New Year's eve

“New Year’s eve is like every other night;
there is no pause in the march of the universe,
no breathless moment of silence among created
things that the passage of another 12 months
may be noted; and yet no man has quite the
same thoughts this evening that come with
the coming of darkness on other nights.”

~{Hamilton Wright Mabie}~

Prayer...

If the only prayer you ever say in
your whole life is “Thank You”,
that would suffice.

Wisdom...

You are the creator of your reality!
You get to choose what you want to experience in life.
Stop blaming others and start choosing more carefully!

Happy Christmas?!

The 25th of December is Christmas. This is the day that millions of people say "Happy Christmas" to each other face to face or on the phone. What do we mean when we use these words? Is it appropriate to fill the already bulging coffers of the mobile phone companies by sending dozens of these text messages without having a clue as to the true meaning of them?

• "Happy Christmas" - simply in order that others should be happy for just one day of the year? No, that is not good enough. Not if you know the Child of Christmas personally. Then you would not want to wish anyone temporary happiness.
• "Happy Christmas" - simply in order to behave correctly by sending all those around you very nice messages? No, that is also not good enough. Friendships that are dependent on such messages are not true friendships.
• "Happy Christmas" - there is just one reason why a Christian can and should say this – because it is the celebration of Jesus' birthday. This is the day when we sing and rejoice about the coming of the true Light that banished all darkness.

On the day of Jesus' birth, the angels' song spoke of God's abundant joy at the birth of his Saviour Child. On this day the balance of power was forever shifted in favour of heaven. So that when I say "Happy Christmas" to someone this year, I mean it sincerely, knowing that it is a special day of victory. It is Jesus' day of victory! When I say "Happy Christmas" I am praying for every listener and reader; I pray that they will celebrate Jesus together with us. And that Christmas will overflow to the 26th of December, 27th of December ... Yes, that a blessed life before God awaits each one within striking distance of these words.

Wisdom...

“When the power of love
overcomes the love of power,
the world will know peace.”
~{Jimi Hendrix}~

Bestest 15 years

"There are three things that amaze me —
no, four things that I don’t understand:
how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman."
~{Proverbs 30:18-19}~

Déjà-Vu,
I love you for your thoughtfulness
Your understanding way
And for the countless little things
You do for me each day
I love you for the hopes and dreams
You've helped to make come true
Everything that I do reminds me of you
But most of all I love you,
Just for being YOU!

Happy 15th Wedding Anniversary

Thanx for the bestest 15 years of my life!!

Intentions...

If you have heard the expression that “actions speak louder than words” you will know the difference between intentions and reality.

No matter how much you say you mean something, if you act differently, you don’t really mean it.
No matter how much you say you want to change a habit, if you do things that support the habit, you don’t really want to change.
No matter how much you say you want to do something, until you actually do it, you don’t want to.

There are two ways to align your words and your deeds (That’s called “integrity”)

1. Change your words.
2. Change your deeds.

Will your good intentions become reality?

Life, Details?

Brush both the top and the bottom. And make sure to brush the inside, not just the outside. And in the back, too. Don’t forget the back inside and the back outside. On the top and on the bottom. And on the left side, too. On both the left and right, you have to do the back top and bottom on the inside and then both the top and bottom on the outside. And don't forget your tongues...

When I taught and explained to the Prinsessies how to brush their teeth, such a simple thing seemed so complicated.

But isn’t that the joy of life?
Simple, yet complex. Complex, yet simple.

Enjoy the details, but relax with the big picture.

Well done!

Go on admit it! You love praise, who doesn't? Everybody needs it.

Every time you praise someone, you build up their self-esteem and their self-confidence, and you encourage them to repeat the good behaviour. This is a somewhat underused technique with children, and a vastly underused technique with adults.

Give lot’s a praise, especially for behaviours you want repeated (You’re smart, cool and you’re pretty don’t count – there is nothing to repeat – although some of that can certainly help a person’s self-esteem and self-image).

Remember to give praise where praise is due, or even when it's not due...

Attraction...

We are all magnets. We draw toward ourselves those things we truly desire and we truly want. We don’t necessarily get everything we want… no, it’s not like some people believe that all you have to do is want something enough and it will magically appear.

But if you really want something and you are prepared to think about it, look for opportunities and keep yourself in a positive frame of mind… everything will be a lot more likely to happen.

On the other hand, you could give up, forget your dreams and not look for opportunities, but I’m sure you know what you will attract with that approach…

Sleep...

The best way to sleep well at night is to go to bed with a peaceful heart.

Look over your day, and remind yourself of all the things you did well, all the moments you enjoyed.

Review the things you failed to do well and plan ways to do them better tomorrow. There is nothing to bring peace to one’s heart before bed like knowing that tomorrow you will have an even better day.

Vici

Today Vici turned 9. WeirdGirl is growing up.

This has been a fun year for you! Although you are a 'Tom-boy', you are maturing into a beautiful and wonderful young lady.

We are so proud of you, Vics... proud of the child you are, the young lady you are becoming and the woman you will one day be! You are a fabulous daughter, an exceptional student, xcellent sportsman and an amazing sister.

You are Carénè's bestest friend and a great role model to WildChild and I hope that the three of you will always be close.

Your sensitivity, free-spirit, determination and competitiveness makes you, you! Never change.

Thanx for all the unexpected and spontaneous hugs and butterfly kisses, they always brighten every cold grey Ukay day!

I can't help but worry about your fast approaching teenage years. I pray daily that God will help us stay close to one another and keep the lines of communication open. We will always be here to listen, to talk, and to pray with you no matter what, but always remember that even when you feel like you can't talk to us, you can always talk to God. He will guide you through. Keep your faith.

Happy 9th B'Day my Prinsessie, I know this year will bring new challenges which you will conquer!

We all love you out of this world!

Science...

God is the “who”. Science is the “how”. Science will never prove the existence of God. And science will never prove the non-existence of God.

So let’s get on with the real work of science – The discovery of how this amazing world works. The rules by which our physical space is governed. And ways to improve our space for the benefit of all.

Time is everything...

They say that time is money, but it’s not. Time is everything.

No matter what you are doing, you are spending time. You can’t slow down or speed up the pace of the time you spend. All you can do is increase or decrease the value of what you get for that time.

If you are spending a lot of your time in drudgery work or watching a TV or computer screen, maybe you could do something to increase the value of the time you are spending. Perhaps you would like to spend more time with people, more time playing sports, more time philosophizing… whatever you enjoy doing, whatever fulfils you, that’s how you should spend your time. Because whatever you are doing, you are spending it, and even where there is a money-back guarantee, there is no time-back option.

Time.... spend it wisely!

Wisdom...

“I wish I could stand on a busy corner,
hat in hand, and beg people
to throw me all their
wasted hours.”
~{Bernard Berenson}~

Waste?

Do you waste?

• When you park in front of a store, do you park as close as possible and waste the chance to walk?
• When you commute to work, do you take a car or bus and waste the chance to walk or bicycle?
• When you go to the second or third floor, do you take an elevator and waste the chance to get your heart pumping on the stairs.
• When picking up a meal do you do through the drive-through and waste the chance to stand up and walk a few steps (and waste precious fuel, too)?

How can you reduce your waste?

A Random Act Of Kindness

We live in our own skin 24 hours a day, seven days a week, our whole life and we forget such simple acts which would make a huge difference in other people’s lives and, above all, in our own lives.

What is a Random Act Of Kindness?

As defined by Wikipedia….

“A random act of kindness is a purportedly selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual or in some cases even an animal. There will generally be no reason other than to make people smile, or be happier. Either spontaneous or planned in advance, random acts of kindness are encouraged by various communities.”

Aesop once said…

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

Go and visit The A.R.K at http://www.arandomactofkindness.co.za/

Hugs...

Xcellent reasons to hug somebody today :

• Winter is here in Europe (2 degrees Celsius at the moment).
• Keep your friends close. The longer the hug, the longer they’ll stay.
• A hug lasts a lifetime.
• Human touch reduces stress.
• Hugging makes happy days happier and impossible days possible.
• The nicest thing about a hug is that you usually can't give one without getting one.
• Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy, and gives the person hugged an emotional boost.

Go on, Hug some-one right now!

Locked?

A locked door keeps others out. But it also keeps you in.

On a cold winter day, you might like to stay inside. You are in shelter, not in prison. However, in prison you might prefer to be able to get out.

What about your heart? What about your friendship. What about you? Are you locked?

Maybe you are trying to keep someone or something out, but perhaps you are keeping yourself in. We can make prisoners of ourselves, but life is pretty short and isn’t it time to set yourself free?

Come on live your life unlocked!

Upside down...

One of my favourite play-time move was/is handstands. I loved it and even in a swimming pool it was xcellent. It’s a move that allows a person to stand upside down (yes, somewhat unconventional) but still maintain strength and balance.

It’s a topsy turvy world we live in, and if you can keep your balance when the world turns you upside down, and not lose too much spare change from your pockets along the way, you’ll have everything need to keep smiling.

Keep your mind focused on the things that are important to you, and before you know it everything will return to “normal” and you can keep moving toward your goals.

And for fun, break away from "normal", do a real handstand against a wall and see how long you can stand up-side down. And while you're at it do some cart-wheels or even "rolly-pollys". You won't believe how much fun it is...

8 hours or less?

There is so much the goes into living a healthy lifestyle. In particular, there are three pillars. In recent months I have reclaimed two of those pillars, nutrition and fitness. But the third pillar, sleep, is harder to control.

For starters, it happens while we are asleep. Secondly, when you are married, it’s not always easy to chose when you go to sleep. And if your partner has a fitful night, so will you (at least, if you are a light sleeper).

But sleep is so critical. With insufficient sleep, fitness becomes harder. With insufficient sleep, motivation becomes harder. With insufficient sleep, people eat more bread and sugar. With insufficient sleep, we get grumpier (and you know what that does to both your relationships and the law of attraction).

In so many ways, sleep controls our physical health, our ability to accomplish things and our relationships. It’s worth the effort to get a good night’s sleep every night.

Is there still people who sleep 8 hours a night? How many hours a night, do you sleep?

Courage (2)

"You will never do anything in this world
without courage.
It is the greatest quality of the mind
next to honour."
~{Aristotle}~

Some very brave people suffer from feeling very uncourageous. They labour under the false assumption that courage requires no fear. Quite the contrary, fear is the single most important ingredient in courage.

Without fear there cannot be courage. Courage is the act of overcoming one’s fears.

We all have fears. We can all be courageous. Challenge your fears to a dual today… they aren’t half as brave as you are.

Believe?

Strange thing about us humans... when we believe something we REALLY believe it. So much so that whenever we're shown evidence of ANY kind we tend to do our best to back up what we already believe.

In short, we believe what we WANT to be true, even if the evidence objectively says something else.

Y is that?

Taste...

Ice-Cream drips. So you better eat it fast.

Or perhaps, you simply have to put way less ice-cream in the cone.

Since the first taste is the best, and the ice-cream actually loses flavour as you eat it…maybe the dripping is a message that you’ve had enough?

Then again, can one ever have enough ice-cream?

First snow...

When we woke up on Sunday morning we had our first snow for this season.

But at about 11:30 it started raining and we even had some hail. All that turned the lovely white snow into a brownish slush...

Wisdom...

Place your faith in the divine power within you;
not in your outer abilities.

Wisdom...

Find a rainbow and live your world of dreams,
always remember life is better than it seems.

Growing up...

Growing up is fun. If you have never had kids, you might not realize how many times young souls can thrill over finally being a big kid. Every accomplishment, each new milestone, every new permission – it’s all fodder to be excited at finally being a big kid.

WildChild started school in September this year. Now she's a big kid. No longer going to the Nursery as a little kid. On Monday she was chosen for her School Council (Prefect). A big responsible kid.

So how can you tell who is a big kid and who is a small kid? Easy, yesterday they were all small; today they are all big.

What about you? Y not become a big kid and celebrate your growth every few days, too? Go on I know you want to...

Circumstances...

I believe this Quote, of Mr. Shaw, is the very essence of living the life you want.

Create the circumstances inside yourself, and you will be happy. Pay too much attention to the circumstances around you, events and situations beyond your control, and happiness becomes very elusive.

Water...

If you can’t see the divinity in water...

Water is a resource that many of us take for granted.
Water is the source of life, in more ways than one.
We all need to drink plenty of it.

What does water mean to you?

Responsibility?

What does this word mean, anyway?

Response ability. When we ask, “Just who is responsible for this mess?” The question is really “Who is response able for this mess?”

When you are asked to assume responsibility for something, it might some like a completely different thing than being expected to take responsibility for something. But the bottom line is that the question is all about who is able to respond.

Try taking responsibility as often as possible. Responsibility is not about blame. Responsibility is about empowerment.

Competitive...

Life is competitive. There is always someone better than you, and there is always pressure to catch up and exceed the expectations that have been set. The competition is always hot on your heels. But just who is this competition?

You!

That’s right, whatever you did last sets your standard. You can always improve. You can always be kinder. You can always be faster. You can always be smarter. You can just keep getting better. That’s what self-improvement is all about.

And you can always be happier, too.

Happiness (Permission)

Happiness is sometimes what happens when you’re not looking. Sometimes we spend too much time searching for happiness. Sometimes, we should just let it come to us.

But first, you have to give yourself permission. That’s right, you have to allow yourself to feel happy. You can breathe, you can eat, you can smile…there are so many reasons to feel happy, but you have to give yourself permission, or else none of these things will make you any happier than you already are.

Thoughts...

You are the only one that can
control your thoughts.
It may not seem like it at times,
but you CAN choose what you think!

What if?

Future...

“Finish each day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
~{Ralph Waldo Emerson}~

In Harmony...

Have you ever noticed how beautiful a choir is, with all the voices singing as if they were one. But they are not one. It is the ever so slight variations that help make the harmony sound so beautiful. And sometimes, the choir can even sound beautiful when voices are singing in counterpoint.

A solo performance can also be incredibly beautiful. So can a duet.

The key is to know when to sing solo and when to sing in harmony. When you are with others, strive to work with them. Be part of something beautiful.

When you are by yourself, be the bestest person you can be. Because you are also beautiful on your own.

Temper?

Who’s the boss, you or your temper?

This is an important question, because people who have anger management issues often feel like they are not in control (which they aren’t). Lust for power is generally not considered a good thing. However, control over one’s own actions and reactions, and particularly over one’s temper is an extremely good thing.

Although feeling dejected for having lost control after the temper has subsided is not very useful, feeling determined to keep control before tempers flare is quite useful. The trick is to remind your temper who’s boss before it gets the better of you. You can say to yourself, “I am the boss.” And whatever other lines you need to put temper in its place.

After all, you really are the boss.

Sisters

Sisters. Friends or foes?

Sometimes it is hard to tell. “She NEVER let’s me play by my rules.”
“She ALWAYS hates me.”

And just when you wonder how they can even share the same roof…

“But let’s not forget to get one for my sister, too.”
“Here, you can have the bigger half.”

Terrifying? Heart-warming? Confusing? Ah, but life’s like that.

Good thing we are adults and know better than to bicker, right?

In contact with nature...

Our vacation has been over for a little while now, and even this short ½-Term break we had, just came to an end today, but it was wonderful.

Even though I live in the country-side I still find it refreshing and renewing to commune with nature, walking through a forest, biking around the countless bike-paths in our county, pushing my way into the mist of a waterfall, scaling a hill to see the view from the top, breaking through the waves over a submerged sandbar (although I don't do that often enough because this is the Ukay...), watching the seagulls and kestrels flying around me…these are experiences one just cannot do every day. And they bring us so much closer to our real roots.

As convenient as our daily shelters are, there is a little extra happiness every time we can commune with nature, each in our own way.

Word...

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present
nor the future, nor any powers, neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love
of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

~{Romans 8:38-39}~

Happy (2)

There is such a thing as too much money. There is such a thing as too much fun. There is such a thing as too much food and too much to drink.

There is also such a thing as too little money. There is such a thing as too little fun. There is such a thing as too little food and too little to drink.

Somewhere in between happiness can be found...

Happy?

“Now and then it's good to pause in our
pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”
~{Guilaume Apollinaire}~

Guilaume reminds us that so much of happiness depends on just enjoying whatever we happen to be doing. It’s good to do what we like, but better still to like what we do.

So relax and enjoy yourself, even if you are not doing what would optimally create happiness.