Take Heart with our current struggles

His neck was put in irons. (Psalm 105:18)

The irons of sorrow and loss, the burdens carried as a youth, and the soul's struggle against sin all contribute to developing an iron tenacity and strength of purpose, as well as endurance and fortitude.

And these traits make up the indispensable foundation and framework of a noble character.

Never run from suffering, but bear it silently, patiently, and submissively, with the assurance that it is God's way of instilling iron into your spiritual life.

The world is looking for iron leaders, iron armies, iron tendons, and muscles of steel.

But God is looking for iron saints, and since there is no way to impart iron into His people's moral nature except by letting them suffer; He allows them to suffer.

Are the best years of your life slipping away while you suffer enforced monotony?

Are you afflicted with opposition, misunderstandings, and scorn of others?

Do your afflictions seem as thick undergrowth confronting someone hiking through a jungle?

Then take heart!

Your time is NOT wasted, for God is simply putting you through His iron regimen.

Your iron crown of suffering precedes your golden crown of glory, and iron is entering your soul to make it strong and brave.

    —F. B. Meyer

"But you will not mind the roughness, nor the steepness of the way,
Nor the cold, unrested morning, nor the heat of the noonday;
And you will not take a turning to the left or the right,
But go straight ahead, nor tremble at the coming of the night,
For the road leads home."

We all have today's challenges, fears, trials and uncertainties to face - but Take Heart and know that we are all on the right path.

Do not quit.  Do not get discouragec or lose Faith, Hope or your optimism.

Remind yourself constantly that the tougher the road and battle, the GREATER the reward! 

Take Heart - and keep rising to the bell no matter how hard the road seems right now! 

You will be better and stronger for it - and you are needed for many purposes!!!

This too shall pass... you will not be abandoned and you are never alone!!

Stay Strong!!

True Riches

"Time and health are two precious assets
that we don't recognize and appreciate
until they have been depleted."
- Denis Waitley 

We hear this all the time and I am just as guilty of using "Count your Blessings" until it almost feels like a cliche.

However,  there is no truer statement than the one above when it comes to measuring our value, our wealth and our abundance!

It is very easy to get caught up in the competitive game of measuring prosperity and "wealth" and using solely material goods or our bank accounts as the measuring stick!

Do not allow yourself to fall into this trap!

In the grand scheme of it all, material riches are by far the last thing that matters when we look at what "value" we put on our efforts and acts here in this short life!

Now don't get me wrong - you can surely strive to achieve success and obtain abundance in all you endeavor - and I don't believe there is anything wrong with that at all!

God wants us to be abundant and happy - and to be the best at whatever we undertake!

However, if that is all we can point to at the end of our lives as our "true value" - as the single most important thing we accomplished on this earth - we are in for a rude awakening and it will be too late at that point!

Stop comparing and measuring your wealth on material and earthly items and possessions!

Our true net worth comes from our actions - from our service to others - from our kindness and compassion!

If you can get out of bed this morning of your own power and have the ability to move around freely - void of pain or discomfort - I have news for you:

You are officially as wealthy as ANYONE on this planet!!!

If you have the capacity today to conduct acts of kindness and to serve others even in the smallest of gestures - YOU are King Midas as far as true worth and value is considered!
If you have family or friends to care for and love - you are truly blessed with something that cannot be captured in dollars and cents - no matter how much money is proffered!

Escape the material possession trap today and truly COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS  - because there are millions of people - Right Now - who would trade what they have to endure on an hourly or daily basis with you in a heartbeat and never let the smile escape their lips!!

Time and Health - if you have one or God willing both - guess what:

YOU are the richest person in the world!

Don't squander this wealth with worry, fear or longing for it all! 

You already have it ALL!!

Stay Strong!

Spark

"At times our own light goes out
and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude
of those who have lighted the flame within us."
    - Albert Schweitzer

Apologies for the radio silence these past few weeks but we had a loss in our family that really struck us all deeply and profoundly.

With such loss and pain comes a fork in the road for many of us. We all have a choice to make when we are confronted with such a situation and what we choose is really a testament to the person whom we lost's legacy and memory.

We can choose to lament and curse the world for its tremendous highs and lows or we can dig deep and grieve for the loss - but we must be absolutely sure that we get back on our horse and keep up the good fight that defines our lives and purposes on this planet!

We owe that to our loved one's memory!

It is way too easy to roll over and bury our heads when faced with adversity, trials and challenges in this life.

It is way too easy to give up and cave in to the sadness and tough breaks that we all face daily!

But taking the easy path is not what we all signed up for in this lifetime!

As Schweitzer says so perfectly above - We all need to think with deep  GRATITUDE of those who have lit a flame within us!

Grandma O'Toole left this earthly battle courageously,  fearlessly,  and with complete faith and trust in her next destination and she left us with a very simple equation for this hard life:

"Be Grateful and Be Happy - and eat and enjoy it all while you can!"

She embodied this advice on a daily basis. 

Despite battling a vicious and insidious disease, all she ever cared about was how the other person's day was, how you were doing, and how she could help others feel better, stronger, and be happier!!

She did this right up to her last breath and she serves as an inspiration to us all!

We will not come across another human such as Dorothy O'Toole!

Thank you all for rekindling my spark with your kind emails and thoughts and prayers!  It is appreciated more than you can imagine!

We must carry on this good fight, continue to help each other to keep that fire burning and to keep the memories of those we loved, lost and cherish fully alive through our daily actions!

Keep seeking opportunities to re-light those critical fires in those who are in need of the spark that only YOU can provide!!!

There really is no other choice for any of us!

God Bless Grandma and her family!

Stay Strong!!

Whatcha thinking?

"You cannot escape the results of your thoughts. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal.

You will become as small as your controlling desire, as great as your dominant aspiration.

   - James Lane Allen

As the New Year fully kicks in, lets be sure to focus on the quality of our thoughts and attitudes each and every day.

What we think, we become.  It is a fact! 

It is a Law of nature!

And if you think about it, our thoughts and attitudes are the ONLY true thing we can control in our lives.

The evidence of this notion of our thoughts as the secret to how our lives will play out is irrefutable - and the examples of both paths taken can be clearly seen in our neighbors on a daily basis.

Practice this and make it a daily discipline!

You may be amazed in the changes this brings forth into our lives almost immediately! !

Stay Strong!

[Stay Strong] Happy New Year - Clean up and Action time!!

"People excel, thrive, and are ultimately happier when they have a higher standard to look to and strive for.

I have NEVER encountered a situation in which a goal didn't flood my spirit with Hope, fill my mind with Determination, and generally bring out the best in me!"
    
         - Matthew Kelly

2014!!!   

Wake up time!!!!!

> No more talking about it! 

> No more excuses!

>We all know that "New Years" is the quintessential time to make new goals, declare resolutions, and to fully wash off all of the negativity and mistakes of the past year!

It doesn't matter how severe or mild the setback was - failed marriage, lost job, loss of a loved one, missed opportunities,  financial woes, health issues, family feuds, etc - we MUST stop lamenting about it, stop letting these things rule our lives -and put them far behind us NOW!

If we have learned anything in our lives it is that life is too darn short and that if we don't take action NOW we will never take action!

One of my favorite quotes sums it up nicely:

"Finish each day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
you shall begin it serenely
and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

How true!!

Here is my challenge to all of you today!!

> There must be something, one thing, one goal that you have had bouncing around in your head for some time now that has been derailed for a multitude of reasons! 
>
Excuses are very easy to accommodate as we grow older and that is why TODAY we are going to identify that one goal we have always wanted to pursue and we are going to COMMIT to pursuing and achieving it!!! 

No excuses....put it down in writing!!!

Make it THE most important thing to do in your life right now!

Understand, This is a crucial crossroads for us right now!!!  

It is not so much the actual achieving of the goal that matters - but the fact that we are going to ACCOMPLISH it, whatever that goal may be!!

What are you going to commit to pursuing today?

> Do it - add that special goal and pursuit to your daily life and it will quickly add energy, fire, enthusiasm and purpose to your days!

Trust me..a life without purpose and a goal to achieve is stagnation and as growth-seeking beings, we cannot afford NOT to do this RIGHT NOW!!

> What is it that is going to change your life today???

Write it down..put it next to your bed so it stares at you every day and night, and go out and nail it!!

You can do it!!!  This year is different!

Thank you all for your notes and words of encouragement all throughout the year. I appreciate it very much! I am glad they can be of help to some.

Stay Strong and may God Bless us all with Health, Peace, Joy, Prosperity, and Renewed Strength of Mind, Body, Soul, and Spirit in 2014 and for the rest of our lives!

Savage Words of Wisdom!

"I've walked through the valley, and I'll tell you this:

If I look back over my life, at the days and years I've spent worrying, most of them were a waste of time.

Worry brought me nothing.

Thinking about your problems is good, but not worrying.

Neither does going around feeling bad.

Do you really think other people are saying, "Oh, look, he's feeling bad. Let's give him what he wants?"

It doesn't work like that. The only person who suffers is you.

As I look back on my life, I can see that every step of the way, the hand of God was guiding my feet.

So in that regard, I think I've found my faith all over again.

For a while I didn't believe in anything, but suddenly that's changed."

  - Michael Savage

Thank you for this Nicky!

Great advice!

Stay Strong!

Happy Saturday

"If only the people who worry about their liabilities would think about the riches they actually possess, they would stop worrying."
   - Dale Carnegie

"What worries you, masters you."
  - John Locke

Training our minds is a difficult task but it is not an unattainable one.

Like everything else in this life, the more we work at something the better we get at it, and the more we believe we can achieve it the easier it becomes to achieve.

This applies to work, sports, fitness, academics, spiritual growth, and anything we can put our minds to thinking about.

Therefore if we can successfully train our minds to focus on our blessings and gifts, as opposed to always highlighting and focusing on our worry, fear and anxieties,  think about how much easier and more enjoyable life would be.

In the end what it all comes down to is our willingness and persistence in training our minds to look for the positives in every single circumstance and to consistently shrug off our failures, worries, and doubts.

It will take faith and hard work but if you really think about it isn't it worth all of the effort to find that elusive peace and happiness we all seek?

Endeavor to begin your training today!
Stay Strong!