Live the year that lies ahead

ANTHONY HOPKINS - Powerful words.

′′Let go the people who are not prepared to love you. This is the hardest thing you will have to do in your life and it will also be the most important thing. Stop having hard conversations with people who don't want change.

Stop showing up for people who have no interest in your presence. I know your instinct is to do everything to earn the appreciation of those around you, but it's a boost that steals your time, energy, mental and physical health.

When you begin to fight for a life with joy, interest and commitment, not everyone will be ready to follow you in this place. This doesn't mean you need to change what you are, it means you should let go of the people who aren't ready to accompany you.

If you are excluded, insulted, forgotten or ignored by the people you give your time to, you don't do yourself a favour by continuing to offer your energy and your life. The truth is that you are not for everyone and not everyone is for you.

That's what makes it so special when you meet people who reciprocate love. You will know how precious you are.

The more time you spend trying to make yourself loved by someone who is unable to, the more time you waste depriving yourself of the possibility of this connection to someone else.

There are billions of people on this planet and many of them will meet with you at your level of interest and commitment.

The more you stay involved with people who use you as a pillow, a background option or a therapist for emotional healing, the longer you stay away from the community you want.

Maybe if you stop showing up, you won't be wanted. Maybe if you stop trying, the relationship will end. Maybe if you stop texting your phone will stay dark for weeks. That doesn't mean you ruined the relationship, it means the only thing holding it back was the energy that only you gave to keep it. This is not love, it's attachment. It's wanting to give a chance to those who don't deserve it. You deserve so much, there are people who should not be in your life.

The most valuable thing you have in your life is your time and energy, and both are limited. When you give your time and energy, it will define your existence.

When you realize this, you begin to understand why you are so anxious when you spend time with people, in activities, places or situations that don't suit you and shouldn't be around you, your energy is stolen.

You will begin to realize that the most important thing you can do for yourself and for everyone around you is to protect your energy more fiercely than anything else. Make your life a safe haven, in which only ′′compatible′′ people are allowed.

You are not responsible for saving anyone. You are not responsible for convincing them to improve. It's not your work to exist for people and give your life to them! If you feel bad, if you feel compelled, you will be the root of all your problems, fearing that they will not return the favours you have granted. It's your only obligation to realize that you are the love of your destiny and accept the love you deserve.

Decide that you deserve true friendship, commitment, true and complete love with healthy and prosperous people. Then wait and see how much everything begins to change. Don't waste time with people who are not worth it. Change will give you the love, the esteem, happiness and the protection you deserve."

Anthony Hopkins 

In the blink of an eye another day is gone,

In the blink of an eye another week is gone.

In the blink of an eye another month is gone,

In the blink of an eye another year is gone.

And in the blink of an eye I'll be gone too,

And not just me but also you.

So maybe we should be wishin' and hopin',

That we could just keep our eyes open.

And see and appreciate all that we can see,

And learn how we can be, the best that we can be,

Before it's too late,

Time flies, so let's not wait.

Whether we have just one life or many, one thing is true,

We should try to enjoy every moment we can; it's the wisest thing to do.

Author Unknown

+ here is a quote I share with you for the year ahead:

“If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.”

   

 

 

If Christmas is hard,

If you’ve lost someone dear.

Just look in your heart,

And you’ll know they’re still here.

The star in the sky,

the light falling snow.

The robins outside

it seem like they know.

If this is a time,

When you’re struggling through.

Just do what you can,

For what matters, is you.

There’s no need to be merry.

There’s no need to bright.

Just do what you can,

It will all be alright!

the drive to my parents’ house …my mum flinging open the front door, her Christmas pinny stained with the evidence of her baking delights. Their house festooned from top to bottom with twinkling lights and decorations from my childhood. There is nowhere in the world I would rather be at Christmas and I thank my parents for that”, writes an Irish woman abroad.

AN EXILES CHRISTMAS

It was Christmas eve in London,

And an Irishman, called Joe.

Stood by an upstairs window

That looked on the street below.

He could see the shoppers passing by,

Their voices filled with cheer.

As they shouted happy Christmas,

And a prosperous new year.

As he looked around the little room,

That for years had been his home.

He was fifty years in London,

Since he crossed the ocean foam.

His youthful days behind him now,

And his working days Long gone.

In retirement, his days were spent

On his own, to carry on.

He could hear a church bell ringing,

On the street across the way.

Where mass was celebrated, on

The eve of Christmas day.

Then a choir started singing, and

The strains of silent night,

Came drifting through the window.

Into Joe's old flat that night.

As he listened to the singing,

He began to shed a tear.

For he always felt emotional,

On Christmas eve each year.

When old memories came flooding back,

And his thoughts began to stray.

To his childhood days in Ireland,

Long ago and far away

He could see again the old thatched house,

At the corner of the lane.

Oh what he'd give to be a lad, and be

back there once again.

The candle in the window,

To light a Welcome way.

For the virgin and the Christ child,

On the eve of Christmas day.

The Holly and the ivy and the cards

Around the fire.

And his mother's Christmas cooking,

That would fill you with desire.

The boxes left for Santa Claus,

In the hopes that he would call.

With the toys to play on Christmas day,

The happiest times of all.

As his memories began to fade, reality

Set in.

He was back once more in London,

In his little flat again.

And he drew his coat around him, as he

Sat back in his chair.

And for all those in his memories, he

began to say a prayer.

And he asked the Lord to grant them rest,

In the land beyond the sky.

All the folks he once shared Christmas with,

In the happy years gone by.

Tomorrow at the centre, he will meet his

Old friend jack, an Irishman just like himself.

That never made it back.

They will have their Christmas Dinner,

and a glass or two of beer,

As they join their old acquaintances,

And the friends they love so dear.

Everybody has their party piece,

To raise a bit of cheer.

At their Christmas get-together.

In the centre every year.

So to all our Irish exiles, in lands

far off and near.

The blessing of this Christmas time we

wish you all this year.

And although we are divided by land

and sky, and foam,

A very merry Christmas from the Irish

Folks at home.

Martin O'Hara © 29/11/2021

At Christmas let us not forget

In a powerful display of solidarity, organisers and residents place 8,000 pairs of shoes at a Rotterdam square, each pair representing a Palestinian child killed by Israel in besieged Gaza

Thoughts for Christmas

 

A time when Times Square stood still at Christmas 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOg6pQjhvrI&ab_channel=TrueMillennial

THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU DON’T NEED THIS CHRISTMAS

 

You don't need to have matching pyjamas

You don't need a perfect winter wonderland house

You don't need a sofa full of gifts

You don't need a Michelin star Christmas dinner

You don't need to be the perfect hostess

You don’t need to be ‘party dress ready’

You don't need to go into debt to prove your worth, your love, your friendship or your parental abilities.

Here are some things you do need…

You do need to give yourself a break

You do need to remember it’s  ‘time off’ - for you too

You do need to stop social-media comparing 

You do need to realise your time is worth more than a gift bought from a shop

You do need to breathe through the madness and repeat to yourself ‘peace, love, goodwill.’

And lastly, you do need to know that your children, your family or your friends will not remember the perfection or the money spent.

It’s a fact.

When they look back, they will recall the terrible jokes from the bad crackers, the time the turkey burned and you all ate cheese sandwiches and the feelings of warmth, happiness, love and togetherness you gave them, with your open heart and your open home.

And none of that will come from you rushing around the shops with impossible lists and a very bad headache.

So, as the month unfurls make this list the one you stick to and let the rest flow.

Spend time, be present and open up your heart to the season of goodwill.

Just as you are.

A Celebration - Rest in Peace Shane Mc Gowan.

 

Fairytale of New York

It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true

They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing Galway Bay
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing Galway Bay
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day

I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing Galway Bay
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8&ab_channel=ThePoguesOfficial 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptayWtW1So8&ab_channel=Consequence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAsMLJ0lFN8&ab_channel=TheJournal 

 

Like a prayer - Bring them home.

 

On October 7, the Hamas terror group attacked Israel with over 3,000 gunmen, who burst through the border with the Gaza Strip, rampaging through southern communities, where they killed over 1,400 people, the vast majority civilians.- men, women and children — from the elderly to babies — and  then took with them many hostages back to Gaza.

Koolulam said : “We connected with the families of the abductees and together with them we want to do what we know best, which is to sing together and create a human harmony that asks the whole world to stand under a clear message: return the innocent citizens, children and elderly to the empty beds in their homes.”

Participating conductors from, among other locations, the United States, Japan, China, England, Ukraine, Chile, Germany, and the Netherlands, “mobilized at record speed to record with us a new arrangement of a song by Madonna.”

The conductors have been tasked with teaching the new version of the song to their local communities, “whether it’s from synagogues, churches, mosques, orchestras around the world - to raise awareness to demand the captives be released.

Life is a mystery                                                                                                                  Everyone must stand alone  ( I can feel your power)

“I hear you call my name
and it feels like home
I hear your voice
it’s like an angel sighing
I have no choice
I hear your voice
It feels like flying
I close my eyes
Oh God I think I’m falling
out of the sky
I close my eyes
heaven help me”

The chorus of the song then follows:

“When you call my name
its like a little prayer
I’m down on my knees
I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour, I can feel your power
Just like a prayer, you know I’ll take you there”

Just like a child whisper softly to me                                                                                    You're in control                                                                                                                 Just like a child now I'm dancing,                                                                                      It's like a dream no end and no beginning

You're here with me

It's like a dream

Let the choir sing (when you call my name)

Just like a prayer

Your voice can take me there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQytZKz_QGM&list=RDOQytZKz_QGM&start_radio=1&ab_channel=MarceloKisilevski

 

   Mantra for the world:   " I am for Peace, that means I will always create Peace at Home, at School in the Workplace and in the World. "                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Gaza - Hell on earth.

 

How many more innocent men women and children must die ?

 

About 1,200 Israelis were killed and more injured that day 7^th Oct. in villages and farms near Gaza when Hamas militants struck across the border in coordinated attacks, taking more than 240 hostages and precipitating the current war. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza.- over 4000 of them were children

Feeding the War machine

Creating a safe future for all. 

Mark Eklund

 

Mark Eklund.   

He was in the first third grade class I taught at Saint Mary’s School in Minneosota. All 34 of my students were dear to me, but Mark Eklund was one in a million.   Very neat in appearance, but had that happy-to-be-alive attitude  that made even his occasional mischievousness delightful.   

Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and again that  talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so  much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him  for misbehaving - “Thank you for correcting me, Sister!” I didn’t know what  to make of it at first, but before long I became accustomed to hearing it  many times a day.   

One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked once too often, and then I made a novice teacher’s mistake. I looked at Mark and  said, If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut!”   It wasn’t ten seconds later when Chuck blurted out, “Mark is talking again.”  I hadn’t asked any of the students to help me watch Mark, but since I had  stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to act on it.  I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked  to my desk, very deliberately opened my drawer and took out a roll of  masking tape. Without saying a word, I proceeded to Mark’s desk, tore off  two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I  then returned to the front of the room.   As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing, he winked at me.  That did it! I started laughing. The class cheered as I walked back to Mark’s desk, removed the tape, and shrugged my shoulders. His first  words were, “Thank you for correcting me, Sister.”   

At the end of the year, I was asked to teach junior-high math. The  years flew by, and before I knew it Mark was in my classroom again. He was more handsome than ever and just as polite. Since he had to listen carefully to my instruction in the “new math,” he did not talk as much in  ninth grade as he had in third.   One Friday, things just didn’t feel right. We had worked hard on a  new concept all week, and I sensed that the students were frowning,  frustrated with themselves and edgy with one another. I had to stop this  crankiness before it got out of hand. So I asked them to list the  names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving  a  space between each name. Then I told them to think of the nicest thing  they  could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the  remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the  students left the room, each one handed me the papers. Charlie smiled.  Mark  said, “Thank you for teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend.”   That Saturday, I wrote down the name of each student on a separate  sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone else had said about that  individual.   

On Monday I gave each student his or her list Before long, entire  class was smiling.   Really?” I heard whispered. “I never knew that meant anything to anyone!”  I didn’t know others liked me so much.”   No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I never knew if  they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t  matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were  happy  with themselves and one another again.   

 

 

That group of students moved on.   Several years later, after I returned from vacation, my parents  met me at the airport. As we were driving home, Mother asked me the usual  questions about the trip, the weather, my experiences in general.   There was a lull in the conversation. Mother gave Dad a sideways glance  and simply says, “Dad?” My father cleared his throat as he usually did  before something important. “The Eklunds called last night,”  he began “Really?” I said. “I haven’t heard from them in years. I  wonder how Mark is.”   Dad responded quietly. “Mark was killed in Vietnam,” he said. “The  funeral is tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could attend.”  To this  day  I can still point to the exact spot on the road where Dad told me about  Mark. 

I  had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before.  Mark looked so handsome, so mature. All I could think at that moment  was, “Mark, I would give all the masking tape in the world if only you  would talk to me.”   The church was packed with Mark’s friends Chuck’s sister sang “The  Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Why did it have to rain on the day of the  funeral? It was difficult enough at the graveside. The pastor said the  usual prayers.   One by one those who loved Mark took a last walk by the coffin and  sprinkled it with holy water. I was the last one to bless the coffin. As  I  stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up  to me. Were you Mark’s math teacher?” he asked. I nodded as I  continued to stare at the coffin. “Mark talked about you a lot,” he said.   

After the funeral, most of Mark’s former classmates headed to Chuck’s  farmhouse for lunch. Mark’s mother and father were there, obviously  waiting for me. “We want to show you something, his father said, taking a  wallet out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We  thought you might recognize it.” Opening the billfold, he carefully  removed  two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded  and  refolded many times. I knew without looking that the papers were the ones  on  which I had listed all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said  about him.   “Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you  can see, Mark treasured it.” Mark’s classmates started to gather around  us.  Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. I keep  it  in the top drawer of my desk at home.” Chuck’s wife said, “Chuck  asked me to put his in our wedding album.””I have mine too,” Marilyn  said.  “It’s in my diary.” Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into  her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled  list to the group. I carry this with me at all times,” Vicki said without  batting an eyelash. “I think we all saved our lists.” That’s when I  finally  sat down and cried. I cried for Mark and for all his  friends who would never see him again.   

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that  life will end one day. And we don’t know when that one day will be. So  please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and  important. Tell them, before it is too late.

 

"Just 5 more minutes of your time "

 Just Five More Minutes

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

"That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

"He's a fine looking boy" the man said. "That's my daughter on the bike in the white dress."

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. "What do you say we go, Melissa?"

Melissa pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes."

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart's content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. '"Time to go now?"

Again Melissa pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes."

The man smiled and said, "OK."

"My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, "Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.

She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get Five more minutes to watch her play."

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?

Give someone you love 5 more minutes of your time today!

I Believe... That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

 I Believe...

That heroes are the people who do what has to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...

That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe...

That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

 

I Believe...

That sometimes, when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

 

I Believe...

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...

That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...

That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

 

I Believe...

That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

 

I Believe...

That you shouldn't be so eager
to find out a secret. 

It could change your life forever.

I Believe...

Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...

That your life can be changed
 in a matter of hours 
by people who don't even know you.

 

I Believe...

That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...

That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...

That the people you care about 

most in life are taken from you
too soon.