A Parable

We have been working on the Gathering Parables in Matthew 13 in seminary this week.  I learned a lot about what the Savior was trying to teach and even found myself wanting to improve in some areas of my life.  

To finish this area of study, I decided to share a modern day parable with my class.  This being the Northwest I felt a parable involving a tree would be appropriate.

The Parable of Little Spruce

Poor Little Spruce was sad. She was not tall and glorious like the whispery aspen. She could not grow apples like the apple tree. She did not have an invigorating pine scent like the proud, bushy pine tree. She was very unhappy.

She asked her friend Raccoon to dot pine sap on her branches, and Raccoon was glad to help. And it worked! The smell of pine emanated from her branches, adding to the delicious, earthy scent of the forest.

Until it rained and the pine sap washed off her.

“Maybe I can bear fruit!” she said when her cones grew in.  She concentrated very, very  hard on them, and sent every bit of her sap to the tips of her branches in hopes the cones would turn into apples.  But they did not turn into apples. Or any other kind of edible fruit.

“Well, anyway, what I really want is to be tall like the other trees,” she said.  So she asked her friend Squirrel to tie a rope to her tip-top, and then attach the other end to the tip-top of the tallest aspen. Squirrel did his best to pull the rope tighter and tighter, so that it would stretch her out and make her tall like the aspen. 

But it did not.

“I have nothing to offer the world!” She moaned.

That’s when the Creator came walking by, “Oh silly Little Spruce.” He said.  “I already have a whispery aspen, an apple tree, and a pleasing scented pine tree. I do not need you to be any of those things.”

“But Creator, I’m just nothing. Just a little scrub of a tree.”

“You already please me, Little Spruce. You are exactly as I created you to be, and you are good.” He told her gently touching her branches.

“I do? I am?” Little Spruce asked, “Really?”

“Really Little Spruce!” the Creator chuckled as He continued His walk through the forest.

I please the Creator just as I am. He made me just the way He wanted me! She thought.  The idea pleased Little Spruce to no end.  She couldn’t think about her smallness anymore, because she couldn’t stop thinking about how she pleased the Creator and how he made her so unique. Finally, she could hold it in no longer.

“Thank you Creator, for the way you made me! Thank you for all the different kinds of trees! You are an awesome Creator!” She pointed her branches to heaven, and just thought about the Creator.

Suddenly, her trunk began to stretch toward heaven. She pointed her tip-top to where the Creator sat. She heard the Creator chuckle with delight.

“Thank you!” she called.

And she spent the rest of her life praising the Creator, in snow, and in sun and in rain. She praised Him when hunting eagles perched atop her branches, and when hikers rested in her shade. She never thought about her height again, only about the Creator.  And she taught her children to do the same.

It is a simple parable, but the message is something I think every person has struggled with in their lifetime. 

To really bring the message home I gave each of my students a little tree grow kit.

It will be interesting to see if the trees will grow as well as my students do!

Advertising Happiness

This has been a crazy busy week!  And still I have, for the most part, been happy!  I have become frustrated with people and situations, but I've been able to turn it around and look for the positive. It is amazing what focusing on the positive can do for you AND those around you.

I have received more compliments on my attitude this week than I have in a long time.  I have even had a few 'thank you's' for helping others see the bright side of the situation.  I don't share this to brag, but to make the point that I obviously needed to work on this area of my life if so many people are noticing! 

In my quest to become a happier person and to bring happiness to those around me, I have come across some quotes from some amazing people that have helped me stay on track.  I've been using this one for inspiration this week:

Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.  Everyone wants to be around somebody who can bring cheer and humor to any situation, and optimistic people have a way of finding good things around every corner.  I've seen it happen over and over again.  Unfortunately, the opposite is also true.  A negative attitude is like an advertisement for unhappiness.

Mary Lou Retton

After reading that quote I decided that I would be an advertisement for happiness.  I would be the person described in Isaiah 52:7:

¶How ^abeautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that ^bbringeth ^cgood ^dtidings, that ^epublisheth ^fpeace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto ^gZion, Thy God reigneth!

I have a lot to be happy about, even when I'm stuck in a bad situation.  My attitude is a reflection on my relationship with God and He is the most hopeful, optimistic person I know!



My goal: To keep being a living advertisement for happiness!

Be Positive Every Day

This weekend I conquered a challenge.  I was asked to speak to a group of teachers about Paul's Epistle to the Colossians. I'm not as comfortable in front of adults as I am in front of teenagers, so this was a growth moment.  And to be honest, I wasn't exactly happy about it until it was over!  

My feeling is that this will be an area that the Lord will keep pushing me into. So I have a choice, to complain about it or embrace it and choose to be happy.  I think the embracing part is the direction I should be leaning towards, but I am still apprehensive.  I'm sure God will keep working with me on that!

I have a busy schedule today so my post will be short and to the point.  Here is my inspiration for the day:

Life is a mixture of moments--
some happy, some sad,
and most in-between.

Make the most of each day
as it happens.

Don't listen to those whispers of doubt;
ignore any voice that says
you can't do something.

You're worthy,
and you can go as far
as you dare dream.

Life will lead you
according to your perceptions.

Let your viewpoint be filled with hope,
and keep your eyes focused 
on the positive.

Barbara J. Hall

My goal today: To be the person the poem is talking about.

Measuring Up

How I did: It was a good day yesterday.  I worked on my seminary lesson, which led to the topic of this post.  I love it when something I am doing leads me to another avenue to explore!

My seminary lesson covered several miracles, some missionary work, some disciples of John seeking Jesus, and the inspiration for this post (Matt 11:7-19; Luke 7:24-35, 16:16; JST Matt 11:13-15), Jesus' sermon on John the Baptist.  

When I prepare a lesson I always try to look for all the lesson(s) from the verses. There are usually many lessons in each scripture block.  It was obvious that Jesus was sharing his testimony of John as a prophet, but I wondered was there more I should learn from this story and how would I apply it. 

At one point Jesus states: "For verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist:"

So what made John a greater prophet than Moses or Elijah?  I came across some information about John that stunned me:

As far as we know John had performed no miracles and the approximate length of his ministry at the time of Christ's baptism was only six months. And from that time until his arrest, his ministry decreased as the Savior's increased. 

John does not appear to be the poster child of success. His childhood was not exceptional as we would see it.  He lived in the wilderness eating locusts and honey.  He wasn't a snazzy dresser, in fact, he was dressed extremely humbly. For most of us we see his achievements as: 

He was entrusted to prepare the way before Christ and declare Christ's divinity to all men (which he did) 

He had the privilege to baptize Christ and witness the Holy Ghost descend upon him

He baptized other people 

I think those are amazing achievements, but it doesn't mean much by the worldly standards. That's when it hit me: this story also presents the opportunity to discuss how we measure success. That would be the topic of discussion in class.

It was interesting to talk about how we measure success and how the world measures success, then to discuss how the Lord measures success.

My students quickly caught on to the fact that it wasn't about the numbers; it was about John fulfilling God's will to the best of his ability.

To remind them of this message I gave each of them a ruler. The ruler is flexible (representing our willingness to bend to God's will) and written on the back are the words: Be careful of the standards by which you measure your success.




The class experience made me think about how we tend to attach our happiness to the world view of success and not through God's view of success.  Which in turn took me back to the 'seeing things through God's eyes' challenge.  It is nice when you start to see the connections between the things that are going on in your life.

My goal today:  To measure the success of my day by my willingness to do God's will.

Through His Eyes

How I did: I couldn't stop thinking about how God sees the world. If you judge our world by the news, it would appear that we are in a very sad state.  If you take the time to search for the good, it would seem that there is still hope.

In the scriptures we read that when Christ looked over Jerusalem he wept and he wept when raising Lazarus (Luke 19:41, John 11:35).  What does God weep for in our world today?

I think this video shows just a little of what makes God weep today.

I know that God is aware of these things, it would be hard not to be.  I am painfully aware of them in my small part of the world.  So how does God balance this negative? How does He keep from wiping us out and starting all over?

Here is a sample of the good in the world:

I think it is in moments like this that God is smiling, maybe even shedding tears of joy. It brings me joy to see people being good to each other, I imagine that it would do the same for God, but on a much bigger scale.

I think one part of learning to see the world through God's eyes is to be aware of the negative, it is a necessary part of the law of opposites, but not to ignore it. We can't live in a bubble where everything is great, we would never progress.  We can be part of the solution and do the good that God would have us do.

Good will always prevail over evil, that is a truth.  God believes that we will do our part to do good in the battle against evil.  He presents us with opportunities each day to join him in giving hope to a world that also makes us weep. Our job is to recognize them and jump right in!

Quote:
In every event, in every circumstance, we have a choice of perspective.  Faced with difficulty, we can choose between disappointment and curiosity as our mind-set.  The choice is ours.  Will we focus on what we see as lacking or will we look for the new good that is emerging? In every moment, however perilous or sorrowful it may feel, there is the seed of our greater happiness, greater expansion, and greater abundance.

Julia Cameron

My goal today: Look for the opportunities for good in my day and take them!

Proper Perspective

How I did: I tried to make every experience worthwhile yesterday, it was an interesting experiment in perspective.  I had to decide if I was trying to make the most out of each moment through my productivity, my attitude, or by what I had learned from the experience.  

I found myself wondering if I could make better use of the time while I was driving, should I listen to the radio, listen to scriptures on cd, or just have a great conversation with God.  I chose the latter.   Although I love music and it is a great mood booster, and the scriptures are always good, I really felt like a good discussion with God was what I needed to make my drive worthwhile.  I do not regret that decision.  It set the tone for my day. I had taken the time to ask God for the proper perspective and he didn't let me down.  

I've been thinking about how the simple act of asking God to help me see things through his eyes really made my day seem better.  So today I am digging a little deeper into the topic of perspective.

I found the quote first:

The reality of life is that your perceptions- right or wrong - influence everything else you do.  When you get a proper perspective of your perceptions, you may be surprised how many other things fall into place.

Roger Birkman

What's the difference between perceptions and perspective? And why is it important to get the proper perspective of your perceptions?

Perceptions: 

Noun The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. The state of being or process of becoming aware of something in such a way.

Synonyms realization - understanding - comprehension Perspective: Noun 1.  A mental view or outlook: "It is useful occasionally to look at the past to gain a perspective on the present" (Fabian Linden). 2. The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance: tried to keep my perspective throughout the crisis Synonyms view - position - orientation If I am understanding this correctly, then having the proper perspective (view, position, or orientation) enhances my ability to process the stimuli around me into clearer perceptions  (realization, understanding, and comprehension). So what is the proper perspective? This is where the scripture come in... Colossians 3:2 Set your aaffection on bthings cabove, not on things on the dearth. 1 John 2:15-16 Love not the aworld, neither the things that are in the bworld. If any man love the world, the clove of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the alust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the bpride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the cworld. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this aworld: but be ye btransformed by the crenewing of your dmind, that ye may eprove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, fwill of God. There are many more scriptures about what the proper perspective is (looking at things from God's view, position, and orientation, not the world's), which says to me that this is a pretty important topic. In my quest for happiness this year I can see that perception and perspective will play a part in my success.  I should probably spend more time and effort on this. God is not done teaching me to have the proper perspective.  Sometimes I just need a reminder that the world, our Earth, is just a small part of the bigger picture. My goal today:  I will take the focus off of the things of the world and put more focus on the 'things above."

  

A Worthwhile Experience

How I did: I had finished my post and was on my way to work yesterday filled with the desire to choose happiness, when I hit traffic.  If there is one thing that frustrates me and sucks the happiness out of my day it is having to deal with less than stellar drivers.  

On a normal day I would have shaken my head at them and when the opportunity arose I would have made eye contact and mouthed the words, "Don't be so rude!"  But I was in happiness mode and I was not going to let them take that away from me!  So I turned the radio on to some good music, I still shook my head at them, but instead of telling them they were rude I told them to have a happy day.  I'll be honest, it was through a smile of gritted teeth, but I'm sure they weren't aware of that.  

Amazingly, a few of them mouthed the word, "Sorry" with a sheepish look on their face.  Others were not so kind and just turned away. However, it was my reaction that surprised me the most. I started to feel sorry for these rude people.  I wondered what could be happening in their lives that would make them behave like this. I found myself on a mission to bring them a little bit of happiness.  That is when my fake smile turned into a real effort to change some one's heart.  It is interesting that it took a change in my heart to bring that about.

I had been given the opportunity to see the situation in a different light.  This led me to think about other areas in my life that I needed to change my attitude about.  One such area is work.  I am not always excited about the chance to work, especially when it comes to the chores around the house.  I catch myself thinking that surely there is more to my life than laundry and dishes!  Well, this scripture helped me put it in perspective.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:24

There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

Then I came across this quote.

Quote: 
Find time in each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in another. See your future filled with promise and possibility.  Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.
Sandra Sturtz Hauss

And I got a little motivation from one of my favorite childhood movies Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Watch the mouse and the spider's reactions, I think that is me sometimes!

My goal today:  To make every experience, even work, a worthwhile experience!

Choosing Happiness

How I did: Yesterday was about resting to rejuvenate and renew my body, mind, and spirit.  Well my spirit was energized with the testimonies that I heard at church and reading the scriptures.  My mind didn't really rest because whenever I get filled with the Spirit my mind starts to go a mile a minute pondering what is going on. But that is a good thing so I'm going with; I did okay in that area.  As for resting my body, I didn't do any strenuous work, but I did play with my niece and nephews and that is anything but calm, but it is super fun!  I don't get to see them often so I try to make the most of the time I do see them.  I think it was important and therefore I'm saying I did alright in this area too.

I had choices to make as to what was appropriate behavior for my day of rest and I think I did okay.  It might not have been completely restful but it brought me and others joy.  And if anything makes things look better it is seeing them through the eyes of joy.   

Scripture:  Alma 27:18 

Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.


Quote:

You have a choice. You can select joy over despair. You can select happiness over tears. You can select action over apathy. You can select growth over stagnation. You can select you. And you can select life...
Leo Buscaglia  

My goal today: Chose to seek happiness and joy in my day!

A Day of Rest

How I did: It was an interesting experiment yesterday.  In my effort to focus more on the solutions to issues than to grumble, murmur, or complain about them I realized that you have to think about the solution prior to opening your mouth and complaining.  In order to make sure that 80% of your time is spent on the solution you really have to limit the time you complain. Basically, you state the problem and then let the complaining go and you begin the journey of finding the solution.  

Another tip is to chose someone who will listen to the issue and then encourage you to move forward.  An interesting observation: men do not really want to listen to the problems (I know because I live with men), but lean more towards finding the solution.  It used to annoy me when they didn't want to listen to my complaints and would tell me to let it go.  Now I see that it is their way of pushing me off the issue and on to the solution. It's too bad that I didn't see this earlier, it would have saved me some complaining about them!    

Yesterday was not filled with a lot of issues (I'm so thankful for that), but the issues that did come up were not as burdensome as they would have been had I focused on them all day. It took some effort to not complain so much, I had to remind myself of the goal a few times, but as soon as I got back on track the problem seemed to get solved faster.  Faster solutions, less complaining, I would say that my experiment definitely was a success and my positive attitude was enhanced!

In my efforts to continue building my positive attitude on this Sabbath Day I did a little research on the importance of taking a day of rest.

Scripture: God Designed Rest from Labor Genesis 2:2-3

 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had ^amade; and he ^brested on the seventh day from all his ^cwork which he had made.

 And God blessed the ^aseventh day, and ^bsanctified it: because that in it he had ^crested from all his work which God ^dcreated and made.

He even commanded that we rest Exodus 20:8-10

Remember the ^asabbath day, to keep it ^bholy. ^aSix days shalt thou ^blabour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy ^astranger that is within thy gates:

Everyone needs rest Exodus 23:12

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the ^aseventh day thou shalt ^brest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

I think it is interesting that God talks about rest from the very first book in the scriptures and that He emphasizes it's importance by making it a commandment.  That says something to me about how important it should be to me. 

Christ was a great example of taking time to rest Mark 6:31

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a ^adesert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no ^bleisure so much as to eat.

Rest is a necessity.  It's a scriptural principle that all creatures must rest.

Quote: 

Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.

Ralph Martson

I love that quote.  I can picture God saying that to me! And who am I not to keep his commandments?! 

There are weeks when I wish that I could wear a Do Not Disturb sign everyday because I feel overwhelmed with life.  I am not a happy person when I don't get my rest.  I think this sign would be appropriate for those days:

At least I am willing to warn people about the consequences of my not resting and the impending attitude that comes with it!  And so I have found my goal for the day.

My goal today: Refresh and renew my body, mind and spirit so that I can get back to work tomorrow with a healthy, happy attitude! 

Attitude Building

How I did:  I had a good day yesterday, I didn't let things get to me and I tried to help others see the bright side of life. There were no special trips or surprises, yet I enjoyed my day for what it was and it seemed just perfect.  What made yesterday so much better than all the other days I have spent doing the same things?  I'm going to take a guess here: my attitude!  It made all the difference.

I wish I could bottle my good attitude and save it for those days when it isn't so great. Wouldn't it be nice to put a few drops in your drink and instantly your attitude would improve? (I could think of a few people that could use this on a daily basis!)   

Anyway, I thought I'd do a little more attitude building today to help keep up the positive trend.

Scripture:  Philippians 2:14

Do all things without murmurings and ^adisputings: 

Quote:


Again and again and again, let us be reminded that it is not people or events outside us that cause us to be upset; only our own thoughts and attitudes can hurt us.

Gerald G Jampolsky, MD, and Diane V Cirincione

I love the word 'murmurings', it's just fun to say. Whenever I hear the word I think of the people murmuring against Moses, or the Jews murmuring against Jesus, or Laman and Lemuel murmuring against Nephi. Murmuring is never described in the scriptures as a good thing. The worst type of murmuring is against God.  In fact, the first definition in the Guide to the Scriptures states:  To grumble and complain against God’s purposes, plans, or servants. Yikes!

Murmuring is not a popular word in the world today, which is ironic, because there sure is a lot of it going on!    

Here's the deal, we can control our murmuring, grumbling and complaining, because we control our own thoughts and attitudes.  If I want to build up my positive attitude I need to control how much complaining I do. 

I came across this poster and thought it was awesome.  It appears I have found my goal for the day!



My goal today: No murmuring, grumbling or complaining about others, especially about what God is doing in my life. Focus on the solutions!

Choosing the Bright Side

How I did:  I had challenged myself to smile at each person I came in contact with and I put it to the test while I was grocery shopping.  This was a great laboratory to see how smiling would affect the other shoppers.  

As I was happily smiling I noticed that most people would smile back, which made me smile even more.  The best people to smile at are children, they instantly stop what they are doing and smile back.  I loved their little smiles.

One of my favorite observations was the reaction of those that were rude shoppers, you know the type, they don't care if they block you in or cut you off in an aisle.  They try not to make eye contact.

Well, when they did look up I just smiled at them.  They looked at me like I was some sort of psycho freak. I imagine they were saying to themselves, "What is wrong with that women? Doesn't she know that people aren't supposed to smile when you are rude to them?"  Little did they know that I was secretly taking pleasure in their reactions.  I would get them to smile if it was the last thing I did at the store!

Every awkward meeting in the aisles was an opportunity to smile at them.  I am happy to say that they all smiled at me eventually.  I know that they might have smiled at me just to get me to stop smiling at them, but I'm going to be optimistic and say that they realized that I wasn't mad at them and my smile was heartfelt. Is that being optimistic or delusional?  Whatever, it works for me : )  I am choosing to look on the bright side of the situation.

And with that thought I found my topic for today: Choosing the Bright Side.

Scripture:  Psalm 30:11

Thou hast turned for me my ^amourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with ^bgladness;

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we have received as human beings is our free will to choose the thoughts we put into our minds.  When we finally see our negative thoughts as limited perceptions resulting from our own projections, we can choose to let loving thoughts replace negative ones.  When we make this choice, we reaffirm the state of love and happiness that has always been within us, gently guiding us, once again, to freely give and freely receive love.

Gerald G Jampolsky, MD and Diane V. Cirincione

An Oldie but Goodie

My goal today:  I will use my free will to look on the bright side of every situation!

Optimism

How I did:  I think I did pretty darn good with the positive thinking.  My day seemed better, I believe part of that is because I shared my blog and the video with my coworkers and we all tried to keep it positive.  It is so much easier to be positive when everyone is working on it together!

Don't get me wrong, my day presented some challenges, but instead of giving the negative thoughts and feelings the advantage, I chose to look for the good in the situation.  I looked for the lessons that I needed to learn and I tried to understand why the situation had come about in the first place.  People have bad days and I have to allow them the same thing I want when I have a bad day: TO VENT!  Luckily, my positive attitude helped alleviate some of the tension and everyone left a little happier.  Thank goodness for the power of positive thinking!

Keeping with the theme of positive thinking I did a little research on optimism.  Here are a few things that made an impression on me:

Scripture verse: Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Real optimism is aware of problems but recognizes the solutions, knows about difficulties but believes they can be overcome, sees the negatives but accentuates the positives, is exposed to the worst but expects the best, has reason to complain but chooses to smile.

William Arthur Ward

 The Power of A Smile

My goal today: I don't know how many times I have smiled through the tough times, but didn't really mean it in my heart. Today I will smile and mean it!  And I will share a smile with every person I come in contact with.  Making the world better one smile at a time!  

Positive Thinking

How I did:  Okay it was not easy to stay in control yesterday.  I felt myself slipping a few times. The main issue is I let the actions of others affect the way I am feeling.  I let negative actions overcome the positive thoughts.  So I went looking for some help and this is what I found. 

Scripture verse: Philippians 4:8-9

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are ^atrue, whatsoever things are ^bhonest, whatsoever things are ^cjust, whatsoever things are ^dpure, whatsoever things are ^elovely, ^fwhatsoever things are of good report; if there be any ^gvirtue, and if there be any praise, ^hthink on these things.

Those things, which ye have both learned, and ^areceived, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

You have the power to be happy.  It is a blessing available to each of us, but to create more joy in our lives, we first have to become the master of our thoughts, because emotion always follows thought.  At any given moment our emotions reveal how we are interpreting what happens in our lives.  When we choose to dwell on what upsets us, we fuel disempowering feelings-- and that creates the emotional experience that determines how we react to our circumstances.  The reverse is also true: Concentrating on the positive not only lifts our mood but can affect our bodies in a joyful, life-enhancing way.

Andrea Gardiner, PhD

check out this video

http://youtu.be/qW1JFvvlMgk

I tried to embed the video but it was not working.  I hope you enjoyed the song, 1 minute of positive thinking!  I have a feeling it will be in my head the rest of the day!

My Goal today: To empower myself by controlling my thoughts and feeding myself only good thoughts.  

Being Positive

A Thought for the Day

I am naturally a pretty happy person. It has been a gift to me from a Father who loves me very much.  But there are times when the problems around me creep in and squash my happy bubble and I find myself searching for something to bring it back.  

I know that there are many people in the same boat as me, mostly happy, but occasionally down, and I am also aware that there are people who find it difficult to find happiness to begin with.  

I am not the happiness guru, but over the years I have collected scripture verses, quotes, and stories that lift me up when I need it.  I thought this might be a nice thing to share with others this year.

I am not promising a full on blog each day, with my busy schedule I don't need to add to my stress. Maybe it will be a verse for you to study or think about, or a quote to get the cerebral juices flowing, or maybe a story that touches your heart in a positive way.   

I would love to hear from my readers.  I believe that different viewpoints on a topic can be helpful and inspiring. Please share what you find positive so that it might inspire others too!

My first thoughts:

Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well
Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly
Take the power to control your life, no one else can do it for you

Susan Polis Schutz

My Motto for  2013!

Many happy blessings to you this year!