HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! GOOD-BYE 2008, HELLO 2009!!!

AULD LANG SYNE - FROM "THE BOSS" AND THE E-STREET BAND


It's that time of year. Ring out the old year and bring in the new year, full of hope and promise. Time to think about resolutions to be made for the new year. What kind of changes can we make to bring about positive change in our lives and those around us?

I don't mind seeking advice from minds greater than mine, so here it goes. First from one of my favorite organizations, Character Counts.
--------------
http://charactercounts.org/michael/2008/12/

The key to a better life: Complain less, appreciate more. Whine less, laugh more. Talk less, listen more. Want less, give more. Hate less, love more. Scold less, praise more. Fear less, hope more.
– Michael Josephson

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.
– Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father (1706-1790)

Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.
– Mark Twain, author, humorist (1835-1910)

A Flower unblown,
A Book unread,
A Tree with fruit unharvested
A Path untrod,
A House whose rooms lack yet the heart’s divine perfumes.
This is the Year that for you waits
Beyond tomorrow’s mystic gates.
– Horatio Nelson Powers, poet (1826-1890)
----------------------
I especially like the first one from Michael Josephson, the founder of The Josephson Institute and Character Counts.

These guidelines come fairly very close to from Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the spirit.

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"


Our pastors wife breaks these qualities down into an easy to remember phrase, "One (1 syllable) Package (P-K-G) of Figs (F-G-S)".

The first three qualities (Love, Joy and Peace) are one syllable each.

P-K-G or "package" represents Patience, Kindness and Goodness. All are two syllable words.

F-G-S or "figs" represents faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All are three syllable words.

PRETTY COOL, HUH?

This makes these qualities easy to remember and easy to implement in our daily lives. And if you don't get them all or practice them all the time, fret not, the Mark Twain cynical quote above notwithstanding, we're all works in progress. It's all about redemption.

The other two I might add to my own personal list is to:

Resolve not to let money master me, but I will turn to the Master with my money.

Especially after the cataclysmic events in the financial world these days, it's easy to see how fleeting some of the things we treasure can really be.

Resolve to open my eyes more to the opportunities to care for the world.

Especially those less fortunate. It's hard to conceive when we're going through hard times that there are others going through even greater challenges and difficulties. Perspective can be important during challenging times such as this.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!