Tag: Jesus

Mid Life Holiday Stress

Mid Life holiday stress can rob us of the joy  we could be experiencing, if only we could focus.

But how are we supposed to focus when this time of year is so hectic?

And it occurred to me that this time of year has always been hectic. Ever see “A Miracle on 34th Street“?

It was inspired on Christmas eve, 1944, when Valentine Davies, a screenwriter, went gift shopping for his wife.  It was hectic, crazy, and lacked the spirit of Christmas we all know in our hearts, but often fail to make time for.

Valentine set out to create a movie that would help remind everyone that the spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus, is real.  Very real.

Considered a “B” movie, it was released during the summer, and never advertised as a Christmas movie.

The American public embraced the movie so much that it ran in theaters straight through the end of the year.

It is one of the all-time great Christmas movies and one that my family and I watch every holiday season, when we can find the time.

Midlife Shakespeare

“What’s past is prologue.” – Shakespeare

What’s past is simply what got us to where we are today. I’m thankful for that.

What’s here and now, is what will be past tomorrow. I’m thankful for that too.

What lies in the future is the choice we get to make. Our story is being written one day, one moment at a time.

To be or not to be, I mean, to be thankful or not to be thankful, that is the question.

And starting tomorrow, December’s question is, “Am I joyful and do I spread joy?”

People Were Thankful

The Families we visited yesterday were very thankful for the Food donations that were delivered:

We visited an upscale home for the first time in ten years.  My son and I received warm and grateful greetings at every stop. One man even gave me a big hug.

I reminded our son (9) why we started this “three-times-a-year Food For Families tradition” ten years ago.

“If two boys are standing next to an adult, and one uses his manners and the other doesn’t which one do you think the adult will trust more?”

“If two adults say serving others is important, but one actually does and the other only hopes to one day, which one do you think God will say, well done?”

In telling our son why we do this, even though it may seem small, we are actually preparing ourselves to do more. By putting others first every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter morning, we are developing a habit similar to using manners.

We are cultivating good habits.  That’s all we can really ask of ourselves, isn’t it?

Only One Success?

“There is only one success – to be able to spend life in your own way”. — Christopher Morley

Agree to disagree?  Good.  Because I’m going to do both here.

Sure, it’d be great to do whatever it is you want to do, when you want to do it.  And yet, it sounds a bit self-centered to my ear.

What abut sacrifice and service to others less fortunate?  Ask Mother Teresa her opinion on Christopher Morley’s quote.  Ask Jesus, or Abe Lincoln, or Martin Luther King.

Ask a mother, a father, a school teacher, a doctor or a nurse.  Ask a street sweeper, or a cook.

We all should consider where we stand on this issue.  And if we like our answer, awesome.  If we don’t…..

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Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture. In ten days, one year will have passed since Randy left our earthly world for his next journey, perhaps a heavenly world.

We will probably start to see news media marking this anniversary. In advance of this, I’d like to share his original You Tube Last Lecture.

Randy Pausch’s story inspired me, and I’m an already inspired kind of guy. And not only me, but millions of others, to recapture some excitement, and commitment, to our childhood dreams.

What did it for me was his attitude towards awful news – “You have three to six months to live”.

Whether you are unfamiliar with his story, or know it well, I challenge you to view The Last Lecture this weekend.

We can all be thankful he gave such an inspiring Last Lecture, although I’m sorry he had to.

Living with regret must be a painful exit from this world.  Do something, now, while you still can.  Follow a childhood dream to completion.  Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

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