Wordless Wednesday

Loving my Sisters Style!

HOT TOPIC TUESDAY: Giving is better than receiving...

So Christmas is over, and we've all created list of what we wanted for Christmas.  What was the best gift you gave?  Who's heart did you fill with joy?

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY: Secrets of a happy Couple

Today we want to motivate you to be a happy couple with some tips on how to trust, communicate, honor, confidence, generosity, forgiveness, and gratitude, enjoy!!!!!!!

7 Secrets of Happy Couples
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Why do some couples stay happy together for a lifetime, while others are in conflict almost from the beginning?

Part of the answer is compatibility - making the initial choice of a partner with whom you share common values. Equally much, however, depends upon the choices each partner chooses to make during the relationship. Here are seven choices made by happy couples:

1. Trust: Suspicion and jealousy are the death knell of any relationship. If the other is going to cheat or otherwise dishonor the relationship, suspicion and jealousy will not prevent it, and such a relationship is fatally flawed in any case. Unwarranted suspicion and jealousy create misery in a surprising number of relationships. If you want to live happily, trust your partner completely. If they dishonor your trust, deal with the situation then. In the meanwhile, you will have been happy.

2. Open Communication: Tell the truth, tell the whole truth. If you didn't want to share your whole life with your partner, why are you together? If you make a mistake, admit it. If you have doubts, talk about them. Secrets and lies kill a relationship. With truth and openness anything is possible. Even if something is unforgivable, it is better to deal with it quickly.

3. Honoring the other's point-of-view: People disagree, couples disagree. Understanding that the two partners in a couple remain individuals is crucial to a happy relationship. Why would you expect that you and your partner should agree on everything? Honor that one of you is a Republican and the other a Democrat. Honor that one of you is a vegetarian and the other loves a great steak.

4. Self-Confidence: Co-dependence is another frequent cause of failed relationships. Happy couples know that they don't need each other. Each partner is a completely whole and valid individual who has entered into a voluntary partnership. Neither "owns" the other, nor "can't live without" the other. Each has their own interests and friends, as well as having mutual interests and friends.

5. Generosity: Greed and selfishness kill relationships. True love is generous in spirit. Mostly, generosity is not about material things, although that is also important. To have a happy relationship, be generous of your time, your love, and your attention.

6. Forgiveness: Resentments and thoughts of revenge and vengeance have no place in a happy relationship. Happy couples forgive each other completely for everything the other has ever done or failed to do - no exceptions.

7. Gratitude: Happy couples are continuously grateful for each other. Every day there are a myriad of reasons to be grateful for your partner. Find those reasons each day, and thank your partner every day.

Wordless Wednesday (Real Husbands Of Chicago- RHOC)

HOT TOPIC TUESDAY: What does hubby want?

So last Tuesday I asked what you wanted for Christmas, and we got it all, to loose weight, peace on earth, hat sets, etc. now tell me what has hubby been hinting about?  What does he want for Christmas?

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY:

All though some of the Motivational monday quotes, articles, and poems are directed towards individuals they still apply to our marriages.  It takes 2 individuals efforts to make this marriage union work so lets all work on ourselves in order to make our marriages a success...  Here's a poem to motivate you.

The River of Life
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The River of Life flows without emotion.
The River surges. The River quiets.
The River overflows its banks. The River dries to a trickle.
The River swirls and storms. The River becomes calm.
The River runs clear. The River runs dark with silt.
The River is indifferent to what benefit or what harm is caused by its water.
The River is the River, and that is all there is to it.

The River of Life has no judgments.
The River flows with no concept of good and bad – right and wrong.
The fields and dreams of men may be nourished by the River of Life, or flooded and covered with silt, and the River just flows.
Men may catch fish and live on the River of Life, or they may founder in a storm and drown, and the River just flows.

The River of Life is timeless.
It is not unchanging, but it is timeless, and it changes in its own time.

The River of Life knows no obstacles.
The River can cut through solid rock – in its own time.

The River of Life is not powerful – and it is not weak.
The River of Life is not gentle – and it is not strong or rough.
The River of Life is not deep or shallow.
The River of Life is not nourishing or punishing.
The River of Life is simply the River of Life.
The River of Life just IS. There is no more to it.

The River of Life has no meaning, no good, no bad, no better, no worse, no love, no hate, no fear, no anger, no joy.
The River of Life has no judgment, no expectation.
The River of Life just IS.

There is nothing to do.
There is nothing to say.
There is nothing to think.
There is nothing to feel.
The River just flows.

The River is the source of all nourishment - the source of all obstacles.
The River is the source of all life – the source of all death.
The River is the source of all joy – and the source of all sorrow.
Yet the River has no joy – and the River has no sorrow.
The River is just the River.

One can flow harmoniously with the River – or one can struggle fearfully against the River - and the River just flows.
One can accept the River – or one can deny the River – and the River just flows.
One can worship the River of Life – or one can curse the River of Life – and the River just flows.

There is nothing to do – and the River flows.
There is nothing to say – and the River flows.
There is nothing to think – and the River flows.
There is nothing to feel – and the River flows.
The River flows – and all else is our drama.
The River flows – and all else is our invention.

I choose to flow with the River of Life.

Wordless Wednesday (The Power of Sisterhood)

HOT TOPIC TUESDAY: Christmas Gifts

I've asked several of my friends what they would like for Christmas, and it ranges from money to electronics, to shoes to peace to miracles! 

What would you like for Christmas?

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY: Motivating you...

I found this article and wanted to share it with you all...

When you get motivated, you can accomplish almost anything. You can get motivated to lose weight, get motivated to exercise, get motivated to study, get motivated to write a book, or motivate yourself to do almost anything else that is truly important to you, like your marriage. Here are some ways to get motivated...

Understand Your Life Purpose
Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
- Judy Garland
Until one has a clear idea of one's life purpose, there is no way to know whether a task is important or not. Is today's physics homework important? Is going to the gym today important? Those questions can only be answered within the context of one's life purpose. A task may appear urgent, but being "urgent," in the sense of another person having stated a deadline, does not make a task truly important in the sense of furthering your life purpose.
If a task isn't really important to you, you probably can't motivate yourself to work on it consistently and energetically. It is best if the task itself, as well as the project of which the task is a part, is inherently important to you. An example of such a task would be parenting your child. Each day you spend with your child is important to you, and it is important to you that your child grow up to be a responsible and happy adult.
Often however, the day-to-day activities (tasks) of your project don't seem rewarding, and only the final result (project completion) drives you. For example, you want to lose fifteen pounds, or to become a published author. In these cases, it is crucial to find a means of visualizing the desired end-result on a daily basis, and using that image of the desired result for daily motivation.

Choose Your Priorities
It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
- J. K. Rowling
At every instant of every day, you are making a choice of how you spend your time. You have a very limited amount of time, so time is a highly valuable currency. You certainly can't do everything that you consider doing or that others ask you to do. You establish your real priorities in life by your choices of how you allocate your time. Whenever you spend time on some mindless activity or allocate time to meeting someone else's demands (that don't further your own life purpose) you have chosen your priorities -- but have you chosen well?
Don't confuse leisure time recreation with mindless activities. Activities such as resting, reading, or going to the beach or a picnic or a party create balance in your life and further your life purpose by relieving stress, relaxing you, making you happier, and strengthening your connection with family and friends. However mindlessly surfing the television or web, checking your email every few minutes, or extended sessions of video gaming are priority choices that are unlikely to further your life purpose.
Choose to undertake only projects that are compatible with your life purpose, and choose to allocate a majority of your time to tasks that further those projects.

Visualize Success
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
At the beginning of each project, visualize what success will look like. If your project is to lose weight, visualize your new shape. If your project is writing a book, visualize your title listed as number one on the best-seller list. Make it a practice to recall this image of success every day. You may find it helpful to create a drawing or photograph or collage as a tangible representation of the success you are working toward. A collage is made by gluing magazine clippings, drawings, photographs and other objects to a piece of paper to form an artistic representation of a complex idea. A collage to represent graduating from college might contain photographs or drawings of someone in a cap-and-gown, a diploma, a job offer letter, a large salary check -- whatever you associate with your goal. A collage can be a powerful aid in creating an emotional connection with the goals of your project and in keeping you motivated.

Write It Down
Projects that exist only in your mind are unlikely ever to be completed.
Begin by writing down your life purpose. While there are likely several distinct aspects to your life purpose, an overly complex or disjointed statement of life purpose is more confusing than helpful.
For each main thread of your life purpose, write down the projects that support the intent of that thread.
For each project, write a timeframe, milestones, and the tasks that comprise that project.
As an example, one thread of your life purpose might be physical health. A project within that thread might be reducing your weight. Timeframe and milestones could be to lose five pounds each month for three months. The tasks might be to go to the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and to record the calories you consume each day in a diary.

Begin - Never Quit
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, Begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it, Begin it now.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Half of finishing a project is beginning -- and most of the rest is never quitting. Very little in life is complex. Begin and keep going. If necessary, begin again each day. Know that you can only fail if you quit.

Celebrate Your Victories
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
- Winston Churchill
Whenever you complete a task, celebrate. Whenever you complete a project, have a huge celebration. Even if you haven't met your goals, celebrate. If you set a goal to lose five pounds in a month and you lose three, celebrate. Even if you gained a pound instead of losing, celebrate that you got to the gym twelve times. Always celebrate what you have learned -- celebrate learning what doesn't work as well as what does work.

Use Your Support Network
A friend is someone who understands my past,
believes in my future,
and accepts me just the way I am.
- Anonymous
If you have friends and family who support your life purpose, include them in your projects. Tell them what you are doing, and why. Let them be keepers of your timeframes and milestones. Include them in your celebrations -- and your painful life-lessons.
If you don't yet have a supportive network of friends and family, get one. Make the project of creating a support network your highest-priority project. Join organizations that are compatible with your life purpose and seek support. Volunteer for causes that are compatible with your life purpose and seek support. Also, make the conscious decision to spend less time with people who don't support your goals and life purpose.

Build Your Self-Confidence
Those who believe they can do something and those who believe they can't are both right.
- Henry Ford
Today, and every day, affirm again your own value as a human being. Affirm the value of your life purpose and your chosen projects. Affirm your commitment to seeing your chosen projects through to completion. Utilize your support network to build your self-confidence. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and your values.

Wordless Wednesday (Sisterhood Making a difference)

HOT TOPIC TUESDAY: Holiday Parties Spouse or no Spouse

It's holiday time, and there are lots of holiday parties to attend.  Personally, I love to have my husband on my side, because I feel that making date nights happen during the holidays are a little difficult so I use the holiday party as an opportunity to spend a little time with hubby, but then there are those who like to leave their spouse at home.  What do you think?  Do you spread the holiday cheer with your spouse or leave them at home?

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY: Care

This past weekend member of the RWOC sisterhood donated our time and muscles to pack 82 boxes of chicken, vegetables, soy bean, and rice to send to one of the 70 countries the wonderful  Feed my Starving Children is affiliated with.  From this 82 boxes we packed there are 17,712 meals which will feed 49 children for 1 year!  After praying over the boxes and leaving the site, I left so full with the presence of God, and so full with the spirit that I made a difference.  I not only wished that I could have shared this experience with my family.  I from that point on made the commitment to volunteer and donate more. 

This Motivation Monday I motivate you to care.  Not only to care about your husband and your kids, but to also care about the starving 18,000 children that die every year.  I motivate you to care about them, and donate your time, may it be volunteering, or donating money, but please care...