The message I want to convey to you as we begin this New Year is to make sure you notice what is beautiful, what is blessed around you and within you.  It is a choice that is always open to us.  We can choose to begin each day thanking God for the gift of life, the gift of breath and the spirit that is with us at every moment.

We can notice God’s presence in a sip of water, a slice of bread, a piece of fruit.  In this way of thanking God, we stop and notice many times a day – that we are awake, that we are alive, that there are wonders everywhere around us, and that God is revealed to us through these everyday miracles whenever we choose to take notice.  This is a choice we are given:  the choice to notice – i.e. to notice our blessings.

1. When you know you are doing your very best within the circumstances of your existence, applaud yourself.

2. You are not a Xerox of anyone else. Each life is an original work of art. When are you going to start signing autographs?

3. Our immune system is only as strong as the dosage of self-love, self-acceptance, and self-care that we administer to ourselves daily.

I see your pain
And want to banish it
With the wave of a star,
But I have no star.

I see your tears
And want to dry them
With the hem of an angel’s gown,
But I have no angel.

I see your heart
Fall to the ground
And want to return it
Wrapped in clothes of rainbow,
But I have no rainbow.

It is said that which is holy is filled with light; and that which is not holy is cast in darkness.  The charge of living is to fill life with holiness and light.

Admittedly, it is sometimes difficult to find light in this world.  We open the newspaper in the morning, listen to the radio during the day, turn on the television at night, and surf the net morning, noon and night; and we are witness to a world that seems to be plunging more deeply into darkness.  News reports are filled with stories of murder and kidnapping, graft and political maneuvering, people who second-guess others and ascribe motives so that the good work of society cannot be done.

We come into the world as infants who must go through various stages of growth before we become adults.

At birth, we are candidates for maturity; and our growth into maturity is not merely a physical process. It is NOT automatic. It involves every aspect of our mind, spirit and personality. We must want to grow, and this takes great personal effort.

Greatness may not be within the reach of every one of us, but growth is. We are each capable of being a more mature person today than we were yesterday . . . and tomorrow can find us further along than we are today. And when we forget this vital truth, we lose sight of the essential meaning of life and the source of its deepest fulfillment.

I’ve learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved.

I’ve learned that it’s not what you have in your life, but who you have that counts.

I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes, after that you’d better know something.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.

I’ve learned that no matter how you slice it, there are always two sides.

I’ve learned that you can keep going, long after you think you can’t.

1. Spirituality is this kind of seeking nature. It is the part of us that says: Who am I? Where do I go when I die? How do I live? That’s spirituality! Religion is our attempts to answer the questions. Some of those answers are great and beautiful. Some of them are just dogma and rules that get us into trouble.

“My rules are better than your rules.” And then we fight about them. So spirituality is the questioning; and religions are our attempts at answers.

2.Religion is the rules, regulations, ceremonies and rituals developed by men to create conformity in the approach to God. Spirituality is God’s call in your soul.

3.Religion is something we are taught; and spirituality is something we teach ourselves.

You can’t live without forgiveness. It’s like the two prisoners of war that meet several years later; and one said to the other: “Have you for-given your captors yet?” “No, I never will.” “Well then, they still have you in prison don’t they?”

We all know how our body feels when we get angry. The reason is because we keep rethinking the same thought, and that re-stimulates that emotional circle; and we rerun the angry thought over and over, and thus we hook right back into that hostility.

People can stay angry for days, weeks and years just because they are choosing to rerun the angry thoughts over and over again.