"Someday at Christmas"

 

Someday At Christmas

 

Someday at Christmas men won't be boys
Playing with bombs like kids play with toys
One warm December our hearts will see
A world where men are free

Someday at Christmas there'll be no wars
When we have learned what Christmas is for
When we have found what life's really worth
There'll be peace on earth

Someday all our dreams will come to be
Someday in a world where men are free
Maybe not in time for you and me
But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmas we'll see a land
With no hungry children, no empty hand
One happy morning people will share
Our world where people care

Whoa, someday at Christmas there'll be no tears
When all men are equal, and no man has fears
One shining moment one prayer away
From our world today

Someday all our dreams will come to be
Someday in a world where men are free
Maybe not in time for you and me
But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmas man will not fail
Hate will be gone, and love will prevail
Someday a new world that we can start
With hope in every heart, yeah

whoa, yeah
(Someday in a world where men are free)
Maybe not in time for you and me
But someday at Christmastime
Someday at Christmastime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUrtHS2kpMQ&ab_channel=TheArohaJuniorChoir

" On Santa's Team "

 

On Santa's Team
By Carol Laycock

 

My grandma taught me everything about Christmas. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," jeered my sister. "Even dummies know that!"

My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me.

"No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumour has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days.

"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbours, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough; but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat.

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. I didn't see a price tag, but ten dollars ought to buy anything. I put the coat and my ten-dollar bill on the counter and pushed them toward the lady behind it.

She looked at the coat, the money, and me. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" she asked kindly. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie. He's in my class, and he doesn't have a coat." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it ... Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy.

Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Suddenly, Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell twice and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie. He looked down, looked around, picked up his present, took it inside and closed the door.

Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumours about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: Ridiculous!

Santa was alive and well ... AND WE WERE ON HIS TEAM!

 

" If I had my child to raise over again "

 

“If I had my child to raise over again"

I’d build self-esteem first and the house later

I’d finger paint more and point the finger less

I would do less correcting and more connecting

I’d take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes

I would care to know less and know to care more

I’d take more hikes and fly more kites

I’d stop playing serious and seriously play

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars

I’d do more hugging and less tugging

I’d see the oak tree in the acorn more often

I would be firm less often and affirm much more

I’d model less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.”

Diane Loomans

" I Believe "

 

I BELIEVE

·        I believe that all life is connected.

·        I believe that human consciousness is not confined to the physical being.

·        I believe that beauty is life displaying the essence of it's true being.

·        I believe love is the act that tries to bring beauty into being.

·        I believe that love is the glue and the bridge.

·        I believe that the real heroes in life are the battlers and the givers, and those that are both are extra special.

·        I believe in the worth of little things - in smiles, in hugs, in laughs, in well done, you're good, thanks.

·        I believe that when I have enjoyed myself, I should tell those who have made it so.

·        I believe in the joy in a sparkling eye.

·        I believe that the whole is much bigger than the sum of the parts.

·        I believe in being one's our own best friend.

·        I believe in facing each day anew and leaving behind the troubles and mistakes of yesterday.

·        I believe that one of the best things I can do for others is to show them I believe in them.

·        I believe all women are treasures.

·        I believe in helping people up.

·        I believe that the worth of my life will depend on how I have loved and laughed, cared and shared - and not on the length of my years or the balance in my account.

·        I believe that no matter what my circumstances, I can succeed; for success is how I face life.

·        I believe that if I do not give my best, I cheat only myself.

·        I believe that fortune favors me much more when I have a goal.

·        I believe in balance and harmony - that at some time during the day it is important to rest and be still and enjoy the moment.

·        I believe everyone is somebody and somebody is everyone.

·       I believe that the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts.

--- Author prefers to remain Anonymous

Christy Moore "Clock winds Down"

 

Clock Winds Down

Christy Moore

It's hard to know what to say
As the world around us fades away
Reason falls on deaf ears
And the Truth dissolves and disappears
As the Clock Winds Down

Warning signs years ago
We did not want to know
All-consuming selfish ways
Now there's a price to pay
As the Clock Winds Down

The ice caps melt The Amazon burns
To the point of no return
The grid goes down Screens go blank
We'll be walking down the plank
As the Clock Winds Down

See the children take to the streets
When they hear Greta Thunberg speak
Watch the young warriors climb down from the trees
Chain themselves to machinery
As the Clock Winds Down

Lalalalalalalalala lala
Lalalalalalalalala lala
Lalalalalalalalala lala

It's hard to know what to say
When a child looks up and says
Hey old man, what did you do
We were depending on you
Now the Clock Winds Down
Now the Clock Winds Down
Now the Clock Winds Down
To Zero

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWiIkXloEY8&ab_channel=ChristyMooreVEVO

"Come Healing" - Leonard Cohen

 

Come Healing

Leonard Cohen

O, gather up the brokenness
Bring it to me now
The fragrance of those promises
You never dared to vow

The splinters that you carried
The cross you left behind
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind

And let the heavens hear it
The penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb

Behold the gates of mercy
In arbitrary space
And none of us deserving
Of cruelty or the grace

O, solitude of longing
Where love has been confined
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind

O, see the darkness yielding

That tore the light apart
Come healing of the reason
Come healing of the heart

O, troubledness concealing
An undivided love
The heart beneath is teaching
To the broken heart above

And let the heavens falter
Let the earth proclaim
Come healing of the altar
Come healing of the name

O, longing of the branches
To lift the little bud
O, longing of the arteries
To purify the blood

And let the heavens hear it
The penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb

O let the heavens hear it
The penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA9VExCEV_k&ab_channel=PureEnigma1

" Visiting Hours " - Ed Sheeran

 

Visiting Hours

Ed Sheeran

I wish that Heaven had visiting hours
So I could just show up and bring the news
That she's gettin' older and I wish that you'd met her
The things that she'll learn from me
I got them all from you

Can I just stay a while and we'll put all the world to rights?
The little ones will grow, and I'll still drink your favourite wine
And soon they're goin' to close, but I'll see you another day
So much has changed since you've been away

I wish that Heaven had visiting hours
So I could just swing by and ask your advice
What would you do in my situation?
I haven't a clue how I'd even raise them
What would you do?
'Cause you always do what's right

Can we just talk a while until my worries disappear?
I'd tell you that I'm scared of turning out a failure
You'd say, "Remember that the answer's in the love that we create"
So much has changed since you've been away

I wish that Heaven had visiting hours
And I would ask them if I could take you home
But I know what they'd say, that it's for the best
So I will live life the way you taught me
And make it on my own

I will close the door, but I will open up my heart
And everyone I love will know exactly who you are
'Cause this is not goodbye, it is just 'til we meet again
So much has changed since you've been away

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0cLBa_UzBE&ab_channel=SuperbLyrics

Climate Change - COP26

 

Windsong   John Denver

The wind is the whisper of our mother the earth
The wind is the hand of our father the sky
The wind watches over our struggles and pleasures
The wind is the goddess who first learned to fly

The wind is the bearer of bad and good tidings
The weaver of darkness, the bringer of dawn
The wind gives the rain, then builds us a rainbow
The wind is the singer who sang the first song

The wind is a twister of anger and warning
The wind brings the fragrance of freshly mown hay
The wind is a racer, a wild stallion running
The sweet taste of love on a slow summer's day

The wind knows the songs of the cities and canyons
The thunder of mountains, the roar of the sea
The wind is the taker and giver of mornings
The wind is the symbol of all that is free

So welcome the wind and the wisdom she offers
Follow her summons when she calls again
In your heart and your spirit let the breezes
Surround you
Lift up your voice then and sing with the wind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zkVfCDQ3A&t=7s&ab_channel=ChristianArt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpacaWZCdH0&ab_channel=YWAMCOP26

Random Act of Kindness

 

The Music Professor:

"I had a breakdown in the middle of one of my college classes. I had been depressed for several weeks and feeling like I wasn’t good enough to be in my major. Really I just felt worthless.

I was doing a kind of a performance-based test in front of the whole class, and I was doing terribly. I was really angry at myself for not being better. My professor said to me, 'Do you want to try it again at the end of class?' I nodded and went back to my seat and immediately started crying uncontrollably. Ended up excusing myself to the bathroom so I wouldn’t cry in front of the class.

I performed again at the end of the class, and my professor was really patient with me and gave me feedback. The thing that really got me was before he dismissed the class, he wrote down in the binder I had in front of me, 'You are a strong, smart musician, and you have a bright future ahead of you. I believe in you, and I’m here for you.' I cried even harder after that but in a good way. I had never felt a teacher care for me that much, and that genuinely turned around my entire year and made my sense of self-worth improve so much."

 

" a Silent Tragedy" - Dr. Ovid / Dr.Luis Rojas Marcos.

 

Dr. Dr. Ovid, pediatrician neurologist, warning of a silent tragedy that is growing today in our homes.

There is a silent tragedy that is growing today in our homes, and is about our most beautiful jewelry: our children. Our children are in a devastating emotional state! Over the past 15 years, researchers have given us increasingly alarming stats on a steady and acute increase in childhood mental illness now reaching epidemic proportions:

Stats don't lie:

• 1 out of 5 children have mental health issues

• A 43 % increase was seen in ADHD

• A 37 % increase in adolescent depression has been observed

• A 200 % increase in the suicide rate among children aged 10 to 14 years has been observed.

What is going on and what are we doing wrong?

Today's children are over-stimulated and over-donated with material items, but they are deprived of the foundations of a healthy childhood, such as:

• Emotionally available parents

• clearly defined limits

• responsibilities

• Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep

• Movement in general but especially outdoors

• Creative game, social interaction, informal gaming opportunities and spaces for boredom

Instead, these last few years have been filled to the children of:

• Digitally distracted parents

• Indulgent and permissive parents who let children ′′ rule the world ′′ and be the ones who set the rules

• A sense of law, to deserve everything without winning it or being responsible for getting it

• Inappropriate sleep and unbalanced nutrition

• A sedentary lifestyle

• Endless stimulation, tech nannies, instant gratification and no boring moments

What to do?

If we want our children to be happy and healthy individuals, we need to wake up and get back to basics. It's still possible! Many families see immediate improvements after weeks of following recommendations:

• Set boundaries and remember you are the captain of the boat. Your children will feel safer knowing you are in control of the rudder.

. • Give children a balanced lifestyle filled with what children need, not just what they want. Don't be afraid to say ′′ no ′′ to your kids if what they want isn't what they need

• Provide nutritious food and limit junk food.

• Spend at least an hour a day outdoors doing activities such as: Cycling, hiking, fishing, bird / bug watching

• Enjoy a daily family dinner without smartphones or technology that distracts them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLsSy64xILI&ab_channel=SuperAds

• Play family board games or if kids are too small for board games, get down on the floor and play with them.

• Involve your children in a home stain or stain depending on their age (folding clothes, order toys, hanging clothes, unpacking supplies, setting table, feeding dogs etc. The whole world

• Implement a consistent sleep routine to make sure your child sleeps long enough. Hours will be even more important for school age children.

• Teaching responsibility and independence. Don't protect them too much from frustration or error. Being wrong will help them develop resilience and learn how to overcome life's challenges,

• Don't load your kids backpack, don't carry your backpacks, don't take the stain they forgot, don't peel their bananas oranges if they can do it from themselves same (4-5 years). Instead of giving them the fish, show them to fish.

• Teach them how to wait and delay gratuity.

• Provide opportunities for ′′ boredom ", because boredom is the moment creativity wakes up. Don't feel responsible for always keeping kids entertaining.

• Don't use technology as a cure for boredom, nor offer it at the first second of inactivity.

• Avoid using technology during meals, in cars, restaurants, shopping centres. Use these moments as opportunities to socialize by thus training the brains to function when they are in mode: ′′ boredom ′′

• Help them create a ' Bottom of Boredom ' with activity ideas for when they're bored.

• Be emotionally available to connect with children and teach them self-regulation and social skills:

• Turn off phones at night when kids need to go to bed to avoid digital distraction.

• Become an emotional regulator or coach of your children. Teach them to recognize and deal with their own frustrations and anger.

• Show them to salute, take tricks, share without staying without anything, say thank you and please recognize the mistake and apologize (don't force them), be model of all these values he has instilled.

• Connect emotionally - smile, kiss, kiss, tickled, read, dance, jump, play or gate with them.

Article written by Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, psychiatrist.