" Anthem " Leonard Cohen

                                                              Anthem    leonard Cohen

The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.” 

We asked for signs
the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed
the marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
of every government --
signs for all to see.

I can't run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
a thundercloud
and they're going to hear from me.

“Ring the bells that still can ring ... “

You can add up the parts
but you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
there is no drum
Every heart, every heart
to love will come
but like a refugee.

“ Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in “

 

Tips for raising children

 Tips for Raising Kids That Every Parent Grandparent Teacher Should Hear.

Michael Mitchell is a devoted American father who started a blog called "Life to Her Years". The point of his unique blog is to collect tips from different fathers about childhood-simple and accurate advice that will add life to their years, as the name implies. His blog, which has gained momentum, has become a popular paternity philosophy that inspires many people, and these are some of the interesting tips we found there after we "translated" them into tips for fathers, mothers, and children in general – as these tips are good for everyone.

1. Do not overdo it with gifts. The best gifts are the experiences you share with them.

2. Pick your kids up, it’s a great workout for your arm muscles.

3. Let them into your bed after a nightmare, a few minutes of cuddling will make that nightmare a distant memory.

4. Take your kids to the playground and when they ask you to push them on the swing higher and faster, remember that everything is relative.

5. When you want to comfort them after a difficult experience, don’t forget to hug. Touch is a human need, don’t forget that.

6. At some point, your kids will want to marry you, as weird as it sounds. Let them down gently.

7. Let them roll around in the grass and get dirty. The clean shirt that’s worth telling them no has yet to be invented.

8. Don’t miss their birthday parties. They might not remember the toy you bought them but they’ll never forget your presence.

8. Don’t be late when your children are waiting for you to pick them up from school or activities, which will make them anxious and stressed. If you are going to be late, always try to let them know.

9. Don’t be afraid to act silly and look stupid when you play with them. Your children will free you from the seriousness of the adult world.

10. Let them grab the wheel. Obviously not while you’re driving, but if you let them sit on your lap and grab the wheel for a few minutes, they’ll never forget how big they felt in that moment.

11. Once they learn how to kiss, kids will plant kisses all over your face. Don’t discourage this.

12. It's never too early to teach them about the value of money, think of it as a preparation for adulthood.

13. Let them sit on your shoulders. They will love to look at everything from above.

14. Praise them for their beauty, but remember to make clear that intelligence will take them further than how they look on the outside.

15. Teach them about the difference between "bad" and "good" and remember that they will imitate your actions and less what you tell them to do.

16. Take them for walks, go camping with them, and light a bonfire. This experience is irreplaceable and will teach them a lot about leaving their comfort zone and loving nature.

17. Teach them to change a flat tyre, install shelves in the house, fill holes in the wall and anything else that will serve them in the future.

18. There’s going to come a time where they will ask for a puppy, just say yes!

19. Learn to say "no" to some of their requests. Your children may be angry with you today, but in the future, they will be able to say "no" themselves, when someone crosses their boundaries.

20. Teach them to reach out to you in moments of distress and prove that you’ll be there for them when they need you.

21. Dance with your children, jump around and play with the music turned up, and they will learn from you about the value of happiness and not caring what others think.

22. Walk with them to the park and play some ball. More than being just exercise, it will be a lesson in self-confidence.

23. Teach them to say a prayer, it doesn't need to be a religious prayer necessarily, but only faith and aspiration for the best that they can ask from themselves and others.

24. Love the other parent of your children and show it. The world will be a much safer and understood place if they know that Mom loves Dad and Dad loves Mom.

25. Take them with you to work at least once. They’ll learn about the person you are and what you are doing to raise and support them.

26. Come up with a secret sign you can use when in a crowded place so they know you always see them.

27. Don’t pay too much importance to their grades, but to their behaviour. That’s more important for their future then how they do on tests.

28. Don’t tell them to hurry too much, one day you’ll hope that they will slow down for you.

29. Share your mistakes and teach them that no one is perfect and that pride should not prevent anyone from recognizing a mistake and apologizing for it.

30. Carry them to bed over your shoulder! This will make bedtime much more fun and looked forward to.

Home should be an anchor

Let Me Love You

Once upon a time, there was once a guy who was very much in love with this girl. This romantic guy folded 1,000 pieces of paper cranes (a symbol of healing) as a gift to his girl. Although, at that time he was just a small executive in his company, his future didn’t seemed too bright, they were very happy together. Until one day, his girl told him she was going to Paris and would never come back. She also told him that she cannot visualise any future for the both of them, so let's go their own ways there and then... heartbroken, the guy agreed.

When he regained his confidence, he worked hard day and night, slogging his body and mind just to make something out of himself. Finally with all this hard work and with the help of friends, this guy had set up his own company...

"You never fail until you stop trying." he always told himself. "I must make it in life!"
One rainy day, while this guy was driving, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella in the rain walking to some destination. Even with the umbrella, they were still drenched. It didn't take him long to realise those were his ex-girlfriend's parents. With a heart in getting back at them, he drove slowly beside the couple, wanting them to spot him in his luxury sedan. He wanted them to know that he wasn't the same anymore, he had his own company, car, condo, etc. He had made it in life!

Before the guy could realise, the couple was walking towards a graveyard, and he got out of his car and followed them...and he saw his ex-girlfriend, a photograph of her smiling sweetly as ever at him from her tombstone... and he saw his precious paper cranes in a bottle placed beside her tomb. Her parents saw him. He walked over and asked them why this had happened. They explained, she did not leave for France at all. She was stricken ill with cancer. In her heart, she had believed that he will make it someday, but she did not want her illness to be his obstacle ... therefore she had chosen to leave him.

She had wanted her parents to put his paper cranes beside her, because, if the day comes when fate brings him to her again he can take some of those back with him. The guy just wept ...the worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them but knowing you can't have them and will never see them again. The End."

A tragic story that perhaps happens only in the movies. At the end of the day, money is money but love is divine. In our quest for our material wealth, take time to make time for our loved ones. There will be a time when we have only memories to cling to. Take this weekend to show our "love" to all that are close to us.

The Perfect Heart

The Perfect Heart

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said “Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.” The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn’t fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.

The people stared - how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought? The young man looked at the old man’s heart and saw its state and laughed. “You must be joking,” he said. “Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears.”

“Yes,” said the old man, “Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren’t exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared. Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn’t returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges - - giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?”

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man’s heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.              How sad it must be to go through life with a whole untouched heart.

" Encouragement "

ENCOURAGEMENT

One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own. There are times of great uncertainty in every life. Left alone at such a time, you feel dishevelment and confusion like gravity. When a friend comes with words of encouragement, a light and lightness visit you and you begin to find the stairs and the door out of the dark. The sense of encouragement you feel from the friend is not simply her words or gestures; it is rather her whole presence enfolding you and helping you find the concealed door. The encouraging presence manages to understand you and put herself in your shoes. There is no judgment but words of relief and release.

John O'Donohue
Excerpt from ETERNAL ECHOES

A Parable of the Blacksmith and his Son

A Parable of a Blacksmith and His Son

A Blacksmith Worked to Put His Son Through School & The Son Finally Appreciates His Father’s Hard Work. The young man went to seek an important position at a large printing company. He passed the initial interview and was going to meet the director for the final interview. The director saw his resume, it was excellent.

And asked, “Have you received a scholarship for school?” The boy replied, "No.”

“It was your father who paid for your studies?”

“Yes.” He replied.

“Where does your father work?”

“My father is a Blacksmith”

The Director asked the young to show him his hands.

The young man showed a pair of hands soft and perfect.

“Have you ever helped your parents at their job?”

“Never, my parents always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, he can do the job better than me.”

The director said, “I have got a request: When you go home today, go and wash the hands of your father and then come see me tomorrow morning.”

The young felt his chance to get the job was high.

When he returned to his house he asked his father if he would allow him to wash their hands. His father felt strange, happy, but with mixed feelings and showed his hands to his son. The young washed his hands, little by little. It was the first time that he noticed his father's hands were wrinkled and they had so many scars. Some bruises were so painful that his skin shuddered when he touched

them.

This was the first time that the young man recognized what it meant for this pair of hands to work every day to be able to pay for his study. The bruises on the hands were the price that he paid for his education, his school activities and his future.

After cleaning his father's hands the young man stood in silence and began to tidy and clean up the workshop. That night, father and son talked for a long time.

The next morning, the young man went to the office of the director.

The Director noticed the tears in the eyes of the young when He asked him, “Can you tell me what you did and what you learned yesterday at your house?”

The boy replied, “I washed my father's hands and when I finished I stayed and cleaned his workshop.”

“Now I know what it is to appreciate and recognize that without my parents I would not be who I am today. By helping my father I now realize how difficult and hard it is to do something on my own. I have come to appreciate the importance and the value in helping the family.”

The director said, "This is what I look for in my people. I want to hire someone who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the hardship of others to do things, and a person who does not put money as his only goal in life".

“You are hired.”

A child that has been coddled, protected and usually given him what he wants, develops a mentality of " I have the right ' and will always put himself first, ignoring the efforts of their parents. If we are this type of protective parent are we really showing love or are we destroying our children?

You can give your child a big house, good food, computer classes, watch on a big screen TV. But when you're washing the floor or painting a wall, please let him experience that too.

After eating, have them wash the dishes with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you have no money to hire someone to do this, it's because you want to love them the right way. No matter how rich you are, you want them to understand. One day your hair will turn grey, like the father of this young man.

The most important thing is that your child learns to appreciate the effort and to experience the difficulties and learn the ability to work with others to get things done."

“And then it is Winter.”

Time has a way of moving quickly and catching us unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that we were young, just married and embarking on our new life with our mate.

Yet, it seems like eons ago. I wonder where all the years went. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. Still, here it is, the winter of my life that caught me by surprise. How did we get here so fast? Where did all the years go?

I remember seeing older people throughout the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me. The winter of my life seemed so far off that I couldn’t imagine fully what it would be like. Yet here it is. My friends are retired and getting grey. They move slower. Some are in better and some worse shape than I am. I see the great change. Their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we would be.

Each day now I find that doing a simple chore is a real target for the day! Taking a nap is not a treat anymore – it’s mandatory, cause if I don’t on my own free will, I just fall asleep where I sit!

So I enter this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!

I also know that though the winter has come, I am not sure how long it will last. This I do know, that when it’s over on this earth, it’s not over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I had not done and things I should have done. Yet, I’m proud to have done many things. It’s all part of a lifetime. So, if you are not in your winter yet, let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your lifetime, please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long!

Life goes by so quickly. Do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! There is no guarantee that you will see all the seasons of your life. So, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

Life is a gift to us. The way we live our lives is our gift to those who come after us. Make it a fantastic one. Live it well! Enjoy today! Do something fun! Be happy always! Share your happiness! Remember: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

Consider the following:

“Our kids are becoming us.”

“Going out is good. Coming home is better!”

“We forget names but that’s okay, because some people forgot they even knew us.”

“We realize we will never be really good at some things, especially golf.”

“We sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It’s called ‘pre-sleep.’”

“We tend to use more four letter words – what?, when?, what?”

“Now that we can afford expensive jewelry, it’s not safe to wear it.”

“We notice everything they sell in stores is sleeveless.”

“What used to be freckles are now liver spots.”

“We have three sizes of clothes in our closets, two of which we will never wear.”

“Old is good in some things: Old songs, old movies, and best of all, old friends!”

“It’s not what we gather, but what we scatter that tells what kind of life we have lived.”

Author unknown