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Tuesday, 27 November 2007

  • Currently Listening
    A Christmas Celebration
    By Celtic Woman
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    Amen!

    Spoiled Brats and Knuckle Draggers

    By: (Author Unknown)

    Fri, Mar 23, 2007

    The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

    The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

    So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, "What are we so unhappy about?"

    Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

    Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

    Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

    How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

    Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the US, yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have , and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

    I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

    Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a 'general' discharge, an 'other than honorable' discharge or, worst case scenario, a 'dishonorable' discharge after a few days in the brig.

    So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did...

    Insane!

    Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

    WE ARE THE MOST BLESSED PEOPLE ON EARTH, WE SHOULD THANK GOD SEVERAL TIMES EVERY DAY.....


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Monday, 12 November 2007

  • Currently Listening
    Somewhere In Time: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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    BE THANKFUL 
    By Author Unknown

    Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. 
    If you did, what would there be to look forward to? 
    Be thankful when you don't know something, 
    for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

    Be thankful for the difficult times. 
    During those times you grow. 
    Be thankful for your limitations, 
    because they give you opportunities for improvement. 
    Be thankful for each new challenge, 
    because it will build your strength and character.

    Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons. 
    Be thankful when you're tired and weary, 
    because it means you've made a difference.

    It's easy to be thankful for the good things. 
    A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. 
    Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. 
    Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, 
    and they can become your blessings.


     

Sunday, 04 November 2007

  • Currently Listening
    Tapestry
    By Carole King
    You've Got A Friend
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    GRATITUDE

    Gratitude

    Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
    It turns what we have into enough, and more.
    It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
    confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast,
    a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

                                  
                   Melody Beattie

Wednesday, 24 October 2007

  • Currently Listening
    Wonderful World
    By Israel Iz Kamakawiwo'ole
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    Examining Priorities

    With the recent fires, I was thinking about what I would grab if I had to evacuate quickly.  And with recent pay and benefit cuts at work, I have had to reassess what is important to me in all areas of my life.  This article from the Daily OM really helped me, and I hope it helps you also.


    June 17, 2005
    Clarification Through Reflection
    Examining Priorities

    There are many sources of strife that are intertwined with simply existing in the modern world today. We feel burdened with too many physical possessions or deprived without them, and there are so many reasons to worry. Following are some exercises you can try to help bring clarification into your life regarding what is really important to you.

    Ask yourself what you would take with you if you were informed that you had five minutes to leave your home. At that moment, it is likely that what seemed tremendously important just moments before - the bills, a broken appliance, or the laundry pile - would be flushed from your mind. Many people would rush to grab a treasured photo album, a favorite ring, or a journal. Who would you want by your side? Family? Loved ones? A pet? Your answer to these questions are a window into what is important to you and what and who you should focus on. Maybe doing the laundry can wait while you call a friend or spend some time doing something you really enjoy.

    Now ask yourself what would be important to you if you found yourself taking your last breaths. Would you worry more about unwritten reports or an unsaid "I love you"? What would you rush to accomplish and what loose ends would you tie up? There might be a dream you'd lament never having chased or someone you wished you'd forgiven. Your answers to this question can help you determine how you truly wish to be spending your time on this earth. You might consider tying up that loose end or following your soul's purpose now, rather than later.

    Choosing to change your life, to embrace new priorities of your own design, even on a small scale, can be the most rewarding thing you'll ever do. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Rather, they are a means to help you better understand how you can lead the life most fulfilling to you.

    For more information visit dailyom.com

    This article is printed from DailyOM - Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day.
    Register for free at www.dailyom.com



Sunday, 14 October 2007

  • Currently Reading
    Opening The Invitation: The Poem That Has Touched Lives Around the World
    By Oriah
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    THE INVITATION

     

    Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Indian Elder

    It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
    I want to know what ache for,
    and if you dare to dream of meeting your hearts longing.
    It doesn’t interest me how old you are
    I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
    for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

    It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
    I want to know if you have touched the center of you own sorrow,
    if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
    or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!
    I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
    without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
    I want to know if you can be with JOY, mine or your own;
    if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of
    your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or
    to remember the limitations of being a human.

    It doesn’t interest me if the story you’re telling me is true.
    I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself;
    if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
    I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
    I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day,
    and if you can source your life from ITS presence.
    I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
    and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full
    moon, "YES!"

    It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
    I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,
    weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
    It doesn’t interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
    I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
    It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
    I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
    I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
    and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

    (Oriah Mountain Dreamer describes herself as 'a workshop leader and writer who has studied with several Native American teachers and lives in Toronto in Canada' - thanks Marie Corcoran-Tindill)

    (Reprinted here by the Community Development Resource Association - www.cdra.org.za)

     

MommaMaui

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