that creates excess emotional baggage.  We have to learn how to control our emotions instead of allowing them to control us.

It’s time to unpack your baggage and find out what you are carrying around.  What is in your bags?  Is it anger?  Bitterness?  Hatred?  Pain from an abusive relationship?  A lonely childhood?  Unforgiveness?  Guilt?  A failure? Fear of something?  There are many things you can carry around with you.

Your baggage can be very heavy and hard to manage.   Don’t keep carrying them around with you.  Get rid of those past issues and try to move forward in life.  Find someone you can trust that can help you unpack your bags and sort through any issues you have.  Then try to put away all those things that have been weighting you down and causing you pain.

It is hard to let go of things that you have carried around for a long time, but you can take your baggage and throw it out the door.  Do yourself a favour and start flying through life without all those heavy bags.