We Remember

How many times lately have you turned to the obituaries page and seen the death notice of another soldier. I think all of our World War 1 Vets are gone and most of our World War 2 Vets as well. However, there are still many who are serving and giving their lives today. Even though the official Remembrance Day is over, I wanted to share this poem. It was sent to me in an email and I don't know who the author is. If someone does, please let me know so that I can acknowledge their gift.

Remembrance Day

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And tho' sometimes to his neighbours
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For old Jim has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
Tho' a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state.
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young.
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Someone who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician’s stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension - though small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier -
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end?

He was just a common soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the soldier's part,
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honour
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

Please keep the memory of our soldiers in your mind all year long.

Fran

Relationships

Do you realize relationships begin shortly after birth and are ongoing ways of life for every person on the planet?

An important part of life depends on how we develop our relationships with others. Perhaps, if we consider examples of this development, a better understanding will enable us to think more clearly before we interact with others.

Examples:

1. At birth we acknowledge a relationship with our mothers
2. Growing up, we build friendships with family members
3. In school, relationships with peers and teachers are normal
4. Most begin their dating relationships along the way
5. Searching for first employment, relationships must be formed
6. To market products, relationships are tried, tested, used

Most sports require close relationships to build a winning team. How far would the space programs have gotten without close working relationships? Would we marry without an excellent relationship with our partner?

As people mature in life, many relate an emptiness that is often difficult to understand or comprehend if a relationship has not been established with our creator. This personal relationship will fill a void that no other can fill. This is the most important relationship of all in every life, for complete fulfillment and joy.

The purpose for these examples are to enhance our willingness and desire to work on developing meaning in our lives, our families, and our businesses to become better persons and better marketers with positive relationship building goals.

A few very important traits in relationships are integrity or honesty, trust, and a willingness to open ourselves to others and be examined.

Have you ever experienced failure? Perhaps it was caused by the lack of trust or integrity in another. Can relationship building with other persons prevent failure? Would your business become more successful with many great relationships? Think on these statements and make the adjustments in your life that you feel may improve your disposition.

These basic groundwork ideas on relationships are written to jog your thinking and perhaps increase your business skills until they direct you to a point where success in business is inevitable and joy in your work becomes a normal lifestyle.

Many times along the path of life, failures occur. It is good to recognize and know the importance of developing good relationships during these trials and to be well prepared for the needed improvements.

Expect the best, prepare for the worst, and take what comes, is a great buffer for the many trials that happen in life.

Great relationships developed over a lifetime, yield great rewards!

To your Successful and Happy Relationships

Fran

P.S. Check out Six Minutes To Success - Click here

What is Love?

Despite preaching today on being the light and love of Jesus, I witnessed a scenario that demonstrated that the message had not gotten though to some people. I saw people hurt and attacked by words, by attitudes, by thoughtlessness, by rage, by indifference.

The results of today’s altercation is that one and possibly two people will not return to our church. The result is that those hearing the altercation were also hurt by the pain of those who were attacked.

What does it take to get the message of God to sink in to our hearts? This is not a new problem. It has been around for as long as people have been alive. Jesus’ gave a parable about the seeds sewn, some on rocky ground where they could not take hold, some on shallow ground where they quickly sprouted up and then died, and some on fertile ground where they thrived.

If we can’t make our churches fertile ground, we will lose more and more people. Jesus asked us to love one another. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and your neighbour as yourself.

We all hurt some days. We all fail some days. We all have sorrow and pain. But Jesus told us to gather together in our church families to be healed…..not to be hurt even more. Where is our faith, our love, our compassion, our caring? Where is our support, our willingness to reach out to others, to provide help and instruction? Where is our fellowship? It seems we have closed our doors to those who do not think the way we do, behave the way we do, those who are not like us.

This is not Jesus’ way. He said, Come unto me all those who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. He invited us then to come to him and we, who are his followers, should be inviting those around us to come to him through and with us. Why aren’t we?

Faith makes us whole. Not deeds. I John 4: 7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love”

I John 4: 10-11 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Yours in love
Fran

P.S.  There are five things that you cannot recover in life:


(1) The Stone...........after it's thrown,
(2) The Word................after it's said,
(3) The Occasion......after it's missed, and
(4) The Time.............after it's gone.
(5) A person...............after they die

Being Your Best

We moved our Japanese Maple out of the shade of the Aspens maybe a month ago, placing it closer to our front door in full sun. Before, a few leaves were red, most others green or kind of purple. Since being replanted it has exploded in an all over palette of red and crimson and scarlet and magenta. It is a constant delight. And we think it’s very happy! I hope this image delights you.

From:  http://paulandlayne.com/blog/

As I read this quote on Paul and Layne’s blog today I thought about how it relates to people. How often do we wither when we are in the wrong workplace, the wrong relationship, the wrong situation for us?

Think of the changes you have seen in people you know when they met the “right” person, got the “right” job for them or moved out of a bad situation. Just like the Maple, they burst into life and their happiness explodes around them affecting everyone and everything.

If you are in a bad situation, you owe it to yourself to move into the light. Expose yourself to the warmth and possibilities. Explore your potential. If it is your job, look around and find another one. Don’t be trapped by false thinking. Maybe you’ve been told, “You’ve got a good job with good pay, you should stay there.” If you are unhappy, then all the money isn’t going to make you happy. You owe it to yourself to explore the type of job you really want, one that will make you happy. You are worth it.

If you are in a bad relationship, it’s time to move on. If you are in an abusive relationship, it’s time to run as fast as you can away from the situation and get yourself into a safe place. Every relationship has its ups and downs, as well as some bumps and hiccups, that’s normal, but if you can’t find any of the joy, then why stay? But be honest, not deceitful. Don’t carry on with another person while you are still in the relationship. Make a clean break. You need to get to know yourself before you start over or you may find yourself in the same type of relationship you just left.

You are what you believe you are. Your thoughts make you. Think happy, positive thoughts. Let them course through your body and burst forth like the leaves on the maple. Be bright. Be happy. Be who you really are!

To being your best self


Fran

www.banabu.ca

FEAR

Why didn’t I send a resume to that job. I had most of the qualifications and the person they hired doesn’t have anywhere near the skills that I have….

Why didn’t I enter that contest last year. I thought about it lots, I could have entered, but I didn’t. Why didn’t I?

Why didn’t I go and talk to that new person at the office. She seemed nice enough, but I just let everyone else say hi. What’s wrong with me?

Is your life full of “Why didn’t Is?” If it is, then you too are a victim of………….FEAR!

Fear causes us to do strange things. It may cause us to hide in our houses and not come out for days or weeks. It can cause us to give up on friendships because we think that the person might not like us. It can cause us to see rejection when someone doesn’t say good morning to us when they come into the office.

That demon FEAR can really wreck our lives!

So what can we do about it?

There are many things we can do. Those of us who entered the door of Toastmasters, quivering and quaking in our boots learned that taking that first step was the absolute hardest, but once that step was taken the rest became easier. And that is the secret to beating that FEAR demon.

The first thing we have to do is to look carefully at what our fear really is. Is it a fear of rejection? A fear of looking foolish? A fear of being judged? A fear of failing? Whatever it is, the next step is to ask yourself, what’s the worst thing that could happen? If I’m rejected, will my world stop, will I cease to exist? No, my life will go on and I will find someone who won’t reject me.

What about looking foolish? Well, let yourself do something really foolish, put on a clown suit, encourage people to laugh at you. And as far as being judged, what does it really matter what the neighbours think? You need to be happy about what you are doing for you, not for the neighbours.

Fear of failure prevents many of us from pursuing our dreams. We ask ourselves… “what if….” Well, what if you do fail? What then? You just try another way. When you were a toddler and you fell down, you didn’t think it was the end of the world, you simply got up and took another step, reaching for your goal.

Fear of rejection has controlled my life in many ways, and I have limited myself, not tried when I expected negative results. The words I heard as a young child come back to haunt me time after time and I have to overcome the feeling and go forward.
I wrote a poem for a friend back in 1987, but it is a poem that I wrote for myself as well and I return to it time after time for the inspiration to carry on when I feel like giving up, when FEAR has me in its grasp and I would like to share it with you in closing. It is entitled RISK.

RISK

Do not be afraid to shine.
This world needs what you have to give.
Open up the areas of your being;
expose them to yourself - to others.
You are valuable.
You are unique.
You have much to give.
Do not be afraid to give it.

As we risk ourselves, we grow.
Each new experience is a risk:
we can try, and maybe fail,
and as a result, grow -
or hold back and stagnate.

You have the potential
to be anything you want to be!
You are free to choose.
You are limited only by your fears.
Let your dreams take over,
fly with the eagles,
soar into life,
the world is waiting for you!

*********************************

Fly high

Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca

Need Some Spark in Your Relationship???

3 Ways To Re-Spark The Magic Back Into Your Relationship

Are you frustrated that your relationship doesn’t have the magic and
romance that it once had? Feel like you're stuck in a rut and always doing the
same things?

You’re not alone. After dating someone for a long time, it's easy to
slip into a stable and comfortable routine. However, you often lose the spark
that made your relationship so special in the first place. Not to worry, here
are three simple, fun and creative ways to reignite that magic:

1. Give them a unique gift - Name a Star after your partner.
A number of astronomical agencies allow individuals to name stars and you receive
formal documentation identifying the star that you have named. Or how about
this: Give your partner a magic gift box, and every month place a new small
gift in the box for your beloved to discover.

2. Say "I love you" in a unique way - Take a book
that your partner is reading and, using a pencil, underline letters in a section
of the book she has yet to read to spell out a secret message of "I love
you" or an entire love letter. Doing it just like this. Or for something
really unique: You can buy special plants that grow and after 14 days display
a message of your choice on the leaf. Cool or what!

3. Start going on dates again - One thing that separates couples
with 'out of this world' relationships, is they never stop doing new, fun and
exciting things with their partner. In other words, they never stop dating and
neither should you.

Spend the day doing fun things: go to the carnival, the beach, have a water
fight, stare at the clouds on a grassy hill, go on a picnic, walk in the rain
without raincoats and umbrellas, dress up in funny costumes and hit the town.
Or how about this: Pick your partner up for a date and blindfold her before
driving to a special destination. Try to make the destination something really
unexpected like a table set up at the top of a cliff or a dinner on a boat or
old-fashioned ship. It needs to be something that will have an impact when she
removes the blindfold.

Believe me when I say that NOTHING can rekindle the love, passion and excitement
in your relationship more than going on fun and creative dates together.

About the Author:

Oprah Love Expert Michael Webb is the author of 300 Creative Dates,
a book jam-packed with ways to rekindle your relationship with creative and
romantic outings, including including ideas for every day dates, long distance
relationships, birthdays, anniversaries and more. To learn more, visit the creative
date ideas site

5 Relationship Tips You Should Know About

Thinking of Tying The Knot? 5 Tips To Make Sure You Stay Together

Did you know that love does NOT conquer all?

You see, often people get married with the idea that their “chemistry”
or undying love for each other will keep them together forever.

However, with almost 50% of marriages ending in divorce these days, it’s
obvious that this isn’t the case. Therefore, it pays to know a few little
secrets before getting married.

Here are 5 tips that help keep couples together long after tying the knot:

Tip #1 - Continue dating

Over the years, people often drift apart or relationships and marriages become
stale because couples fail to do new and special things together. That's why
going on new and refreshing dates is so important. In fact, there is something
about “dating” that creates a sense of magic in a relationship and
can even bring relationships out of a rut. While on a date, you also put more
effort into your appearance, have more uninterrupted time to communicate on
a deeper level and are naturally drawn closer together. Stuck for ideas? Spend
the day at the aquarium, zoo, museum, carnival, bookstore, beach or park.

Tip #2 – Delay is often better

It’s a well-documented statistic that couples who have dated for a year
or longer before marriage have a significantly lower rate of divorce than those
who married after a short dating period. A year of dating gives time for many
emotions to surface and many character traits to be discovered. You may adore
someone in the spring, but despise him or her in the winter. Asking someone
for his or her hand in marriage on the third date isn't romantic. It's gambling.

Tip #3 – Always express your love

Oftentimes, as a relationship matures, partners tend to stop praising each
other because they 'assume' their partner already knows what they're thinking.
When in reality, a day should never go by without you praising your partner.
Compliment them on their cooking, reaffirm that they're the greatest person
in the world or tell them they’re a wonderful role model. If you want
to be loved and romanced by your sweetheart, love and romance them first. When
they're feeling loved, it is much easier to love in return. Are you a super
supporter of what your mate does and says? So do you cheer them on and praise
them constantly? Or do they constantly hear boos or silence?

Tip #4 – Take time to understand your partner

Couples with the most problems are often the ones that say, "I just don't
understand him/her." So let me ask you: How knowledgeable are you about
your mate's profession or the degree they are pursuing? Do you know anything
about his or her family heritage? Are you able to have a meaningful conversation
about her cross-stitch hobby or his interest in rugby? If you are a man, do
you fully understand what women experience during PMS or menopause? You don't
need to be identical, but make an effort to learn about the things that interest
your partner in life and you'll grow closer as a result.

Tip #5 - Answer the BIG questions

Does your partner want kids? Do you both want careers? Do they have a history
of spending their way into debt? Do they go to church?

In my opinion, the biggest reason almost half of marriages end in divorce is
because couples fail to ask each other the right questions BEFORE they get married.
I guess people think they'll be able to change their spouses after marriage
and everything will be better. Wrong. If you fail to sit down and discuss finances,
religion, sex, housing, your future, and other topics in great detail, you could
end up with nothing but argument after argument for the rest of your days.

In the end, if you both have completely different views, desires and goals
in life, there’s no guarantee that chemistry or "I love you’s"
will help you stay together. Make it your utmost priority to understand each
other 'inside-out' BEFORE you take that walk down the aisle.

About the author:

Michael Webb is the author of “1000 Questions For Couples" the most
comprehensive book of questions that all couples should ask before getting married.
Covering lovemaking, religion, careers, money, children & raising them,
household work, personalities, the future and much much more. To learn more,
visit: 1000 Questions For Couples

Fran Watson