Happy New Year

Well here we are, another new year has dawned.

I hope that it brings each and every one of you everything that you desire.

Each new year is an opportunity to start anew. To put what has happened before behind you.

It is a chance to start with a clean slate, to promise yourself that you will do the best that you can.

Make today the day that you make those plans that you have been putting off.

Make today the start of something better, brighter.

Look forward to a year filled with love, laughter and joy.

But most of all have a very happy and prosperous new year as we welcome in 2016.

The mammogram bruise

The letter arrives,

And I realise it's true,

My three yearly test,

Has come round, it's due.

It's an important test,

For us ladies to do,

To look out for our health,

Before problems accrue.

I arrive on the day,

I'm early, I say,

Don't worry my dear,

You'll soon be away.

I enter a room,

Bare my top and then sit,

The time will soon pass,

It'll be my turn in a bit.

I go in to start,

Get twisted this way and that,

Boobie on there,

Now squish it quite flat!

The test isn't so bad,

Just a little tight squeeze,

A picture is taken,

My mind it will ease.

So why, you are thinking,

Have I mentioned a bruise?

Have I made a slight typo,

Really meant to say blues?

No dear reader,

An apt word I did choose,

Cos under my arm,

Is a mammogram bruise!

Cutting corners

We all have tasks and projects that we need to do, things that we need to see through to the end.

But in order for this to happen, we must put in the work to make it so.

Without this work, we will not get any closer to finishing these things.

Sometimes, we get to the point of thinking that it is not worth it. We lose sight of the finishing line.

At other times, we think that we can cut corners, make things move along quicker.

But by cutting corners, we miss out on valuable learning and problem solving.

We may get there quicker by cutting things out, but the result may be less than perfect, may not be quite what we had hoped for.

The longer route may seem much less tempting, but will we be happier in the end.

Instead of rushing, we should take the time to do a good job, rather than just an adequate one.

Our sense of achievement will be so much better, knowing that we have done the best that we can, learned as much as we can from the journey.

So when you are tempted to cut corners to make things quicker and easier, imagine how you will feel.

Will you be happy with just good enough? Or will you take your time to do the best job that you can.

Are you happy?

At this special time of year, we are all expected to be happy.

But happiness is not always automatic. We can be surrounded by family, love and laughter and still not feel happy.

Feeling happy is something that we can choose to be, and conversely, we can choose to be unhappy.

We can join in with the festivities and feel happy or we can sit on the sofa and feel grumpy.

Even when things are going wrong, we can choose to be happy and make the best of things or we can feel down in the dumps.

Feeling happy is a powerful thing. It releases hormones that are good for us. Being unhappy does the opposite and releases stress hormones, making us feel worse.

So how are you going to choose to feel today? Hopefully you will choose happiness.

And that happiness will in turn rub off on those around you, making them feel happier also.

Have a good day - be happy.

Christmas day!

Its Christmas Day!

Its finally here,

And I would like to wish you,

Some festive good cheer.

The dinner is cooking,

The family are here,

There's love and contentment,

From everyone near.

The TV is on,

To watch something fun

Maybe a film,

Once our dinner is done.

Maybe a walk is in order,

To burn off some grub,

As long as you don't,

Stop off at the pub!

Or a nice family game,

Charades are quite fun,

We'll smile and laugh,

Until the day's nearly done

The day has drawn on,

Night will soon fall,

I hope that you are all,

Having a ball.

Good will to everyone,

Wherever you are,

Merry Christmas to all,

Both near and afar!

Goodwill and patience

In just a few short days Christmas will be upon us.

This should be a time of goodwill and happiness, but as we rush around, getting stressed by all of our preparations, it is easy to forget this.

We fight crowds and deadlines in a last scramble to be ready for the big day.

We can easily get grumpy and bad tempered and take this out on other people, who do not deserve or need to be treated badly.

That person that is walking slowly in front of you when you are in a hurry - they may be in pain.

That person who is asking to go in front of you in the supermarket - they may need to rush home to a poorly relative.

Before snapping and reacting angrily, take a second to think. Find that inner goodwill and patience.

Help your fellow man instead of getting angry with them.

Your act of goodwill and kindness could be their light in an otherwise dark time.

Be a beacon of light - think of the needs of others, be kind.

Practice goodwill and patience and most of all, have a very happy Christmas.

Neglected and ignored

Joan stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out at the tumultuous sea. The storms of the last few days had whipped it into a frenzied grey/green monster.

She watched the waves, giant crests of water, as they thundered towards the base of the cliff, hitting the rock with shuddering crashes.

Why had it come to this, she wondered.

Her mind drifted back to the early days of their marriage. They would cuddle up to each other, basking in their mutual love.

There would be long conversations over dinner, talking about their dreams and wishes for the future.

But now! Just this morning she had tried to talk to him, tell him something important, but he didn't even acknowledge her. There was no conversation, no reply, just silence.

She wiped away a tear. How much longer could she go on like this? Neglected, ignored. She felt so unloved.

She took a step closer to the edge.

A noise behind her made her turn. A young couple, hand in hand, very much in love, were walking along the path behind her, their two children ran ahead of them, giggling and playing.

Good morning they said, smiling as they passed. She smiled back, thinking how happy they looked.

That could have been her and George once.

She sighed. She had a lot to be thankful for, maybe she should give their marriage another try.

She turned and headed for home, the wind whipping her hair into a tangled mess.

She sat, waiting for him to come home.

The door slammed. "How did the hearing test go dear?" No answer!

He walked across the room and gave her a peck on the cheek. "The hospital says I need hearing aids" he said. "Well, it is to be expected when you're in your eighties, I suppose!"

She smiled, and told him that she loved him, but he didn't hear.

Maybe once he had his hearing aid, things would be different!

Have an amazing day

Today is a special day. We will never get the chance to live it again, to change it.

We should make today, and every day matter.

We should strive to do the best that we can, to make the most of this short day.

We can spend our day feeling sad, or we can fill it with joy and laughter.

We have the choice to smile or cry, to love or to hate.

Once this day is over, we should be able to look back, knowing that we made it a good day, a worthwhile day.

And when we wake, tomorrow will be a new today, ready to be enjoyed and lived to the full once more.

Enjoy each day and all of the surprises and joy that it brings, because one day, tomorrow will not come, and our actions throughout each of these days will be the memories of those that we leave behind.

Make sure that those memories are ones that will be treasured and cherished. Be the best that you can.

Have an amazing day.

Love and light

Cara shut the door behind her, hung up her coat and flopped onto the sofa.

Ah, what a day! Everyone had been running around like headless chickens, trying to get the work out before the holidays hit.

She was exhausted, stressed and had the headache from hell.

Tonight she had the house to herself. Everyone else was out at Christmas parties. What should she do?

I know, she thought, I'll pay a visit to my favourite place!

She kicked off her shoes and made herself comfortable. Her eyes closed, her breathing slowed. A delicious feeling of calm filled every fibre of her being.

She opened her mind, reaching out into the abyss of the universe and waited.

Soon she felt it – the overwhelming love. It filled her mind, her body. She smiled.

And then the world around her winked out of existence. She was free!

She floated, a disembodied consciousness in the vastness of the universe. She knew everything, saw everything, understood everything.

The others gathered around her, the light, the love, the knowledge. The spark within every living being that had ever existed throughout time.

They came, shared, surrounding her with light and love. This was her favourite place. A place that she knew that she would return to when her mortal body died.

She wanted to stay, never to go back to the world of pain, normality, limitation.

But she had to, she had work to do on the Earth, good work, she had a message of love and hope to share.

Reluctantly, she returned to her body, feeling the heaviness and confines of it.

She stretched and smiled, and walked to the kitchen to make a drink.

Yeah, death wouldn't be so bad. Instead of brief visits, she would have the whole of eternity in her favourite place.

She sat down and sipped her tea, happy and relaxed.

Worried of worrying

Wouldn't it be fantastic to live a life free of worry.

No more worrying about what will happen in the future, no more worry about what has happened in the past.

But there will always be something in our life to worry and fret about.

We worry about what the outcomes of our actions will be, and this worry can make us feel uncomfortable, anxious and afraid.

Worry itself does not accomplish anything positive, it just makes things harder, it saps our energy, eats us away inside.

It is right to be concerned about things, it is in our nature, but when we begin to worry about things, and that worry threatens to burrow into our very being, it is time to try to stop.

Instead of concentrating on what could be or what was, we should turn our thoughts and actions to a positive energy.

Make plans, take action and put those worries where they belong. To the back of our mind.

Be positive and don't allow worry to rule your day.

Christmas

I love December,

My favourite month of all,

Good will and love,

Children to enthral.

The shops, full of lights,

And goodies to buy,

Cards, paper, food,

Many things we do spy.

We rush and stress,

Get weary and tire,

Feel like we're being dragged,

Down into the mire!

But at the end of the month,

It's soon Christmas day.

And we want it to be perfect,

In every way.

But don't lose sight,

Of what it's about,

Not spending money,

Not, gadding about.

It's to celebrate a birth,

Many years, long ago,

A baby so perfect,

In a manager, amid snow.

So when you sit down,

To eat Christmas lunch,

Remember why we celebrate,

When on parsnips you crunch!