THE PRACTICE OF PEACE

“If you, yourself, are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.” – Thomas Merton

As parents, we set a tone of peace or anxiousness in our home. The more we are able to practice peace and harmony, the easier it is for our children to learn and practice peace as well. The practice of peace begins with the voice. Speaking to one another in warm, calm tones is the beginning of peace. A shrill, raised voice always upsets the peace. It is possible to set limits and to discipline without raising one’s voice.

DREAMS, GOALS AND REALITY

“If you want more control over a project, a business or your future, and a greater chance at meeting other long-term goals, it’s a good idea to take the time necessary to get it down in writing.” – Patt Borgman

“Writing something down is the first step toward making it happen. In conversation, you can get away with vagueness and nonsense, often without even realizing it. But there’s something about putting your thoughts on paper that forces you to get down to specifics.” – Lee Iacocca

As you reflect on the past year and look forward to 2009, here are some things that may help you achieve your goals. Goals can be thought of as dreams with deadlines. Dreams have a way of remaining ethereal, vague and unrealized. Goals, on the other hand, have a way of becoming your reality. The simplest way to realize your dreams is to turn your dreams into goals, write your goals down on paper, and give yourself a deadline for realizing them.

THE REAL WORK OF CHRISTMAS

Now that the Shepherds have returned to their flocks, the ribbons and wrapping papers have been discarded, the vacancy sign is back up at the inn and the leftovers are nearly all consumed, let us carry out the real work of Christmas, which is to:

• welcome the stranger,
• feed the hungry,
• heal the sick,
• visit the lonely,
• comfort the afflicted,
• bind up the broken hearted,
• and share the good news of salvation.

Kid Stuff

by Frank Horne

The wise guys

Tell me

That Christmas

Is kid stuff…

Maybe they’ve got something there -

Two thousand years ago

Three wise guys

Chased a star

Across a continent

To bring

Frankincense and myrrh

To a kid

Born in a manger

With an idea in his head…

And as the bombs

Crash

All over the world

Today

The real wise guys

Know

That we’ve all

Got to go chasing stars

Again

In the hope

That we can get back

Some of that

Kid stuff

Born two thousand Years ago -

Take a Breather

A TIP FOR MANAGING STRESS AT THE HOLIDAYS

Be sure to take some time for yourself. Steal away to a quiet place, even if it’s the bathroom for a few moments of solitude. Spending a few minutes alone, without distractions, will refresh you. Listen to soothing music. Take a walk at night and stargaze. Find something that reduces stress by clearing your mind, slowing your breathing and restoring inner calm.

Ask for Help

A TIP FOR MANAGING STRESS AT THE HOLIDAYS

Don’t to play the martyr roll with holiday preparations. Ask for help and delegate certain responsibilities to others. If you try to do everything yourself, you will end up frazzled, stressed and resentful. The best thing to do is to you share your plans with other family members and enlist their corporation. If you are the only one who knows what your expectations are, you’re bound to feel let down. Disappointment is usually the result of poorly communicated expectations.

Set Differences Aside

A TIP FOR MANAGING STRESS AT THE HOLIDAYS

The holidays are not time to set about restructuring personal relationships within the family. If you have unfinished business with parents, siblings or other relatives, set aside an appropriate time to deal with these issues, but don’t use holiday gatherings for this purpose. With stress and high levels of activity, the holidays are not the best time to work on reshaping important relationships. Instead, practice acceptance and forgiveness. This does not mean, however, that you should tolerate verbal or emotional abuse. You can always practice self-respect.

Feel-good or Dreaded

A TIP FOR MANAGING YOUR TIME AT THE HOLIDAYS

Sort all the items on your holiday task list into two groups: feel-good and dreaded. Eliminate or modify as many of the dreaded tasks as possible. In most cases, won’t be able to eliminate or successfully sweeten all of your dreaded tasks. However, if you balance or combine your dreaded tasks with your feel-good tasks, you will be surprised at how much better you will feel. This is an example of the principal, “A little bit of sugar helps the medicine go down.” You may find that this strategy works equally well in other areas of your life.

David Brooks is brilliant!

David Brooks is one of the most intellegent and thoughtful columnists today. Who else can comment with such depth on Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, “The Outliers?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/opinion/16brooks.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Make a List

A TIP FOR MANAGING YOUR TIME AT THE HOLIDAYS

Make a list of everything you’d like to accomplish during this holiday season. Your list should be reasonable, realistic and honest. Next, divide your list into 4 parts: the first part will contain those things which are absolutely essential, such as shopping for groceries and gifts, responding to social invitations, attending children’s school or church presentations, etc. The second part of your list will contain those activities that would be nice if you could accomplish them, but are not absolutely essential. The third part of your list will contain those things which are clearly optional. The fourth part of the list will be reserved for things you may want to consider for next year. This four-part list will keep you from becoming overwhelmed while helping you to focus on the things that are most important.