Faith And Prayers

   A spillage of media sadness through images and detailed stories of defects
in human society hit all of us like a flood of tears. We are inundated with
explosions, people hurrying in fear, faces often blood-splashed. And we can
imagine the whine of ambulances in a-frenzy.

These details threaten to overcome our inner strengths, subdue our passion
for living, and the question is- How to protect our loved ones and the
society in which we are so comfortable? Will it require our high tech
capabilities, or Repressive monitoring of our daily movements in society?

In most of Europe, and definitely in North America we have so much largesse
the balance of the world looks to us with envious eyes. And we begin to use
our well-financed armies and technology to secure a screen of false
ointment that really only protects our physical structures.

Within our minds and hearts, we harbor a new fear that what we have become
accustomed to in our lifetime is now threatened by unknown forces and the
faces behind these actions are not only disruptive, but we do not
understand them.

And so these threats continue to leap from the pages of our newspapers
showing colored pictures of devastation through bombs, bullets and the
deliberate cause of unwanted human anguish.

Surely we know building fences, which segregate countries, ie Israel and
Palestine; and the securing of airways at international airports simply
presents morsels of opportunity for those dedicated to roles of violence.

I believe too many individuals, thinking they were suppressed from a
lifetime of opportunity have simply have given up their dreams for societal
change. And I believe we should give some of their children a chance at the
brass ring of life.

Unfortunately, many of their parents have little education and a lifetime
of sad memories. And all that is left is the capture of an occasion, a
brief entrance on the pages of an inky newspaper, moments of rapture such
as the Irish gunmen, Mid-East suicide bombers and others who gave up on
mankind and discussed co-operative gestures.

In the name of Nationalism they seem to feel these highly visible actions
are precious moments of fame as they try to change the world. Sad to say
they do not fully appreciate how much they are really destroying it. And,
too often, innocent civilians are caught up in misjudgments, such as
Afghanistan, Bosnia and the September 11 tragedy in New York City.

Faith is the heartbeat of the world; Religion and Tradition sometimes a
chain not only around our ankles, but may hinder positive relationships.

Can we survive without love for each other regardless of gender, age, color
or background? No! We need Faith & Prayer Houses around the world as
participants with a common mission come together in strength and go on to
present a vision of fellowship in the world.

Something must be done to accomplish a sense of peace in our world.
I believe FAITH & PRAYER are the key to this happening. My thoughts are
designed to place persons with oppositional views in a test situation where
they show a willingness to forsake total personal freedom on behalf of a
security conscious world.

We must look to other avenues than the rush to acquire new toys, electronic
surveillance equipment, increased policing and other modes of questioning
of all who come within their watchful eye.

I am against giving up all freedoms for a more secure world. It is simply a
shame we overreact to the damage being done by a small band of Rebels
intent on promoting their brand of justice. Yes, perhaps there will be a
small sense of security that something is being done mostly for political
gain. This, in my estimation is not a cynical view.

Simply, it is an opinion on the silliness of the modes of security used.
Some brilliant people, with misdirected intelligence, look to the hundreds
of millions of dollars spent as a challenge to their egos. And
unfortunately find ways to overcome these protective shields, in spite of
the myriad of costly surveillance newly imposed on a frightened target
population.

The Model for security I suggest is based on dealing with the root issues.
I suggest the building of, or revamping seven edifice locations throughout
the world, with individual quarters situated around a common eating and
recreational area. Each building should harbor one representative from
seven major cultures in the world.

I truly believe Faith is a knowing and understanding of all things
possible. That a union of voices, humankind’s good will and co-operation
are able to be part of the tune. And the recognition of tremendous
abilities within the human race can be harnessed to achieve team goals.

As an example, this can take place in the setting up of Teaching Schools
situated in strategic areas of low tolerance. Where it is known and fully
understood that color and prejudice presents a problem. This may be in
Northern Canada, Mexico, United States, Soviet Union, Mainland Europe,
England or Africa.

Participants can be selected by a body within the United Nations as a model
for understanding, with curriculum developed to highlight individual
strengths, so they may teach tolerance for each other one day. I believe
forty-nine persons selected be a mixture of men and women not yet in
possession of a high school education, but possess untested capabilities.

They should be persons who hunger for a chance to get ahead and prove
themselves worthwhile citizens in this community of nations.

Prayer is the second foundation stone, which I believe most important in
the development of our ability to protect ourselves without sacrificing all
of our freedoms. After all, isn’t it true each army usually prays to their
God, usually before a most difficult challenge?

This is a most sensitive time when unwanted thoughts are usually erased in
pursuit of a personal bonding with their Creator.

As these selected young people reside in their Faith & Prayer sites they
can become role models for understanding each other. I perceive this
situation is where they give up all their freedoms, since they are now in
isolation from the familiar family and territory in which they were raised.

And hopefully through association, they may soak up the importance within
the lives and culture of each individual who now count as friends. 

Accentuating a developed friendship over a seven-week period, plans may be
formulated to organize the next group of persons. All who complete this
mission can perhaps be offered full scholarships for further learning.

Some may contest my ideas as simplistic, and unworkable. How do they know?
I am a believer in the human soul and its ability to overcome, if the right
reason came along. All the high technology in the world cannot overcome the
human spirit.

The Americans did not subdue the Vietnamese people in their struggle, nor
the Russians break the spirit of resistance in the Afghan people.

Imagine if we could somehow bring together seven peoples from seven
distinct backgrounds, and have them learn from each other? Customs,
language, dress, artifacts and other significant cultural items could be a
part of their Kiosk built within these seven locations.

I do envision these buildings with a central area providing kitchen and
dining, entertainment and general meeting areas, including seven additions
for each participant. All the décor will be designed in their cultures and
provide a showcase for others to witness and enjoy.

There should also be interpreters available to assist and live in each
Faith & Prayer House. And also act as a ‘Mom and Dad’ couple overseeing the
participants in the program who should be between eighteen and twenty-five
years of age. We must begin a program with the ideals of the young.

I know this world has many gifted, and humanistic persons willing to be
part of something as positive and far reaching as this program. And I am
sure they would be delighted to live in and supervise the seven persons.

As to cost: Each country should have benefactors willing to underwrite all
or share in the constructions costs, and provision of food. International
companies should be pleased to assist with educational gifts on behalf of
those successful in completing the full program.

It would not be fair to restrict the movements and future employment of
these graduating candidates, but hopefully they will either remain with the
program in some fashion, or return to their country of origin. And they may
have a good influence on its future. Remember this is a long-term program
and worth the investment and organizing required. A year of planning, one
to build and recruit should be the time period before beginning programs
the third year.

And each candidate should provide a weekly report of their impressions to a
Board of Directors for each of the seven regions. The tiniest ripple in a
body of water does have significance.

Yes, we do have a choice between security and freedom. However I believe
too much security requires an abdication of our rights, and yet too much
freedom allows some to run amuck within the definition of their own
identity. They must not be allowed to hijack our future. And we also must
not allow too restrictive policing harness our own personal growth.

Ideas expressed here, begun on a small scale, can be carefully monitored to
see if this program is worthy of developing into a more meaningful
adventure. As humans we can conquer the moon. What about the earth?

And wouldn’t it be nice, if we did?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Richard L. Provencher was born September 10th 1942 in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada, 650 Km NW of Montreal. Experiences as a Miner, Newspaperman, Welfare Officer, Social Services Administrator, and United Way Executive-Director, combine with a love of Nature to form the basis of his writing. He has many poems and short stories in print and Online in various Canadian, USA and other journals. His Juvenile, Poetry and Short e-Books are online. Richard lives in Truro, Nova Scotia with his wife, Esther. They have four grown children.

From Teenage Thorn To Adult Rose

“You can either complain that rose bushes have thorns,
Or rejoice that thorn bushes have roses.”
-- Author Unknown

A teenage child is like a rose bush – one of God’s wonderful creations engulfed by beauty, yet protruding with an armor of defensive thorns. For a parent, a teenager can be a wonderful creature to admire from a distance, but sometimes impossible to get close to without a protective shield in place to guard against the child’s prickly eminence. 

Think of the rose bush. In order to intimately admire it we must be fully protected by insulation thick enough to shield us from the painful pricks and jabs of the thorns, yet thin enough to allow us to maintain our mobility and sense of touch. Our gardening gloves offer this type of insulation – they softly encapsulate our skin, yet still enable us to pull the thorny stems close, absorb the beauty of the roses, and inhale their soft, fresh scent. In this same way, wearing gloves of emotional strength, parental maturity and unconditional Christian love can insulate us from the thorns of fear, hostility and anger that protrude from our teenage children whenever their modes of defensiveness are engaged. The key is not to allow this insulation to make us thick skinned. Somehow, we must still preserve our ability to feel.

This “insulation” process can be tricky. Sometimes we can overly insulate ourselves from our children’s spiteful jabs, and we end up creating a wall that actually barricades us from them. Being insulated is not synonymous with being apathetic. We cannot insulate ourselves so much that we lose our sense of feeling and mobility and are left feeling fearful of embracing our children or of praising their inner beauty.

Sometimes it is hard to remember that the defensive thorns of a teenager are his “protectors” from the dangers of the world. Just as God gave the rose bush its thorns as protection against its hostile environment, he provided his children with the wisdom to design their own thorns as well. These self-designed thorns protrude from a teen’s eminence like the quills of a porcupine – serving as protective shields from worldly pain, sorrow and humiliation. Bitterness, anger and self-conscious behaviors are some of the biggest thorns of all. And yet, these ugly thorns are incongruently intertwined with an inner beauty that we cannot help but admire, even if it is from a distance. Of course, more times than not, we end up getting hurt or “jabbed” by unkind teenage words or actions during our attempts to admire this obscured beauty. But witnessing the beauty of their laughter, the gleam of hope in their eyes, or the products of their giving heart makes it worth enduring the pain from a few nasty pricks. As parents, we must try to remember this.

All too often, teenagers wish to be admired and loved from a distance rather than to share an intimate moment of closeness with their parents. On the rare occasion that they allow us to get close, maybe even hold them, we are usually forced to place our arms somewhere in between the sharpness of their thorns. But we can learn to be at peace with this.

Think about it. We want our rose bushes to turn into something healthy and beautiful, so we try to look beyond the thorns and remain consistent with our care taking – we begin to understand that thorns have purpose and that they are extensions of the rose that are contiguous to its beauty. We try to be loyal with our feeding and nurturing duties. The same holds true for our children. Blooming teens must be fed and nurtured consistently to maintain their physical, spiritual and emotional well-being. This enables them to grow, flourish and eventually flower into loving, responsible adults. A teenager should be fertilized with the nutrients of love, admiration and respect; fed and watered with God’s Word, and allowed to reach towards the rays of the sun for its life-sustaining light.

However, helping something beautiful flourish also includes fending off the invasive enemies in the world. Our children must be carefully and tenderly pruned in order to protect them from these worldly enemies, cruelties that can attack them like a disease or fungus, beginning at their roots. The “weed killer” of discipline must also be used so that a teen does not choke or die from the wild, uncultivated invaders – the “weeds” that try to raid their territory and drain the nutrients from their otherwise healthy, fertile soil. These weeds of turmoil can include drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, juvenile delinquency and more. If a teen’s cultivated foundation is tampered with, it can weaken his physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength. Consistent, firm discipline with our children is the key to maintaining a strong, durable foundation for them that is resilient, yet unbreakable.

One important thing to remember is that not all thorns are visible – some are hidden. But a parent can learn to recognize these, too. For instance, it is usually obvious when a teenager is angry: A frown, glare or scowl begins to protrude from his eminence. These are his “thorns” of hostility – warning signals that announce his wishes to be left alone. However, we are forced to be more intuitive about the hidden thorns and what causes the release of this quill-like armor. Becoming more attuned to the hidden thorns requires getting to know your child and recognizing certain edgy behaviors that may actually be warning signals. Edginess can be a symptom of anything from anxiety and fear to hunger and lack of sleep. To distinguish its causes, we can learn to become more attuned to our teenager’s school and social activities as well as his eating and sleeping habits. As with a rose bush, experiencing a few pricks teaches us to avoid thorny areas in the future; it prevents us from aggravating the places we already know have thorns. Instead, we either admire from a distance, or decide to handle only the blooms, which must be done with care and tenderness. 

So, what are we to do about the thorns that continue to hinder our care taking? What protection allows a parent to shield himself from these thorns, yet still admire and cherish the beauty of his child? The only insulator is a mind-connected heart, a Christian heart filled with emotional strength, compassion and unconditional love that is connected to a mind holding the Christian-based wisdom of parental maturity. As long as the parental heart remains connected to a mind filled with knowledge about guidance and discipline, we are insulated. Once our heart becomes our insulator, it serves as our shield of protection. A heart that remains filled with unconditional love and compassion will always be accessible to our children. Eventually, we will learn to adapt to our children’s emotional environment like a chameleon, changing colors with their emotions so that we can blend into their life without disrupting it, and finally remaining an integral part of it forever. We will also learn to give thanks for their thorns, for these are the self-developed protectors that God gave them to help them survive in an unpredictable world. Without thorns, rose bushes would be helpless and hopeless – without thorns, our children would never get the chance to bloom.

The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.
--Proverbs 20:29 NLT

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Melinda Neeley is a freelance writer from Morrilton, Arkansas. During her early years as a journalist, she was a reporter for the Log Cabin Democrat and a feature writer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She was also editor of several local newsletter publications and publications assistant for the Small Business Advancement National Center at the University of Central Arkansas. Her published writings include: “House of Stone,” Reflections: A Poetry Quarterly, Winter 96-97; “The Cemetery Women,” www.healingwordspress.com, Fall 2003; and “From the Hollow of a Bell,” Ascent Magazine, www.bcsupernet.com/users/ascent/, February 2004. "From the Hollow of a Bell" was also released last spring in a short story anthology, Clerestory, published by DLSIJ Press. Currently, she and her husband run their own construction firm. She also enjoys writing mini biographies for people who wish to have lively, inspirational accounts of their lives recorded on archival paper. You may contact Melinda via e-mail at yellowhammer@tcworks.net. 

 

 

6 Alasan Harus Cukup Minum Air Putih

KEBIASAAN membawa botol air minum dalam perjalanan atau saat pergi ke mana pun mungkin belum menjadi tren di masyarakat. Bila haus di tengah jalan, kebanyakan dari kita lebih suka membeli sebotol minuman ringan beraroma teh atau soda atau pun air mineral.

Kebutuhan tubuh akan cairan memang tak bisa dibantah. Cairan penting dalam memelihara keseimbangan serta proses metabolisme tubuh. Bila asupan cairan ke dalam tubuh tak seimbang dengan pengeluaran, maka dipastikan Anda akan mengalami gangguan atau pun dehidrasi.

Dalam memenuhi kebutuhan cairan, sebaiknya pilihlah minuman yang baik dan tak menimbulkan risiko bagi kesehatan. Salah satu yang terbaik tentunya adalah air putih, meski faktanya cairan ini kalah populer ketimbang minuman beraroma dan beranekarasa yang beredar di pasaran.

Nah supaya Anda tidak meremehkan khasiat air putih, berikut adalah enam fakta ilmiah betapa kebiasaan minum cukup air putih setiap hari penting bagi tubuh.

1. Mempertahankan keseimbangan cairan tubuh.
Fakta medis menunjukkan tubuh manusia 60% terdiri dari cairan. Fungsi-fungsi cairan ini adalah untukproses pencernaan, penyerapan, sirkulasi, produksi air ludah, transportasi nutrisi dan mempertahankan suhu tubuh.

2. Membantu mengendalikan kalori.
Sejak lama, orang yang sedang menjalani program diet melakukan kebiasaan banyak minum air putih sebagai strategi menurunkan berat badan. Meskipun air tidak menghasilkan efek magis, menggunakannya sebagai pengganti minuman berkalori tinggi tentu saja akan sangat membantu.

"Program diet akan berhasil jika Anda memilih air atau minuman non- kalori sebagai pengganti minuman yang kalori. Lalu diet dengan makanan yang kaya cairan yang lebih menyehatkan, berisi dan membantu Anda memangkas kalori,"ungkap peneliti dari University State of Pennsylvania Barbara Rolls, PhD, penulis buku The Volumetrics Weight Control Plan.

3. Membantu membangkitkan otot.
Sel-sel yang tidak mampu mempertahankan keseimbangan akan cairan dan elektrolit, akan berakibat pada kelelahan otot. Ketika sel-sel otot tidak memiliki cairan yang cukup, mereka tidak akan berfungsi dengan baik dan kemampuannya berkurang.

Minum air saat berolahraga juga sangat penting. American College of Sports Medicine merekomendasikan bahwa dua jam sebelum berolahraga sebaiknya seseorang meminum 17 ons cairan.

4. Membuat kulit tetap bercahaya.
Kulit Anda sebenarnya mengandung banyak air dan berfungsi sebagai benteng dalam mencegah ekses hilangnya cairan tubuh. Namun begitu, jangan harap bahwa kelebihan cairan dapat dijadikan sebagai cara ampuh menghilangkan kerutan dari garis pada kulit .

5. Memelihara fungsi ginjal
Cairan tubuh merupakan media yang juga mentransportasikan sisa atau limbah untuk keluar dan masuk ke dalam sel. Racun utama dalam tubuh adalah nitrogen urea darah, sejenis cairan yang dapat melewati ginjal untuk kemudian diprose dan dieksresikan dalam bentuk urin.

Ketika tubuh memiliki cukup cairan, urin akan mengalir bebas, jernih dan bebas bau. Ketika tubuh tidak punya cuku cairan, konsentrasi urin, warna dan bau akan lebih kentara karena ginjal harus menyerap cairan ekstra untuk menjalankan fungsinya. Tak heran bila Anda minum sedikit air, risiko Anda mengalami batu ginjal akan meningkat terutama pada iklim hangat atau panas.

6. Mempertahankan fungsi normal usus.
Asupan cairan yang cukup akan membuat makanan yang melewati saluran cerna dapat mengalir lancar dan mencegah terjadinya kosntipasi. Ketika Anda tidak punya cukup cairan, usus akan menyerap cairan dari feses atau tinja untuk tetap menjaga hidrasi. Alhasil, tentu saja buang air besar Anda akan bermasalah.

LETTER FROM GOD

Saat kau bangun di pagi hari, Aku memandangmu dan berharap
engkau akan berbicara kepadaKu, walaupun hanya sepatah kata,meminta
pendapatKu atau bersyukur kepadaKu atas sesuatu hal indah yang terjadi di
dalam hidupmu kemarin, tetapi Aku melihat engkau begitu sibuk mempersiapkan
diri untuk pergi bekerja.Aku kembali menanti.

Saat engkau sedang bersiap, Aku tahu akan ada sedikit waktu bagimu untuk
berhenti dan menyapaKu, tetapi engkau terlalu sibuk.

Di satu tempat,engkau duduk di sebuah kursi selama lima belas menit tanpa
melakukan apapun.
Kemudian Aku melihat engkau menggerakkan kakimu. Aku berpikir engkau ingin
berbicara kepadaKu, tetapi engkau berlari ke telepon dan menelepon seorang
teman untuk mendengarkan gosip terbaru. Aku melihatmu ketika engkau pergi
bekerja dan Aku menanti dengan sabar sepanjang hari. Dengan semua
kegiatanmu, Aku berpikir engkau terlalu sibuk untuk mengucapkan sesuatu
kepadaKu.

Sebelum makan siang Aku melihatmu memandang ke sekeliling, mungkin engkau
merasa malu untuk berbicara kepadaKu, itulah sebabnya mengapa engkau
tidak menundukkan kepalamu. Engkau memandang tiga atau empat meja
disekitarmu dan melihat beberapa temanmu berbicara kepadaKu dengan lembut sebelum mereka makan, tetapi engkau tidak melakukannya.Tidak apa-apa. Masih ada waktu yang tersisa, dan Aku berharap engkau akan berbicara kepadaKu, meskipun saat engkau pulang ke rumah kelihatannya seakan-akan banyak hal yang harus kau kerjakan. Setelah beberapa hal tersebut selesai engkau kerjakan,engkau menyalakan televisi, Aku tidak tahu apakah kau suka menonton televisi atau tidak, hanya saja engkau selalu ke sana dan menghabiskan banyak waktu setiap hari di depannya, tanpa memikirkan apapun hanya menikmati acara yang ditampilkan. Kembali Aku menanti dengan sabar saat engkau menonton TV dan menikmati makananmu tetapi kembali kau tidak
berbicara kepadaKu. Saat tidur Kupikir kau merasa terlalu lelah. Setelah
mengucapkan selamat malam kepada keluargamu, kau melompat ke tempat tidur
dan tertidur tak lama kemudian.

Tidak apa-apa karena mungkin engkau tidak menyadari bahwa
Aku selalu hadir untukmu. Aku telah bersabar lebih lama dari yang kau
sadari. Aku bahkan ingin mengajarkanmu bagaimana bersabar terhadap orang
lain. Aku sangat mengasihimu, setiap hari Aku menantikan sepatah kata, doa
atau pikiran atau syukur dari hatimu.
Baiklah... engkau bangun kembali dan kembali. Aku akan menanti dengan penuh
kasih bahwa hari ini kau akan memberiKu sedikit waktu. Semoga harimu
menyenangkan.

ALLAH TRINITAS MAHA KUDUS
To Hariady, thanks ya. GBU.

Finding The Blessings

I always loved the story of the Over-Crowded House by Harold Klemp in The Book of ECK Parables, Volume 1. But I did not know I would live it!

In this story a complaining woman is told by the wise man of the village to solve the problem of her crowded house by bringing all the farm animals inside to live with the people. The conditions become so crowded, that when the wise man tells her it is time to take the animals out of the house, she feels blessed. The point is that her life had to be more difficult, before she could appreciate the blessings she had in the first place.

I lived in a big house on the prairie. I fell in love with a wonderful man from New York City and we married.

His whole one-room apartment was smaller than my living room! He had four small closets. One closet had been converted to a kitchen and another into a bathroom. Our deep love for each other helped me disperse most of my possessions and fit into our new life.

New friends told me how lucky I was to have such a large studio apartment. I did not know I was lucky until I saw that their apartments were smaller, more expensive to rent and received less daylight.

Two years later, we not only fit into the apartment, but thanks to my ingenious woodworker husband, we have plenty of room. Our living space is attractive and efficient.

Last summer, I received a new blessing. The adjoining one-room apartment became vacant, and we rented it. Now we have a place to work, read and write articles in the middle of the night, and receive guests.

At first I felt lost with two rooms and wandered inefficiently back and forth. Something I needed was always in the other room.

"Having trouble with this new freedom?" my perceptive husband asked. In fact, I was. And therein was the lesson.

Home is what we make it. And the blessings in our lives are always there. We must recognize them.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Linnie York has lived in a teepee and a penthouse. She has lived at 8,500 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park, in New York City, and on a 27,000 acre ranch in the Southwestern United States. She has owned a weaving shop in Amish Pennsylvania, a small sales organization, taught home school, worked as a nanny, a hospital administrator and home-birthed four children. Throughout all these experiences, she writes in a journal daily and is currently compiling the over 140 journals. Linnie paints, reads and writes voraciously. She is a published poet and artist. She is happily married and enjoys volunteer activities, with Eckankar being the major one.
For more of Linnie and her paintings & writings, please visit www.linnieyork.com

Champion Ways

“How much further to the waterfall?” the little boy asked.
“Up around the bend, champion,” the old man answered with a chuckle.
“That’s what you said last time, Paw-Paw.” The boy paused. “What’s a champion?”

The old man gazed down upon his grandson before answering.
“A champion is someone who believes they can win and who keeps on trying until they do,” he said.
“You mean champions don’t always win?” the boy queried.
“No, son. Champions don’t always win—but they believe that they can and eventually they do. Most champions lose many times before they win.”

“That sounds hard, Paw-Paw,” the boy remarked.
“Sometimes. You have to grow a champion muscle.” The old man pointed down the path. “Do you see that butterfly?”

“Yes, sir.”
“Where did it come from?”
“From a cocoon,” the boy replied. “You showed me that on the purple butterfly bush.”

“How did it get out?” the old man continued.
“It grew its wings and broke through.” The boy beamed.
“What happened when you helped one of the butterflies break through?” the old man prodded in a soft voice.

The boy’s face dropped. “Its wings weren’t strong enough and it fell to the ground where it died.”
“That’s right. In order to fly, butterflies need to first grow strong.” The old man placed his palm on the boy’s shoulder. “People are the same way. To be a champion, we have to become strong. Usually though, it’s not the actions that need to be strong—it’s the belief.”

”What do you mean, Paw-Paw?” the boy asked.
The old man stopped and bent down to eye level.
“Do you remember when you learned how to ride your bike?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you remember how you fell down?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you remember how you had cuts and scrapes and had to go get Band-Aids and even cried a few tears?”
“Yes, sir—but not that many,” the boy declared.
“Why did you keep getting up?” The old man pushed.
“Because I knew I could do it,” the boy stated. “If Sammy could do it, then I knew I could, too.”

“That’s right,” the old man nodded. “Sometimes you have to borrow somebody else’s belief until yours becomes strong enough that you don’t need it. You saw Sammy do it and you believed that if he could, so could you.” The old man grinned at the boy. “Was is that hard to get up after you fell?”

“No,” the boy barked.
“Of course not,” the old man affirmed. “It never is if you believe. Champions know that.”

The old man took the boy’s hand and began to stand.
The boy tugged on his finger and held him still. His brown eyes looked straight at the old man. 
“I’m always going to be a champion, Paw-Paw,” the boy declared. “’Cause I can always get up.”
“Yes, you can,” the old man smiled. “Yes, you can.”

That’s A View From The Ridge…

NOTE: This piece was inspired by renowned motivator and master coach John Di Lemme who spends his life bringing out the champion in all of us. To learn more about John’s gift to the world, visit his website at www.FindYourWhy.com. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ridgely began scribbling as soon as his fingers could curl around a pen. So began a love affair, interrupted periodically by schooling, business and any number of self-initiated distractions to mask the fear of pursuing his childhood dream-to be a writer. 
The journey took him through Law School, a number of private companies, going public, a large merger and back to his desk, a computer with a keyboard and the daily challenge of following the dream. 
Along the way, Ridgely founded and/or acted as publisher for Network Marketing Lifestyles magazine, Domain Street magazine and the Upline Journal along with dozens of books, audio and video materials. He writes several books per year, in addition to The Daily Column. 
Ridgely holds an undergraduate degree from The University of Virginia, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law, is fluent in five languages and has spoken to audiences throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, Mexico and North America

 

SLEEPING WITH LIGHT ON MAY CAUSE CANCER

Tidur dgn Lampu Menyala Dpt Meyebabkan Kanker


KIDS who sleep with the light on could risk leukaemia, parents were warned yesterday.
Anak2 yg tidur dgn lampu menyala beresiko mengidap leukemia. Para orangtua diperingatkan kemarin.

Scientists have found the body needs darkness to produce a chemical that fights cancer.
Para ilmuwan menemukan bahwa tubuh perlu suasana gelap dlm menghasilkan zat kimia pelawan kanker.

Even switching the light on for the toilet, staying up late, travelling across time zones, or the light from street lamps can stop enough melatonin
being made, they say.
Bahkan ketika menyalakan lampu toilet, begadang, bepergian melintas zona waktu, lampu2 jalanan dpt menghentikan
produksi zat melatonin.

The body needs the chemical to prevent damage to DNA and its absence stops fatty acids reaching tumours and preventing them growing.
Texas University Prof Russell Reiter, who led the research, said: 'Once you go to bed you should not even switch the light on for a minute.
'Your brain immediately recognises the light as day and melatonin levels drop.'
Tubuh memerlukan zat kimia utk mencegah kerusakan DNA & ketidaan zat tsb menghentikan asam lemak menjadi tumor dan
mencegah pertumbuhannya. Prof. Russle Reiter dr Texas Univ. yg memimpin penelitian tsb mengatakan "Sekali Anda tidur & tidak mematikan
lampu selama 1 menit. Otak Anda segera mendeteksi bahwa lampu menyala seharian & produksi zat melatonin menurun".

Rates of childhood leukaemia have doubled in the past 40 years.
Jumlah anak2 pengidab leukimia menjadi duakali lipat dlm 40 thn terakhir.

About 500 youngsters under 15 are diagnosed with the disease each year and around 100 die. A conference on childhood leukaemia in
London yesterday heard that people were being subjected to more light at night than ever..
Sekitar 500 anakmuda dibawah 15thn didiagnosa menderita penyakit ini pertahun & sekitar 100 orang meninggal.
Sebuah konferensi ttg anak penderita leukimia di adakan di London kemarin menyatakan bhw orang menderita kanker akibat terlalu lama
memakai lampu waktu tidur dimalam hari dibanding dgn yang tidak pernah memakai lampu wkt tidur.

This suppressed the production of melatonin which normally happens between 9pm and 8am.
Hal ini menekan produksi melatonin dmana normalnya terjadi antara jam 9 mlm s/d 8 pagi

Past research has shown those most affected, like shift workers, had higher levels of breast cancer.
Penelitian terdahulu telah menunjukkan bahwa orang2 yg paling mudah terserang adalah mereka pekerja shift lebih beresiko terkena kanker payudara

Blind people, who are not vulnerable to fluctuations of melatonin, have lower rates of cancer, it was found.
Kenyataannya, Orang2 buta tidak rentan thdp melatonin beresiko lebih rendah mengidap kanker.

Parents are advised to use dim red or yellow bulbs if their youngsters are scared of the dark.
Para orang tua disarankan utk menggunakan lbohlam suram warna merah atau kuning jika anak2nya takut pd kegelapan.