Courage Through Faith

          Struggles in life come in so many innumerable forms. No one among us could simply claim that they are strong but somehow, for  those who are able to survive life's crosses would claim that they are able to do so due to their firm hold in themselves and in their constant faith in their God.  

          Everyday in our life, we experience various life situations- some may be considered as trivial ones yet others become enormously significant that if we only stop from our busy routines as well as reflect on them, we will come into a realisation that they emerge as our pathway to be strong in this battlefield of life. 

imagecredit: Flordeliza Bernardino Eyles

        Constantly dealing with the everyday challenges of life, we feel that at times, we can't go on anymore....that it is too much for us to go on with the fight. Life at times could be very challenging and tricky yet it is on this time of emptiness and desolation that we find consolation in the embrace of the Most Powerful Being in life. 

        Thus comes our conviction and faith in our God. And no matter what name we attribute to Him but in His eyes, we are just the same. We are all special in His love and with this assurance, may we become more motivated to embrace life's not so favourable chapters. 

Ways To Welcome The New Year

          2017- this new year promises lots of things to all of us. The impact of its effect on us may vary on our individual capacity to do it. And welcoming it may also take different forms like the following:

1. Welcoming With a Heavy Heart- this is true for those who are unable to leave behind those grudges and hatred in their hearts. Even though year 2016 has passed yet they could not focus on the new year however, they tend to value the more what was painful on last year. Thus, the new year may seem to have no impact anything at all to them;

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2. Welcoming with Excitement- there are those who are so filled with excitement to welcome the new year that they eagerly wake up each day to see all its surprise. So few things are ordinary for them. These include the artists, the dreamers, the adventurous and the like;

3. Welcoming with A Grateful Heart- this belongs to those who are so grateful for everything in their life. For this people, nothing is ordinary for them instead everything is so special that gratefulness must also be done in return;

4. Welcoming with All Smiles- this group is for those who are always positive in their life that no matter how many days were painful as of last year but this year promises something wonderful for them. They always have smiles in their faces that no problem of whatever degree could destroy or damage their day. 

          For sure, there are other forms of welcoming the new year out there but considering this short list for sure will already allow you to exactly identify yourself in one or two of them. God luck everyone for this new year 2017. 

Life's Surprises and Man's Awareness

            As we embrace each single day, we are so lucky to constantly receive surprises each day. May it be a simple greetings from a long lost friend or a simple gift from a relative, or it could be a simple gesture of kindness from a total stranger...yet the element of surprise is always present. BUT let us always remember that it could only become as such if we also allow ourselves to be conscious of the element of being a surprise. 

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          Sometimes, we think that LIFE is already so predictable. that we already think of the things that will happen before us...in the process we lose the element of surprise to all those unfolding of reality around us. Remember always that life becomes an interesting journey when there is that element of surprise that goes to it. 

         Thus, even though you can already detect what comes next in an activity or in an event but still, learn to put a suspense to it so that life will continue to be full of surprises each day. 

"Not Just to Heal The Wounds, But To Stop The Blows"

          These are the powerful words of Dr. John Falzon, Chief Executive Officer of St. Vincent De Paul Society. He shared these challenging words on his message not only to all members of the Society but to everyone. 

          One of the noteworthy activities of St. Vincent De Paul Society is providing shelter to those homeless individuals. But their good deeds don't cease there since they also provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, and company. 

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          The problem on poverty and the consequences like homelessness is experienced even by the wealth countries such as such as Australia. If we could take a look at the statistics given by the St. Vincent De Paul Society's National Overview 2014, in Australia alone there is one homeless person in every 200 individuals. And in the 2011 census, there are 105,257 reported Australians who are homeless. 

          Thus, this part of the report just shows that even rich countries like Australia is encountering this kind of alarming situation. Hence it is so great to know that there are generous organisations such as St. Vincent De Paul Society that organise and facilitate concrete actions to alleviate the conditions of those unfortunate members of society. 

          And may there be more individuals who are willing to share and offer their blessings to help the poor. After all we are equal regardless of differences in age, colour, race, etc.. 

Share love and live life to the fullest. 

Source: St. Vincent De Paul Society

              National Overview 2014

Share Your Blessings!

          Holiday season is here. Looking back on the whole year 2014, we could realise that we have been so blessed all throughout the year for we are showered with lavished gifts everyday all through the year. We try to look back since we started the year and we recalled that the month of January was full of meaningful blessings. From the gifts of friendships we shared with others most notably with our loved ones up the established relationships we had with others, they helped us realise that after all, life is so wonderful to live by.

imagecredit: Vladimir Kramer

          The succeeding months were all full of memories as we went on with our various routines in life, we embraced with what is truthful in life that this journey is not all made of sweet memories and that at times, we were confronted with difficult situations and challenging people but thanks to our Gift giver, we were able to hurdle them all and allowed ourselves to grow more maturely and optimistic in life. 

          Moreover, the 2nd half of the year started with the months of July, August and September then we tried to recollect our past journeys and assessed intricately our journey. The people we encountered have helped us to reassert our goal in life and moved ahead positively. Such journey was a tedious one but it was made light and wonderful by all the wonderful memories we shared with our loved ones. 

          Then finally, the last quarter of the year came and we ushered a feeling of expectation as we started to be excited with the coming holidays ---looking ahead for these days wherein we can be freed from all our pressures from work. No matter how limited the season is but every experience we make and share with others last a lifetime. Thus, with so much fun, it is so worthwhile to realise that this life constantly ought to be shared with others.

How To Share Positive Energy To Others

          As  human beings, it is but a basic need for you and me to possess that sense of respect and self dignity. This could be attained in different ways like achieving our goals in life, building relationships and sharing positive energies with others. 

          I recently read an article by an HR expert named Susan Heathfield and she's talking about how then could we show appreciation on others in the workplace. I think that situation  is but similar to our day to day living. To quote a few of what she shared on her article, here are 3 ways to make other people happy.

1. "Praise something your coworker has done well" - Source: http://humanresources.about.com/cs/rewardrecognition/a/appreciation.htm

          And in fact, if we will apply that to our everyday living, that is exactly one of our basic needs- recognition. We need affirmation and we receive that when other give praise and recognition to whatever positive and constructive thing that we accomplished. Meanwhile,to give praise is not really difficult yet at times, what stop us from doing so is our own insecurity that instead of praising the other person for what he/she has done, unknowingly or knowingly, we want to receive it on ourselves. The challenge therefore is how to stay humble and be generous in sharing these praises.

2. "Say THANK YOU. Show your appreciation for others' hard work and contributions." - Source: http://humanresources.about.com/cs/rewardrecognition/a/appreciation.htm

          In relation to giving praises, learn as well to express gratitude to whatever good deeds others may have done to you and to others. For some it is a difficult thing to do yet if it becomes a habit then this could then be a simple task to do. And it takes a day to day practice to be able to do it by heart.

3. "Ask your coworkers about their family, their hobby, their weekend or a special event they attended." - Source: http://humanresources.about.com/cs/rewardrecognition/a/appreciation.htm

imagecredit: http://pixabay.com/en/place-des-vosges-arcos-paris-489791/

          Through this process, it shows your interest on the other person. Building relationships is a long time process and even small details need to be given essence so that they will emerge as motivators to strengthen the connection. Yes, it could be true that several things consistenty pre- occupy each of our days however if we value our inter-relationships with others then we need to exert extra effort so as to give them importance and that includes knowing anything that is special to them.

          To end, those 3 above are but just a few of the ways in order for us to develop our relationship with others. No one among us can exist and live by his/her lonesome. We need each other so we will also make efforts to build bridges so that we can cross each other's life (but never to overdo anything).

Author's Note:
Susan Heathfield- expert on Human Resources and author of Top 10 Ways to Show Appreciation to Employees