Life is a beautiful struggle...

An excerpt from Heart of a Caregiver by Paula J. Fox

 In the world of pain and suffering,
true heroes can be found...
providing special comfort and relief.

They choose to make a difference,
regardless of the cost...
always willing to help others in their grief.

It's hard to persevere at times
A Caregiver's job is tough!
It takes extra strength and courage to get through.

But God designed a HEART for them
to handle every challenge...
so they can DO what others cannot do.

He made this HEART much STRONGER
just to handle all the weight...
of the many heavy burdens it must bear.

And HE covered it with SOFTNESS
to help cushion all the hurt...
with Empathy and tender loving Care.

He also made it FLEXIBLE
to bend but not to break...
when things don't always go the way they're planned.

And it had to be SELF-HEALING
when hurtful things are said...
by those who just don't seem to understand.

He gave it more RESILIENCE
to bounce back and not get crushed...
when disappointment battles against hope.

And He knew a SENSE OF HUMOR
would be needed every day...
to give laughter and prove the strength to cope.

He made it with a battery
that never does run down...
for a Caregiver's day will never end.

It just keeps going...and keeps going,
always one more thing to do...
with another crisis just around the bend.

And of course, this HEART's an upgrade
in so many other ways...
He made it Kinder... more Unselfish than the rest.

With more Patience...and Compassion
and a Love that never ends.
Compared to all the others...it's the BEST!

Fix yourself...

Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that's a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect.
~Rob Reiner, Director

Positive Thinking.....

Crisis breeds opportunity.  Look for something positive, take your broken wings and learn to fly again. ~Orrin Checkmate Hudson

Don't be serious in life by Chetan Bhagat

Mantra on Success...

“If you want to be successful,
it’s just this simple.
Know what you are doing.
Love what you are doing.
And believe in what you are doing.”

~ Will Rogers(1879-1935)

Thoughts to ponder

ULTIMATE STORY - Love teaches us to live !!

From the very beginning, girl's family objected strongly on her
dating this guy, saying that it has got to do with family
background, & that the girl will have to suffer for the rest of her life if she
were to be with him.

Due to family's pressure, the couple quarreled very often. Though
the girl loved the guy deeply, she always asked him: "How deep is your
love for me?" As the guy is not good with his words, this often caused
the girl to be very upset. With that & the family's pressure, the girl
often vents her anger on him. As for him, he only endured it in
silence.

After a couple of years, the guy finally graduated & decided to
further his studies overseas. Before leaving, he proposed to the
girl:

"I'm not very good with words. But all I know is that I love you.
If you allow me, I will take care of you for the rest of my life. As
for your family, I'll try my best to talk them round. Will you marry
me?" The girl agreed, & with the guy's determination, the family finally
gave in & agreed to let them get married. So before he left, they
got engaged. The girl went out to the working society, whereas the guy
was overseas, continuing his studies. They sent their love through
emails & phone calls. Though it was hard, but both never thought of giving
up.

One day, while the girl was on her way to work, she was knocked
down by a car that lost control. When she woke up, she saw her parents
beside her bed. She realized that she was badly injured. Seeing her
mum crying, she wanted to comfort her. But she realized that all
that could come out of her mouth was just a sigh. She had lost her
voice....

The doctor says that the impact on her brain has caused her to lose
her voice. Listening to her parents' comfort, but with nothing
coming out from her, she broke down. During the stay in hospital, besides
silence cry,..it's still just silence cry that accompanied her.

Upon reaching home, everything seems to be the same. Except for the
ringing tone of the phone. Which pierced into her heart everytime it rang.

She does not wish to let the guy know & not wanting to be a burden to
him, she wrote a letter to him saying that she does not wish to wait any
longer.

With that, she sent the ring back to him. In return, the guy sent
millions & millions of reply, countless of phone calls,. . all the
girl could do, besides crying, is still crying.... The parents decided
to move away, hoping that she could eventually forget everything & be
happy.

With a new environment, the girl learns sign language & started a
new life. Telling herself everyday that she must forget the guy. One
day, her friend came & told her that he's back. She asked her friend not
to let him know what happened to her. Since then, there wasn't anymore
news of him.

A year has passed & her friend came with an envelope, containing a
invitation card for the guy's wedding. The girl was shattered. When
she open the letter, she saw her name in it instead. When she was
about to ask her friend what's going on, she saw the guy standing
in front of her.

He used sign language to tell her "I've spent a year to learn sign
language. Just to let you know that I've not forgotten our promise.
Let me have the chance to be your voice. I Love You." With that, he
slipped the ring back into her finger. The girl finally smiled.

Treat every relationship as if it's the last one, then you'll know how to Give.
Treat every moment as is it's the last day, then you'll know how to treasure.

Treasure what you have right now, or else you will regret one day...

HOW TO STAY YOUNG.....

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but  by the moments that take our breath away.

Struggles.....Lessons to life.

Struggles are nothing more than lessons in life, the more we struggle, the more we are learn, at the same  time it doesn't seem like it's fair and we can't see why, but it's always for our GOOD and the result is always LOVE...
God makes us reflect back on our life and makes us see where the struggles have brought us...
A new person is evolved out of the struggle of fire...
Just go back to your past and the struggles you have made, I am sure you would find yourself different from what you were earlier...
In fact I have changed down the line from a very negative, unsecured person to a very positive, motivated or you can say elevated....


Dear friends take time to reflect back on your lfe and your struggles and see where they have brought you, see who they've made you today, I bet you'll find on an AMAZING person!!!! 

Gratefulness

You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: The more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

From The Secret Daily Teachings

Never let a day pass without looking for the good, feeling the good within you, praising, appreciating, blessing, and being grateful.

Make it your life commitment, and you will stand in utter awe of what happens in your life.

 

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret... bringing joy to billions

Best Friend

Greatest Gift....

Fear of Losing......

Have you ever wondered which hurts the most?
Saying something and wishing you hadn't?, or
Saying nothing and wishing you had?

I guess the most important things are the hardest things to say.

Don't be afraid to tell someone you love them.
If you do, they might break your heart...if you don't,

you might break theirs.

Have u ever decided not 2 become a couple

because you were so afraid of losing

what you already had with that person?

Your heart decides whom it likes and whom it doesn't.
You can't tell your heart what to do.

It does it on its own...

when you least suspect it,

or even when you don't want it to.

Have you ever wanted to love someone with everything you had,

but that other person was too afraid to let you ?

Too many of us stay walled up

because we are too afraid to care too much...

for fear that the other person does not care as much, or even at all.

Have you ever denied your feelings

for someone because your fear of rejection was too hard to handle?

We tell lies when we are afraid...

afraid of what we don't know,

afraid of what others will think,

afraid of what will be found out about us.
But every time we tell a lie, the thing we fear grows stronger.

Life is all about risks and it requires you to jump.

Don't be a person who has to look back and wonder what they would have done, or could have had.

*What would you do if your best friend died tomorrow...

and you never got to tell them how you felt ???

(even if it is that you don't care anymore)
What would you do if you loved someone more than ever and you couldn't have them?

People live, but people die.

Self Confidence

One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.~Arthur Ashe 

Final Analysis

People cry, not because they're weak. It's because they've been strong for too long.

Strength.....

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”~Unknown

A movie that shares the 7 rules for staying positive.

Attitudes are contagious. To be honest, sometimes my own answer is "no"...and that's about the time that I needed to check my attitude.

Simple Truths - We Hope You Enjoyed the movie!

Enjoy the movie and find if your Attitude is worth catching....

Unfolding the wings

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.” ~ C. JoyBell C.

‎"Let no obstacle discourage you from being or doing that which you desire, for the source within you is far greater than any barrier encountered outside of it" ~ Spiritualist Frank

‎" If your past bothers you, it can effect how you think now. If it effects what you do now, it can damage your future. If you look to the future with hope, it will empower your actions now and help you forget the haunting events of the past."-Allen Steble

Each person comes into this world with a specific destiny--he has something to fulfill, some message has to be delivered, some work has to be completed. You are not here accidentally--you are here meaningfully. There is a purpose behind you. The whole intends to do something through you.  - By Osho

Eat that Frog - Brian Tracy....

You have heard the old question, "How do you eat an elephant? The answer is, "One bite at a time!"

How do you eat your biggest, ugliest frog? The same way; you break it down into specific step-by-step activities and then you start on the first one.

Your mind, your ability to think, plan and decide, is your most powerful tool for overcoming procrastination and increasing your productivity. Your ability to set goals, make plans, and take action on them determines the course of your life.

Conversely, as Alec Mackenzie wrote, "Taking action without thinking things through is a prime source of problems."

Increase your Return on Energy

One of your top goals at work should be for you to get the highest possible return on your investment of mental, emotional, and physical energy. The good news is that every minute spent in planning saves as many as ten minutes in execution. It takes only 10 to 12 minutes for you to plan out your day, but this small investment of time will save you up to two hours (100 to 120 minutes) in wasted time and diffused effort throughout the day.

You may have heard of the Six-P Formula. It says, "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance."

When you consider how helpful planning can be in increasing your productivity and performance, it is amazing how few people practice it every single day. And planning is really quite simple to do. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen. The most sophisticated Palm Pilot, computer program, or time planner is based on the same principle. It is based on your sitting down and making a list of everything you have to do before you begin.

Two Extra Hours Per Day

Always work from a list. When something new comes up, add it to the list before you do it. You can increase your productivity and output by 25 percent or more - about two hours a day - from the first day that you begin working consistently from a list.

Make your list the night before for the workday ahead. Move everything that you have not yet accomplished onto your list for the coming day, and then add everything that you have to do the next day. When you make your list the night before, your subconscious mind will work on your list all night long while you sleep. Often you will wake up with great ideas and insights that you can use to get your job done faster and better than you had initially thought.

The more time you take to make written lists of everything you have to do, in advance, the more effective and efficient you will be.

The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year.
~John Foster Dulles 

You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. - Steve Jobs

The Best Way Out is Always Through Movie

The Best Way Out is Always Through Movie: The Power of Perseverance! We all have doubts, fears and dissappointments in our lives. During those times, we look for shots of inspiration and encouragement to get us through. That's what this little movie is all about!

Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones; not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings; not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory.

Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ~Steve Jobs

Finish Strong by Dan Green

On August 1, 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail with a crew of 28 on an expedition to the Antarctic. The mission of their expedition was to cross the Antarctic on foot - something never done before. Shackleton was a successful and highly respected explorer known for his faith, determination, creativity and conviction. He was knighted for his successful expedition to Antarctica in 1907-09. In order to recruit his crew of 28 he took applications from 5,000 men. Many believe that he placed the following ad in a London newspaper to attract the applicants. While there is no evidence that this ad actually ran, it does quite appropriately frame the environment that Shackleton was trying to recruit for. Men Wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success. This expedition was going to be different than any other one that Shackleton had led. Five months into the expedition their ship, the Endurance, became stuck in the heavy ice flows near Antarctica. It was not uncommon for ships to get stuck periodically in the ice flows and Shackleton believed that the ice would eventually recede and free the ship. His focus was on the expedition and he held fast on that course. However, over the next three weeks the ship became solidly frozen in the ice. Attempts to free the ship were futile. At the end of February, 1915, the crew prepared the ship to become their camp for the remainder of winter. At this point, Shackleton abandoned his primary goal for the expedition and turned his focus towards returning to England. His expedition had become a rescue mission. By October, eight months after being stuck, the pressure created by the ice finally took its toll on the Endurance. The ship began to come apart and sink; making it uninhabitable. The order to abandon ship was given and the entire crew began to salvage as many supplies as they could. They took the sled dogs, food, gear and three lifeboats and moved their camp to the ice flow next to their sinking ship. The temperatures were brutal; reaching -15°F on average. For the next five months the expedition camped on the ice flow surviving on what little food they had left. In April the ice flow they were camped on began to break apart. Shackleton ordered the crew to take only essential supplies and board the life boats. They fled the disintegrating ice flow and traveled seven days by sea to Elephant Island. Elephant Island was a barren place to be stranded; made up mostly of rock covered snow with temperatures reaching -20°F. For the next nine months, under Shackleton's leadership, the broken expedition remained loyal, optimistic, focused and faithful to their leader's belief that they would survive. Ultimately, Shackleton knew that their survival depended upon his ability to reach a whaling outpost that was more than 800 miles across the most treacherous ocean seas in the world. Determined to save his crew, Shackleton set-out in one of the lifeboats with five crewmembers to make the journey. The odds of making it were 1 in 100. Nautical scholars consider this journey by lifeboat to be one of the greatest nautical accomplishments in maritime history. Shackleton successfully made it to the outpost and returned to Elephant Island with a rescue party four months later. On August 30, 1916 after 22 months of being stranded on a barren rock in sub zero temperatures, the crew of the Endurance was rescued. All twenty eight crew members survived the ordeal and most were quick to credit the strong faith of their leader as the catalyst in their survival.

What an extraordinary story. But wait, there's more! When Shackelton landed on the island of the whaling outpost, they were on the opposite side of the outpost. He and his two companions had to hike over the mountains to reach the outpost. In thirty five hours and sub zero temperatures and without any hiking gear, they made their way over the mountains to reach the outpost.

A few years ago, a group of climbers retraced the path that Shackleton took over the mountain. With modern climbing equipment and experienced climbers, it took 48 hours to retrace the steps of Shackelton - almost thirteen more hours than the trio did ninety years earlier.


Now that's what We call finishing strong...