'TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY

CHRISTMAS TIME.........

Everywhere we are met with the same messages......

Christmas is a time to be jolly.....
Christmas is a time to celebrate.....
Christmas is a time to toast.....

The question is.....

How and what should we celebrate, Why should we be jolly and what should we toast with???

To me Christmas IS a time to celebrate and be happy. To me Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, so we should be happy.


We should toast the fact that our sins will be forgiven and we will have ever lasting life if we truly believe in the real meaning of Christmas - the birth of the Son of God. We should toast this birth with the Water from the Spring of Everlasting Life and not with alcohol...the way most people are so bent on doing.

Many people profess to be Christians and that they believe in God and the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ, when they go to church each Sunday, but Monday to Saturday they live a different life. A life of the worldly.... the life of a sinner. As long as they attend a Church service every Sunday, all is well with their lives.

This is the time we exchange gifts with our loved ones, but what is the reason. Is it a status symbol showing off what we can afford. Is it merely something born of tradition - our parents did it, so we will do it - OR is it because we want to celebrate the GIFT that we received more than 2000 years ago. God's GIFT to us - His son who was given to us so that we can receive the ULTIMATE GIFT of everlasting life.



I know that we are ALL sinners and that nobody is perfect and without fault, but do you try to live as Godly as possible? Do you try to live your life without hurting your neighbor? We forget how easy it is to hurt other people's feelings by an unkind word - often not meant to be unkind, but the recipient may be going through a hard time that you know nothing about. They may have a problem that they have not shared with others and something you may consider as innocent, may be very hurtful to them. Please - always be thoughtful of other people and their feelings.

Let us start the new year thinking of others before ourselves. Let us think twice before we drop a seemingly innocent remark, or do something thoughtless that could hurt other people. Think about how we would react to a similar situation. It is very rewarding to see the gratitude from someone who has been given a compliment, and the pride when they are asked for their opinion in a matter.

It is always much more rewarding to give than to receive - try it and you will see what I mean. I don't profess to be the perfect friend at all times, but I try my best. I have many friends from across the globe, and I always try and listen to their problems, and even if I can't always help them physically, I will always lend an ear and try and give advice wherever I can. That is usually all your friends need - to know that you are always there for them. They don't need a proffessional to tell them that they are special - only a real friend.

Can we all try and look for the positive - the good in people. Is it possible that we can change our outlook on life to find the beauty instead of the ugly - this will bring such peace to our lives that we won't even think of the bad things that are happening around us, and if we all look at life like that, there will be more and more peace in the world. Peace starts with each one of us and goodwill should be spread all around us, by us..... Try it - you may even like it!!

How wonderful that would be - to be able to celebrate PEACE ON EARTH and GOODWILL TO ALL MEN!! After all, isn't that what Christmas should be all about.....

A time to be jolly....
A time to celebrate the right way.

Once in a lifetime - 09/09/09

This morning I received a text message from a friend and it reminded me of how privileged we are to receive Blessings every day.

The message......

"What a special day..... 09/09/09 and we will only experience this once in our lifetime BUT.... God blesses us 90x90x90 times."

This statement is very true , but I want to add something to it....... What a pity that we so easily forget our blessings.


I know that every year has it's special days like 06/06/06 or 07/07/07, but to me 09/09/09 seems an extra special day - don't ask me why!!

When I think of blessings from God, I don't only think of my own blessings. He blesses every living thing in the universe. Just look around you - besides us humans, we have animals that are blessed with the knowledge of what to do to survive. They know how to bring their young into this world and how to feed them and keep them safe. They have the instinct that God gave them to know what is best for them and their young.

Many plants have a special built in instinct for survival. In drought stricken regions, such as a deserts, some seeds will lie dormant for years until there is a good down pour, which will let them spring into life.

It is a miracle to see arid regions suddenly burst into life with the most amazing plants blooming like there never was a day without them.

God creates new life every minute of the day and what a blessing!! The blessing of survival of all living things. The cycle of life.

Count your Blessings!!!

I love this poem written by Sandra Lewis Pringle.......

The Morning Glory

I awaken to the glory of the morn',
sunshine streaking, birds cheerfully cheeping,
another day is born.

The Morning Glory inaudibly climbs,
and shares its shy beauty, so rare.
And, we know that behind its mystery,
Our Creative God is there.

He blesses us with sunshine,
He blesses us with rain,
because it's only through the showers,
that do we not, remain the same.

So, as this new day awakens,
and I'm cradled securely in Your arms,
May Your love forever keep me safe,
and sheltered from all storms.

~ Sandra Lewis Pringle~

WHAT TIME IS IT..............

It is time to reflect....

Time to reflect on the past... in order to prepare for the future.
Time to reflect on the past... in order to forgive and forget
Time to reflect on the past... in order to remember the good times and the bad
It is time..... to separate the good from the bad and take lessons from the past to plan for the future.

It is time .........
to let go of all frustrations and sadness and embrace happiness. Create your own happiness - never depend on others for your own well being - never blame others for your failures and sorrows. Only YOU can decide which way you want to go and what you want to do with your opportunities even though it is often difficult to recognize them as such.

It is time .......
to grab all opportunities with both hands and use them to your best advantage. Every experience you have is an opportunity - even the less pleasant and downright horrible ones. It is up to you to turn the bad ones into something positive.

Life is like standing just inside the entrance to a tunnel...... If you turn around you see the road. This is like your past stretching behind you never to be seen again. Looking ahead you see a spot of light at the end of the tunnel. This could be your future stretching out in front of you - Dark and unknown - Only you can control what is at the end of the tunnel. You have to make your own destiny and live with it. Make your own decisions.


It is time .......
to plan ahead, then the tunnel will not be quite so dark. We are all in the dark when it comes to the future, but at least if you plan for that very dark future, it could mean a lighter road ahead. If those plans don't always work out exactly the way you want, then accept that it was not meant to be...... accept it and make the best of it.

If you accept the trials and tribulations life throws our way, life can always be good. Accept them as a test of your strength. You will never be given a burden that is too heavy for you to bear - it will only make you stronger.

It is time.....
to see clearly......

THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF LIFE'S ROAD.

Where does life's Road take us - we don't know - but could we have the faith of a child and run along believing that the road will take us to where our destiny lies.....






Coincidence or Destiny?

Communicating with people is one thing I derive a lot of pleasure from. I also pride myself on having quite a good memory - possibly because I take a real interest when I chat with others.

I also believe that everything that happens in life, happens for a reason, and here is an unbelievable but true story - something that happened to me.

I live in South Africa and my last name is Weimann..... A while back I received a message on Face Book from someone with the same last name, inquiring about our family background with the idea of possibly finding a connection. Although this gentleman used to live in South Africa, he had emigrated to the USA some years ago. It turned out that we did not seem to be related, and that was the end of that - or so I thought!!

About 30 days ago I received a message from a lady - also on Face Book - inquiring whether I knew someone, once again with the same last name as mine. She told me that she had applied for a passport for her daughter, and upon receipt of the passport, realized that it was not her daughter's, but the canceled passport of a little girl - the name she mentioned with the last name Weimann. She said that she would like to return the passport to the girl's parents as that is what she would have wished for herself had it been her daughter.

I immediately replied telling her that I live in South Africa and that the passport obviously belonged to someone in the USA. Her response to me was that she saw that I am from South Africa and the reason that she contacted me was that there were some entries in the passport to and from South Africa, so she thought that I may know the family. Then I remembered the gentleman who had contacted me before, and looked at his profile, and to my surprise, he actually lives in the same city as the lady who had the passport. I sent his details to her, and in turn she contacted him.

I think you know by now where I am going with this..... This man was the girl's father!! They arranged to meet so that the canceled passport could go to its rightful place!

Was it coincidence or destiny that brought the three of us together. I live thousands of miles away from two people who live in the same country, in the same city, and yet I was the instrument which was used to connected the two with each other.... three strangers who met by chance....coincidence, or destiny??

HEAVEN'S SPOTLIGHTS

I have many dark days when I imagine that the sun will never shine for me again. I think we all have those days when nothing goes our way. Everything we want to pick up and hold, either falls and breaks, or we knock it over before we even pick it up..... like the last bit of milk - just enough for the desperately needed cup of tea!! We encounter stumbling blocks wherever we go and run into obstacles around every corner.

Many a day I feel like simply crawling back into bed and pulling the covers over my head. On days like these we only need to look that little bit harder to find the beautiful sunshine that breaks through life's clouds. All we have to do is remember that behind all our dark clouds, the sun still shines and that when it finds a chink in the cloud's armor, it will shine through like a spotlight from heaven.

Instead of burying our heads in the sand, rather look up to heaven and find that beautiful brightness in the dark cloud. If you look really hard, you will always find it. Be thankful in the knowledge that we can always depend on that - we may not always see our blessings, but they are always there - looking for the chink in our protective armor.

We are so fond of putting up a fence around us, keeping "things" out. Some fences are primitive and hand-made.....others are well planned and expensive.









We think that the fences are there to keep us safe - to keep bad elements out, but at the same time we are really building a fence around ourselves, keeping us in!! Unless we have a gate built into the fence, we are really building prisons for ourselves. Just like the opening in the clouds that let the sun shine through, we need openings in our fences to let ourselves through. We need the opportunity to let our light shine through. Counting our blessings can inspire us to share them with others and unless we can go through the gate in our fence, it becomes impossible to share and that would be such a pity.

We should seize any opportunity of being a shining light in someones life - someone who still has to find Heaven's Spotlights. Instead of hiding behind our fences, let us help them find the light.

Here are some quotes I would like to share with you:

“ God is the Sun and when His rays fall upon your heart, not impeded by the clouds of egoism, the lotus blooms and the petals unfold.”........Sri Sathya Sai Baba quotes

“In the hour of adversity be not without hope For crystal rain falls from black clouds” ....Persian Proverb

“It is the mind that makes the body rich; and as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, so honor peereth in the meanest habit.”...........William Shakespeare

WHERE MY INSPIRATION COMES FROM....

My inspiration - I find it everywhere...

Where do you find YOUR inspiration....





I find mine everywhere - in all things around me.

When I look at the beauty that surrounds me, I forget about the hard times.

The beauty of a delicate flower brings the realization of how powerful the Creator is - how these beautiful creations can never be reproduced by man. We can manipulate nature and create new things from others, but it will never be original, but a mere mixture of different kinds of the original beauty.

Each animal, no matter how small or large, is unique and perfect in its creation. They may be called dumb animals, but their intelegence is far higher than that of us humans in certain respects.They are self supportive almost from the time they start breathing, and we, as humans, take years before we can even walk and talk. Very few animals hold a grudge, no matter what wrongs have been done against them, while the humans are all too quick to start a war. I take my inspiration from these so called "dumb" animals and try to let bygones be bygones. It is not always easy, but who am I to judge the next person and think badly of them. How can I expect perfection from them - I am not perfect - who is?

The sun that rises every day and the moon at night... The seasons that come and go like clockwork and the tides of the sea....All this reminds me that everything is controlled by a higher hand, and that we can depend on that same higher hand to look after us and keep us safe.

We can all learn from nature. Have you ever looked at the delicate perfection of a spider's web. The spider with no tools other than its mouth and feet creates a perfect web. Look at the ants and the bees. Each of these have teams they work in. Each one has it's own place in the team and does that part for which they were created without complaints - and they never go on strike. They work 24/7 until the day they die. I would love to be like that, but unfortunately I am a human, and I have plenty of flaws. When I look at them I realize that I have nothing to complain about.

After flowers, I think birds are the next amazingly beautiful creatures. Some have such vibrant colours and have beautiful song to go with their outer beauty. They are so determined to succeed in whatever they do. How often do they start building a nest just to have it destroyed, either by nature or at the hand of man, but they will start it all over again until they succeed. Then they often have to see their eggs, or babies, eaten or killed. They will start again if time permits. They will know if the season will hold long enough for them to start again. They have no calendars or watches, but they know these things. They know when it is time to migrate to warmer countries before winter sets in, and they fly for weeks and maybe even months to get to their destination...the same one every year. They don't consult road maps or compasses - they just know. I would give anything to be so determined, and not give up when things don't go as I would like them to.

Some days when I think that there is no more hope for my life to improve, I will look at nature and realize that there isn't really anything to improve. As long as I am alive and breathing, everything else is bound to follow.

I am an online Marketer, and as such, I have had many disappointments and bad experiences, but I have always found something good in whatever happened. Even if it just the experience and knowledge of what to avoid in the future. I try and get the same inspiration in my daily life as I see in nature, but it is not always easy. Not impossible, but certainly not easy.

Here are some quotes that I find very true and inspiring:

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive ... - Eleonora Duse


Keep your sense of proportion by regularly, preferably daily,
visiting the natural world........................................... by Catlin Matthews

The rainbows of life follow the storm........................ by Horace Friess


The morning of life is like the dawn of a day, full of purity, visions,
and harmony.............................................................. by Chateubriand

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished..by Lao Tzu


And this final one I like best:

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is
to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone
with the heavens, nature and God.

Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and
that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple
beauty of nature. I firmly believe that nature brings solace
in all troubles .............................................by Anne Frank
This is my exact belief also...


I also believe...........smile and the whole world smiles with you
..............Cry, and you cry alone.

There is so much to be thankful for, there should be no time to complain and be sad.

Next time you feel like the whole world hates you, go out and help someone, and you will know the joy of giving. While you are giving, you will have no time to want to grab, but you will receive the joy and happiness that comes with sharing.

Please leave your comments below.

I am..........

I am grateful to be alive.....
I am grateful for all my blessings....
I am grateful for everything around me....

It is Spring and I love the new life it brings....I know I sound crazy but I live in South Africa which is in the Southern Hemisphere, so our seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere.

I love the beauty of the fresh young leaves that appear in Spring.... The blossoms on what seems like dead plants and trees. Soon the blossoms will turn to lovely fruit, to be enjoyed by all - humans, birds and animals alike. The abundance of nature is unbelievable. From nothing, or what seems like nothing, there are the most amazing flowers and fruit.

All the animals reproduce and their young are as welcome as the fruit on the trees and the fresh young shoots of grass that feed many of the animals.

The sound of tiny newly hatched birds calling for food - forever hungry - and the parents always tirelessly carrying food to them. They need this continuous flow of food to ensure their rapid growth so that they can find their wings and learn to fly before the next winter sets in. They have to be independent from their parents by then.

The new lambs and calves frolicking in the meadows are so energetic it inspires me to want to do so much more!!

Everywhere you look there are young ones - the wonders of nature.

Look and listen.....

it is a wonderful sight to see and beautiful music to my ears.