Goodness Remains

Goodness is here, now, today in unending abundance. Open your heart and know it.

Much of the world's pain arises from the failure to fully appreciate life's goodness. Yet goodness will always outlive the pain.

Peacefully let go of fear and anger, resentment and anxiety. Goodness remains.

Feel the longing for goodness that lives always within you. Let it drive your thoughts and actions, and you'll create more of the very goodness you seek.

Focus on those parts of your life that resonate with your deepest purpose. See the true beauty that is alive and growing in your world.

Hold life's goodness securely in your heart. Move forward with confidence, knowing it is always there.

-- Ralph Marston

19 Things a Woman Should Never Apologize For

1. Never apologize for pursuing what makes you happy. Even if you need to quit your job, transfer schools, or move across country, always dowhat you really want

2. Never apologize for crying. Wear waterproof mascara and express yourself

3. Never apologize for being successful. Only haters want to keep you at their level.

4. Never apologize for ten pounds you need to lose. People who truly care about you will accept you as you are.

5. Never apologize for wearing a weave or braids. You bought it so it's yours.

6. Never apologize for being frugal. Just because you save your money instead of blowing it on the latest fashion emergency doesn't mean you're cheap.

7. Never apologize for treating yourself to something special. Sometimes you have to show yourself some appreciation.

8. Never apologize for demanding respect. You are to always be treated as a queen.

9. Never apologize for leaving an abusive relationship. Your safety should always be a priority.

10. Never apologize for keeping the ring even if you did not get married..

11. Never apologize for setting high standards in a relationship. You know what you can tolerate and what simply gets on your nerves.

12. Never apologize for dating outside your race. Just because you found Mr. Right across the color line doesn't mean you don't love your brothas..

13. Never apologize to your new friends about old friends. There's a reason she's been your girl from day one.

14. Never apologize for ordering dessert or more than one dessert.

15. Don't apologize for being a single Mom. Babies are a blessing.

16. Never apologize for saying NO.

17. Never apologize for not knowing how to cook. Even if you can't burn like Grandma you know how to order good take out. (Right Girl!)

18. Never apologize for making more money than your man, you work hard and you deserve to get paid.

19. Never apologize for being you! KEEP YOUR HEAD UP AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT GOD LOVES YOU AND HE ALWAYS HAS YOUR BACK

Tips for a Better Life

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, >
'My purpose is to __________ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy. >

6. Play more games and > read more books than you did in 2007.

7. Make time to practice meditation, > and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives. >

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan
salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. REMEMBER GOD heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

The Art of Marriage

by Wilfred Arlan Peterson




Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.

A good marriage must be created.

In the Art of Marriage, the little things are the big things:It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say “I Love You” at least once every day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with this day, it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together facing the world.It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humour.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependance is mutual,
and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

Questions to Consider Before Getting Married

Here a few questions to ask yourself before you walk down the aisle.

1. Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver?

2. Do we have a clear idea of each other’s financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh?

3. Have we discussed our expectations for how the household will be maintained, and are we in agreement on who will manage the chores?

4. Have we fully disclosed our health histories, both physical and mental?

5. Is my partner affectionate to the degree that I expect?

6. Can we comfortably and openly discuss our sexual needs, preferences and fears?

7. Will there be a television in the bedroom?

8. Do we truly listen to each other and fairly consider one another’s ideas and complaints?

9. Have we reached a clear understanding of each other’s spiritual beliefs and needs, and have we discussed when and how our children will be exposed to religious/moral education?

10. Do we like and respect each other’s friends?

11. Do we value and respect each other’s parents, and is either of us concerned about whether the parents will interfere with the relationship?

12. What does my family do that annoys you?

13. Are there some things that you and I are NOT prepared to give up in the marriage?

If one of us were to be offered a career opportunity in a location far from the other’s family, are we prepared to move?

Does each of us feel fully confident in the other’s commitment to the marriage and believe that the bond can survive whatever challenges we may face?

Be You

by Ralph Marston

You were born to be real, not to be perfect.
You are here to be you, not to live someone else's life.
Every day you make some progress and every day you make a few mistakes.
Through it all, your wisdom continues to grow and your experience continues to broaden.
Be gentle with yourself. Accept who you are, where you have been, and what you have to work with, for in this moment you can make positive use of it all.
Reach in and touch the purpose that makes you feel most alive.
The world around you is filled with places where that purpose can do great things.
It is never too late to offer your unique and genuine gifts to life.
Now is the time to do great things, even in the smallest of ways.
Choose to fully and graciously live life as it comes.
The richest rewards by far are the ones to which you most sincerely give of yourself.

The Carrot, the egg and the coffee

by: Theodore Tan

A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She said, "Father, I do not know how I am going to make it. I just feel like giving up. I'm tired of fighting and struggling. It seems as though every time one of my problems is solved, a new one comes along. I just can't take it anymore."

Her father took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed them each on high heat. Soon, the pots came to a boil. In one pot of boiling water, he placed carrots. In the second, he placed eggs, and in the last pot, he placed coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word. The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

Twenty minutes later, he turned off the burners. He strained the water from the carrots and placed them in a bowl. He lifted the eggs out and placed them in another bowl. Then he ladled the steaming coffee into a bowl. Turning to her, he asked, "What do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft and mushy. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its flavor and smelled the rich aroma. She humbly asked, "But what does it mean, Father?"

He explained that each of them had been plunged into boiling water, but each had reacted differently. The carrot went into the water strong and hard but after being subjected to the boiling water; it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its soft, liquid interior. But after sitting in the boiling water, it became hard on the inside.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, the water did not really change them. THEY CHANGED THE WATER! "Which are you?" the father gently asked his daughter.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you more like a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

How about you? Are you the carrot that started out strong and hard long ago, but with the pain and adversity of your life struggles, did you become soft and lose your strength?

Are you the egg that started out soft on the inside? Were you a fluid spirit, but after the pain of death, abuse, rejection, poor health, divorce, or a layoff, have you become hardened? Your outer shell might look the same, but have you become hard-boiled and toughened in your spirit and your heart?

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean that was plunged into the rapidly boiling water actually changed the hot water and gave it flavor and aroma, reaching its peak flavor at 212° Fahrenheit! THAT IS HOT WATER!!!

When people say bad things about you, do your praises to the Lord continues, or do you blame Him? When the hour is darkest and your trials are their greatest, does your worship elevate to a higher level, or do you desert Him? When you feel burdened by your own troubles, do you still reach out and help others? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

When you are plunged into hot water, into anything that brings you pain, like being immersed in the adversities of life, be like the coffee bean. When things are at their worst, you will get stronger and make things better around you, and? YOU will always leave an aroma that's most pleasing to others as well as to yourself.

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How do you deal with trials and failures? Do you become weak, hard on the inside, or do you try to influence the outcome of the situation that you are faced with? Think about it. :)