If you intend to take goal setting seriously, you must up the ante by writing 
down your goals and revising them continuously. By choosing your goal and writing it down, you gain an edge. Most people simply respond to conditions rather than create conditions for a better life. While there is no magic pill or equation for success, one thing is sure: Those who fail to plan by not writing down their goals, by default, plan to fail.
~ Gary Ryan Blair
Goals
The year is quic
kly coming to a close!
2012 is almost here and this is the week to think about our lives and make a plan for the coming year(s)!
I’m not talking about some silly resolution which will be broken in the first few days – I am talking about really making a plan towards happiness.
Begin by thinking about this past year – what did you like – what didn’t you like – about this past year? What can you do differently to make this coming year better? You must start where you are, and you must be very honest with yourself. You cannot make your life better if you don’t. There may be tough bridges that need to be burned. Transformation is not always easy, but it is worth it.
I wrote a 5 year plan 4 years ago – this year, as I look back, so much has changed, but I am so much closer to my goal! There will be major updates to my plan this year, based on where I am at this moment. It is so exciting! I love reading where I was and where I am now. It has been a long road home for me – but I have come soooo far!!!!
My hope is that we all begin to make choices to become who we have been created to be, and that on our path of becoming, we join together to share unconditional love with others who are hurting. In so doing we will change the world in every way for the better!
May God be with you
and bless you; May you see
your children’s children;
May you be poor in misfortune –
Rich in blessings;
May you know nothing but
happiness
From this day forward!
In your deepest darkness
may the eyes of God
twinkle like stars.
May the sounds of the world
become song,
become angelic.
May you always hear,
like voices in the next room,
glory.
May God come,
whole,
into your life.
May you receive
the most holy gift
of wonder.
May God give you the courage
of the young mother
in the darkness.
May you hear the song
of the presence of God
within you.
May your ordinary life
be a sign of God’s nearness
to the lowly.
May all the refugee families
in your world
find shelter.
May you always ponder
the mystery of your dear,
umbilical life.
May the cries
of the Christ child
keep you awake.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
This time of year is so busy – the strange this is that it seems to me the energy I most feel when I am out and 
about is frenzied, desperate and afraid of not meeting expectations. There seem to be so many expectations for this holiday.
As an adult, for the past 25 years or so, Christmas has been a strange and complicated time for me. I won’t go into a lot of details, but, trust me – it has not been easy. I used to wish I could just have ‘normal’ Christmases like those I saw around me – with a Christmas tree, lots of holiday buying and ‘stuff’. I thought I wanted that same frantic spirit I felt in others. Every year I would look forward to the day when I would have the Christmas that I wanted, and keep the hope alive that it would come.
Well, this year I am having the most wonderful Christmas Season I have ever had as an adult – and guess what? It has nothing to do with having lots of money or buying super amounts of gifts, or by having a full schedule of too many things to do. This year every little thing is a gift. It is cool to me that Chris and I ‘accidentally’ bought the biggest Christmas tree ever! It didn’t look that big at Costco! ha It is probably 10 feet tall and so beautiful! I love drinking my coffee in the early morning with only God and the lighted tree for company. It is a very special Christmas.
This Christmas I am experiencing Mary, the Birth of Christ and ‘The Fullness of Time’ in so many ways in my life. It is very personal. I am humbled and so grateful. I am giving thanks for all that has brought me to this place. I am wrapping each moment as a gift and I am full of gratitude for reaching home. Little things for me have, and will continue to be, miracles! Giving thanks makes for the most beautiful life in every circumstance.
In 1990, desperate for happiness, I reached out to God and declared it. I wanted happiness, love, peace, joy and I was willing to do what ever it took to get it. I was changed forever by the words of Jesus in Matthew chapters 5-7, and I began this crazy adventure which has been marked by loss, pain, tears, and years of wandering. Yet each step has been sacred and holy as I have given it to God – this is a continual process. I choose the way of the cross every day, and, by God’s grace, I will continue to choose it every moment.
We have freewill – a spiritual relationship is just like any other physical relationship. We choose how much we put into it, and how successful it becomes. I have chosen to give my all. I have chosen to give thanks no matter where I find myself. I have worked hard to accept all life has brought to me and to learn from it. I have chosen to keep my heart open and to allow healing. I have recognized a greater purpose in everything I have experienced and have acknowledged the many miracles that have been at every turn. I have known that many people may have meant me evil, but God only wanted to bring me all good things. Psalm 37 has been my guide and I have LIVED my faith. God has been so faithful and I am blessed beyond what I ever even knew was possible.
I have believed that I would come to this place and … here I am!!! It is a real ‘wow’ time for me and I am so glad to be able to share it with everyone who will listen this year.
What is even more wonderful for me to know isthis:
this is not some secret just for me – it is for everyone! All you have to do is say ‘yes’!
love doesn’t withhold, manipulate, play favorites, compete, hide, shut down, play games, or lie –
love simply gives. Then waits to receive with open heart and hands, it has no conditions or demands, but accepts, allows, supports, touches, tells the truth, commits, opens, and waits patiently.
Love simply loves, and, in so doing, love keeps growing – healthy and strong. Apply love to yourself first, and keep in mind – you can’t give someone something they don’t want. Which means sometimes you must remove people you love from your life. Loving people does not mean you allow yourself to be manipulated or mistreated…THAT’S NOT LOVE! As always, It is – what it is!!!
There is only one of each of us.
Unique in every way
You can’t be me
and I can’t be you.
Keep this thought right in your mind
As you go about your day.
We are living at this moment,
there are things for us to do.
There are no accidental people
No one is a mistake
We are here to share true love
All along the way
life: acoustic & amplified 