Friday 23 March 2012

For when your spiritual fuel is low

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The Courage to change the things i can. And the Wisdom to know the difference.

Author: Unknown




We are what we do

This is the kind of statement I (being a parent) can have fun with. Why? As a parent it means that I teach and lecture my girls all the time, even on my off days. Raising a child is a huge responsibility all though many take it for granted. We are responsible for what kind of adults our children will become and how they would function in society. Yes maybe I’m putting too much thought into it, but to me raising my children to the best of my ability is the most important thing.
It is important to me to that they know right from wrong, having good behaviour and know to treat others with respect, regardless of of their race, colour or creed. So many times I see youngsters or even adults behaving with a sense of entitlement, that the world owes them merely because they exist. I think that no child is born with that kind of mentality but somehow along the line parents do have a part in it.
We are what we do mean that the things that we spent most of our time with or what we deem important make us who we are. For example, being a student and studying hard, putting in 120% will cause me to reap the benefits and everything else that goes with it. Spending most time with bad company indulging in bad habits such as drug or alcohol abuse or just plain bad, unacceptable behavior will sooner or later rub off on you. Believe it or not but we are classified by the people we surround ourselves with or the activities that occupies us – be it positive or negative.
A child being raised with morals and values and respect for others, will most definitely go far, I'm not saying that temptation won’t come their way and that life will always be rosy, but at least they will have a firm foundation to keep them grounded as they say, "what you put in, is what you'll get out".
Picture: My own

Friday 16 March 2012

Perseverance

The last few weeks had taken its toll on me, family, work, studies and everything else that goes together with life as we know it. A friend of mine sent me this and it helped me put things into perspective. Enjoy!

The Art of Perseverance
Times are tough and that’s when the tough keep up! Each one of us faces challenges to our physical, mental and emotional limits. Yoga, meditation and healthy lifestyle habits all prepare you to go through the difficult times with a certain grace. Persevering through the rough patches fosters patience and courage affording you the opportunity to reflect on what is really important—the gifts of friendship, good health and a strong spirit.
Planting the seeds of a steady outer discipline will in time yield the fruit of great inner peace.  When you think you can’t keep going, try remembering the times when you overcame a difficult situation. Perhaps you had a childhood bully you learned to stand up to, or maybe you needed to get over shyness or self-esteem issues. Your character has been built by your ability to go  through difficult times, so call on all of your powers of positive  thinking to stay on your path and don’t give up. You may just be inspiring others around you by your inner strength!








We are afraid of the wrong things...

We are afraid of the wrong things? I’m no expert but I think this statement have various meanings. Such as, some people are scared of failure, others are scared of embarrassment, to let go, to love, to care, to show compassion, to show empathy, to believe, to trust, to cry, being rejected and the list goes on and on. I’m sure some time or another you must have experienced one of these emotions. I have and sometimes still do. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with it, we are human and having these different emotions is all part of it.
Being scared of the wrong things, like mentioned above limits us. We don’t want to take chances because we fear failing or making a mistake. So we live our lives playing it safe and not allowing ourselves to be who we are destined to be. As a parent, when my daughters were little and just started walking I would run around after them, ready to catch them should they fall as I did not want to see them hurt. But the odd occasion that they did land on their backsides, taught them to be careful but not to give up. My point is, life teaches us different lessons through the mistakes we make and due to some difficult experiences out of our control but that does not mean that because my first attempt did not work that I should give up, it merely teaches us to try and do it differently for a better result.


Life will always happen be it good or bad, but as a Christian I believe that God did not promise us roses without thorns but he did promise us that He will not leave us or forsake us. So don’t let you fear keep you from reaching your goal, live life to the fullest and know that it is the “not so nice things”  or fears that builds our character and make us who we are today.  


Friday 9 March 2012

Single mothers I salute you!

Families are very important and a stable, functional home needs both parents to make it work. But reality is different and society today finds itself with more and more broken homes and families. The trend is that mothers are now left to play the role of mother and father and to make ends meet. I am sure that at times it is a struggle but I see so many mothers raising decent, respectable young adults that have so much to offer the world, despite the fact they’re doing it on their own. To all single mothers out there, no matter your situation or circumstance, God had given you the power and the wisdom to make a difference in your child's life and to raise him or her to the best of your ability.  



Fish falling from the sky

Easter is approaching fast and all over people prepare and buying stock. During this time fish and seafood doubles in price, as markets know that consumers will pay anything to get their bit. With saying this, I visited our local fish market to get my cut while at a reasonable price. I could never stand all this fish in one place and would work my way through very quickly. Rushing to get out, I neglected to see the delivery guys coming through. Accidently I tripped the poor guy and saw his basket of fish flying through the air and falling from the sky. Very embarrassed and reeking like fish, I quickly grabbed my parcel, headed out. Maybe now is the time to get a new supplier?


Friday 2 March 2012

Just being thankful

Looking back on this past week things could have been so different but tonight I’m thankful for being at home with my family. This morning when we parted ways none of us had the guarantee that we will see each other again but I’m thankful that we’re able to. I’m thankful for our health, having food to eat, a roof over my head and that I could pick and choose what I wanted to wear. And while we are very comfortable there are so many out there all around us that do not have that privilege.

What colour is the wind?

To me the wind means so many different things and has so many different colours. In the morning when I wake and I feel the sun shining on my face and a cool summer’s breeze coming over me, the wind is golden in colour. When I’m down and feel exhausted after a long days work, the wind to me is grey or blue in colour. The wind can be many different colours with many different feelings to many different people. And no matter what the colour of the wind is to me, it could be something totally different to you.