Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up.
-Anne Lamott

I think this may be true.............Giving up guarantees failure. I hope to find a new job in the New Year, to be more organized, and be more social. I need to make to do lists, and not just hope for the things I want. I will have to wait, watch for opportunity and do a lot of work to reach my goals.

Maybe someday I will dare to hope to find a real companion to share life with.............

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2009

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So this is Crhistmas

Merry Christmas from MyDailyInsights

To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world.

Calvin Coolidge
(1872-1933),
American president. Presidential message (December 25, 1927)

So this is Christmas

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And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
Dr. Seuss

20 Things

The Top 20 Things Oprah Knows for Sure
1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what. (This is my creed.)
2. You define your own life. Don't let other people write your script.
3. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.
4. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. (A lesson from Maya Angelou.)
5. Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.
6. What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe.
7. If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough. (From the German theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart.)
8. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
9. Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.
10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.
11. Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn't lie.
12. Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.
13. Let passion drive your profession.
14. Find a way to get paid for doing what you love. Then every paycheck will be a bonus.
15. Love doesn't hurt. It feels really good.
16. Every day brings a chance to start over.
17. Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.
18. Doubt means don't. Don't move. Don't answer. Don't rush forward.
19. When you don't know what to do, get still. The answer will come.
20. "Trouble don't last always." (A line from a Negro spiritual, which calls to mind another favorite: This, too, shall pass.) *Oprah.com

Written by Oprah, I have a print out of these 20 things and each night I take a bit of time to think about one. They take a while to fully sink in.............

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
Oren Arnold

I read this, and it strikes me how I talk the talk but don't always walk the walk. I want so much to give my kids and loved ones a Christmas filled with magic. Magic isn't toys, lavish gifts, and perfect food. It is love. Loving not only those in your personal life, but those we come in contact with.

I will try to give a stranger a little love each day for the remainder of this wonderful season........

The Word of the Day for December 04, 2008 is:ineffable • \in-EFF-uh-bul\ • adjective
1 *a : incapable of being expressed in words : indescribable
b : unspeakable
2 : not to be uttered : taboo
Example Sentence:Ed felt an ineffable joy at the sight of his son walking toward him from the plane.

In order for people to be happy, sometimes they have to take risks. It's true these risks can put them in danger of being hurt.
Meg Cabot, The Boy Next Door, 2002

Tonight I found myself feeling a little down and lost. I began to think about this life of mine. The things I am doing, the things I am planning, and where I am headed.

These thoughts lead me to thinking about risk. I found the above words and thought a bit more.

Yes, I am taking risks. They are not dangerous physically, but could be emotionally. This felt a bit scarey.

As I pondered the chances I am taking in various aspects of my life, I knew. I want to take these risks. I want to find contentment. So I will take them. Should I get hurt, my life has taught me one great lesson, I will heal.

The greatest glory never comes from falling, but from rising each time you fall.
Clay Aiken

Well said Clay. God knows I have fallen, and felt lost and alone. Falling is failure, and it comes in many forms. Not making the Cheerleading Squad, loosing your first love, not having the in jeans, then things get even tougher. Sickness, Lost Jobs, Broken Marriage, pain.............Little pains too. Late for your child's big game, oversleeping, a messy kitchen or bathroom, burned dinner. Sometimes I'm not sure if the little falls shames bring you further down then the big ones. I am sure they all bring you down.

So you ask yourself, what now and how. I am to drained to fix this, say I'm sorry, move on. Well you gather your powers and get up. When life leaves you feeling really low, get up slowly. Regain your balance and focus. Start by doing just one thing to correct the situation.

If it's a fall that won't or can't be fixed, please get up anyway. Redirect your energy and spirit. Leave any bitterness on the ground and take the first step to moving on.

Comparmentalize

com·part·men·tal·ize

\kəm-ˌpärt-ˈmen-tə-ˌlīz, ˌkäm-\

Function:

transitive verb

Inflected Form(s):

com·part·men·tal·ized; com·part·men·tal·iz·ing

Date:

1925

: to separate into isolated compartments or categories

I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.”

Roy Croft quotes

There are many different kinds of love, But this made me think about romantic love. It can be selfish and needy. At times too needy. But I think it is the ultimate love. A man and woman fall in love and decide to walk through life together. They become one, they share all that they have and all that are if they know how to love. Love should not be just an I thing, or even just a we thing. I believe it should be a you thing. Loving your partner for who he is, and wow, for the better person you are because of this person. Love.................do I understand it.