When I talk with other moms about their plans in December, they are usually all about Christmas. They have cookies to bake, decorations to set up, meal plan, a house cleaning, gift buying, expectations that they will never be able to answer. Sometimes these mothers, even saying, “I can not wait for it all to be over so I can relax!”

These activities can be part of a meaning of Christmas, but if that’s all that Christmas has become for you, it may be time to reconsider the reasons for your party.

Where is the joy of the season when you are too tired to experience?

Where is the pleasure of spending time with your family and loved ones when you are too busy to sit and talk with them?

How can they be happy to give your gifts when you know you have spent more than you can pay for something

This year, instead of insisting on the holiday season and expectations of support, I invite you to focus on the blessings of Christmas.

Whatever the means of Christmas into your home, make sure that the only focal point of all your preparations and celebrations. It is easy to be distracted by unrealistic expectations, high costs of Christmas, and those things we do every year, even if we are not sure why. This year, celebrate intentionally and with purpose.

For example, in my family, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. If I can keep thought to be at the forefront of my plans, everything else in place. I stay focused throughout the season and our Christmas becomes concentrated, meaningful, relaxing, and satisfying.

This year, instead of getting entangled in the stressings holiday, take a break from deep and let you enjoy your Christmas blessings.

Blessings are gifts of heart, happiness, inspiration and gold.

A degree of gold is not a material achievement or award but rather intrinsic – exhibited, produced and powered by a heart of gold.

Many things in life are unforgettable. But people who have inspired our hearts and lives are special and memorable.

A library and book store are like restaurants for your heart and mind. There are multitudes of cuisines (books) to feed your passionate individual cravings (tastes).

Your religion serves as the essence of your faith, morals, values and beliefs.        

The wind is like an invitation to spiritually carry your soul where it dreams to be at that raw given moment.

Special “F” gifts: family, friends, faith, feelings, freedom, fantasy, fellowship, fundamentals, fusion, foundations, free-spiritedness.

Inspiration is a blessing of “gold” – it is full of rich value, life, light, passion, positivity, encouragement and excitement.

A person is like an ocean – uniquely and beautifully deep flowing with freedom and feelings. Experiencing high and low tides. Exhibiting calmness, spontaneity, currents, storms and unpredictability.

By manlalakbay.
Article Word Count: 285.

Image by paparutzi via Flickr

Everyone of us is looking for new things to have or acquire. It can be new dress, toys, gadgets and even foods to eat. But what if we can’t receive them during or after Christmas day? Of course, we become sad and disappointed. And that’s normal emotion and feeling of a child. But even adult like us can experience it sometime.

So in order for us to get what we want, all we need to do is find ways to earn money. Just like what we do here in Triond. We write useful and interesting articles to share with other people. By doing so, we earn money in return. But, gifts given to us by people we know are still different than what we purchase for ourselves. They have carry different happiness to us. Anyway, these show and prove that people have a never ending desire. They want to get things they do not have. But what is the true purpose of Christmas? And the term Blessings? For me, we should be happy and contented on what we already have. Because we will never be happy if our mindset is like that. Besides it’s better to give than to receive if you have something to give. But remember that all excess in one thing is bad either. So lets balance everything and that resolve the problem we face.

So in summary, lets be satisfied on what we have. If we have extra money that we save to get the things we like, then that is the right time to buy. It’s not bad if we give a little happiness to ourselves sometime. Hope you enjoy reading this article and may you have a blessed Christmas.

___________________________________________________________________________
Manlalakbay is fond of writing. He is not a professional writer but rather a hobbyist who deals with his thoughts, feelings and emotions through writing. He lives in the Philippines and is hoping to learn as much as he can in earning money online.

If you want to read my other articles, you may visit my triond site or my personal blog.

2. A year passed …
Remember with pleasure all the accomplishments and the melancholy of all the beautiful moments.
Be proud that you have remained the same warm heart.

3. A good year, 12 months of happiness, 52 weeks of peace, 365 days of love, 8760 hours of gaming, 525 600 min of success, besides the loved ones, happy birthday!

4.It’s time to start dreaming. You have a few hours of dreaming, a few hours of happiness, a few hours in which you can be naive and believe that all people are good … At 12 o’clock in night you will not lose your shoe like Cinderella, but comes New Year! Fear!

5. Believe more in yourself, have some love, to forgive more easily, work with more bonus! Enjoy life! Happy New Year!

The fact of the matter is, we aren’t dictated by tradition, but, it doesn’t hurt to have a few in place.  Traditions give us something to look forward to, especially when children are involved.  I can remember, as a child, the stroke of midnight on New Years was an exciting time.  This was an opportunity to stay up late; if I fell asleep, my mother would wake me up because she knew I wouldn’t want to miss it.  My older sisters and brothers would have sparklers and firecrackers sometimes.  The noise was exhilarating and I enjoyed the sparklers.  My father would shoot off a few rounds of his shot gun.  Another great tradition in our family was watching ‘It’s a Wonderful Life;’ at that time this movie was only shown one time a year, on New Year’s Eve.

There are so many ways to bring in the New Year: 

• Attend a big bash with friends and strangers.
• Attend the local public fireworks display.
• Go to church.  Some churches hold prayer services that last until midnight.
• Spend time with family.
• Create your own fireworks show.
• Spend the evening with that special someone.
• Toast in the New Year with someone or a group of people.  Let each one propose a toast or blessing for the New Year.
• Learn the word and sing “Auld Lang Syne,” which is a big traditional New Year’s song.  This song speaks of remembering and toasting friendships of the past as we bring in the New Year.  This is just a portion of the song.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 

And never brought to mind? 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 

And auld lang syne! 

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear, 

For auld lang syne. 

We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, 

For auld lang syne.

On New Year’s Day, we may continue the act of sharing time with friends and family.  There are foods that are said to be lucky, but, I, personally, don’t believe in luck.  It is said that eating certain foods will set the stage for having a great New Year:  black-eyed peas with hog jowls or ham, as well as, cabbage.  

Then, there is the celebration of the first documented birth of the year.  This little bundle is usually publicized in national news wires across the United States.

This is, usually, the day that all of the Christmas decorations come down.

What are some traditions that you enjoy?  Are you going to create some new traditions to bring in the New Year?

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Follow me on Twitter @mphsglo; also, enjoy reading:

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Thanksgiving day finally gets here.  The stepson, daughter in law and sweet grand daughter finally gets here.  We all gather at the waiting room and visit for our allowed 30 minuets.  We depart and head to our homes and other family to cook and ponder our blessing. We cook. We eat.  We laugh.  We pray, especially for the family not here and our loved ones at the hospital.  We get the call that last that afternoon, he gave up his fight. 

I laid in bed that night and thouht, God how can we celebrate Thanksgiving when this man we all so love and cherish has left on this day.  I realized that having him be in our family for 20 years was something to be thankful for.  Having this loving happy man be a paw paw to my son and have him for 19 years was something to be thankful for.  He said he and I were not the in laws in the family, we were the outlaws in my husbands family.  I realized that as my husbands step father he had a great man to have as a dad and friend. 

I realized that on a day we as a nation set aside a day to remember all of our blessings, that having known this wonderful man, I will always have one more thing to be thankful for.  Although this Thanksgiving had been bittersweet, it will always bring a tug to my heart and another reason for us to be thankful for the people God has blessed us with.  I will take time to love those around me.  I will always strive to smile and be friendly to those around me.  He was a great man and I have been blessed to have had him in my life.

                                    The Principle Of Forgiveness.

                                    By Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.

                                                                                    -Martin Luther King. JR.

Dear prosperous readers, today I share with you another life transforming principle, the principle of forgiveness. From this opening sentence, you can tell my attitude towards you.

I simply want prosperity to flow into your life so you can be a blessing to others. One of the things that can stop prosperity flowing into your life is when you have an unforgiving heart.

The truth is that God’s spirit cannot operate effectively in our lives when we are tensed. It is when we have a harmonious relationship with God that abundance becomes our lot.

I know to forgive is a very difficult thing to do. Will anyone be willing to forgive the criminal who has stolen your possessions that took you many years to accumulate?

Would you be willing to forgive someone who has murdered your loved one? Will a woman who has been raped be willing to forgive the rapist?

When we have become terribly hurt, our immediate reaction is to pay back the criminal in his own coin. We are inclined to take vengeance against those who have wronged us.

What does the Bible say about the principle of forgiveness? The Bible counsels us to forgive our detractors.

In the book of Luke 6:37 the word of God says, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” The instruction from God is that we should forgive those who have hurt or sinned against us.

When we forgive someone who has caused us great pain, we are only acting in obedience to God’s word. Always ask God to give you the grace to forgive and you will.

It is a great thing to God when we forgive. Pastor TR Kelly once remarked, “As we forgive we bring glory to God, for we are never more like God than when we forgive.”

Part of the Lord ’s Prayer reads; “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Your prayer is idle when you ask for forgiveness while you are not willing to forgive others.

Jesus Christ, our greatest mentor demonstrated that we can forgive when we know the worst is going to happen to us or has happened to us. He asked God to forgive his enemies who were going to execute him.

He pleaded with God, “Father forgive them: for they know not what they do”(Luke 23:34).  That is agape love.

You cannot live your highest when your life is plagued by hatred and resentment. Robert Assagioli said, “Without forgiveness life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.”

Prosperous one, resolve to forgive and be forgiven. When you bear grudges against people and you won’t forgive them, you forfeit your right to forgiveness from God and man.

In Matthew 6:15 the author wrote, “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Acknowledge your need for forgiveness and be willing to forgive others.

As the Bible is the most authoritative and reliable book on issues of life, I have pulled out some scriptures to show what it takes to forgive.

                        Forgiveness Is Unconditional Love.

This was the kind of unmerited forgiveness I received from my beautiful wife Charity. There were times I would always come home reeking with alcohol.

 Sometimes I would vomit and soil our beddings and the whole room would be charged with alcoholic fumes.  She will clean up the mess, give me a bath and feed me.

But for her forgiveness my marriage would have hit the rocks. We are still together and the love we have for each other knows no bounds.

The story of the prodigal son is another example of what it takes to forgive. In Luke 15:18-20 the word of God says, “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

The father demonstrated unconditional love for his son. He never replayed the tapes to his son.

He let go of what his son did and accepted him back without any pre-conditions. This is the kind of example we should emulate.

 We should also emulate the example of Joseph in the Bible who forgave his brothers who sold him into slavery in a foreign country. In Gen. 50:19-21 it says: “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”

Forgiveness is what keeps communities together. Forgiveness is what keeps marriage together. It promotes reconciliation among people.

When we have an unforgiving spirit, it is we who are hurt, not the one we bear the grudge. When we harbor ill-feelings against our enemies, we make ourselves prone to various psychosomatic diseases such as hypertension, ulcers, and headaches.

Sidney and Suzanne Simon once wrote; “Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harbouring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.”  A spirit of unforgiveness saps our energy; we should forgive and thereby redirect our energy at purposeful things.

The ability to let go of hurts and forgive unconditionally is one of the highest human qualities a man will ever have. It is when we forgive others that we open the floodgates of prosperity to flow into our lives.

God always attaches other blessings to forgiveness. The process of forgiveness can start when you identify those who have offended you and you begin to pray for them.

To conclude, here is my favourite quote on forgiveness from the great Ralph Waldo Emerson who mused, “His heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it to hold the memory of a wrong.”

Blessings in Jesus,

Abundant Robert K AWOLUGUTU

awolugutu@yahoo.com

Dreams are scrumptious like ice cream, you’ve got to taste (experience) your scoops (dreams) before they melt away.

Eight special “H” gifts for mankind: heart, humanity, hugs, honesty, humbleness, honor, heroism and humor.

Life is full of challenges and consequences, offering valuable lessons and experiences - natural human wisdom and cognition.

What’s in your heart inspires you to fly. Inside your soul, incredible gold!

A heart’s love is immeasurably beautifully powerful.

Compassion is creamy warm cocoa kissing your heart.

Special deep meaningful kisses are emotionally edible, truly sentimental - tasted, felt and melt in your heart.

Kollur is one of the most sacred places in South India, which is home to Goddess Mookambike. Thousands of devotees visit this temple every day to have darshanof Mother Mookambike and seek her blessings. It is widely believed that Mother grants/fulfils the wishes of her devotees unfailingly if one prays to her with sincerity and devotion. Strangely enough, I was fortunate to realize this truth myself.

Goddess Mookambike, Kollur: Kind and Compassionate. Image via http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/12/22/kollurmoogambika01_1.jpg

One day in the month of December 2010, my wife and I went on a pilgrimage to Kollur to seek Mother’s blessings. We reached there around 2 p.m., had our lunch at the temple dining hall and returned to the lodge where we had previously booked a room for our overnight stay. After resting for a few hours, we left for the temple in the evening to have darshanof Goddess Mookambike. It is customary in India to enter the precincts of the temple bare-footed, so both of us had left our sandals outside the entrance gate where there was a chappal stand. We spent about an hour inside the temple premises, conducting puja to the presiding deity, visiting the smaller shrines in the outer prakaram, inserting coins into the hundis (metal containers) placed in front of every deity, accepting tirtha prasad (holy water and vermilion powder, sandalwood paste or white ash (vibhuti), and kneeling down before every deity with our closed eyes, visualizing the image of the deity in front of us. When it was 8 p.m., we left for the adjacent dining hall to have our dinner. Needless to say, we were totally carefree and surrounded by the heavenly peace when we were inside the temple complex.

After partaking of the dinner, we came out of the dining hall and went straight to the chappal stand to pick up our sandals and head to our lodge. My wife located her chappals, wore it on her feet and said, “Let us go now”. I said, ‘Wait. I am not able to locate my chappals.’ Then she started inspecting the rows and rows of chappals kept in the chappal stand, moving from one end to the other end while I started moving from the other end to this end. This went on for 5-10 minutes. However, we were not able to locate my new chappals that I had purchased a few days before visiting the temple. We knew our lodge was half a kilometre away and I felt it difficult to traverse that distance bare-footed. So we thought of buying a new pair of sandals for me from a shop nearby. For this, we had to enquire a few shopkeepers on the way to locate a footwear shop. At last we were guided to the nearest footwear shop where I purchased a new pair of chappals for myself and walked towards our lodge. On the way my wife told me that someone who could ill-afford to buy a pair of chapplas for himself might have stolen my chappals.

Weary with our journey earlier in the day, my wife fell asleep as soon as we entered our room in the lodge and lay on the bed. However, I could not sleep for a while. In the innermost recesses of my mind, there was turmoil as I had lost my chappals right under the vigilant eyes of Mother Mookambike. I asked Mother Mookambike, while still awake on my bed: “Is it fair on your part to create hassles for me when I came to seek your blessings from a far-away place? Is this the way you treat your children who come to you with total faith and surrender?” Mother Mookambike did not answer my questions at that moment even when I was eagerly awaiting to hear her reply when, finally, sleep overtook me.

Next day, we woke up early in the morning and, after finishing our morning rituals, we walked to the temple to have a last darshanof Mother Mookambike, before we returned to our native place. In my heart of hearts, I was aware that there is no use in finding fault with Mother as she has her own way of doing things. Mother often twists and turns her devotees when she wants to test them, by making them pass through trials and tribulations.

Shortly, we were inside the temple where we stood praying to Mother Mookambike with folded hands, with total concentration and devotion, and with no thoughts of the previous day’s happenings, seeking her blessings. Within seconds, we were surrounded by heavenly peace as we kept gazing at the benevolent countenance of Mother in the sanctum sanctorum. As if in a reflex, we knelt before her and came out of the temple to pick up our chappals from the chappal stand. Fortunately, the chappals of both of us were found in-situ in the chappal stand and we felt relieved that nothing untoward had happened this time. Wearing our chappals, we decided to walk to a nearby hotel for our breakfast. Just then, my wife told: ‘Wait. I will again inspect the rows of chappals once again to find your lost pair of chappals. I said ‘Don’t be foolish. Once they are lost, they are lost forever. Don’t you remember the saying, ‘The water that flows down the bridge once never returns?’ Still she did not listen to me and moved through the rows of chappals to find mine. My patience was about to run out after a few seconds, when she exclaimed: “Lo! Here are your old chappals. The man who had come to the temple wearing them might have gone inside the temple now”.

I was utterly surprised and shocked. I said: “Inscrutable are the ways of Mother! She never lets down her devotees who seek her blessings’.