For Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
DECEMBER 16th, 2008


TODAY'S THOUGHT

Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind.

Mary Ellen Chase

TODAY’S ACTION

Look at the world with a vision magnified
by the power of faith deep within you



TODAY’S QUOTE

As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be,
Christmas is

Eric Sevareid


IT’S TUESDAY !!

Monday is done and it’s always good to get that day behind us. I had a rough start to my Monday as my garage door would not open. I had to use the escape mechanism that unlocks the door and lets you raise it manually. Thanks to my next door sister I managed to do that anyway. I found out that you have to pull on the little handle they give you attached to a wire and lift the door at the same time. I was having no luck at all til she let me know that.

When I got home from work I tried to figure out what was wrong and found that spiderwebs were covering the little eye that lets the opener know its all clear to move. I cleaned that off, but still my automatic opener is not working so I’ll have to call a repair man today and see if they can figure it out for me.

It was just a minor inconvenience, yet it got me off to a bad start it seems. The rest of my day did go a lot smoother so I’m thankful for that.

When DS#4 called the other night he told me about the Elf on the Shelf they have at their house. It seems this little elf sits somewhere different in their house each day and watches to see if they ‘Sunshine’ boys are behaving and then goes back to the North Pole each night to report to Santa. There is a little book that comes with the Elf on the Shelf that tells the story of him. I thought this was so cute and got a good laugh out of my son telling about it. If you’re like me and never heard of the Elf on the Shelf you might want to look for the book, I’m going to.

Christmas is so exciting for the little ones and even for us big ones too.
I know I’m really looking forward to this coming Saturday when we’ll all get together to celebrate.

Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !


TODAY’S PRAYERS

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love.
Come, Lord Jesus, come


Please pray for God's protection of
our troops and HIS wisdom for their
commanders.
Lord, hold our troops in
your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the
selfless acts they perform for us
in our time of need. I ask this in the
name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

GOD BLESS YOU!



25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me,
and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name


TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God,
and in God’s time all things will be made well.




TODAY’S TRIVIA

On this day in 1901, the famous story, Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter, was printed for the first time, complete with Potter’s watercolor illustrations.

Posadas begins today in Mexico, a 9-day annual celebration when pilgrims knock at doors asking for pasada (shelter), commemorating the search by Joseph and Mary for shelter where the baby Jesus might be born. Pilgrims are invited in to celebrate and to break a piñata filled with gifts and goodies. Pasadas concludes on Dec. 24

Today is Tea Party Day in Boston

Today is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Its a great day to indulge, binge, "pig out", and otherwise consume to excess, your favorite food....chocolate. We believe the timing of this day, during the holiday season, couldn't be better. As chocoloaholics, we shouldn't need any added incentive to enjoy our chocolate. In the giving spirit of the holiday season, make sure to give or share some of your favorite chocolate covered treats today

Today is National Eat What You Want Day

Today is Dragnet Day. The popular NBC-TV police show debuted on this date in 1951 and lasted eight seasons. It returned in 1967 for four more seasons

1905 Variety, covering all phases of show business, 1st published

1915 Albert Einstein publishes his General Theory of Relativity

1962 David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia premieres



EACH DAY OF DECEMBER

Dec. 16 - A Birthday Celebration:
As Christmas Eve draws near, have the children bake a cake for baby Jesus. Let them do it by themselves, including the baking frosting and decorating. The cake will be their own birthday gift to Jesus. This tradition reinforces to children the reason for Christmas (and also gives mom time to put the finishing touches on her gift wrapping).

TODAY’S SMILE

Peeking out from the corner of my desk blotter is a note, slowly yellowing and bent from time. It is a card from my mother, containing only four sentences, but with enough impact to change my life forever.

In it, she praises my abilities as a writer without qualification. Each sentence is full with love, offering specific examples of what my pursuit has meant to her and my father. The word "but" never appears on the card, however the word "and" is there almost a half dozen times. Every time I read it--which is almost every day--I am reminded to ask myself if I am doing the same thing for my daughters. I've asked myself how many times I've "but-ted" them, and me, out of happiness.

I hate to say that it's more often than I'd like to admit. Although our eldest daughter usually got all A's on her report card, there was never a semester when at least one teacher would not suggest that she talked too much in class. I always forgot to ask them if she was making improvement in controlling her behavior, if her comments contributed to the discussion in progress or encouraged a quieter child to talk.

Instead, I would come home and greet her with, "Congratulations! Your Dad and I are very proud of your accomplishment, but could you try to tone it down in class?" The same was true of our younger daughter. Like her sister, she is a lovely, bright, articulate and friendly child. She also treats the floor of her room and the bathroom as a closet, which has provoked me to say on more than one occasion, "Yes, that project is great, but clean up your room!" I've noticed that other parents do the same thing. "Our whole family was together for Christmas, but Kyle skipped out early to play his new computer game."

"The hockey team won, but Mike should have made that last goal." "Amy's the homecoming queen, but now she wants $200 to buy a new dress and shoes." But, but, but. Instead, what I learned from my mother is that if you really want love to flow to your children, start thinking "and, and, and..." instead.

For example: "Our whole family was together for Christmas dinner, and Kyle mastered his new computer game before the night was through." "The hockey team won, and Mike did his best the whole game." "Amy's the homecoming queen, and she's going to look gorgeous!" The fact is that "but" feels bad -- "and" feels good. And when it comes to our children, feeling good is definitely the way to go.

When they feel good about themselves and what they are doing, they do more of it, building their self-confidence, their judgment and their harmonious connections to others. When everything they say, think or do is qualified or put down in some way, their joy sours and their anger soars. This is not to say that children don't need or won't respond to their parents' expectations.

They do and they will, regardless of whether those expectations are good or bad. When those expectations are consistently bright and positive and then are taught, modeled and expressed, amazing things happen. "I see you made a mistake. And I know you are intelligent enough to figure out what you did wrong and make a better decision next time."

Or, "You've been spending hours on that project, and I'd love to have you explain it to me." Or, "We work hard for our money, and I know you can help figure out a way to pay for what you want." It's not enough just to say we love our children. In a time when frustration has grown fierce, we can no longer afford to limit love's expression. If we want to tone down the sound of violence in our society, we're going to have to turn up the volume on noticing, praising, guiding and participating in what is right with our children.

"No more buts!" is a clarion call for joy. It's also a challenge, the opportunity fresh before us every day to put our attention on what is good and promising about our children, and to believe with all our hearts that they will eventually be able to see the same in us and the people with whom they will ultimately live, work and serve.

And if I ever forget, I have my mother's note to remind me.

Author Unknown

TODAY’S LINK

THE SNOW DOG

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=0263168021





TODAY’S WORD

crèche noun

1. A representation of the Nativity, usually with statues or figurines.
2. A hospital for foundlings.
3. Chiefly British. A day nursery


French, from Old French cresche, crib, of Germanic origin

TODAY’S REFLECTION

Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day,
so was the radiance around him

Ezekiel 1:28

The rainbow represents hope and the fulfillment of promises. The enemy of hope is despair, and this generation has plenty of that.
Where is the middle ground wherein hope lies? What is in that person who knows without a doubt that God does care and He will take utmost pains with us? What is the rainbow in that per-son's life? Is it a Person, a person, an ideal, a dream? Is it all of the above? When did God set the rainbow in that person's life and make it radiant?

Let us search for the rainbow God has for us today!

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

Instinct is the nose of the mind


This Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday follow the third Sunday in Advent, which makes them Ember Days. The Old Farmer’s Almanac notes four annual sets of Ember Days because they are traditionally used for predicting the weather. The weather on Wednesday, December 17 is supposed to predict the type of weather for January 2009. Friday the 19th predicts the weather for February, and the Saturday weather (Dec. 20) has something to tell us about March..

5 DAYS UNTIL WINTER !
9 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS
AND 108 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS




Delight yourself in the Lord

and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today
and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MA


MY JOURNALS
What’s New at My House

http://onyama.blogspot.com/

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