My Christmas Wish

READY... “No more lives torn apart, That wars would never start, And time would heal all hearts.  And everyone would have a friend,  And right would always win,  And love would never end, This is my grown up Christmas list.” ~ Grown Up Christmas List, Amy Grant

AIM... Guess what?  Christmas is going to be on December 25^th again this year!  Funny how that date never changes, but it always seems to creep up on us as if we didn’t know it was coming.  Seriously, if you haven’t embraced the spirit of the season yet, it’s not too late.  As we head into Christmas this week, I encourage you notice all the priceless gifts.  Enjoy the shimmer and glow of the Christmas lights.  Relish in the warmth and crackle of a smoldering fire.  Savor the smiles, laughs, and tender moments spent with your family and friends.

With all we have been seeing and hearing during this season, it seemed most appropriate to share the gift of prayer with each one of you, my loyal readers.  And so, please accept this gift that may be shared with your friends and families on Christmas and in the coming days.

A Christmas Prayer
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
     by Robert Louis Stevenson

FIRE!   My Christmas wish for you is that you may truly recognize your blessings this Christmas.  I pray you will experience peace, comfort, and contentment this holiday week, and that these things continue as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Merry Christmas, my friends!

Be Excellent!

Lori

Too Blessed

READY… "Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received.  Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.  Thanksgiving is the following of that impluse."  ~ Henry Van Dyke 

AIM…  Ahhh, Thanksgiving week.  The one day a year when everyone looks forward to an amazing meal cooked to perfection.  The one day a year folks take time to be thankful for life and all their comforts.  The one day…wait a minute!  Why in the world do we wait all year for this ONE DAY to gather, cook and be grateful?  Earlier this month, many of my friends on Facebook started a daily thanks post about things they were thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving.  All their posts have been lovely, valid reasons to be grateful.  However, I also realized that initially, many of the things they were all mentioning, I was thankful for EVERY DAY of the year.  Granted, it’s difficult to gather the extended family every day (nor do some of you want to be gathered with your relatives every day.)  With working and family responsibilities, it can be difficult to prepare and cook the perfect meal for several people every day.  However, it doesn’t take any real effort to be thankful every day for the blessings in your life.  Just a brief moment while you’re sipping your coffee or during your morning commute is all it takes to recognize and utter words of gratefulness to the one who gives us our comforts, provides for our needs and loves us unconditionally every day.  Psalm 147:7 says to “Sing to the Lord with grateful praise.”  This Thanksgiving, let us sing to God our thanks for all He has blessed us with, be it your loving family, good health, financial provision or food on your table. Take time to feel blessed; not stressed.

FIRE!   We all know the typical things most folks are thankful for: God, family, friends, jobs, money, food, warm house, clothes, etc.  I’d like to know what quirky or unusual thing you are most thankful for this Thanksgiving.  It can be the one thing we all take for granted or something completely profound. Whatever it may be, give thanks, for all things!

**For me, well, I am thankful for coffee.  Coffee wakes me up in the morning.  It warms my body when I am cold.  It provides a great excuse to get together with friends to catch up and chat.  I enjoy it in all varieties of flavors and creative beverage and food concoctions.  Coffee is one silly little thing I am grateful for in my world this Thanksgiving.**

Be Excellent!
Lori

Balancing Act

READY… “Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.” ~ Brian Tracy

AIM… I apologize to all my loyal readers for my unexpected two-week absence. Thank you to all of you who checked in to make sure things were okay and made sure I was going to continue writing my Arrows of Integrity messages for you to read. I needed to take a break to enjoy a few days of fun with my children as summer kicked off, but I also needed to observe how out of balance my life gets from time to time. Life is good; no worries, I assure you. However, I’ve been innately aware of the need to reprioritize how I address my daily activities and my approach to family life. Sometimes you just need to be able to take a step back and look at your situation from a different perspective. I’m happy to say that I have good intentions of moving things around in order to accomplish all I want to do on a daily basis. But I also realize that my life is never going to be perfect, look perfect or have complete and total balance. It is at those moments when the balance is off that I will need to pause, reflect and take action to keep my life in order. Ahhhh…a life in balance is true bliss. Perhaps one day I will feel as such, until then, here’s to my feeble attempts at creating harmony in my heart and home.

FIRE! Make a list of all the things you do on a daily basis. What activities get the majority of your attention? If your priorities are out of balance, start today by adjusting your schedule and redirecting your focus. Feel it? There is peace in a balanced life.

Be Excellent!
Lori

Leaving A Legacy

READY… “Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.” ~ Bill Graham

AIM… The typical answer to the question “What have you been doing lately?” is – “I’ve been so busy.” What are you busy doing? Are you busy working, running kids to activities, studying, updating Facebook or cleaning the house and doing laundry? Whatever it is that’s sucking away your time, recognize it, call it out and make a pact to change it.

We Americans are so stressed out and we choose to put ourselves in stressful situations time and time again. Why? Because we are unsatisfied with our lives and are not content with our current status or the things we’ve been given. We want more! However, in the wake of our stress-filled attempt to pursue success, fame and fortune, we are leaving behind a legacy of broken relationships and empty promises.

What kind of legacy are you leaving behind? Most people, children, spouses, friends, family members really just want one thing: Your TIME. I think Dolly Parton says it best, “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” Are you burning the candle at both ends in an attempt to chase the dream of acknowledgement, satisfaction and contentment? Is stress something you just deal with day in and day out? Stop. Don’t go another day convincing yourself that it’s all going to be ok. Decide right now that you are going to spend time making the most of your life so you have a legacy to leave behind for your loved ones. After all, the alternative is an early grave and a headstone inscription about what a hard worker you were, how many titles you held or how much money you made. Really? You were made for more than that.

FIRE! Think about your legacy. What are you doing today to contribute toward leaving a positive legacy for your friends and family? Would they agree with your approach? Ask a few trusted friends to help you reprioritize your life so you can stress-less, live longer and enjoy life to the fullest.

Be Excellent!
Lori

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

READY… Cousin Eddie: “You surprised to see us, Clark?” Clark Griswold: “Oh, Eddie... If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now.” ~ National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

AIM… Relatives…you can’t live with ‘em, you can’t live without ‘em. The holidays seem to bring out the best in all of us, including our families, making it truly the most wonderful time of the year. (Yes, sarcasm is detected in that sentence.) Could it be the lack of sunshine? Or is it the stress of shopping for the perfect gift? Nope. I believe it’s simply personality genetics and the fact that most people become a product of their environment. Therefore, when you attempt to gather a variety of different people, especially those who don’t normally spend time together, in the same room for any length of time, there’s bound to be drama, activities, and conversations that will leave you scratching your head for days. Why not? It’s the holidays!

I know my family has always gotten along pretty well during the holidays. Yes, we have our share of interesting characters, just like every other family does. However, I’ve heard lots of horror stories in recent weeks about the complete and utter dysfunction that rears its ugly head when families gather for the holidays. I think the best depiction of holidays gone wild is the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Even if you don’t have a cousin Eddie or an Aunt Bethany in the family, you KNOW you can relate to a hilarious and often uncomfortable situation you’ve encountered with another relative during the holidays one year or another.

This year, despite the dysfunction we will all experience celebrating our holidays, make an attempt to see through the outer shell of your cousin Eddie. Perhaps, he or she just needs to feel loved! If you want to give the best gifts of all this year, be generous with the gifts of patience, tolerance, acceptance and unconditional love. Perfect holidays really don’t happen, but imperfect holidays often times make some of the most wonderful memories.

FIRE! In order to prepare your heart and mind to accept the dysfunction of family gatherings this holiday season, watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with your family. You’ll all enjoy some great laughs, realize that your family might actually be somewhat normal compared to the Griswolds and soon those uncomfortable moments will be forgotten.

Be Excellent!
Lori