LEARNING TO TALK, TRUST AND FEEL

Many of us who were hurt in the past learned three rules: Don't talk, don't trust and don't feel. As children, we learned to keep secrets, to feel shame and to mistrust. These unwritten rules keep us stuck as adults and prevent others from getting close to us. Sometimes we give or love too much in atonement for our inability to let others close to us.

The only way out of this unhealthy cycle is to break the three rules by talking, trusting and feeling. We can talk with someone with whom we feel safe, a counselor or friend. We can talk to ourselves by writing our feelings in a journal or talking them out on a tape recorder. We can build trust by learning to trust ourselves first and by feeling our frozen feelings we have kept inside for so long. As we open up and let go, we begin to talk, trust and feel and are blessed with rich and meaningful relationships.

Breaking the three rules of don't talk, don't trust and don't feel by talking, trusting and feeling frees us of an unhealthy past and brings us rich and meaningful relationships.

ACHIEVING SERENITY

When things don't go our way, it naturally hurts and disappoints us. We may scream and rant and rave. We may even stomp our feet and throw things, like children who don't get their way.

Life runs more smoothly when we accept it as it is, rather than try to make it the way we want. We cannot change the world to fit our whims but we can change how we respond to disappointments by maturely accepting and making the best of them. Trying to change people and situations to meet our terms is time better spent accepting situations as they are.

Being courageous to change those parts of our lives that are changeable and accepting things as they are is the first step to serenity. We can accept the things we cannot change, ask for courage to change the things we can and for wisdom to know the difference between the two.

We can achieve serenity by accepting the things we cannot change, asking for courage to change the things we can and asking for wisdom to know the difference between the two.

HAVE A NICE DAY!!!

THE BEST E-MAIL OF THE YEAR

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: "Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen." God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the checkbook. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. Then it was already 1 p.m. and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and map the kitchen floor.

Run to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework, then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the chicken and snapped fresh beans for super. After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. . . at 9 p.m. he was exhausted and though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please, LET US TRADE BACK. The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied: "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were.

You'll just have to wait nine months, though YOU GOT PREGNANT LAST NIGHT."

Things to Think About

The most destructive habit WORRY

The greatest joy GIVING

The greatest loss LOSS OF SELF-RESPECT

The most satisfying work HELPING OTHERS

The ugliest personality trait SELFISHNESS

The most endangered species DEDICATED LEADERS

Our greatest natural resource OUR YOUTH

The greatest "shot in the arm" ENCOURAGEMENT

The greatest problem to overcome FEAR

The most effective sleeping pill PEACE OF MIND

The most crippling failure disease EXCUSES

The world's most incredible computer THE BRAIN

The worst thing to be without HOPE

The two most powerful-filled words "I CAN"

The greatest asset FAITH

The most worthless emotion SELF-PITY

The most beautiful attire SMILE

The most prized possession INTEGRITY

The most powerful channel of communication HEART TO HEART

The most contagious spirit ENTHUSIASM

The most important thing in life LOVE