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| Try
to hold on to the memories of how good you feel during the next few weeks
whenever you are around people who liven things up with happiness. See how
quickly a room full of quiet people can break into laughter when one
person brightens up the room. Happiness is contagious, and all it takes is
one person to lift up everyone’s spirit. More
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| This is my favourite time of the
year, and I know that most of you likely feel the same way. However, at
the risk of putting a damper on your “Christmas Spirit”, it is also
the time of year when I get the most discouraged about the future of this
great community. More>>> |
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| The other day I came across a short article that clearly
explained why it is so difficult to get people to change their habits and
beliefs. The article showed me that a simple creature like the "processionary
caterpillar" can teach us all a lot about life if we are only willing
to listen. More>>>> |
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| Have you ever noticed that it is usually the little things
you do for people that are often the most appreciated? More>>>> |
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| We’ve all been there. If you are human, you can’t help
but experience times when everything seems to be going wrong and you feel
as if your life is completely out of control. More>>>> |
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| The
other day I was typing an article on my computer when I was interrupted by
the sound of someone speaking a language which I must admit I am beginning
to understand. It was my 15-month old granddaughter tugging at my shirt
wanting me to play with her. More>>> |
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| Have
you ever found yourself in a situation where you jumped to a conclusion
about someone, only to find out later that you were wrong? Embarrassing,
isn’t it? More>>> |
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| Have
you ever been involved in an argument or debate with someone and just
couldn’t find the right words to back up your position? More>>>> |
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| Many of my acquaintances often
ask me how I come up with ideas for my editorials every week. I tell them
that it is easy when you are around people all of the time. You just have
to watch and listen. Life happens and stories evolve on their own. More>>>> |
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| As one grows older you would
expect that there would be fewer and fewer new things to experience about
life. You know the expression, “Been there, done that!”
So imagine how I felt, when, for the first time in my 55 years on
this earth, I found myself standing by in a lonely hospital room last week
watching my mother-in-law die. More>>>> |
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| Parenting is an art! Ask any
mother or father and they will quickly tell you that there is nothing that
fully prepares you for the role, but you soon discover that there is no
job in the world that is more satisfying or more challenging. More>>>> |
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| There are certain things you stumble across in this life
that hit you like a brick. A few weeks ago I saw the quotation above and
it almost knocked me over. It was on one of those days when I was
questioning whether or not I was making any difference at all in the
things I was doing. More>>>>> |
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| I want
to share a story with you that makes me feel just a little bit of pain
every time I read it. As a father, a teacher, and a husband, I have often
found myself in a situation where I “failed to see the cake” and I
know I missed out on some pretty special moments. More>>> |
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| I once met a farmer who had lived on the same farm all his
life. It was a good farm with fertile soil, but with the passing of the
years, the farmer began to think that maybe there was something better for
him. More>>> |
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| Some people find that it is a lot easier to simply accept
the status quo, and go about their live with a feeling that nothing they
do will make a difference. |
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| Every now and then Christians are challenged to justify
their faith in God. Some people just do not believe things they can’t
understand. Here is a little story that may help you the next time you
find yourself in a conversation with a person who is trying to put you on
the spot. More>>>> |
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| A long time ago there was a young man who was going through
a very difficult period in his life. He worked extremely hard and just
couldn’t find any time to spend with his wife and children. He went to
confide in his father, who was the wisest man he knew. More>>> |
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| Several centuries ago, the Emperor of Japan asked a
Japanese artist to paint a picture of a particular species of bird. Many
years later, the Emperor paid a personal visit to the artist’s studio to
ask for an explanation as to why his painting had not yet been delivered. More>>> |
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| I feel sorry for the next generation. Admittedly, I am not
very old myself, but as I look back over my life I realize that the times
during which I really appreciated what I had were the times when I didn=t
really have very much. It seems that the more we have, the more we want,
and the more we take for granted what we have. Many of us spend our entire
life searching for something that we had right in front of us all along. More
>>>> |
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| I was recently reminded of a golf tournament I played in
way back in August 2000. I was on a team with my son and two of his
friends. When we took our place on the tee to begin our quest for the
championship, little did I realize that I was taking part in one of those
significant life experiences that we all look back upon with fondness over
the ever increasing years of our life. More
>>>> |
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| Too often we come across individuals who are so sure of
them self that they refuse to change their focus. They would rather
continue in one direction without changing focus or giving consideration
to other alternatives. How often we have witnessed failure, when a simple
change of direction would have resulted in success. More
>>>> |
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| One of the things you learn as you are going through the
various stages of life is that no matter what you are involved in, life
has a way of throwing obstacles at you. Our ability to cope with
change and disruption determines, to a great degree, our peace, happiness
and contentment in life. But how do we develop this ability to cope with
change? How do we help children learn this skill? More
>>>> |
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| The "Daffodil Garden" was located on the side of
a mountain. It was a magnificent scene. One of the most beautiful sights
you could imagine. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of
gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes where it had run
into every crevice and over every rise. The mountainside was radiant,
clothed in massive drifts and waterfalls of daffodils. More
>>>> |
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| I read an article the other day which was written by a man
named Jeff Keller. After I finished the article, I realized that the
title, "There’s A Lot More Left In The Tube", is one of those
motivational quotations that you would like to hang up in every room to
remind you that you should never give up too soon. We have all experienced
frustration and despair at various times in our lives when we felt we had
done everything we possibly could to achieve a particular goal. It may be
something as simple as trying to grow flowers in your garden, or as
serious as how to cultivate a better relationship with your child or
spouse, or something to do with your job. Whatever the case, there comes a
point when you simply feel you can’t go on any further. More>>>>> |
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| Many times we, as flawed human beings, make a personal
comment, or react to a situation in anger, only to wish we could take back
our words or say what we really wanted to say in a different manner? Human
beings are, by nature, confrontational animals. We like to get in the last
word! We are quick to strike back with a negative comment when we are
angry or when we are insulted! We don’t like to sit back and take
criticism! Many times, our verbal attacks make us feel good for the
moment, but then we feel a sense of remorse and regret afterwards when we
realize that what we actually said may have inflicted great pain on those
around us. Consider the valuable lesson about life a father taught his son
in this little story and see if there is a lesson for all of us. More>>>>> |
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| One day a little red hen scratched about in the
barnyard until she gathered some grains of wheat. She called her
neighbours and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to
eat. Who will help me plant?" More>>>>> |
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The other morning I stopped for a hot chocolate at the drive
through of Tim Horton’s. It was early, and the line-up was unusually
long. By the time I got to the window for my single cup of hot chocolate I
was more than a little annoyed at the waiting time. The glass door lifted,
and there to greet my frowning face was a young lady with a sincerely
friendly smile and a cheery, "Good morning, sir. Here is your hot
chocolate. That will be $1.24 please." More>>>>>
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