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There are so many ways to remember what Christmas is about. Many say that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” But He seems to be forgotten as people rush through the stores buying gifts they hope will please the recipient.

Not sure of how to approach this subject, I looked through a stack of ‘papers’ I have been saving for years  – as many of you do or have done. I ran across the following and knew that I had to share it. It is a short writing by Brian Morgan. I have never heard of him but love what he wrote. It speaks for itself.

THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS PRAYER 

Once upon a Christmas time, long ago,  a man who had a big heart, but little money, dreamt he could give his friends endless riches. When he awoke, the dream kept running through his mind, over and over. Finally, he asked himself: “If I could give my friends anything, what would I give?” He smiled as he began to think of all the wondrous things he could buy for them but then he thought: “I’m a happy man, yet I have none of those things.” And he began to think that perhaps real wealth could not be measured in riches. Perhaps there were gifts of greater value than the things money could buy. He pondered these things as he thought of what Christmas meant to him. Taking out his quill, he began to write on a parchment scroll:

On the first day of Christmas I pray for you joy in abundance and laughter, for laughter cures our ills and joy makes our spirits soar.

On the second day of Christmas, I pray for you a sigh when you need one, for a sigh clears the heart as a cough clears the throat, and with a sigh comes acceptance of what we cannot change.

On the third day of Christmas, I pray for you tears when you need them, for tears clear the eyes to see the stars and cleanse the soul to let healing being.

On the fourth day of Christmas, I pray for you serenity, for fights and wars start in individual hearts and that is where they must end.

On the fifth day of Christmas, I pray for you wisdom, for our priceless gift is the gift of choice – and we should use it well every day, in word and deed.

On the sixth day of Christmas, I pray for you patience, for most troubles pass if we wait them out, and success comes with persistence.

On the seventh day of Christmas, I pray for you courage, for there may be many pitfalls and dangers ahead and problems can only be solved when they are faced.

On the eighth day of Christmas, I pray for you compassion, for we cannot help others until we understand them, and we cannot understand them until we walk in their shoes.

On the ninth day of Christmas, I pray for you a willingness to work, for work turns dreams to reality-whether the dreams are ours or belong to those we can help.

On the tenth day of Christmas, I pray for you unwavering faith, for faith shapes our morals and our destiny and draws up closer to God.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, I pray for you a mind full of hope, for hope determines our attitudes, sets our goals and creates our ideals.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, I pray for you a heart so full of love that every day you give some away to those whose paths you cross.

And with each prayer, the man realized he was not giving a gift at all, but hoping that his friends would find the gifts they already had within them.

‘Jesus is the reason for the season’…

Glory to the newborn King – from Isaiah 7:14 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us.” And that’s exactly who He is.

From my house to yours. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all throughout the world!

 

‘COMMON SENSE’ –  what is it?  Can it be food for thought?

There are many people who do not know the answer to this question. Why? Because people think knowledge only comes from what they have been taught in school. I went to school with people who became perennial students in college after they graduated from high school. They never depended on their own sense (common sense) to help them solve problems or guide them through life. They thought that the only way they could do that was by book knowledge…of which they could never get enough of.

The good news….

Common sense started with our creator. It was given to us along with our freedom to choose. If people would not let other entities control their lives and way of thinking, or as it is in today’s world, let things like socialism become the life style they live – which started with a needle prick, everyone in the world could get back to living the life God meant for us to live.

Common sense is being able to recognize the difference between right/wrong, God/Adversary, good/evil – why did God teach us this? The Bible is a whole book of answers and reasons why.

An example of common sense to me is a saying my mother used to use – regarding the difference between hearing and listening. Hearing – like my mother used to say “is listening but letting what you hear go in one ear and out the other.” In other words you hear what is being said but your mind is on other things and you are paying no real attention to what is being said.  Listening, on the other hand is hearing, comprehending what is being said, and then acting upon it using common sense.

Today people hear only what they want to hear and act with complacency. When listening one comprehends, studies out in their mind what is heard, and then applies that knowledge (hopefully using common sense) to solve problems or issues in the best way possible according to their ability to do so.

Common sense can lead to questioning. Questioning is often used to test a  lack of knowledge regarding something. It can be doubt or disputable, open for discussion. The resolution is in finding the answer which involves study, research and reasoning out in the mind, prayer, and then using common sense to act upon the thing in question. Never leave God out of the equation.

Would we be living in a better world today if those in leadership positions in our past had used, and those in the present would use ‘common sense’ to solve political issues, like the founding fathers of our nation did? In my opinion the answer is a resounding YES!

In biblical times, children often became kings of countries at very young ages. Was that Godly common sense?  Youth, during the 1700 and 1800’s often became leaders, scholars, teachers, government leaders, presidents, etc. at very young ages. Many went to and graduated from well known universities and colleges between 12-16 years of age.  Many spoke multiple languages by the age of 5+. As well, many without a college education, but being blessed by God, performed those same tasks. How was this possible  you say – common sense. 

When God was taken out of the equation and man decided he knew more than God, the above statistics changed drastically. Youth were to be seen and not heard. Youth became controlled by men who had exalted themselves, and success has become measured by knowledge only thought to be obtained in an elite university and at an older age.

Why have we in our generation let this happen to us? Are we not a God fearing, God respecting, God loving generation of people? Why do we not rely on common sense to lead us through life?

Why do we think, in today’s age, that only the Harvard Graduate, the elite, the wealthy, are the only folks qualified to lead the nations worldwide?

Let’s put God fearing folks back in charge of our nation! Let’s put God back into our individual lives!  Let us exercise our God given freedom, using common sense, to make decisions that we know we will have to live with for the rest of our lives!

I regret that it has taken me so long, as I am sure it has taken many of you, a lifetime to understand the importance of COMMON SENSE.

Another short blog, but for many I hope it is good FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

GOD BLESS AMERICA, THE WORLD, AND EVERYONE IN IT!!!

 

When it comes to the bones – people can go into panic mode, since bones are broken easily by way of accidents, disease, ill-health, and etc.  However, anyone who wants to have a ‘fit body’, can help it to be ‘fit’ by BUILDING BETTER BONES. 

Being a dancer, I learned early, that the bones are important to the support of the body. I also learned that the bones of the foot are the last bones to ossify (harden). Total ossification occurs between the age of 19 – 22 depending on the person. Peak bone strength is reached by the age of 30. This makes it vital, that when you are young, you engage in dynamic impact movement. Sherri Betz, chair of the American Physical Therapy Association bone health group and a doctor of physical therapy noted that “engaging in sports during our youthful developing years helps build strong, wide and dense bones that will carry us well into old age.”

Today, most parents encourage their children, male and female, to be involved in sports. Dance is also considered a sport by the sport standards of today. This is all well and good, but my personal experience tells me that it is well and good as long as the sport or dance is learned by way of correct teaching methods by the teacher or coach. Luckily, as a young dancer, I had a great teacher who knew these facts. She was adamant that we performed our dance steps and exercises in the correct way and explained the why and the wherefore for doing so. I implemented this into my teaching as well. I had parents tell me that they were bringing their child to me for dance instruction at the advice of their doctor because he/she knew I would not lead them astray with incorrect teaching methods, and, as well, that they trusted me to help a child that had a particular physical issue and correct that issue when it had to do with the legs and the feet. I felt this to be a high compliment – and took care of my students with love in my heart for each individual child’s needs.

While encouraging your children, teenagers and young adults to participate in sports and exercise, encourage them to be wise and cautious in what exercise they choose and how they do it. Injuries do occur – especially in contact sports. When young, you heal quickly, and think nothing of the injury, but it always comes back to bite you in your senior years, starting as early as age 40, when all of a sudden, you experience unaccounted for pain, osteoporosis, arthritis, limited mobility throughout the whole body, fatigue, fibromyalgia, and etc.

As folks get older, many of them say “I am too old to change anything now.” That is not true. According to Steven A. Hawkins Ph.d., a professor of exercise science at the California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, “Adulthood  is a perfectly good time to start building and improving bone fitness and health.” Larry Tucker, Ph.d., professor of exercise sciences at the Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah, tells us the “Bone doesn’t grow, per se, but like muscle, it does get denser and stronger according to the stresses and strains put on it.”

My research consensus is that the key to stimulate bone growth is to put a heavy load on the bones. This is usually done by the way of exercise. There are many suggestions for ways to do this. You will see many of them on the TV or in Gyms etc. They range from standing, to sitting, to full workout regiments. Standing and strengthening exercises targeting the leg and hip bones are recommended, because the bones are most likely to benefit from these types of exercise movements. It is recommended that you “don’t do the same things over and over at the same time,”because this action can actually diminish the effects of the exercise.” Exercises recommended the most are exercises involving “those that require changing directions, bouncing and leaping – from basketball to lively dancing, yoga, hopping, Tai Chi – with the recommendation that “they be done in the proper way.” Take reasonable rests from the exercise program. I recommend – if you are in your senior years, that you choose, or map out a routine for yourself, that takes no longer than 30 minutes each day.

This information should help you to decide what you need for yourself. If in doubt, consult your family physician first. Take it easy, don’t start heavy-duty putting the burden of stress on yourself. Sports that help as you grow into your senior years, can be golf, bowling, shuffle board, walking, bicycling, swimming, etc. If you insist on aerobics, make it LOW IMPACT. High impact aerobics, Zumba, small trampoline, and some of the new short-lived methods of exercise, can open the door to fatigue and injury. For me, I LOVE TAI CHI.

In addition to exercise, the bones need to be nourished. Without nourishment your bones experience constant tear down and can become more porous and brittle. It has been reported by the National Institute of Health that, “one out of every two women and one in every four men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime.” It has been shown that a healthy diet and long-term supplementation is effective in improving bone health and integrity.

NOTE: None of the above can be accomplished without action. Steroids, pain killers, and prescription medications should never be used to coerce you into thinking that all is well in Healthville, Strengthville and Wellville. They temporarily relieve the pain, but DO NOT act on the cause of the pain.

                     MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES AND BECOME A ‘NEW’ YOU!