She called her uncle up north and told him the news. He was shocked, and cried, regretting the fact that he had not seen her, his only sister in a long time. He said he would be there the next day. She then called her friends and her mother’s friends in the city. She called her pastor who offered his condolences and prayed with her, reminding her that her mother was in a better place, and that she, Anna, would see her again one day. She fell exhausted into bed and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning she woke with a head ache, had some coffee and called her office, requesting 3 days grief time. She then called her lawyer in the islands, told him the news, and requested extra funds to help her with the funeral expenses. To her surprise, he told her that after all these years, he had just received a letter from the Government, informing him that the money she had applied for several years ago had finally been approved, and a check would follow. She thanked him and asked him to forward the check as soon as possible. He said he would and promised to call her friends and relatives and tell them of her mother’s passing. She hung up shaking her head as she recalled that years ago, both the doctor and the hospital had written her telling her that both balances were written off. She had no idea how much the funeral expenses would be. She was afraid that the money wouldn’t cover everything, and wondered how she would pay the balance. However she hoped that it would at least cover most of the cost.

Her daughters awoke shortly thereafter and joined her in the kitchen where she made breakfast and told them to get ready for she was sure to have visitors. No sooner had she said the words than the  door bell rang.  It was her pastor and some brothers and sisters from her church. Anna was glad to see them and they came offering to help in what ever way they could. Some brought food, some coffee, and some drinks. This was the pattern throughout the day and there was a never ending stream of friends. Anna was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, because she hardly knew these people, yet they had all come together as one family to console, help and offer prayers, for they all had the same Father. One brother offered to take her to the cemetery to select a plot and also to the funeral home to select a coffin. Another brother offered to take her to the airport to meet her uncle and aunt. Two days later, her Mom was laid to rest.

For the next two to three weeks, she was inundated with sympathy cards, letters and phone calls, all telling her of her mother’s goodness to them and how much she was loved and respected. These expressions of love and appreciation also helped to comfort Anna and remind her of what a godly woman her mother was. She  was sad when she went back to work and thanked her co-workers  for being so supportive. Going home was the worse, for while at work, at least for the 8 hours, her mind was on her job. At home, however, she had to pass that empty room. Anna knew she had to get away from that house and leave behind all  the visible reminders. She started praying immediately asking her Father to help her find a new place. As soon as she reached home, she called a real estate agent and told him exactly what she wanted, somewhere small and manageable and affordable. She knew her Father knew exactly what she needed, so she prayed and waited upon Him.

Anna received the bill for the funeral expenses and her eyes widened when she saw the total.  All she could do was to close her eyes and whisper “Lord”. That’s all she could say. Two days later, Anna got home to find a letter from the island waiting for her. She set her handbag down and the kitchen counter, and with racing  heart, sat and gingerly opened the letter. In it was the check. She looked at the amount and gasped. With eyes tightly closed, tears streaming down her face, and trembling lips she thanked God, for apart from the difference of  a few cents, the check was the exact amount of the bill.  Anna sat there shaking in awe and wonder for truly this was God’s evidence of  His amazing grace. This was indeed unmerited divine assistance. Once again she was reminded of His Word in Phil. 4:vs 19 “AND MY GOD WILL MEET ALL YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS GLORIOUS RICHES IN CHRIST JESUS”. Her Father was rich, so why did she even worry?. Anna jumped up from the chair, shouting and screaming, waving the check in the air and thanking her Father over and over again. Later that  night while lying in bed,she smiled softly and asked herself, ”Why was I so fearful? Didn’t Jesus say “ Don’t be afraid, just believe”. Mark 5: vs.36, and with that she fell asleep.

Two months later, the real estate agent called and told Anna that he thinks he has found just the right house for her and would like to show it to her immediately. She agreed and they went to see it. When she saw the house she was overjoyed. It was exactly what she had in mind, and it even included her very own little court yard. Anna said yes she wanted it and was told she could move in the end of the following month. She went home and gladly gave the landlord a month’s notice and started packing. The third week she went to the office to give  her new address, and the manager asked if she was still interested in another job closer to home. Anna said yes, and was told her that there was an opening in the south office, that she had already put in a  tentative word for her and advised her to call and make an appointment for an inveterview. She did as suggested and she got the job. It was only half an hour’s drive from you new residence and on the way to work she could take her daughter to school. Once again, Anna experienced tangible evidence of  God”s Amazing Grace  and Power.

FOOTNOTE; Friends: Why are we so fearful? Jesus said we are to ask in His name and believe and God will answer. God is never too late. God is  never too early. God is always on time. Anna realized that if she had received that money for which she had applied years ago, she never would have been able to  meet her future responsibilities. But God knew, for He knows we will have problems, but He goes before us and takes care of the problems, even before we know that we have problems. He knows we are frail and weak for we are only human. But it is written, “FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG”. 2Cor.vs:10. and so He strengthens us to overcome and carry on.

Theme: Money

Aim: To show that the love of money is bad and generosity is good.

All the time we get told that money is the centre of everything. In films, music and magazines we are told that if you don’t have money, you are nothing. In this session we will look at how money impacts the world and our lives and how we need to be generous when others are in need.

Key Bible Verse: Matthew 19:24

We’re really excited about our church plant team meeting tomorrow. It has been so exciting to see so many people rise to the occasion and come alongside the vision that God has given us to reach the town of Wickenburg with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People are finding us on Facebook who want to know more about the movement. We are receiving prayers and support from all over the globe. I recently received a message from a long time Wickenburg resident who moved away a few years back. A portion of it read,

“…We have been gone now for two years and six months and here we are still following in a way different direction than to go back. I visited at the first of the month and sensed of urgency for a new Kingdom work in Wickenburg. It seemed that I was ministering to someone everywhere I went in town. The times that I wasn’t ministering to someone, the Father was speaking to me about someone or myself… I read the vision for The Place and believe that a church that is focused on reaching the people that no one else wants is so needed there. I’ll be praying for you as you go into the vision that the Father has given you for Wickenburg…”

These are the kinds of words that we keep getting everywhere we go. Wickenburg is ripe and ready to be reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’d like to ask all of you who follow us online or who are putting your hands to the plows with us each day to pray for us as we continue to march forward. We have an exciting December and a ton of work to do in January, but these are some of the most rewarding and fulfilling days of my life. Thanks for walking this path with us!

Your Partner in the Gospel,

GP

1. Identify your users’ stories

As I studied users’ thoughts, I found patterns in what my project was really designed to do, above and beyond what the project brief said. I listened to what my mind was drawn to listen to. These were the users’ stories — what was most important in their working lives.

There are no right or wrong answers in listening. Be honest with your users that you’re there to add value to the way they work and their stories – needs, expectations, attitudes and capabilities – will become clear.

2. Embrace your users’ needs

Once I am aware of users’ needs, it is far easier to design according to them. When faced with a decision, I can compare it to their values by documentation as personas, and see it will bring me closer to a solution that is fit for them, rather than what is easiest for the project team to produce.

3. Accept expanding feature sets

A ZenAgile mind does not struggle. It accepts users’ needs as they truly are. A rock is a rock. It will remain that way no matter how much you worry, wish, or pressure it into changing. Worrying about requirements and ever expanding user wants are the same way. I accept requirements for what they are, do not waste time or energy fretting over it, and group them into feature sets for delivery in such a way that, as a whole, they add value to users’ work.

4. Energise for change

A ZenAgile mind can give you extra energy for change as you are not wasting energy fighting against the inevitable. As above, there is a large rock in your way. You have three options:

• run into the rock repeatedly
• agonize about the rock being in the way, or
• find a way around the rock.

Before ZenAgile, I chose the first two options. With ZenAgile, I now accept the rock for what it is: an obstacle. I accept that you cannot go through it. I do not panic, and waste time and energy worrying about the obstacle. Instead I make my own path around the obstacle, either over the rock, around the rock, or under the rock.

This is Seijaku (静寂) — the energised calm.

5. Enhance knowledge of yourself

As I practice ZenAgile, I spend a fair amount of time in conversation with others and thereby understanding myself and how I come to terms with change: change in the project context, changes in requirements, and changes that need to occur to the solution.

In time, I’ve learned to quiet my mind. I’ve listened to the same fears for projects repeating themselves which inspired me to change what was causing those fears. I’ve realised, for example, that lack of a user-centred approach was a large source of anxiety, and so it was time for a change. Without time to think and meditate on the conversations in a project, we tend to ignore what our mind is telling us, and remain locked into our old patterns of doing things.

6. Gain confidence in the agile way

As you reflect on your inner self, you become conscious of who you really are, your role, and the skills you bring to aspects of the agile project. You learn what makes you happy, what is beneficial to your project, and where you fit into the multidisciplinary team. You bypass the fears and anxieties of your mind, what role you play — Business Analyst, Project Manager, Information Architecture, User Experience Designer, Change Manager — and focus on doing what needs to be done. Boldly and passionately complete the iteration. The opinions of traditional organisations like PMI, IIBA, ABAA, etc, do not matter, because you know you are doing what is right.

7. Appreciate the iterative project lifecycle

I accept the project as it truly is – evolutionary in nature, rather than revolutionary. You will always uncover new aspects of users’ needs. You will always uncover the unknown as you proceed boldly through the project. Some will be surprises like a starry evening, a stroll by the river, or a night of solitude. Each will have their own unique characteristics to be appreciated. Mundane user needs also hold their own charm. Observing the quiet details of the project lends value to the less appealing aspects, and brings peace and joy in commonplace tasks.

8. Increase consideration for others

Each person on the project is interconnected. We are all searching for the solution, requirements, and a meaningful project to work on. It is much harder to be angry at the user who argues with you about scope when you realise they are on the same path, just at a different point in their journey.

9. Simplify your project and your documentation

Conversation not documentation helps you differentiate between needs and wants. To document things completely today is to suggest that it will fix users and their workplace in time until the project has been completed. By focussing, instead, on a minimalist, simple project solution delivered in a short period of time, with just enough documentation to describe the decisions made, you are able to deliver value to people now and then build upon that solution to meet their future needs.

This is Kanso (簡素) — simplicity and elimination of clutter from the project

10. Cultivate a giving spirit by mentoring others in the team

When you are doing your role in the best way you can, your heart fills with joy. You are doing what you were put on this earth to do, and doing it to the best of your ability. Your life is simple, you are living your values, and you have a clear mind. You can then give to others, mentoring and teaching with a loving spirit, to help them along their path.

This is the True Way of ZenAgile

M

Today at work, I was able to observe for a while, a man standing outside the doors of the mall (the temple of consumtion). In our town there is a magazine that’s made with the purpose of helping those who have a hard time getting their life together for different reasons. The articles are about social issues, and also about these people, in an effort to help people see the individuals behind the problem. 
 Half of the price goes to the seller, and the rest goes to make the magazine.

I think this is one of those genius win-win ideas that make our world a little better. The person selling is able to work and get paid, while also getting to talk to people and at least lower some of the walls we often seem to raise when people don’t fit into our frame of mind. The people reading the articles get a nuanced picture of what life is really like on the rougher side, and hopefully they gain some understanding and compassion for their neighbours.

This is already enough to make me very hopeful about the state of our community, but my spirit was lifted even further today as I stood there watching this salesman. In the brief period I observed him, several people bought the magazine, but more importantly, there were also people stopping just to chat and say hello for a second. That’s just wonderful!

The big risk for these people is to lead an isolated life in the shadows, being ignored by others and thus feeling like they don’t exist. Just a nod and a hello is actually enough to show this person that he exists and that I respect him. (See also the earlier post “By this roadside”)
 And most of all, it confirms his worth as a human regardless of his circumstances, and that’s worth more than money in my book.

Dubai’s financial health is under scrutiny after a government-owned investment company asks for a delay on repaying its debts…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: real recession. The blog is also related to: united states recessions.

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Please check back soon…
Thank You.

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I need it.
I want it.
And I’m having migraines without it.

badly.

***

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

 I probably don’t have to tell any of my readers who live in the United States that Thursday is Thanksgiving. Every school kid knows that they get out of school for two or three days because it is Thanksgiving. And most kids probably were asked by one or more teachers to tell what they were thankful for during the last day in class before the Thanksgiving vacation days when school was closed. 

When I was a school librarian I sometimes asked my students to tell or write about something they were thankful for. Some would mention their mother or father, family, or friends. Others might mention something that had been given to them. But Tommy and a few others couldn’t think of anything to be thankful for. Tommy didn’t wear name brand clothes and he probably didn’t make all As, but his clothing was nice and he wasn’t failing. I sensed that Tommy’s real problem was a spirit of discontentment. He wanted things some of his classmates had and felt cheated somehow because he couldn’t have them.

How many of us are like Tommy? We watch commercials on TV and see things we want. We become jealous of our friends’ nice clothes or their fancy cell phones.

When I was in high school my family camped beside a lake two summers while my father went to college in a different state than were we lived. The first summer we camped for 11 weeks and enjoyed fishing and swimming every day we were there. Before the second summer we purchased a boat. My brother also bought a SCUBA tank. You would have thought the second summer would have been fantastic. But money was tight and we could only buy a little gasoline for the boat. We also couldn’t afford to fill the SCUBA tank as often as we wanted. So the rest of the time we had to settle for doing the same things we had done the summer before. And even though those things were wonderful the first summer, they weren’t good enough any more. Seven weeks into the summer we packed up our tent and our boat and went back home for the rest of the summer.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says we should give thanks in all circumstances. Not only when we have all of our wants met. If we are willing to thank God for everything, for the air we breathe, for our health, for a soft place to sleep and a blanket to cover us, for clothing to keep us warm, for someone to love us, we will have discovered the secret of real joy.

If we let jealousy and discontentment get in the way of being thankful for the blessings we have, we lose our joy. But if we are willing to look on the bright side, to see the many blessings that are ours and we take the time to thank God for them, we will learn the secret of true happiness.

Thank God for your blessings. If you still can’t think of any blessings, go to Google and do a search for something like world hunger or aids orphans. Then think again about the blessings you have and thank God for being so good to you.

Father God, enable our hearts to be thankful in everything. Help us to willing to care more about others’ needs than about our wants.

Copyright © 2009 by Janice Green

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday urged his visiting Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to find a “just solution” with the West to Tehran’s contested nuclear program.

Lula, speaking in a joint media conference with Ahmadinejad, reiterated that Brazil backed Iran’s declared quest for “peaceful nuclear energy in full respect of international accords.”

He appealed to Ahmadinejad to “continue contacts with interested countries for a just and balanced solution on the nuclear issue in Iran.”

Ahmadinejad, for his part, voiced support for Brazil’s bid to one day become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Brazil is to take one of the non-permanent seats — those without the power of veto — in 2010 and 2011.

“We support a reformed UN Security Council and for Brazil to have a permanent seat,” he said.

He argued the council “has failed over the past 60 years because of the veto power of a small number of countries, a source of insecurity for several countries in the world.”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

The United States and Europe are leading an international campaign against Iran’s nuclear program, amid suspicions the Islamic state is trying to build a nuclear arsenal under cover of a pursuit of atomic energy.

Iran on Monday reinforced its rejection of a UN-brokered deal that would call for Russia and France to enrich its uranium, with a senior official saying no nuclear reactor fuel would leave Iran.

Lula has repeatedly backed Tehran’s nuclear program, and said he opposed international sanctions on Iran.

Ahmadinejad’s visit to Brazil was the key leg of a five-nation tour to sympathetic Latin American and African seen backing Tehran’s vision of a new world order in which the United States is not dominant.

The itinerary began in Gambia, and after Brazil was to continue with Bolivia, Venezuela and Senegal.

Lula, a moderate leftist wary of US influence in the world, has reached out to Iran as part of a broader strategy to implicate Brazil in seeking peace in the Middle East.

In his weekly radio broadcast on Monday, he said: “You can’t move forward by isolating Iran. If Iran is an important player in all this discord, it’s important that someone sits down with Iran, talks with Iran and tries to establish a point of balance, so that we can return to a degree of normality in the Middle East.”

Days before receiving Ahmadinejad, Lula made a point of welcoming visits by Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

On Monday, he announced he would travel to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories in March next year.

The Iranian president was accompanied by a 300-strong delegation, half of which were Iranian businessmen working towards Tehran’s goal of lifting bilateral trade with Brazil from one billion dollars today to 15 billion dollars in the future.

Several protests over his visit have taken place, notably one on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, where 1,000 members of Jewish, anti-racist and gay rights groups rallied against Ahmadinejad’s tirades.

Sao Paulo’s governor, Jose Serra, who is seen as the leading potential candidate in presidential elections in October next year that will select Lula’s successor, called Ahmadinejad’s visit “undesirable.”

“Democracy and human rights are indivisible and have to be defended in every part of the world,” he wrote in an opinion piece published in the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper.

After his 24-hour Brazilian leg, Ahmadinejad was to depart for Bolivia for talks with his counterpart Evo Morales, then on to Venezuela to see his “friend” Hugo Chavez. Both Morales and Chavez are strongly critical of the United States.

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Hysteria has hit the nation this season with the threat of the Swine Flu and people are looking for immunity.  But who needs to get the H1N1 vaccine and who doesn’t?

You may think that the elderly or others with a week immune system are the people who need vaccinated, but that’s not true according to Herd Immunity.  The theory proposes that “the higher proportion of individuals who are immune, the lower the likelihood that a susceptible person will come into contact with an infected individual.”

In simple terms, to prevent the spread of H1N1 those who work in high-traffic areas (think hospital and school workers) are the ones that should be vaccinated. 

The vaccine therefore acts like a firewall, preventing further transmission of the disease to the rest of the population.  The goal is to vaccinate the “spreaders” – those likely to give the Swine Flu to others – rather than grandma and grandpa who hardly leave the house.  In doing so, when grandma and grandpa decide to leave their house, the grocery store bag boy isn’t giving them H1N1 because he was vaccinated.

Get it?

Local radio stations started playing Christmas music today.  It inspired me to blog about scaling back and simplifying the holidays.

The Center for a New American Dream releases an annual brochure on celebrating the holidays with “more joy, less stuff.”  You can download the brochure or visit the website for more helpful tips.  I’m a fan of the edible decorations and I plan to make a photo album of pictures for my grandmother – shh, don’t tell her!

About.com has a whole entry on a Holiday Survival Guide.  It’s filed under the stress management section, which makes me wonder about the trade-offs between health and the holiday hoopla.

On Facebook, check out the Simplify the Holidays discussion from the Kokua Hawaii Foundation.  Their website is pretty cool and I’m jazzed about their Facebook widget.

When it comes to gifts, I have three options I always choose from.  I either shop local, shop handmade at Etsy, or go the really altruistic route and shop at Alternative Gifts International or Oxfam International.  Instead of heading out to the mall, I like supporting my local shops, galleries, and any store that will sell a gift certificate or Capitol Cash.  Etsy is a marketplace for all things handmade and just blows my mind at the amount of amazingly unique, well-crafted, individualized gifts I could give myself…er, I mean, friends and family.  !

AGI supports humanitarian and environmental causes with the donation(s) you make in the name of relatives, colleagues, family, etc.  Oxfam America is a large relief organization and it’s Unwrapped program has a wide array of charitable gifts.  I love these services because there’s nothing that says Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa,  or Happy Hanukkah like giving a solar water boiler or manure or a flock of ducks.  It’s serious fun to give these gifts to loved ones and it makes a huge impact on the communities the gifts go to.

When it comes to Thanksgiving celebration, I usually try to fast if I don’t have plans with friends.  This year I’ll likely be observing a day of fasting and reflection.  The Boston Globe ran an article on how these actions might more closely reflect the original Thanksgiving celebrations.  Fasting is not something to take lightly, so talk to your doctor before attempting this, and research articles on how to enter and break a fast.  For me, fasting and reflecting definitely simplify the holidays and make me more, well, thankful.  And isn’t that the point of this week?

Yes, that’s exactly what I meant. Non-profits, community and faith-based organizations that subscribe to the get a grant, save the day mentality are putting themselves on a welfare system.

Why?

Because the welfare system is designed to help people get on their feet; however, should you stay on this assistance, it is not up to another entity/person to decide how valuable your needs and your results are to the society/community at large.

You are no longer in control…

…you never thought about it like that, did you?

Well, now the truth is out, it’s time to get off of welfare and put a game plan together that keeps you in control of your ability to serve the people that depend on you.

Are you ready?

If you are, then I’m waiting for you.

As you may or may not have noticed, many of November’s unFold poems have featured some aspect of the writing life.  This correlates nicely with NaNoWriMo, so we are now officially calling it the November theme.  If you hadn’t noticed or you just want to procrastinate before writing your daily quota, check out unFold’s NaNoWriMo collection.

unFold’s editor, Rose Auslander, enjoyed having a common thread amongst the poems so much, that she has devised some themes for upcoming months as well.  While poems do not have to fit within a theme to be published in a given month, we hope the themes will serve as inspiration to poets plagued with a blank page.

Upcoming themes:

1. February 2010:  Zoology (Wanted: Mammals, amphibians, fish, insects, and reptiles — alive or dead.)
2. March 2010:  Automobile (Cars breaking/making weird noises/being fixed/being unfixable–onomatopoeia welcome.)
3. April 2010:  Technology (Poetry that uncovers the art of technology.)

Submissions are wide open for the months listed above, so check out our submission guidelines and get writing;-)

Cheers,

J.S.

Perfect Day

At work the other day someone was encouraging Tanya (you met her yesterday, she’s the one in my head telling me about prepositions) to take a day off – not necessarily from work, but definitely from her busy life. The speaker sprinkled the encouragement with horrifying suggestions like going to the hairdresser, getting a massage, and such. Shudder!

The perfect day off involves at least 8 hours of reading a novel. Preferably one as engaging as A Cargo of Orchids by Susan Musgrave, or my current squeeze, Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. Neither of these is recommended for everyone – these authors are not Dan Brown nor, to this point, have they made it to Oprah’s list of faves.

Cloud Atlas - a novel of the future of the world starting very much in the past. Each peek at a different time, carefully threaded to the other.

While reading one should wear comfortable but attractive clothing. It should be attractive because periodically the world will force itself upon you and even in your best clothes this is a day designed to make you look dishevelled. If you are wearing your yoga pants instead of your sweats, and your knitted sweater instead of your fleece, you will easily answer the door without having to put down your book until the very moment you open it. In the option B outfit, one always feels compelled to zip or unzip, flatten or fluff, and must release the book before the door, in fact, quite possibly at the moment of passing the hall mirror. This wastes at least 4 to 7 lines of engrossing text!

Secondly, one must be prepared to move while reading. This is not to be an endurance test, and one should not require chiropractic care after the ultimate day off. Therefore, blankets placed strategically if it is a rainy or cloudy cool day; sun hat & the water jug if the day is hot. In both cases, expect to read:

1) in bed

2) on the couch

3) upright in living room chair

4) slouched in living room chair

5) legs over the right side of the living room chair

6) legs over left side of chair

7) at kitchen table

at dining table

9) lying on the floor in front of the fire, or on the deck on a blanket

10) lying on the window seat

11) sitting on the window seat

12) sitting in the deck chair

13) sitting in the other deck chair

14) lying on a blanket on the grass

15) swinging in the hammock

16) on the toilet

17) while brushing teeth

18) while acquiring non-cooked foods from the kitchen – popcorn, however, can be popped and this will take some time away from reading. Experience also suggests – strongly – that some pouring tasks are best done with the book closed.

Ah, I did manage to have a perfect day this weekend. I think that took care of my need for: fun (no explanation required), freedom (although there were little pangs of guilt if my gaze strayed from the book toward the dog hair on the floor), mastery (I am so very good at ignoring the world and reading myself into another one … but belonging kind of suffers when you read for most of the day.

In fact, if one’s “belonging with” objects of desire notice that your eyeballs are still moving along the page while you seem to be talking to them this can signal a rupture in the belongingness that will require complete attention to repair – losing many, many minutes of reading time. One must be very clever at reading with quick flicks of the eye while seeming to have eye contact with your interrupter.

Eating is touch carried to the bitter end.

—Samuel Butler

Because of the hunger, we eat, we eat to fill

whatever’s missing—work the earth to give

us what we need. And here at the table

where fruit becomes flesh we find

there is always more hunger, a place

still longing to be fed not with root, not with leaf,

not with thick sweetened cream, but with

touch from the other, with lips reaching round

not with crumbs, not with words but with

bells in them, raven song, softness of stars,

warm hands with strum in them, sleeping ghosts,

a thousand mystical flowers all blossoming now,

skin with new snow, with wolf fur, with plum sunrise,

and because of the hunger, we savor, we devour.

“He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me… whenever… wherever – in case I need him. And I expect I will – as I always have. He is just my dog.” – GH

In my pursuit of an Owner, I seek to fulfil his needs, to fuel his imagination, to inspire his heart and to have earned his respect. When his world is spinning, I want to be a force that helps to stable him, to assure him of his ability, and to keep him earthed. I want to help him explore his dreams, and to achieve them, to be the best he can be.

This may sound strange to some, in that I may become his property, but I seek to be more than just object or plaything. I seek to become part of him, an extension of his abilities and his goals.

When you pray how do you start?  What do you say first in your prayer?  Do you ever start with Thanksgiving?  Read Psalms 100:4.  It talks about coming in the gates with Thanksgiving and the Courts with praise.  I just wonder how often we enter the gates of prayer with a request or a need rather than Thanks and Praise.  Just a thought to bounce around between your ear today.

It is only recently that I have realized how much I have been Stuck in the Thought Zone. We all go there from time to time thinking the Mind can solve all the problems. My experience over the past 2 years leads me to believe that it can’t. We need a balanced Mind, Body and Spirit in order to resolve our issues.

I have used too much of my time, in my head, hoping to cure my business needs and personal needs. The only outcome was total exhaustion from the Think Syndrome and the conclusion for a cure was to Stop, Let Go and Rest. I released all the pressing Thoughts that fed on my energy and left me struggling with daily tasks, expecting to pass out on the sofa for a few days and only move when I had to.

The first few days were mostly taken up by closing business and claiming benefits for now, so I was still weary Thinking about what happens next. My next step was 2 days of feeling unwell and hugging the toilet a few times (say no more!). I can honestly feel that I have let go of everything, especially the Thought Zone which in turn cleansed Mind, Body and Spirit.

Today the sofa isn’t calling me as I had expected, the daily tasks seem more achievable and I barely sit down as I have so much to do. I was Stuck in the Thought  Zone due to my own stubbornness believing I could Think it Through, yet I have done more by my thoughts, Feelings and Actions working together in a balanced manner.

If you are heavy in Thoughts, take time off and don’t get Stuck in the Thought Zone.

Use Thoughts, Feelings and Actions, together.

I should have posted this one      last week, but dear sir lazyness had me falling down my bed and, either I was too busy lazy-ing up or playing my new handheld game console.

I had always wanted to own a handheld game console, since the wish to have my own mp3 or ipod had already come true thanks to most people, owning a camera, a handheld game console and a laptop or desktop had to come in place for the second wish.

For a person who’s not much into taking her own pictures, the thought of buying a camera first had been but a blur, but since I had to have one for an online business, it because a necessity. Owning a pc, now that’s important. Not only because I love to go online most of the times or because of my have-to-be-updated sites, but also because its much of a hassle for me to go down my pad and to an computer shop most of the days just to go online. Plus I also need it for my online business, of course.

Owning a handheld game console, for me, now that’s a wish, since I’m a person who gets bored a lot, and though I have a music, I also need my gaming. I’m not a total game addict but I love games a lot. I had to think between getting a Sony PSP, either a slim or what’s the latest, or the Nintendo DS or DS Lite – but the DS was really on the top of the list, since most of the games that I’d love to play is on the DS.

But I’d go second hand since getting a first hand..well, I had problems with it – too expensive, my wallet will surely get lonelier with a more expensive one, right? An I guess I don’t have any worries with buying a second hand since I always try to look around first before getting it :3

So, anyway, I got a DS Lite now; named Mono Shiro, btw ( and I have no idea where I got the name – from what I remember, shiro was because of it’s color XD )

As you guys can see, I was charging it during that time

Also, I bought a Canon Powershot A470. I wanted to get a Sony cybershot but, since I’ve got limited funds, I went and bought a lower version…well, anyway, it’s still a good camera ;3

Cano~

So now, all I need to save up on is either a laptop or a desktop, whichever would come first….but I guess, getting a desktop would be better than a laptop, right?

*sign*

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I realize now that I have lost focus when it comes to the reason I started this blog.  There have been occasions when I needed to vent, but now, I see that the purpose is not an emotional outlet for me, but rather a sharing of my years of experience to help you change your life.  Recently I have been thinking about important things to share.  What can I say to guide you gently towards the changes you want to make in your own life?

I have been learning about Quantum Physics and that according to many scientists, we are the creators of our own reality.  Further, that if we would only get out of our own way, we could create a life of  joy and plenty.  As strange as this sounds, I don’t think that the theories here conflict with my own personal religious beliefs.  Actually, I think that in many ways it validates those beliefs.  Quantum Physics, for most scientists, is the closest they have come to scientifically proving that we religious people have been right all along.  And, that regardless of a person’s religion, intelligent design is part of what they are discovering from the study of Quantum Physics.

Surprised?  I was.  You might want to check out Youtube.com and type in “Quantum Physics applied to mind power“.  You will be enlightened and amazed that the scientific community is coming around to believe in Intelligent Design.  Having said that, let’s get on with the “getting out of our own way” part.  Whether you are religious or not, this is the part that is important.

We are that we should have joy.  If this is true then why are we so unhappy?  Why do we keep doing the same things over and over again, yet expect a different result?  Because we are standing in our own way and don’t understand what we are doing that is keeping us from being happy, we are programed to continue to be unhappy.

So what is needed to change this continual unhappy loop?  We need to change our thinking.  Now, the laws of Quantum Physics tell us that we have infinite possibilities.  Quantum Physics is the physics of possibilities.  There are infinite options and potentials.  However, we are programed by our childhood and the thinking of those around us, not to mention society in general, to think a certain way.  For example:  I grew up in a Blue Collar household and was told that I should be satisfied with what I had and that there was a whole world out there, (white collar), that I would never be able to crack.  I continued that thinking, limiting myself in every way until I started college just before my divorce.  There, doors and windows were opened to this world of White collar and I just had to step through.  I suddenly was not content with my average Blue Collar existence because I knew that I didn’t have to settle.  Options and Possibilities were suddenly within my grasp and there was no going back.

There is nothing wrong with wanting more.  There is nothing wrong with desiring.  There is nothing wrong with wanting what we have a right to have.  Coveting others for their accomplishments makes us unhappy.  It’s not the wanting, it is the coveting.  So, if you need more money in your life, or want a better house, or need to lose weight, or find a better job…no matter what it is, don’t whine and complain about what you don’t have…start thinking about getting it.  There lies the magic wand.

Let me try and explain.  I need to lose weight.  I am unhappy with myself right now.  This is the one struggle I have left that defeats me at every turn.  Instead of visualizing myself thin and asking for it and expecting it, I complain and whine and commiserate with others with like problems and basically covet the lean bodies of others.  What I don’t do is focus on being thin.  I have programmed myself to expect failure instead of success. I surround myself with those who have similar issues.  I attend meetings with those who have similar issues.  In every way I perpetuate the status quo.   I am standing in my own way.  In order for me to become the person I need to be to be happy, I have to get out of my own way.  And to do that I have to stop telling the story of why I am the way I am and start living as if I have already achieved my goal.

What has happened to me in the past does not matter.  What matters is the now and the future.  Dwelling on past only keeps us repeating the past.  We must now step into the present, shed the past as if it were a snake skin, and like the snake, grow and expand our present and think about what we want in the future.

Let’s say that your love life sucks.  I used to say that knowing what I don’t want is as important as knowing what I do want.  Well, I was wrong.  As long as I focused on what I didn’t want, I continued to get what I didn’t want.  It was only when I focused on what I did want that my present husband came into my life.  While no one is perfect, I got the one thing that I desired…an improvement in my financial status.  While money doesn’t bring happiness, it can make life easier.  And my life has been a lot easier than it had been in the past.  I wasn’t rich, but I was comfortable.  And that reduced my stress and increased the potential for happiness.  It also improved the quality of my health greatly.  And, without health, the rest doesn’t matter much.

I have no regrets.  My past is part of who I am now.  Without those experiences, good and bad, I would not be who I am and I like who I am now.  So, rather than be angry, resentful, sad or be consumed with the negative feelings out of my past, I choose to live in the now and plan for the future.

Here is what you do now…write on a piece of paper all the hurts and bad things that have happened to you in the past.  Write down all the names of those who have hurt you.  Write down all the snide remarks, the hurtful comments, the jokes at your expense, the snubs, the ridicules, the physical hurts, the emotional hurts, the spiritual hurts…. and when you are done start a fire in the fireplace, out back on the driveway, in the firepit where you roast marshmallows, in a garbage can out on the cement pad or the patio, or in the barbque grill…anywhere that is safe for you to burn.

After you have started the fire, go down your list and let go of the experience and the feelings.  Forgive the person who caused them.  Then, when you are done reading your list, wad the paper up and throw it in the fire.   Now, you must never dwell on them again.

Now, you need to make a list of what you want, need and desire.  This is called a Universe List.  This is your way of asking for what you want, need and desire.  This is the first step in getting what you want.  These are the things that you dwell on from this day forward.  Be very detailed in your list. Let’s say you want a boat.   Don’t just say, I want a boat.  Describe the boat and where you want to sail it.  Describe the life you want to live surrounding the boat.  List the people you want in your life while sailing this boat.  What do you want to be doing?  Where do you want to live?  How do you look?  How do you feel while living this life?  Oh, and make sure you list how you are going to get the boat.  How much money will it take?  When do  you want the boat?  Leave out no detail.  This is what  you think and feel about now.  If you want more money list how much more.  Let the Universe know if you want happiness, health, peace, joy, love, adventure, or anything else  you may need.  If you want to help others put them in your list and tell what needs you want to be able to meet of theirs and how much money you will need to do this.  If you want to start a business, make a business plan as part of your list and include everything you need to know about your business.  Visualize where it will be, how big it will be, the size building it will need, or for home based businesses, what equipment you will need or the skills you will need, the training you will need, etc.

Each time you start to relive the past, consciously bring the present and the future into your thoughts.  Sit down and re-read your Universe list.  As you accomplish the things on your list, cross them off and add more as they come to you.  Pretty soon you will see how much you have accomplished toward your happiness.

According to the scientists who study Quantum Physics, what you think is what you get. Change your thinking and new things will come to you.  Get out of your own way and discard your old skin.  Focus on the changes you want in your life and don’t be surprised when they happen!!!!!!!!!!!!  That’s what is supposed to happen.  You are supposed to get what you want.  So Sit down and write your discard list and then let go of the past so the future can happen.   This is the perfect time to create a soul collage as a visual reminder of what you want, need, and desire.  Find a picture of a slim person to remind you of what you want.  Find a picture of the perfect boat.  Find a picture that represents the lifestyle you want to live or a quality you want in a mate.  Create a collage and place it in plain view.

Chris