Happy 2014!!!

We've made it through 2013 and walked into a brand spanking new year.  2014 is sure to be exciting, filled with possibilities to pursue, and successes to achieve. So, if you didn't quite complete all of the goals you set last year, pick up where you left off and keep sprinting for the finish line. As long as you keep moving forward, you'll get there eventually. Hey, eventually is so much better than never.  Be happy! Be blessed!

Wishing 2014 brings you renewed HOPE, lasting SERENITY, shiny new SUCCESSES, and continuing RESILIENCE.

The Perfect Substitute

Sometimes it is necessary to find someone to stand in for us when we cannot be present. Parents hire babysitters to watch their children when they have to be away from home. Substitute teachers fill in for full-time teachers when they need to be absent from class for some reason. We all have situations at one time or another when we could use a substitute to act in our stead.

I encountered a situation that was complicated and it had me torn. Being there was possible but would have been accomplished with great difficulty. Wanting to be there was never going to happen. Prior experience had taught me that this was at least part of my walls of Jericho. No matter how I approached it, I have not gotten past the wall. If I showed up when needed, I was wrong. If I decided that it was best to stay away, I was wrong. If I said something, I should have kept my mouth shut. If I didn't say anything, I should have spoken up. The wall is always up and there is no way around it.

My decision on how to handle the situation was to step back, say nothing, and do nothing. There were others who could continue the march around the walls of Jericho. Perhaps they could accomplish what I could not. Someone else could stand in and substitute. 

The substitute may be under qualified. He or she could be over qualified. The substitute may be just proficient enough. If one could have the ideal choice, the candidate who exceeded the qualifications would be given the job. That is precisely what I decided to do. I handed my problem situation over to someone who would know exactly what to do at all times. No one can do that, right? Wrong!

God is the perfect substitute. I woke up with that thought on my mind and I knew that it was the answer that I had been seeking. No more marching around that particular walls of Jericho with nothing to show for it but swollen, painful feet and worn out shoes and patience. No more second guessing what I should do or say. With God, it is done. It is not complicated for Him.

What's your walls of Jericho? What is the problem that you can't fix? Stop going round and round never finding a way past that wall. Offer the job to God and let Him stand in your stead. God is the perfect substitute and His salary requirement is completely doable... a prayer. That's right. He is only a prayer away.

Wishing you Peace, Love, and Happiness,

Sunida

Life's Handbook for 2009

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.


Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.


Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.


Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Author unknown

Special thanks to my friend Hutch for the email!