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Worry is madness and haste is not living in the moment. It’s all so preventable, but we are so prone to it. We need quiet each day and we need to be happy in every moment; not blissfully happy, just content happy. We need to centralise our lives in our values, roles, and goals. This is one way to focus on the things we can influence positively.

Fear is behind worry. Haste is due to fear and it’s living in either the past or the future; certainly not the present. The true purpose of fear is to teach us about ourselves – fear does not want to conquer us. We must meet fear head on. Fear presents us with opportunities to learn. We have to approach the cusp of fear and go over it. Only then will it disappear into oblivion. It no longer matters. We need to have the courage to find strategies to release the fear in our lives.

We must defeat fear by accepting the strain of the situation. Oswald Chambers has said we’re hilarious when we’re crushed with difficulties because most of these situations are ludicrously impossible to anyone by God. When we’re bold and accept the difficulty and we’re prepared to overcome it we have mighty spiritual forces suddenly coming to our aid. Even though we are so predisposed to complain we must stop, jettisoning the typical excuses we so often weaken for. Accepting the tension and strain of the situation gleefully is the tonic to all difficulty.

One solution is living in the present moment. Did you know that it takes more energy and effort and is more draining to worry (i.e. focus on the past or future) than focus perfectly on the task, in the moment? Try it and be amazed. This is the spiritual force honouring your efforts to be diligent and servant-hearted. You would be a fool not to give this a try. This is putting all or our energy into the moment, one-moment-at-a-time. We also need to be propelled in life by a purpose or a dream that gives us something to focus on that is positive; to counter the worrying thoughts that might otherwise cloud the mind. The mind is the key. We need to use the power of our minds to bring discipline, peace, and shape to our souls. We need to be wary of the mind’s power to control our mental, emotional, and spiritual equilibrium’s. Poor self-talk and a loose mind will wreak havoc. As the Chinese proverb says, “Control your emotion or it will control you.”

Bad thinking might not bite you right now, but it will eventually have its consequences. Positive thinking is the same; think good thoughts and eventually you’ll attract the right sort of things, the things that are good that you want. We reap what we sow, and this is just as applicable to our thinking as our thinking so often leads to actions.

Don’t worry. Don’t fret. It only leads to negative consequences. It proves that you’re not living in the moment. You see, living in the present moment means you cannot worry effectively.

© Copyright 2008, Steven John Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Acknowledgment to Justin Langer’s, Seeing the Sunrise book; Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2008.

St. Patrick’s day is a great day for kid’s crafts. It is a wonderful day to get out the paint, glue sticks, and crafting materials to create something to celebrate the holiday. The following are three great craft ideas of kids.

Blarney Stone:

A blarney stone comes from old Irish folklore. In southwestern Ireland, there is a very famous stone called the Blarney Stone. If you kiss the stone, you are said to be given the gift of eloquence. It is a big part of Irish tradition.

So, make your own Blarney stones at home as part of your St. Patty’s Day crafts. To do this you need river stones, green paint, some googly eyes, and a black paint pen.

Start by painting the rocks green. You will have to wait for a while for them to dry, so it is best to do this in advance, and have an adult do it. Then, once the rock is painted, let your kids use the googly eyes, paint pen etc. to put a face on their very own Blarney stone.

You can use glitter, fabric, feathers, etc. to add a mouth, hair, and other accessories. Just don’t forget to give it a smooch so that you can be eloquent.

Heart Shamrocks:

Shamrocks are a big deal in Irish culture as they are a symbol of luck. Any craft you make with shamrocks is a fun way to celebrate the holiday. A fun one for kids is to make a heart shamrock.

You need green construction paper, yellow construction paper, black crayons or markers, glue, scissors.

To make a heart shamrock you use the green construction paper and cut out three hearts. Arrange them into a shamrock shape, and cut out a stem. Use glue to attach them to the yellow construction paper. Then using the black crayons or markers, write out your felicitations of luck, such as “luck be with you” and then use it as a gift, card, etc.

Leprechaun Luck:

Leprechauns are mythic in Ireland, and are a great part of the St. Patrick’s Day tradition. There are all sorts of lore surrounding leprechauns. So, one fun craft is to create a necklace using this lore.

To do this print out the following poem:

I keep three wishes handy,
In case I chance to meet
Any day a Leprechaun
Coming down the street.

Then create a shamrock, and write one wish on each leaf of the shamrock. Punch a hole in the top. Glue the poem to the side the wishes are not on, and string yarn through it to create a wish necklace. This can be worn during the day, to provide you with your green so that you do not get pinched, and is a fun way to grab hold of some Irish tradition.

For a team to be a 5 seed in the March Madness, how many wins do you think they need. I was think in the range of 22+. Mabye finish 2-3 in you conference in the regular season.

The shortest month of February perhaps brings the greatest moments of joy and celebration for every couple across the globe. This is because of the fêted occasion of Valentines Day that falls on the 14th of this month. Valentines Day or the day of saint valentines is the day of love and affection. Love is in the air on this day when lovers verbalize the language of their heart and make each other feel thou preciousness.

Just like there is a story or a reason behind every celebration, there are tales associated with the Valentines Day too. Every year 14th February is cheered with exchange of loads of gifts and feelings. But according to a story actually it is the day when a devotee of love sacrificed his life for this most beautiful feeling which is yet the cause of humanity on earth.

Thousands of years ago in 3rd century B.C there was a saint, Valentine, in Rome. He was a priest in the kingdom of Saint Claudius II. One fine day the king realized that married men do not turn out to be proficient soldiers for family bonds and relationships weaken them. So in order to have good quality soldiers and a strong military force he outlawed marriage for young men.

But saint Valentine who had throughout his life materialized the feeling of love by tying nuptial bonds opposed the king’s instructions. He went against his orders and continued coordinating marriages clandestinely. But soon emperor Claudius II got information about it. Consequently he decided to punish saint Valentine by putting him to death on 14th February.

From that day onwards 14th February is memorized as the day that marks eternality of the bond of love and the spirits of all the true lovers.

But this is not the only fable hanging behind Valentines Day. According to another famous one, Valentine was a captive who did fall in love with his jailor’s daughter. On the day when Valentine was taken to persecution he wrote and left a letter for his girlfriend. That day was 14th February and the love letter had the sign underneath as “Your Valentine”.

Thus this day came to be recognized and celebrated as the Valentines Day. It commenced the tradition of exchange of love letters and other instruments to express one’s feelings of affection.

Though it is very difficult to know the true identity of the man Valentine, it is for sure that he was an idol of love who died but proved that the flame of love can never be extinguished. Love always stands unbeaten and victorious despite of countless attempts made by people to trounce it and this is the primary cause to rejoice the Valentines Day.

Often we watch as the holiday season races by us. All too often our holidays a simply a blur. Our Christmas memories seem to be past before you know it.

Last year a family was intent on creating a Christmas Memory for the whole family. We are going to do it this year! But then, the kids had practice for the programs and the weather of course did not cooperate. By the time Christmas was right around the corner the parents realized that shopping needed to be done. Sound familiar?

So what about this year? What are you going to do different?

Well I suggest you start a simple list of activities you want to do during the Holiday Season. Did you notice I said SIMPLE! Start your shopping now. Even better start your shopping just after Christmas. Have you heard the word sale?

By making a simple list of activities you are starting to think about the things that you really want to do. Many people make the mistake of putting 60 items on a 30 day list. Remember this is to help you plan and relieve the stress.

The holidays are to be fun! Go out and look at the decorations down town for example. My home town has the stores lighted up with many Holiday displays and Christmas music is playing outside. This is not a time for shopping. Just take in the beauty of the holidays and look around you at the wonderful sites. So, just when was the last time you did that?

Make this Holiday Season one to remember. Relax and have fun with your loved ones. See the sights and enjoy the Holidays. These are what a Christmas Memory is all about.

Also remember those that are less fortunate. Take time to bring them some Holiday Cheer. Try it. You will be amazed how this simple thing will make this Holiday season one to remember for a very long time.

We all know what Valentine’s Day means today—it’s a time to send and receive flowers, chocolates, and other romantic gifts; a time to show our appreciation for our significant other; generally, a time to honor the romance in our lives. But most of us don’t realize that Valentine’s Day has a long history—and much of it had little to do with romantic love.

Valentine’s Day is shrouded in legend, but not much is known about the actual history of the day. The earliest associations with Valentine’s Day date from the time of the Roman Empire, when fertility rituals typically took place in the month of February. In calendars from the time of the ancient Athenians, the time between the middle of January and the middle of February was called “Garmelion,” and was associated with the marriage between Zeus and Hera. Since Zeus was hardly a model husband, this is not a blindingly romantic association.

During the Roman fertility ritual of Lupercalia, contemporary accounts tell of young noblemen running through the streets of Rome stark naked, striking anyone they met with leather thongs. Women would intentionally get in their way, believing that the strike fostered pregnancy and easy delivery. Interesting…but not very romantic.

St. Valentine himself is another mystery. There are several legends surrounding the “St. Valentine” figure. The earliest known legends say that St. Valentine was arrested for being Christian, and questioned in person by Emperor Claudius of Rome. Legend has it that the Emperor liked Valentine, and tried to get him to convert to paganism so that his life might be saved. Of course, Valentine refused—and tried to convert the Emperor to Christianity instead. He was executed for his troubles.

This legend has no association to romance, and throughout the years, writers have tried to make the legend more closely associated with love. In one, Valentine is a Christian priest living during the time of Emperor Claudius. According to legend, Claudius was trying to recruit men for the Roman Army—and failing. The men were refusing to leave their wives. Claudius became angry enough to forbid any new marriages throughout the Roman Empire. Valentine refused to honor the Emperor’s decree, secretly marrying many couples before he was found out, thrown in jail, and eventually killed. Another legend claims that he cured his jailor’s daughter of blindness before he died.

Actually, there are several holy men named Valentine who could be the saint in question. One of them was indeed a Roman priest; another was a bishop, and a third was a martyr believed to be from the Roman province of Africa. St. Valentine’s Day was not declared a holiday until 496, when Pope Gelasius I gave it a date of February 14th. Even then, it was celebrated as a normal feast day to honor the saint, with no connection to romance. The pope described St. Valentine as among saints whose “names are reverenced among men, but whose deeds are known only to God.” His birthplace and date of birth were unknown.

The first known association of Valentine’s Day with love came from Geoffrey Chaucer. In his poem, “Parlement of Foules,” written in 1382, Valentine’s Day was said to be the day when all the birds chose their mates for the year. The poem was written to honor the engagement of England’s King, Richard II, to Anne of Bohemia. The poem alludes to this as an old and venerable tradition; however, there are no records of Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday before this time. It’s likely that Chaucer was the father of our modern-day holiday.

Valentine’s Day took off soon after that—it fit in perfectly with the French nobility’s ongoing infatuation with courtly love. While the term “courtly love” wasn’t coined until the late 1800’s, the principles of it can be found in literature dating as far back as the 12th century. In this idealized vision of romance, a knight or nobleman would fall in love with a beautiful woman—always a woman of a higher class, and usually somebody else’s wife. His love would be unattainable, but he would still work to make himself worthy of her by undertaking dangerous quests in her name and performing any harrowing task she might ask for. Courtly love is found everywhere in literature from the legends of King Arthur to the poetry of Plutarch and Shakespeare.

During the 1400’s, a “High Court of Love” was founded in Paris. It was an attempt to apply the language of law at the time to romantic conflicts including betrayals, violence against women, and contracts of love. The court was established on Valentine’s Day, and its judges were chosen based on the eloquence of their poetry.

The earliest known valentine was sent from the Duke of Orleans to his wife. The Duke was being held in the Tower of London after the English army captured him at the Battle of Agincourt. The valentine was a rondeau, addressed to the Duke’s “Valentined wife.”

The tradition of exchanging love notes and cards on Valentine’s Day continued for several centuries, and was eventually exported to the New World. Around 1847, Esther Howland, the daughter of a stationery-store owner, began mass-producing Valentine’s Day cards. The cards were made of embossed paper and lace, and Esther claimed to have been inspired by a Valentine given to her by a sweetheart in England.

Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated by everyone from children to adults. Next time you sign your name to a Valentine’s Day card or pick up a Valentine gift for your loved one, remember the mysterious origins of the holiday—it’s sure to make your experience of it richer.

It is the end of the summer season, and you want to have that last barbeque or pool party before the weather begins to turn cool. You have a dilemma, though: you need Labor Day party/picnic ideas. It is, after all, the end of the summer season, so you want to send it out with a bang.

What you can do in celebration depends on how much room you have and how many guests you plan to have. Of course, it is standard to say that it also depends on the weather, but that is understood. Since it is the last day of the official summer party season, and you have a pool, you will likely want to center your party on enjoying the last of the swimming season. If you do not have a pool but would like to reserve something at a park or close to the beach, you want to do it early because more than likely, many others will have the same idea. Red, white, and blue streamers and balloons are always appropriate decorations as are theme items such as miniature picnic baskets.

If your budget allows it, many amusement parks also have pavilions that you can rent for a party. If you have a great many children, places that cater to the younger set such as Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA and Sesame Place are appropriate (check your local area for related theme parks that cater to children). For a largely adult crowd, a picnic park where food and entertainment are included with the cost of the ticket is a good idea. One such park exists in Pennsylvania, and the entertainment includes tubing, paddleboats, canoe rides, pony rides, golfing, tennis, and much more.

The possibilities are enormous, and are limited only by your imagination. Use caution when planning your party, and do not set off fireworks unless you are trained and licensed to do so. Sparklers should only be used in open areas that are away from dry grass, preferably in a parking lot with only enough ground to hold the sparkler. Keep the laws of your state and county in mind as some states forbid even the use of sparklers by anyone other than a professional. Make the last party of the season fun for everyone, but do it by following fire and safety regulations.

The sentence I want to translate is.The whole Higgins clan want to wish you a happy saint patricks day.Ireland forever.

I recently started dating a guy i’ve liked for a while.
We are still in high school and will be out of the country in a romantic city for a school trip on valentines day.
I’m a hopeless romantic but i don’t know how he feels about valentines day. What should i get him (or what kind of gesture) that won’t scare him off but also lets him know that i love being with him?