Keep the Dream Alive

In honor of the great Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, let’s all remember his words and try to create the world that he envisioned. Peace

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.

So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

New Year's Resolutions

Did you make a New Year's Resolution? We are two weeks into the New Year and statistics show that most of us have already given up the ghost. Our resolve is weakening as to the lofty goals and dreams we had on New Years Eve.

The reason that New Year’s Resolutions often fail is that we don’t visualize the goal that we have in mind. Do you want to lose weight? Rather than feeling tortured about that new gym membership you have, did you visualize what your ideal weight is? Do you want a new career or new job? Have you visualized your new office, what your coworkers look like or even more important who is your boss and who do you supervise?

You see the power of creative visualization is a blueprint to our innermost goals. When you are able to clearly see the end result and experience the feeling in your mind of what that outcome is you will inspire action and you have a greater chance of achieving your dreams.

Thoughts ► Feelings ► Visualization ► Actions ►Dreams ►Goals

"The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by, and this you will become." - -- James Lane Allen, As A Man Thinketh

Three Kings

Today is Epiphany, Feats of the Three kings, Little Christmas, or the Twelfth day of Christmas. I was in church today listening to the story of the three kings’ visit and thought of one of my favorite children’s books, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

I love this book because the Herdmans knew that if you were going to visit someone special you give them something from the heart. I reread it every year during the holidays and it always brings a smile to my face.

Peace

The Fun of the Yankee Swap

Okay, so I feel that I have been a little too serious lately on Christmas giving……

Last night my local Toastmasters held its Holiday Party. We had to bring a Yankee Swap gift that was odd, fun, and something that we definitely wanted to regift. We turned this into an amusing table topics discussion.

Well, I tell you, I originally opened a little clock radio quite nice, definitely a keeper. But no…… My eyes got greedy and I saw the lovely vase that someone else had and swapped it. For those who don’t know me, I love flowers, so I thought to myself, Wahoo! I scored. Yeah that cockiness was short-lived as someone opened their gift and swapped with me. You want to know what I got! I received a set of four miniature ceramic non-matching cowboy boots. What a hoot! We all laughed. I tried to hawk like an auctioneer telling folks they would just love to have this one of a kind item. We had so much fun. The spirit of this is to not take life seriously and enjoy the moment.

What fun and outlandish Christmas grab gifts have you received?

Giving with Heart

You know I was in a toy store the other day, to pick up a gift for our church’s giving tree. The giving tree grants holiday gifts to children in need. As I was trying to decide between a couple of items for a little girl, I asked woman who I was in conversation with what she thought about this present or that. Her answer alarmed me, "For a giving tree? I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on it? Wow! I thought, if we are giving a gift shouldn’t it be from the heart. Why participate in charitable giving to anybody and give them something that you would not want to receive.

That is why so many of us are royally disappointed with Yankee swaps, Kris Kringles, and holiday gift exchanges. We often buy the gag gift or something we definitely wouldn’t want to get as a gift and feel smug that we participated in the annual event.

This year, give with your heart, with love and with joy!

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 (New International Version)

One More Day

I read Mitch Albom’s book "For One More Day" recently. Then I watched Oprah and she had an emotionally charged episode about if we could have just one more day and it got me to thinking. If I could spend just one more day with someone, who would it be? Hmmmm.

When we knew my mother was dying, she had been ill for a while, I said to my sister that I wasn’t ready for her to die yet. My sister said, “When would you be ready,” and I told her that “I would tell God when I was ready.” Well she laughed and said, “So you are trying to micromanage God.” And I said yes!

Isn’t odd that most of us want to micromanage the Universe and to control what will happen and when. I suppose we all want that one more day to say the extra I love you or a heartfelt I’m sorry.

For one more day, I would love to tell all the people that I loved or who touched my spirit for a moment, what a great impact they had in my life and their life on earth mattered.

Coupons

One of my favorite things to do is clip coupons and find bargains. During the holiday season, our emails are bombarded with coupons and special offers from our favorite stores. What I like to do is print out several coupons for the store that I am going to. When I am in line, I look around and give the extra coupons to others so that they can share my joy in saving a few pennies. It doesn’t cost anything on your part and you can share the gift of giving with someone else.

Happy Shopping