Christmas is a difficult time of year for families on a tight budget. Our society encourages buying on credit and spending lavishly at Christmas and our children beg for the latest and “best” dolls, games or toys. It takes self-control and sensible thinking to not go into debt at Christmas.
Many of us spend more than planned because we want to fulfill our children's most wonderful Christmas dreams. Giving our children too much can spoil them as well as threaten the family budget. Let reality determine how much you spend. Children are realists and can understand more than we think. Don't promise them something you can't afford.
Look for gifts at yard sales or second hand stores. Many bargains are available. Buy a number of inexpensive small gifts. For young children the enjoyment of Christmas often has to do with the number of gifts rather than their monetary value. You can also buy small items the child will need anyway. For example, wrap up as a gift art supplies, sports equipment, crayons, scotch tape, a glue stick, or new hair barrettes.
The gifts on Christmas day are only one part of Christmas. Learn to make the preparations and the anticipation as much fun as opening gifts. A happy, excited attitude as you shop, wrap, trim and bake will be contagious. Include the children in the preparations. This will help them enjoy it as well as teaching them to give. Children love to bake cookies and they can help with gift wrapping and tree trimming. Encourage your children to give small gifts to others. They learn the joy of giving as they plan to surprise parents, grandparents, brothers or sisters with small gifts they make or they pick out.
Enjoy Christmas entertainment. During the Christmas season there are many programs for children at churches, schools and civic organizations. Television also offers many Christmas specials. Sit and watch these with your children. Your time and attention is what they will remember, more than any gift.
Create family rituals or traditions around Christmas that you repeat every year. For example, read a favorite Christmas story and sing Christmas carols when the children hang their stockings on Christmas Eve.
Most important of all, teach your children the reason for Christmas. Christ the Lord came to earth as a baby to reveal God’s love for us. This is the best gift of all and has eternal significance.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. “ Isaiah 9:6
Have a blessed Christmas,
Dottie
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Christmas Depression
Many people are depressed during the holidays. Some are depressed due to losses through death or divorce. The holidays carry memories of former happy times and this highlights loss. Some are depressed due to financial pressure or job loss. This is increased by the desire to spend on gifts for loved ones. A variety of family tensions - marital problems, alcoholism, step family issues, adolescent rebellion - also can cause holiday depression.
These are difficult issues any time of the year but are even more difficult at Christmas because we expect the holidays to be joyful and happy. Unfortunately our life problems continue even during the holidays.
Five solutions to Christmas depression come to mind:
1. Acknowledge your feelings of loss and grief; allow yourself to cry and grieve or feel anger. Talk out feelings with a trusted friend or write about them.
2. Don’t dwell on the negative. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Don’t grieve endlessly. Get out and do something to take your mind off your self and your problems.
3. Count your blessings. Focus on the positive. Make a list every day during the holidays of five things you’re grateful for. See the holiday time as half full, not half empty. Remind yourself that no one has a perfect life.
4. Return to your faith. Take a step or two back to God through prayer, reading Scripture, and returning to church. There are many inspiring and fun Christmas activities in most churches during the Christmas season.
5. Counseling can help with depression. If you’re having suicidal thoughts counseling is a must. If your appetite or sleep patterns are affected, medication can help. I hope these ideas will help you have a meaningful and joyful Christmas.
"Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
Blessings, Dottie
These are difficult issues any time of the year but are even more difficult at Christmas because we expect the holidays to be joyful and happy. Unfortunately our life problems continue even during the holidays.
Five solutions to Christmas depression come to mind:
1. Acknowledge your feelings of loss and grief; allow yourself to cry and grieve or feel anger. Talk out feelings with a trusted friend or write about them.
2. Don’t dwell on the negative. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Don’t grieve endlessly. Get out and do something to take your mind off your self and your problems.
3. Count your blessings. Focus on the positive. Make a list every day during the holidays of five things you’re grateful for. See the holiday time as half full, not half empty. Remind yourself that no one has a perfect life.
4. Return to your faith. Take a step or two back to God through prayer, reading Scripture, and returning to church. There are many inspiring and fun Christmas activities in most churches during the Christmas season.
5. Counseling can help with depression. If you’re having suicidal thoughts counseling is a must. If your appetite or sleep patterns are affected, medication can help. I hope these ideas will help you have a meaningful and joyful Christmas.
"Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
Blessings, Dottie
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A Child-like Christmas
Are children stressed by Christmas preparations? No, they’re not, but often adults are. We need to learn from our children. The holiday season is one of the most beautiful times of the year. Many of us have forgotten how to view the festivities with child-like enjoyment. Here are some child-like traits to cultivate during this Christmas season. These will give you a wonder-filled Christmas.
1. Stay in the present. When we worry we borrow trouble. Most of the things we worry about don’t happen. Children live in the present. Children know how to enjoy each moment as it comes.
2. Be playful. Instead of dreading gift wrapping, for example, make it an enjoyable experience. Create original ways to wrap the gifts. Pick paper or ribbons that will surprise or please the recipients of your gifts. Make it play rather than work.
3. Have fun! Laugh! Don’t be so serious about holiday plans. Instead, make a game out of all that you do. The average four year old laughs every four minutes. Look at life through the eyes of a child and you will feel joy and will a laugh a lot.
4. Anticipate the coming festivities with excitement. Remember how you looked forward to Christmas as a child. Children are eager and they anticipate the joy ahead.
5. Be a little silly as Children often are. You can be responsible, do the things that need to be done but still, on occasion, be a little silly. Let loose and be unpredictable. Get rid of your schedule and flow with what’s enjoyable.
6. Develop child-like faith. The Christmas season is a special time of awe and wonder. Tune in to the miracle of life and the love of God. Enjoy Christmas events, specials on TV and inspiring worship. Be amazed by the greatest miracle of all, the incarnation - God as a new born babe.
“For unto us a child is born…” Isaiah 9:6
Blessings, Dottie
1. Stay in the present. When we worry we borrow trouble. Most of the things we worry about don’t happen. Children live in the present. Children know how to enjoy each moment as it comes.
2. Be playful. Instead of dreading gift wrapping, for example, make it an enjoyable experience. Create original ways to wrap the gifts. Pick paper or ribbons that will surprise or please the recipients of your gifts. Make it play rather than work.
3. Have fun! Laugh! Don’t be so serious about holiday plans. Instead, make a game out of all that you do. The average four year old laughs every four minutes. Look at life through the eyes of a child and you will feel joy and will a laugh a lot.
4. Anticipate the coming festivities with excitement. Remember how you looked forward to Christmas as a child. Children are eager and they anticipate the joy ahead.
5. Be a little silly as Children often are. You can be responsible, do the things that need to be done but still, on occasion, be a little silly. Let loose and be unpredictable. Get rid of your schedule and flow with what’s enjoyable.
6. Develop child-like faith. The Christmas season is a special time of awe and wonder. Tune in to the miracle of life and the love of God. Enjoy Christmas events, specials on TV and inspiring worship. Be amazed by the greatest miracle of all, the incarnation - God as a new born babe.
“For unto us a child is born…” Isaiah 9:6
Blessings, Dottie
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Healing Power of Gratitude
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. We have much to be thankful for, but most of us take our freedom and abundance for granted. We grumble and complain about minor issues. We know thinking positively is healthier for us, but we still grumble. We must learn to give thanks in every circumstance. We must learn to practice gratitude.
David, the author of the Psalms in the Bible, did this. In the midst of intense difficulties he burst forth with gratitude for every blessing. At times he wonders where God is, yet he continues to practice gratitude.
Thomas Edison, the genius inventor, lost his laboratory in a blazing fire in December 1914. The next morning, walking in the smoldering rubble, he said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew.”
There is a legend about a day when the sun didn’t appear. It was dark at eight in the morning, still dark at nine, ten, noon. By four p.m. people had gone to their churches to pray for the sun to return. The next morning crowds gathered to watch the eastern sky. When the first rays of sunlight streaked the sky the people burst into cheers and applause. They felt so grateful for something they had always taken for granted.
Minor annoyances of daily life are often more difficult to look on with gratitude than are major trials. We rise to meet a tough challenge yet let petty annoyances drag us down. Gratitude is still the key. If we count our blessings every day we will be better able to recognize the smallness of the annoyances.
Learning a grateful attitude takes practice. This Thanksgiving Day let’s all practice gratitude and keep it up in the days and months ahead.
“Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Blessings, Dottie Parish
David, the author of the Psalms in the Bible, did this. In the midst of intense difficulties he burst forth with gratitude for every blessing. At times he wonders where God is, yet he continues to practice gratitude.
Thomas Edison, the genius inventor, lost his laboratory in a blazing fire in December 1914. The next morning, walking in the smoldering rubble, he said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew.”
There is a legend about a day when the sun didn’t appear. It was dark at eight in the morning, still dark at nine, ten, noon. By four p.m. people had gone to their churches to pray for the sun to return. The next morning crowds gathered to watch the eastern sky. When the first rays of sunlight streaked the sky the people burst into cheers and applause. They felt so grateful for something they had always taken for granted.
Minor annoyances of daily life are often more difficult to look on with gratitude than are major trials. We rise to meet a tough challenge yet let petty annoyances drag us down. Gratitude is still the key. If we count our blessings every day we will be better able to recognize the smallness of the annoyances.
Learning a grateful attitude takes practice. This Thanksgiving Day let’s all practice gratitude and keep it up in the days and months ahead.
“Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Blessings, Dottie Parish
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Healing Power of Imagination
Our imagination has healing power. Although we can’t know the future, we often imagine disaster ahead. A loved one is late returning from a trip so in our mind we picture an accident and we worry and fret. In our imagination we anticipate the worst possible outcome. Our mental images are like a dress rehearsal for how we then feel and act.
“Fantasies” often come unbidden. We have to learn to notice them and stop them. When we realize we’re fanaticizing we can replace the negative image with a positive one. Cancer survivors use this method to imagine the chemotherapy eating up cancer cells.
Many athletes today use mental imagery or mental pictures to improve their performance. A stunning experiment was done which showed the effects of mental practice. One group practiced throwing basketball free throws every day for 20 days and improved in scoring 24 percent. A control group did no practice at all for 20 days and did not improve. A third group spent 20 minutes a day imagining they were throwing the ball in the basket and their scoring improved 23 percent!
Monitor your mind for negative images and change these to positive ones. For example, if you picture someone who is sick getting worse. Stop this image and replace it with a picture of the person as healthy. Take time to pray and meditate every day so you can fill your mind with positive thoughts and images.
Blessings, Dottie
“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue or if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NKJ
“Fantasies” often come unbidden. We have to learn to notice them and stop them. When we realize we’re fanaticizing we can replace the negative image with a positive one. Cancer survivors use this method to imagine the chemotherapy eating up cancer cells.
Many athletes today use mental imagery or mental pictures to improve their performance. A stunning experiment was done which showed the effects of mental practice. One group practiced throwing basketball free throws every day for 20 days and improved in scoring 24 percent. A control group did no practice at all for 20 days and did not improve. A third group spent 20 minutes a day imagining they were throwing the ball in the basket and their scoring improved 23 percent!
Monitor your mind for negative images and change these to positive ones. For example, if you picture someone who is sick getting worse. Stop this image and replace it with a picture of the person as healthy. Take time to pray and meditate every day so you can fill your mind with positive thoughts and images.
Blessings, Dottie
“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue or if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NKJ
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Healing Power of Giving
Giving to others, serving others, even sacrificing for others – has healing power. In today’s world these ideas are rarely taught or encouraged. Most of us focus on our selves, trying to find ways to be happy. We think we’ll be happy when family, friends or co-workers give us love, attention or appreciation. We think we’ll be happy when circumstances change, when we get a better job or when we achieve some goal. But will we?
Giving, serving, even sacrificing for others helps heal our inner longing; makes us truly contented in spite of circumstances. When we give to others it changes us, we like ourselves better. It really is more blessed to give than to receive. Some one has suggested we commit “random acts of kindness” in our daily life. How different would the world be if everyone did this every day? Let’s commit to a small random act of kindness every day. Make it a challenge to find someone to help in some small way every day. See what a difference it makes – to others and to you.
Today is November 11th, Veteran’s Day. All veterans and servicemen have made sacrifices in order to secure our life and liberty. Some have given their lives for us. Remember to thank a veteran today and pray for all of our servicemen.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 32:35
Blessings, Dottie
Giving, serving, even sacrificing for others helps heal our inner longing; makes us truly contented in spite of circumstances. When we give to others it changes us, we like ourselves better. It really is more blessed to give than to receive. Some one has suggested we commit “random acts of kindness” in our daily life. How different would the world be if everyone did this every day? Let’s commit to a small random act of kindness every day. Make it a challenge to find someone to help in some small way every day. See what a difference it makes – to others and to you.
Today is November 11th, Veteran’s Day. All veterans and servicemen have made sacrifices in order to secure our life and liberty. Some have given their lives for us. Remember to thank a veteran today and pray for all of our servicemen.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 32:35
Blessings, Dottie
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Healing Power of Silence
Our culture over stimulates us. Television, cell phones, radio, and computers keep our minds active and distracted almost constantly. We watch news, weather, sports, commercials, movies, sit-coms, games shows, talk shows and more. TV is like radon to our souls. The continuous noisy, blare of voices and images poisons our spirits, diseases our minds and dulls our senses. When this happens, silence seems unnatural to us. There are people who can’t go to sleep without the TV on.
We have forgotten how to enjoy silence. We have forgotten how to empty our minds and be still. This negatively affects our physical, mental and spiritual well being. Silence brings us in touch with our inner longings and needs. Silence brings us in touch with our deepest feelings. Often we would rather run away from these than face them.
Silence also brings us in touch with God. Many have become alienated from spiritual realities. Throughout history, in every culture, man has sensed the presence of the divine. We must be silent to sense His presence. There are spiritual realities that aren’t available on TV or on the computer. There are spiritual broadcasts that are timeless and eternal but we must tune into these through silence. These broadcasts can easily be jammed. They are heard only in the silence.
We need to be in touch with the events and tragedies of the world. We need to see the pictures of the earth quakes, tsunamis, forest fires and wars in order to keep up with all that is going on in the world. And we need to have time to relax and be entertained. But we do not need to stare endlessly at the images on TV or be hooked up to an electronic device every minute of the day.
To find serenity, spend ten minutes or more in silence every day. Commit to taking the time for this period of silence and stillness. The longer you do this the more meaningful and valuable this time will become to you. To quiet your mind you can read from Psalms in the Bible.
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Blessings, Dottie
We have forgotten how to enjoy silence. We have forgotten how to empty our minds and be still. This negatively affects our physical, mental and spiritual well being. Silence brings us in touch with our inner longings and needs. Silence brings us in touch with our deepest feelings. Often we would rather run away from these than face them.
Silence also brings us in touch with God. Many have become alienated from spiritual realities. Throughout history, in every culture, man has sensed the presence of the divine. We must be silent to sense His presence. There are spiritual realities that aren’t available on TV or on the computer. There are spiritual broadcasts that are timeless and eternal but we must tune into these through silence. These broadcasts can easily be jammed. They are heard only in the silence.
We need to be in touch with the events and tragedies of the world. We need to see the pictures of the earth quakes, tsunamis, forest fires and wars in order to keep up with all that is going on in the world. And we need to have time to relax and be entertained. But we do not need to stare endlessly at the images on TV or be hooked up to an electronic device every minute of the day.
To find serenity, spend ten minutes or more in silence every day. Commit to taking the time for this period of silence and stillness. The longer you do this the more meaningful and valuable this time will become to you. To quiet your mind you can read from Psalms in the Bible.
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Blessings, Dottie
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