Look on the Bright Side Day
Literally looking on the bright side may be a bit difficult today. It is winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. And, December days tend to be cloudy and dark.
Look on the Bright Side Day is a day to be optimistic. The term itself is an optimistic one. It calls upon us to look for something positive, out of an otherwise bad or sad situation. Often, a bad experience has positive lessons to be learned.
If you have a bad day yesterday, look on the bright side... today is another day, and an optimistic one at that!
So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!
Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
When darkness sets in we need a light from within to be the difference and make things happen. Sometimes we can't find the light within. When we can't find it all we have to do is simply ask others to help us find it. It is always close and within our reach. This is what Christmas is all about, finding that inner light,
from Today is My Gift to You...one of my daily devotionals
Looking on the bright side is a day I take very seriously and do try to celebrate it every day, not just today. Life happens to each and every one of us and if you take the time to look on the brighter side of each day, it makes every day one to celebrate!
This is the final day for me to get things done here for our family celebration tomorrow. Weeks of planning preparation will hopefully make for a wonderful day. I always think that half the fun of any holiday seems to be the anticipation of it. Our day will go by quickly, but the getting ready was done over a period of days and weeks.
I'll be making some potato salad today to go with the ham we'll have tomorrow. Other than the goodies I got baked, it's about the only thing I'll be making ahead of time. We're having a brunch at 11. Appetizers at 3 and dinner around 5:00. Good food and family all around will make for a wonderful day!
On this, the darkest day of the year, look within yourself for ways to brighten up the day. As we approach Christmas we are encouraged to simply love in our best way, in our simplest way and in our most effective way
Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!
PRAYER REQUEST
As this is the last day of school here for our children and for many around our nation, let us pray that this Christmas all hearts and hurts will be healed. The unrest left by the past weeks tragedy have left many insecure and hurting.
May the dear Lord bless our children with comfort and love and heal all our hurts and fears, that we may know the peace and security of Christmas love.
Amen.
COUNTING MY GIFTS
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 12:2-6
I am trying to count at least 3 things I'm thankful for each day and then in 1 year's time I'll have counted 1000 gifts.
95. an abundance of food to eat
96. family to share a meal with
97. a reason to celebrate
One need not have wealth to give a gift. One need only have the desire to give. To use whatever poor things are at hand and to make of them the best gift possible.
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.
AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters
and Paramedics and EMT's
GOD BLESS YOU ALL !
2 comments:
Have a wonderful family day tomorrow....be safe, warm and careful out there....
It looks like you will have a white Christmas this year. I'm not sure what day we will have our Christmas dinner, daughter and her family always goes to his parents Christmas day. We just might have it Sunday here. You have a lovely family and I know you will have a great time with them tomorrow. Take care. Jean
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