FAMILY TIME DURING CELEBRATIONS, EVENTS & HOLDIAYS: HOW TO GET ALONE 

• Know Your Family Dynamics!!
• Respect Each Others Sensitivities, Handle ALL With Care: Even The Coldest Most Callous Person Have Sensitive, Even Child- Like Feelings Buried Underneath the Tough & Hard To Get Alone With Exterior! 
• Show Extra Love To Those Who Have Experienced A Loss  * Rather They be Motherless, Fatherless, Jobless, Childless, A Widow, Home Foreclosed, Or Celebrating The Holidays Alone! Give Them Extra Love & Support They May Need It!! Not To Mention This Is What The Holidays Is Really For…  
• Please  Speak To Members, Individually Concerning Personal Matters: This May Not Be The Time To Prove A Point By Speaking About Personal Concerns Openly &  “Generally or Rehashing Old Wombs!!” 
• Speak to Other’s Based on Where They Are Mentally. To Reach Others You Often Have To First Start By Placing Yourself In Their World & On The Mental Page They Are On, Then Work From There!! Tough: I Know But Remember It’s Not About Us, But Reaching Them!!
• Respect Each Other's Spouses, That's How You In Turn Respect Them..
• Be Open To Receive the Love & Help You Often Give. 

Remember The Goal Is To Keep The Peace & Enjoy Each Other & Knowing Everyone Wants To Feel Accepted & Belong!!

BIRTHDAYS & CHRISTMAS SAVING TIPS: 

• Search Your House First You’ll be surprised at all the extra items that are still in the box, still have its’ tag or goes completely unused!!
• Buy the items that people need usually that's much cheaper than the items they want. 
• Search for family package deals.  Example a $30 gift certificate towards the entire families next visit to the movies can cover the family oppose to buying gifts for each member individually.  In addition, this promotes family time and family unity as one sibling or spouse can’t receive more or less than the other!!
• Look for sentimental gifts that capture a moment long after it has been lived.
• Look through the lenses of the person you are purchasing the gift for if you want them to utilize the gift and really put it to use.  We often pressure ourselves to give a large amount or get what we want others to have when the person more than anything just values you and wants to know you care!!     
• Budget & Take the pressure off, don’t go beyond what you can afford no matter what your well meaning - ego says.

LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AT ALL THE OPPORTUNITY. ASKING THE WORLD IS IT READY FOR ME? I WAS BORN FOR IT!!

This image is unowned by our blog

     Imagine you are at Six Flags riding one of their many main attractions: The Batman Ride.  Your shoes are off (This is their protocol for wearing sandals) and your feet are dangling in the air.  Your face has a smile as it mimics the joy you feel inside.  Your best friend took the day off from work to accompany you and your family has joined the affair.  The kid in you is more than satisfied!  You smell tempting, buttery popcorn as you await the ride to start you dangle in the air looking down at the cotton candy booths, other rides you plan to explore and more than anything your family waving you off and making silly faces. You know they will be right there awaiting your return.  
 
     The ride begins and you are screaming and having a blast!!  You’re going into your second circular turn and right when you are in the final groove of the turn, you’ve almost finished the ride, and you can see your end in view. It is at this moment the ride propels over the view you once dangled over in enjoyment, but now your ride is detached, airborne and derailed.  You and your best friend lock eyes in silence.  You knew your paths had crossed many years ago for a reason but, never had you imagined it was to accompany each other in your lives final seconds as you transitioned together in eternal glory.  Without a warning in the midst of the time of your life you’re once enjoyable Theme Park Ride has DERAILED!!

    Breathe…. The truth of the matter is this is often the story of our lives.  We are building a career when a hateful, spiteful and possibly jealous co- worker comes in to derail our career paths.  You
are building your dream house or an investment property when your contractor takes off with your funds and derail your plans!!!  You are celebrating your fifth year of marriage to your ideal spouse when your worse fear has just been confirmed.  You finally build a communicative relationship with your teenage daughter and then you meet the boyfriend you didn’t know she had that pressures her to live on the wild side!!  Breathe Again !  Such is life that curve balls are thrown but, the only difference between the theme park depiction and real life is that we determine if our curve balls or misfortunes derail us. First, we must determine who will be in control of our lives Us or our
Misfortune?

    Second, we must not underestimate our ability to be over comers as we have survived worse and no misfortune alone has the power to take what we have set out to accomplish.  See the
relentlessness and tenacity in you.  One of my favorite sayings is by any means necessary!!  We allow the misfortune to take over when we perceive that the setback or contender has more power than we do.  Stay in control and keep your power, you will need it!  Curve balls only have the power that you relinquish or give them.  Third, allow life to take its course for it will expand your character, stretch your strength and develop your abilities as you mature having overcome its
challenges.  Life is like a teacher whose lesson plans you may never predict, but though she teaches hard lessons never underestimate your own ability!!!  You are often only chosen to meet the challenges that you are designed and destined to overcome; Remember you will not have more than you can bear!

    Forth, think your way through the misfortune and refuse to be derailed.  If your daughter’s life is taking a negative turn (It is just a turn and not the end) view this as an opportunity to create a deeper level of a bond or connection with her.  You might open up about your past mates that urged you to live on the wild side.  Be there for her because after the hard lesson has been learned and the smoke is clear she’ll know that her mother and/or father love her even during
the hard times!  In your marriage if your worse fear has come true, follow your inner voice it will never lead you a stray.  You might pack up and embrace a better future for yourself and looking back you will be glad you did!  You might decided to hold fast to your vows and after your spouse has learned his or her hard lesson you two will be steps closer to an unbreakable love that has been tried, tested and found true!!  Do realize that to those who celebrate 30 years of marriage it was not because life gave them sweet smelling roses everyday, it was because they learned how to endure hard times together and not give their misfortunes the power to derail their marriage.

    Out live the misfortune for it is usually only temporary.  If you have a problem with your contractor don’t give him or her the power to make you quit!  Downsize your project, analyze what work you can do yourself, and see what tasks reasonable labor workers can complete.  Extend your deadline, you may be delayed but never denied!!  If your co- worker(s) has undesirable traits stay persistent on your career path.  Don’t let their traits change or influence you.  Stay the course because their actions alone can not derail you it is your response to their actions that can.  Take the high road, ignore them when possible and refuse to join them on their level.  (This is not limited to co-workers but anyone who fits this description in your life!)  Usually their spitefulness digs a hole for themselves as they are revealed to others and either loose their job or the opportunity to
advance.  When you become their supervisor don’t hold it against them that could derail your course and no one is worth that!!  It will not be easy to stay on the Blessed path of life, you may have many hard days and some sleepless nights, but you will win if you don't quit.  Its a breathe of fresh air to look back and realize that the adversarial setbacks you endured did not Derail you!! 

I Trust You’ve Been Blessed! 
Mrs. Romonica Jones, BS, MA, LPC