Another one bites the Dust!

In a little while, depending where you are, 2007 will be officially over. The person I admired the most this past year in Belize was a little girl with a big dream and an even bigger voice. I’m talking about our local karaoke champion, Miss Reesie Pollard. Reesie came in from left field and literally blew away the competition systematically week after week. She rode this wave all the way into the final lap of the competition and tore the town apart with her personalized rendition of Mariah Carey’s “hero”. This song could have been written for her.....…"So when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong and you'll finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you......"

For those of you in the Great White North, it appears that this has been a winter filled with snow, sleet and rain. If you’ve been left feeling flat and pessimistic from the winter blues or from the fading wane of 2007, why don’t you follow the teachings of Chinese medicine and look toward spring as a time for new beginnings, light and renewal. Let the words of the Buddhist meditation master Chogyam Trungpa inspire you as they have inspired me.

“There are seasons in your life in the same way as there are seasons in nature. There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture your world and give birth to new ideas and ventures. There are times of flourishing and abundance, when life feels in full bloom, energized and expanding. There are times of fruition, when things come to an end — they have reached their climax and must be harvested before they begin to fade. Finally, of course, there are cold and empty times, when the spring of new beginnings seems like a distant dream. Those rhythms of life are natural events. They weave into one another as day follows night. If you realize that each phase of your life is a natural occurrence, then you need not be swayed, pushed up and down by the changes in circumstance and mood that life brings. You find that you have an opportunity to be fully in the world at all times and to show yourself as a brave and proud individual in any circumstance.”

That beautiful sunset on the top left of this blog page is the view in my front yard captured by my children’s digital cam. Hey, one more reason I love living in the tropics. The sunsets are to die for! (:-)

I learnt a lot in 2007 from all of you out there in bloggityville. My favorite lessons, though, were the ones I found over at Josie’s blog. For the benefit of all mankind and womankind, here are some of life’s little lessons. Read then through and if you care to add one more to the list, please feel free to do so.

LIFE’s LITTLE LESSONS

Sing in the shower.
Treat everyone you meet the way you’d want to be treated.
Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
Leave the toilet seat in the down position.
Never refuse homemade brownies.
Strive for excellence, not perfection.
Plant a tree on your birthday.
Learn 3 clean jokes.
Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full.
Compliment 3 people every day.
Never waste an opportunity.
Leave everything a little better than you found it.
Keep it simple.
Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Floss your teeth.
Ask for a raise when you think you've earned it.
Overtip breakfast waitresses.
Be forgiving of yourself and others.
Say, "Thank you" a lot.
Say, "Please" a lot.
Avoid negative people.
Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards.
Wear polished shoes.
Remember other people's birthdays.
Commit yourself to constant improvement.
Carry jumper cables in your vehicle.
Have a firm handshake.
Send lots of Valentine cards. Sign them, "Someone who thinks you're terrific."
Look people in the eye.
Be the first to say hello.
Use the good silver.
Make new friends, but cherish the old ones.
Return all things you borrow.
Keep a few secrets.
Sing in a choir.
Plant flowers every spring.
Always accept an outstretched hand.
Have a dog or cat.
Stop blaming others.
Tell someone you love them.
Take responsibility for every area of your life.
Feed a stranger's expired parking meter.
Don't expect life to be fair.
Be there when people need you.
Never underestimate the power of love.
Drink champagne for no reason at all.
Don't be afraid to say, "I made a mistake."
Keep your promises no matter what.
Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know."
Compliment others and yourself on small improvements and achievements.
Rekindle old friendships.
Marry for love.
Count your blessings.
Call your parents.

Here’s to raising a virtual glass and toasting you *clink* wherever you are. I appreciate all of you for being here this past year. It’s been fun exchanging comments and ideas with everyone and I look forward to a new year that’s filled with peace, hope, prosperity and love for each and everyone of you. Kisses and hugs.

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

It's Official, Christmas is here!!

I've been in denial all along folks. Burying myself in work, school, etc. All that is over, it's official that Christmas is here.

It's official because of my 9-year old who swept me off to her Christmas pageant whereupon I sat enthralled for the next hour or so whilst the beauty and wonder of the talented tiny tots and not so tiny tots were on proud display. Here are some photos of a Christmas pageant in the tropics:

The Christmas Play was brilliantly produced and had musical accompaniments from the Junior and Senior Choir, three violinists, a pianist and the Choir Mistress. It was nice to see the flashing smiles and twinkling toes of the middle schoolers as well as the tiny angels waiting patiently to take their turn on the stage under the floodlights. This year's pageant had a special quality and I was glad to be there. Yes, finally Christmas 2007 is officially here! How are your Christmas preparations coming along?

Faith sees the Invisible, Believes the Unbelievable and Receives the Impossible!!!!

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN

This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around.

We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.

My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This is the Receiving Section Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.'

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.

The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.'

I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.

'So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments.'
'How does one acknowledge God's blessings?' I asked.
'Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Lord.'

'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.

'If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.'

'And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'

Also 'If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.'

'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'

'If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world.'

'If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare.'

'If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'

Ok, what now? How can I start?

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

ATTN:

Acknowledge Dept.: 'Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with'

In Loving Memory of Sahara Aldridge

Sahara's battle with a brainstem tumour is over. She passed away peacefully on Monday, November 5, 2007. Sahara (better known as Hoops because of her great love for basketball) was an inspiration to all who heard about her story and were touched by her courage, tenacity and strength for the past seventeen months. She reminded us that without dreams there is no hope and without hope there is no life. May her eternal soul rest in everlasting peace.

(Here is a picture of Sahara with her favorite rocker, Rick Springfield, who was undoubtedly one of her family's biggest supporters.)

Before you met me, I was a fairy princess
I caught frogs and called them prince
And made myself a queen
Before you knew me I'd traveled 'round the world
I slept in castles
And fell in love
Because I was taught to dream
I found mayonnaise bottles and poked holes on top
To capture Tinker Bell
And they were just fireflies to the untrained eye
But I could always tell
I believe in fairy tales
And dreamer's dreams
Like bedsheet sails
And I believe in Peter Pan and miracles,
Anything I can to get by
And fireflies
Before I grew up, I saw you on a cloud
I could bless myself in your name
And pat you on your wings
And before I grew up, I heard you whisper so loud
Life is hard and so is love child,
Believe in all these things
I found mayonnaise bottles and poked holes on top
To capture Tinker Bell
And they were just fireflies to the untrained eye
But I could always tell
I believe in fairy tales
And dreamer's dreams
Like bedsheet sails
And I believe in Peter Pan
And miracles, anything I can to get by . . .
And fireflies
. . .Fireflies
Before you met me, I was a fairy princess
I caught frogs and called them prince
And made myself a queen
And before you knew me I'd traveled 'round the world
And I slept in castles
And fell in love
Because I was taught to dream

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Artist/Band: Faith Hill
Lyrics for Song: Fireflies
Lyrics for Album: Fireflies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To her loving parents, Amy and Shannon, I extend my sincere condolences. Yours was a journey of strength, compassion, courage and love. May God Bless you and may the peace that passeth all understanding be yours now and forever more.

The road to Feeling Good

Something to Do, Something to Eat, Something to Drink, Someone to Love you
*********************************************

October has been a busy month for me, culminating with Halloween preparations, mid-term exams and work related activities. It’s probably as good a time as any to start thinking about breaking out of the bad habits that I’ve developed over the past several months and start shedding the excess weight before the arrival of Christmas and all the goodies that come with it. So here is part one of a Feel Good guide excerpted from the Sunday Times on how to free up our minds, think positively, eat properly and exercise for energy.

It’s time to Refocus. Just as you chuck out the mouldy carrots that fester in the recesses of your fridge, you should occasionally declutter your thoughts and seek out new ingredients for a more vital life. You need to understand what makes you leap out of bed in the morning. What subjects heighten your senses, who inspires you and what motivates you to be the best that you can be. It is only by deciding what your priorities are that you can discover a renewed sense of purpose.

Set aside a fixed time to achieve a task and just do it. If this involves wearing a Do Not Disturb hat, then so be it. Take that thing you’ve been putting off for ages, grab a stopwatch and give it 10 minutes. When the alarm goes off, stop. Just starting will go a long way toward making it happen, and you’ll probably find it wasn’t so bad after all.

Become an eternal optimist and you won’t just think you’re better off, you actually will be. So says psychologist Martin Seligman, who has demonstrated that mildly deluded optimists have more successful careers, live to a ripe old age, attract more friends and have more fun. Be open to as many new experiences as you can, from painting to paragliding, sailing to singing. Choose Nigerian cinema instead of your usual blockbuster selections.

We all feel good about ourselves when we’re doing something we’re good at. The protagonist in the film Being John Malkovich used his nimble puppeteer fingers to become the speediest filing clerk. Where can you use the skills you already have to the best advantage in other areas of your life?

Setting yourself realistic goals that challenge and excite can help you to find your “flow” or your “groove”. Remember that film, How Stella Found her Groove? Anything that is too hard or too easy won’t get you there. To increase motivation, share your goal with others, make sure there are as many benefits as possible and keep the payoff tangible and specific.

Keep adding to the pool of positive people who inspire and excite you. Don’t ditch your old and loyal friends, just keep your group fresh. Get to know the people around you, organise a party with colleagues or do an evening class. Simply start saying “yes” when people suggest new things. The more people you know, the more people you’ll meet and the more possibilities will present themselves.

Understand the culture in which you live, begin to comprehend the impact it has and use this knowledge to rejuvenate your own life and be the change you want to see in the world. What gets you up in the morning today may feel very different in the next three months. Keep experimenting by chopping and changing the ingredients in your life and as you spice up the recipe, your morning leap will follow suit. Remember to have a fabulous time while doing all of the above! E