https://youtu.be/oXaLu7bvke8

It’s officially the Christmas season. This song was one of the first ones I heard this year.

In a few of the stories and books I have read about WWI and WWII there were Christmas cease fires on the line at various points. Soldiers told stories of songs being sung and special meals for all. In that moment each side forgot about war and remembered their loved ones.

With the elections season we just had and the continued unease around our nation, Christmas seems just a little more important this year.

I sincerely hope that all sides of every fight can take a breather, at least for Christmas. That the war can be over for at least a little while.

But as we think about the grander hopes for human kind, we must also remember our role in the whole thing.

It’s easy to point our fingers and shake our heads at those big meanies talking about each other on TV.

It’s much harder to forgive and love our neighbors.

I would like each of us to consider taking a break for Christmas.

To exchange love for hate.

To exchange patience and kindness for impatience and greed.

To put others first and let ourselves fall into the background.

I’m not naïve enough to think that we can keep this up forever. Wars will continue (some things are worth fighting for), we won’t magically become perfect people for good.

But it sure seems like we could use a push towards the good side of the ledger, just for Christmas at least.

Make it a great day and Merry Christmas.

Jake

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. – Helen Keller

The holiday season is a great reminder of the quote above.

It is a season in which we foster faith.

Our faith in our loved ones grows.

Our faith in the charity of others grows.

Our faith in future prosperity grows.

Our faith in our God grows.

We grow stronger as our faith grows.

Maybe this is a sappy version of what happens during the holidays. Maybe you see them as a hectic time of family conflict and over commercialization.

And maybe this is true.

But it’s also a time of growing faith. And this faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light (man, that’s a good quote).

Make it a great day.

Jake

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
Author Unknown

Meaghan came across this and shared with me after yesterday’s daily attitude email.

Obviously this Author Unknown person is a better writer than I am so I figured I would share it.

Be thankful today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. – William Arthur Ward

Being thankful is the beginning of a better and more full life.

When we are thankful for what we have we transform our attitude and prepare ourselves for more of the same.

Think of an area of your life where you want to see a change.

Find something in that area to be thankful for.

Maybe an example would help.

Let’s say you wanted to save some money.

First, be thankful for whatever money you do have.

Treat that little bit as if it were a blessing.

And then you will have the attitude it will take to start adding more.

Make it a great day.

Jakeu

https://youtu.be/NOa5UOHdwnc

Figured we should end the week with a funky thank you right before Thanksgiving week.

“Thank you for letting me be myself.”

I sure am thankful for the people in my life that do this for me.

I know that “myself” has a lot of room for improvement but some of you love me anyway.

We all have people in our lives like this.

Don’t forget to tell them you are thankful for their love and appreciation.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile." – Wilfred Grenfell

Hopefully this quote gives you some motivation to go get it today.

Each day we have the opportunity to do something worthwhile.

Each day we have the opportunity to serve and love others in a meaningful way.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JW – Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. – Albert Einstein

MS* – Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. – Albert Einstein

EB* – A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein

JD – When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That’s relativity. – Albert Einstein

Reading and hearing Einstein quotes reminds me of how much we have to learn from the generations before us.

Really smart people tried hard to translate what they learned to us through books, plays, poems, songs, novels, etc.

It’s our choice whether to seek it out and use it or to miss it all together.

Random idea for the day.

If you are struggling with something, find the oldest book or material on that subject you can find and read it.

Seek out the older wisdom.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. – Mother Teresa

Great quote and a simple idea today.

Look to create happiness as you go through your day today.

Leave others feeling loved and appreciated.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.’ – Gandalf

I should think so — in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!” – Bilbo

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Maggie has been reading “The Hobbit” lately. I went in search of a good quote and this exchange stuck out as a key part of the narrative.

Bilbo lives in comfort. He has set himself and his home up for a life without problems.

But it is only when he goes out in search of adventure that he is able to change the world.

JRR Tolkien did a great job of making an important point in this series of books:

Even the smallest person can change the world if he is pure of heart if that person has the courage to step out of his comfort zone.

You may feel small and insignificant.

You may have a home and life set up for comfort.

You may look at an adventure as a nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable thing that may make you late for dinner.

Only when you have the courage to step out of your comfort zone do you begin to change the world.

Major important point – you were created to make a difference in this world, don’t get so comfortable you miss out on it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. – Victor Hugo

The positive benefits of laughing are well documented.

We all know that our day is better when we laugh more.

But somehow we let ourselves forget this when our schedules get tight.

We let hours and days go by without laughing enough.

We let stress and anxiety rule the day.

The reminder for today is to take a deep breath….and laugh.

Make a dumb joke.

Watch a funny YouTuber.

Make it a great day.

Jake