If you only had one more day

I was watching a show on TV where they were discussing the book "For One More Day to Live" by Mitch Album, and what struck me was that the holiday season was coming up and we would all be thinking of holiday gifts for our friends and loved ones. A thought came to me and I want to share it with all of you and perhaps you could share it with all your friends and loved ones, so it becomes a "thought" that may have a domino effect eventually. What with the economic crisis, with all the violence and riots going on all over the world wouldn't this be a good time to focus on what is really important to us. Instill these values in your children and pass on this idea to them as well. Who knows we may change the idea and concept of giving gifts? So what is my idea:

a. Acknowledge someone by telling them what they mean to you or perhaps the impact they have had in your lives. Write a short letter or a poem - frame it and give it to that person for Christmas/New Year.

b. Ask yourself "If I had one day only with the person I value/love the most, what would I tell them or do for them?" And give them that gift for the holidays.

c. The old/sick/lonely who have no families and are alone during the holidays - what could you do for them? Could you offer to take them out for dinner for one evening? Could you just take them for a ride around the city; or to visit a relative that cannot visit them? Think about it.

d. Your children - instead of giving them "things" these holidays, have a pact with them to do one of the above. Everyone write a letter to each other in the family and frame it.......imagine the love that would be "known".

I am sure you could come out with more ideas similar to the above. You just have to be creative and think of the "other" person. This holiday give "love".......give "thanks", and above all think "IF YOU ONLY HAD ONE MORE DAY".
Happy Holidays

(Author unknown)

A wise woman's stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

'The Wise Woman's Stone'
Author Unknown

Skillful speech not only means that we pay attention to the words we speak and to their tone but also requires that our words reflect compassion and concern for others and that they help and heal, rather than wound and destroy.

-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness"

Love

We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past, but by the love we're not extending in the present.

- Marianne Williamson

(1952 - )

American author, philosopher

Do you bellieve?

Do you believe God is omnipotent, omniscient,and omnipresent?

If so,where is there roomfor anything else?

No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has."

Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887
American Pastor

Offer a Gift

Swami Vivekananda said this: “By offering a gift ... you are able to

help yourself. It is not the receiver who is blessed, but it is the

giver.” Put yourself in the practice of giving without worrying what

you'll receive in return. Give your talent, time and treasure. When

you infuse your life and the lives around you with giving, you cannot

help but have greater good circle back into your life. How might you

demonstrate greater giving today?

Motivation

Is motivation something that gets you excited for the moment and lets you

down the next day, or can it endure for a long time?

I see the impact of motivation in people's lives every day. I get many

letters and phone calls from people who say motivation has completely

changed their lives. Yet other people say that motivation has had little

impact on them.

A study at Stanford University has provided the reason for the variance.

According to the study, only 5 percent of the people who buy into a concept

are able to implement it; the other 95 percent don't have the resources to

do so. Those few words created as much excitement in me as any single

sentence ever has, because they made something crystal clear: The books and

tapes are the resources! That's why I get so many more letters from people

who say that my books and tapes have changed their lives than I get from

people who say that my speech changed their lives.

The next time you see an author who presents a philosophy or concept that

you believe can enrich your life, I encourage you to take the following

steps:

Check out the author's credentials and see whether he or she can document

the results you hear being touted.

If the evidence is solid, buy the book or tapes.

Books and tapes give you the resources you need to implement the concepts.

When you take those steps, you make certain that the motivation you feel at

the moment can survive the day and impact your future over the long haul.

People who are concerned about their futures take the necessary steps today

in the form of growing, learning, studying, and planning for their futures.

This process generates enthusiasm and excitement about their futures, so

they take the necessary action to ensure those futures. People who aren't

concerned about their futures because they don't think they have futures are

the ones who take no action. They drift along, singing the old Doris Day

song, "Que Sera, Sera," and they drift into their declining years without

any excitement or, in most cases, without any resources to enjoy even the

basics of life without depending on others.

It's interesting to note that these two groups of people live at the same

time, possibly in the same area, and may work in the same job or profession.

It's not the absence of opportunity but the absence of motivation that is

the problem for the second group. If you think you have no future, let me

suggest that having a future is a matter of choice. If you continue to read

books and start setting specific goals, you are doing something about your

future. Your excitement (motivation) grows, and from that point on, you can

develop the actions that dramatically enrich your future.

Zig Ziglar