The start of a new year is always a good time to take stock of what we’ve accomplished, and to look forward with anticipation and an open mind to what lies ahead. Yet, it is also a good idea to examine our lives regularly, to see if we need to change anything in order to reach our full potential and make our lives more fulfilling.
Sometimes circumstances force us to make changes, too. We move to a new location, take a new job, attend a new school, and form new relationships. Whether our circumstances dictate it, or we choose to ourselves, making a fresh start is not always easy, especially when it involves making personal changes or creating new habits. Sometimes the things we resolve to accomplish or are forced to change are so formidable, that we have a hard time getting started, or conversely, we procrastinate and try to put some things off until later, hoping that we’ll get around to it some other time. Fortunately, we’re not alone in our struggles, and there are many accounts of people who worked through the obstacles they faced to begin anew, cultivate new mindsets, try something new, or form new habits, one step at a time. I hope last year’s post and true stories of people who succeeded will encourage you to give your personal resolutions an honest try, and that your efforts will result in wonderful new beginnings. Happy New Year
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“May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us." — Mother Teresa
"On the New Years Day and the whole year through I hope the kindness you've given to others return many times to you. Happy New Year. As New Year dawns may it lead you to the path of beautiful tomorrows. I wish you happiness and blessings of the New Year." — Author Unknown "Happy New Year! May our dear Jesus keep you under the shadow of His wings and shower you with His care and blessings throughout the year, filling your hearts with joy and peace, and a sense of fulfillment as you continue to give Him your heart." — Author Unknown "May The Lord bless you and always keep you. May heaven's light shine on all that you do. May health and happiness come your way and love fills your heart throughout each day." — Author Unknown “… On the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.” — Henry Ward Beecher “I pray that the New Year brings with it tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future and that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.” — Agnes M. Pharo “Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.” — Henry Ward Beecher “The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!” — Edward Payson Powell “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” —Benjamin Franklin "Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one." — Author Unknown “We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential.” — Ellen Goodman Quote of the day:
“Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.” — Cavett Robert Think about it: As the end of the year draws closer, most of us wonder what the New Year will hold for us—and of course, we hope it will be a good one, especially if the past year has been challenging. It’s true that we cannot control many of the things that will happen in the year to come, but did you know there is one thing within each of us that can drastically improve our chance of success and a truly happy year? I recently read that this one thing is “… seldom considered, though it does more to influence everything about us than virtually any other thing in life. It often controls the time we get up in the morning, the time we go to sleep, what we eat and drink, and the very thought that runs through our head. It can make us either happy or sad, loving or hateful, cheerful or remorseful, congenial or spiteful, and in doing so, control the very capacity that we have for success. “When its impact on our life is considered fully in our every thought and action, when we are mindful of its awesome power, when we nurture and groom it for positive use in our life, it can become more contagious than the most infectious disease. Its influence will spread to every person we come in contact with. Groomed and nurtured in a positive manner there will be no person or obstacle that can stand in the way of its success or fail to be impacted for the better. That one thing is our attitude. I hope the stories, articles and quotes will inspire and encourage you to adopt and keep a hopeful, positive outlook and attitude at the onset and throughout the year ahead. I read this story by Bill Bright and thought it was a good analogy of why Christmas. I hope it speaks to you as much as it did to me. Merry Christmas.
There was a man from India who was a devout member of a Hindu sect and who had a profound sense of reverence for life. He would not kill an ant, a cow, or even a cobra, because to him, due to his belief in reincarnation, he might be killing some past relative. During his visit to America, he had been confronted with the claims of Christ, yet he could not grasp the biblical truth that God actually visited this planet in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. He could not comprehend how the Great Creator God of the Universe could become a man, or why. One day as he was walking in the field meditating upon this new truth about Jesus the Christ being God, he was wondering how this could possibly be. He ran across a large anthill with thousands of little ants scurrying around in their busy-like manner. He was standing there observing with wonder the activity of these ants, and what amazing creatures they are, when suddenly he heard a tremendous and threatening noise. It was the noise of a large tractor plowing the fields. As he looked up he discovered that the tractor would soon be plowing through that anthill and thousands of ants would probably be killed and their home destroyed. Gripped with the same concern you and I would feel for hundreds of people trapped in a burning building, he became frantic. He wanted to warn them of their impending destruction. He thought to himself, “How can I warn them? If I could write in the sand, they wouldn’t be able to read it. If I shouted to them, they wouldn’t understand me. The only possible way I could communicate with them would be by becoming an ant, if I had that ability.” Then suddenly he had a revelation from the Spirit of God. He saw why God, the Creator of the universe, chose to become one of us by becoming a man, in the Person of the God-man, Jesus of Nazareth. A good conscience is a continual Christmas.--Benjamin Franklin
* Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God.--George F. McDougall * Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart ... filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever.--Bess Streeter Aldrich * Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It’s lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It’s higher thought and a greater plan. It’s a glorious dream in the soul of man.--Wilferd A. Peterson * Christmas is the day that holds all time together.--Alexander Smith * Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.--Norman Vincent Peale * From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another, The warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other.--Emily Matthews * It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.--W. T. Ellis * When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things—not the great occasions—give off the greatest glow of happiness.--Bob Hope * There’s more, much more to Christmas Than candlelight and cheer; It’s the spirit of sweet friendship That brightens all the year; It’s thoughtfulness and kindness, It’s hope reborn again, For peace, for understanding, And for goodwill to men!--Calvin Coolidge Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.--Janice Maeditere
* It came without ribbons, it came without tags, It came without packages, boxes, or bags. Christmas can’t be bought from a store... Maybe Christmas means a little bit more.--Dr. Seuss * I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.--Charles Dickens * The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family wrapped up in each other.--Burton Hillis * Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.--Larry Wilde * My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?--Bob Hope * Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.--Dale Evans * I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men!--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow * Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.--Calvin Coolidge * Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.--Peg Bracken * When Pope Julius I authorized December 25 to be celebrated as the birthday of Jesus in A.D. 353, who would have ever thought that it would become what it is today. When Professor Charles Follen lit candles on the first Christmas tree in America in 1832, who would have ever thought that the decorations would become as elaborate as they are today. It is a long time since 1832, longer still from 353, longer still from that dark night brightened by a special star in which Jesus the king was born. Yet, as we approach December 25 again, it gives us yet another opportunity to pause, and in the midst of all the excitement and elaborate decorations and expensive commercialization which surround Christmas today, to consider again the event of Christmas and the person whose birth we celebrate.--Brian Harbour and James Cox Adapted from Let Me Tell You a Story, by Tony Campolo
Tony Campolo told a story about an experience that motivated a friend of his to see people differently. This friend liked to go holiday shopping at a prestigious and expensive department store. She didn’t spend much there, but she enjoyed looking, as most women do. When looking at some of the finest—and most expensive—dresses in the store, she noticed a poor woman get out of the elevator. Her clothes were dirty, her stockings rolled down to her ankles. She held a gym bag in her hand. It was obvious that this bag lady was out of place and that she would not be able to buy anything. Most of the dresses were in the thousand dollar price range, and this woman seemed in no way like the kind of person who would have that kind of money. Tony’s friend expected a security guard to arrive at any moment and usher the bag lady out of the store, but a stately saleswoman came over to her instead and asked, “May I help you, madam?” The bag lady said, “Yeah, I want to buy a dress.” “What kind of dress?” the saleswoman asked in a polite and dignified way. “A party dress.” “You’ve come to the right place. Follow me. I think we have some of the finest party dresses available.” The saleswoman spent more than ten minutes matching dresses with the woman’s eye color and helping her ascertain which dress would go best with her complexion and preferred taste. After selecting three dresses that they together decided would be good choices, she took the woman into the dressing room. Tony’s friend, watching this exchange in amazement, hurried into the dressing room also and entered the adjoining booth, so she could hear what was going on. After about ten minutes of trying on the dresses with the saleswoman’s help, the bag woman said abruptly, “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to buy a dress today.” “That’s all right,” the saleswoman said gently, “but here’s my card. Should you come back to our department store, I do hope that you will ask for me. I would consider it a privilege to wait on you again.” We too often slip into automatically making judgments according to outward appearances, but the saleswoman, with the greatest of professional standards, continued to carry out her job to the best of her ability, not letting the appearance of the customer influence her behavior. On top of that, she left the door open for future interaction. She may not have looked like it, but that bag woman deserved the same respect and opportunity as any human being, because everyone has potential. Sometimes it’s just a matter of time. “Christmas gift suggestions: to your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.” —Oren Arnold
“I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year.” — David Grayson “Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more." — Dr. Seuss "Whatever happened to kindness?" — Wiley (B.C. comic) "The joy of brightening our lives, bearing each other's burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.” —W. C. Jones "I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.” — Norman Vincent Peale "Christmas is most of all a celebration of God's love for each of us." — Author Unknown "The Light that shines from the humble manger is strong enough to lighten our way to the end of our days.” — Vita-Rays “There is no ideal Christmas; only the Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions.” — Bill McKibben “Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.” — Eric Sevareid By Natalie Volpe
The well-known tale of the bad-tempered, miserly Scrooge has been often retold through the many years since its first publication by Charles Dickens in 1843. To many, the story has become a symbol of Christmas; yet while most of us are familiar with the hardheartedness, stinginess, and greed of the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, how often do we apply the story’s lessons to our own lives? The plot takes a wretched miser and brings him through a dramatic change for the better. Before his transformation, he was the opposite of all the good qualities that Christmas stands for—love, charity, goodwill, unselfishness, care for those around us. While Scrooge may be a rather extreme representation of miserly features, he’s perhaps also a metaphor for the miserliness that resides in each of us. There’s a little selfishness in all of us, isn’t there? Goals gone a little awry, high ideals long forgotten? Do we pass by others without a word or kind glance when they cross our path, too caught up with ourselves to notice? We don’t have to wait until we become as extreme in our selfishness as Scrooge before we decide to make a change. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if at every Christmas we could take an honest look at our lives, at the things of the past, at what we’re doing in the present, and our goals for the future, and see what really has become most important to us? In the ultimate act of love and unselfishness, God gave Jesus to us on earth, so that He could teach us His love, and then die for us to purchase our eternal salvation. At Christmas, we celebrate the giving of this marvelous gift. We can never hope to pay Him back, but Jesus says that “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Every kind word and deed done out of love—not because it’s logical or in our best interests, but because it will help someone else—will ultimately help us, most often in ways we were least expecting. Let’s make it a goal—and not only at Christmas—to step back a bit and reassess our life and values and discern what has been the driving force in all our actions. Let us savor every moment while we have it, and make the most of every opportunity to help another human being, because in the end, that’s all that’s going to matter anyway. "Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” — Peg Bracken
"Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind.” — Mary Ellen Chase “It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.” — Charles Dickens “What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.” — Agnes M. Pahro “The spirit of Christmas fulfills the greatest hunger of mankind.” — Loring A. Schuler “My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” — Bob Hope “Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.” — Helen Steiner Rice “Remember this December, that love weighs more than gold!” — Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon “Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself.” —Norman Wesley Brooks "Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” — Attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” — W. T. Ellis "Keep your Christmas-heart open all the year round.” —Jessica Archmint "There has been only one Christmas-the rest are anniversaries.” — W.J. Cameron |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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