On the day of thanksgiving ....

Shared by another "righteous woman" (thanks Carla C) - Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

"When we fail to thank God for the great things He has done in our lives, the Bible says, "our minds are darkened to the truth." 

On the other hand, gratitude is the most effective way to deepen our heart and mind to the fact that we are the object of God's unconditional love. Gratitude helps us to honor God as God. It gets us up in the morning with praise on our lips. It awakens our senses to see the fingerprint of God in our lives. It helps you to get through the day no matter how you feel. It ushers you right into the very presence of God. Who would have ever thought a simple thank you would have the power to go so far? This morning, let's practice our attitude of gratitude by giving God praise!" Bishop C. Carl Smith

"Because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened." Romans 1:21 AMP

Commit already....

Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism - Anon  Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than words.  It is consciously making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, and year after year after year.  When you make a commitment to a person/relationship or a person in a relationship, you are saying out loud that your heart, will, mind and emotions will choose to make an investment of your attention and energy into that relationship more profoundly because you now experience ownership of it. This is a very strong sign that you are in it for the long run....

Giving thanks again

The next time you see a report card or graded homework assignment of your child's/niece/nephew/god-child/cousin/ or friends child with high marks, congratulate them for his or her efforts. 

Not only will it provide a positive reinforcement for the value of hard work and help him or her recognize his or her intelligence; it also gives them a certain sense of peace that you see them, love them and are grateful for them too. 

Giving thanks

As we prepare to celebrate the spirit of thanksgiving this week, focus on what's really important to you. Concentrate on what matters most and spend most of your time on it. 

Be it your biological family or your adopted family; give them the time they deserve.

Let the holidays begin! 

Being grateful

In the spirit of giving thanks; think on your earlier years. 

Remember that movie or TV show that you and your sibling, parent, or best friend enjoyed watching when growing up. See if there are re-runs, or schedule a movie night on an evening to watch it with him or her. 

Afterwards, reminisce about why you enjoyed it growing up and share which parts you now enjoy more as an adult.

Most importantly, share on the memories that made those moments special.

Tis the season to be grateful... 

On our own ...

Don't give up before you try. But if you do try and it doesn't work, then it might not be worth the time.  

The biggest part is knowing when and also knowing to trust God in the midst of it all. Sometimes, we do things in life on our own and we don't pray on it or seek godly counsel about it; and so we walk through life handling it all alone and not knowing why it isn't working out the way it ought to be. 

Remember to keep God at the beginning, center and at the end of all things that concern you and He will truly guide and direct you AND if needed, will fight your battles for you.

No more lies

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all the people all the time. ~ Abraham Lincoln

It's just like how you can get away with some lies sometimes....depending on who you are lying to and about. However, at some point, not only will you not be able to keep track of your own story(ies), you'll find it difficult convincing people that have begun to put the pieces together....and they no longer add up.

Rule of thumb: just tell the truth all the time ;)

Trust

"Your reputation and integrity are everything. Follow through on what you say you’re going to do. Your credibility can only be built over time, and it is built from the history of your words and actions" - Maria Razumich-Zec

You do not need a lot of people around you to make this a true statement. Even a stranger to you can attest to this if they experience your good word, backed up with its strong action. 

People need people they can rely on and trust. 

Great stewards

Stewardship means being good managers of the resources that we have earned and that God has given us. As good stewards we know that when we choose to spend our time or money, there are always opportunities foregone. We consider our choices and we use our resources in keeping with our values and life mission.

Stewardship means that we weigh not only our own needs and desires but those of other people and future generations. We realize that none of us is a self-made person and that part of what we own is wealth that flows from others through us. We appreciate the natural resources, societal resources and financial resources that have been handed down to us by those that have gone before us and we are conscious of our own legacy and the price it carries for us to bring it to fruition. 

Great article, revised ** 

Wins

Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more - unknown 

You may not get all your wins in one day, one project, one conversation, one sit-down meeting..... But you could win a little ground that'll help the next time around. 

Embrace those moments and try not to get ALL you are looking for at once. Those little wins add up to a really big one someday. 

Kindness

Surprise the people around you by doing something that they'll appreciate. For example, for your parents, do all of their yard work over an extended period of time when they're not home. Don't mention it to them unless they ask you if you did it. 

Or to your married friends with kids, plan to show up and babysit for them while they get a little date away. Or for your sister or brother that is going through a hard time, give them or help them with something you know will help remove some of the pain or stress. 

These acts of kindness will show them that you deeply appreciate them.

What matters most

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did. ~ Mark Twain

So few people really live life to the fullest.  We get stuck in our ways and routines and just kinda coast through life, then something major happens to us or someone we love, and we start to think, “Is this all there is for me?”  “Is this all I’m capable of?”  Why wait for that moment to wake up? Live your life awake.  Live your life to the fullest!

If you don't, you will spend your latter years regretting a life spent on unimportant things. Enjoy you life with the things and people that matter. 

Happy Friday! 

Life and it's lessons

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens - Kahlil Gibran

Two totally different people can experience the exact same challenges in life; but could have opposite reactions as to what really happened and life for them thereafter. 

It is all about perception, how you see it (your ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through your senses) and the perspective (your own particular attitude or way of regarding something; your point of view, your frame of reference, your outlook and your interpretation)

Our life experiences teach us how to live and co-exist with others; and ultimately, we choose what life lessons we learn. Hopefully, we choose good ones ....

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Tough it out!

You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good - Jerry West

Those days that you don't feel like doing the work are the days that build your character and show your commitment to the work.

Without passion and/or commitment, it's easy to be unattached to what you do....and will result in no fruit. But if you set the temporary feelings aside, you can get lots done. 

Appreciate what you have

Problems in relationship occur because each person is concentrating on what is missing in the other person. – Wayne Dyer

Did you know that each time you struggle with your partner about something, you are struggling with yourself. I read somewhere that every fault you see in them touches a denied weakness in yourself. 

Why would you spend a whole lot of time pointing out weaknesses in your partner, when you could be enjoying them for who they are. 

Think about if the roles where flipped! Would you appreciate the constant bullying on your personality??  It's only fair and healthy to appreciate and praise the good in each other and pray for the not-so-good to get better :)  

Memories

We live in a world of quite a bit of self-centered and selfish people and folks who haven't learned yet to step outside of themselves and spend a little time with someone else. 

We also live in a world where people are hurting and need a little hello and encouragement, every once in a while.

Be the kind of person that never forgets to compliment your friends; because everyone needs it sometimes. Tell them how good-looking they are, how kind they are, how fun they are, how hardworking they are and watch their face light up with appreciation.

Remember, it is never what you do but how you make people feel that they will carry with them. 

Happy Friday!