Tom & Mary's Page |
"A Teaspoon of Spiritual Nourishment"
Mary & I were contributing editors for Cruisereviews.com and had our own page, "'Tom and Mary's Cruise Reviews," on that site.
Our former editor and owner Tom Ogg, sold cruiseReviews.com two years ago. The buyers, a large Internet company, for some
unfathomable reason, have never done a thing with the site, and have not posted any new reviews since the purchase. You can still view 25
of our past cruise reviews on "Tom & Mary's Cruise Reviews." Click Here For Tom & Marys Cruise Reviews
Our former editor and owner Tom Ogg, sold cruiseReviews.com two years ago. The buyers, a large Internet company, for some
unfathomable reason, have never done a thing with the site, and have not posted any new reviews since the purchase. You can still view 25
of our past cruise reviews on "Tom & Mary's Cruise Reviews." Click Here For Tom & Marys Cruise Reviews
Begin Your Day By Filling Your Mind With These Inspiring, Uplifting Thoughts
| New Inspiring Meditations Every Monday--Become a Weekly Visitor. Write Tom & Mary |
*
There is an old story about a ragged little newsboy and a beautiful
actress on a bitter winter’s night. “Are you cold?” she asked him.
And he said, “I was until you smiled at me.”
*
What is this simple movement of human muscles that is able to
work such magic? The first thing we watch for in a new baby; Look,
she's smiling! And the one thing that comforts us at life's close; He
died with a smile on his face. Why? We only know that it befriends
the lonely, cheers the ill, soothes the angry, flashes signals of hope
and joy. The boss is smiling, looks like we'll have a good day...Dad
can't be cross about the car, he's smiling...Guess what? This boy
smiled at me!
*
A smile is a mystery; nobody knows its biological cause, only its
emotional effect. For the person who smiles feels better himself.
His smile is not only light to another's spirit, its curve swings
inevitably back to light his own.
*
Few of us have the time or money to do as much as we want to for
the poor, the sick, the lonely. But this one gift we can always
bestow. Invaluable as it is, it costs nothing, takes no time, requires
no sacrifice. A smile never wears out, and it is impossible to run out
of smiles. The more we use them the more we have to give. Smile
today! Smile at a child, smile at a neighbor, smile at a clerk, smile
at a stranger on the street. Smile at the person who looks cross...
for it is said nobody needs a smile so much as the person who has
none to give; it may change the world....John Assington Synod
There is an old story about a ragged little newsboy and a beautiful
actress on a bitter winter’s night. “Are you cold?” she asked him.
And he said, “I was until you smiled at me.”
*
What is this simple movement of human muscles that is able to
work such magic? The first thing we watch for in a new baby; Look,
she's smiling! And the one thing that comforts us at life's close; He
died with a smile on his face. Why? We only know that it befriends
the lonely, cheers the ill, soothes the angry, flashes signals of hope
and joy. The boss is smiling, looks like we'll have a good day...Dad
can't be cross about the car, he's smiling...Guess what? This boy
smiled at me!
*
A smile is a mystery; nobody knows its biological cause, only its
emotional effect. For the person who smiles feels better himself.
His smile is not only light to another's spirit, its curve swings
inevitably back to light his own.
*
Few of us have the time or money to do as much as we want to for
the poor, the sick, the lonely. But this one gift we can always
bestow. Invaluable as it is, it costs nothing, takes no time, requires
no sacrifice. A smile never wears out, and it is impossible to run out
of smiles. The more we use them the more we have to give. Smile
today! Smile at a child, smile at a neighbor, smile at a clerk, smile
at a stranger on the street. Smile at the person who looks cross...
for it is said nobody needs a smile so much as the person who has
none to give; it may change the world....John Assington Synod
Expressions of Gratitude:
Perhaps the most wondrous gift you could give and receive today is
that of gratitude; gratitude for the people in you life, gratitude for the
health you’ve been given, gratitude for the experiences you’ve gone
through, gratitude for the emotions you’ve been able to feel,
gratitude for all the wonders of the world you’ve been able to see,
and gratitude for your humanity towards others.
*
How do you define gratitude? Is it the thanks you give to those who
have given you gifts today? Is it the pat on the back you gave to the
person who helped you prepare the meal, clear the table, or do the
dishes? Is it the smile you were given by a homeless stranger who
held up a plate for food?
*
Perhaps the most wondrous gift you can give today to another is one
that’s given from your heart, not your wallet; from your time, not
your haste; from your creativity, not your marketing ability; from you
attention, not your intention; and from your caring, not your care
taking. The best gift you can give is to show your gratitude for all you’
have been given in a very simple ways. Ask a member of your
support group out for coffee. Provide a home for an animal from a
shelter. Or tell a story of hope to someone who feels down, or send
them:
*
When you feel grateful, you can express such gratitude directly. As
an unknown person once advised, “When you feel grateful for
something others have done for you, why not tell them about it?”
Growing Older, Growing Better...Amy E. Dean
Perhaps the most wondrous gift you could give and receive today is
that of gratitude; gratitude for the people in you life, gratitude for the
health you’ve been given, gratitude for the experiences you’ve gone
through, gratitude for the emotions you’ve been able to feel,
gratitude for all the wonders of the world you’ve been able to see,
and gratitude for your humanity towards others.
*
How do you define gratitude? Is it the thanks you give to those who
have given you gifts today? Is it the pat on the back you gave to the
person who helped you prepare the meal, clear the table, or do the
dishes? Is it the smile you were given by a homeless stranger who
held up a plate for food?
*
Perhaps the most wondrous gift you can give today to another is one
that’s given from your heart, not your wallet; from your time, not
your haste; from your creativity, not your marketing ability; from you
attention, not your intention; and from your caring, not your care
taking. The best gift you can give is to show your gratitude for all you’
have been given in a very simple ways. Ask a member of your
support group out for coffee. Provide a home for an animal from a
shelter. Or tell a story of hope to someone who feels down, or send
them:
*
When you feel grateful, you can express such gratitude directly. As
an unknown person once advised, “When you feel grateful for
something others have done for you, why not tell them about it?”
Growing Older, Growing Better...Amy E. Dean
| Expressions Of Gratitude |
An old year has completed its course. A new year is smiling at us, full to the brim with twelve months of the unknown. Sandwiched between
January 1 and December 31 are twelve exciting, unlived months of opportunities. Challenges brought on by change await us. We will be
shoved out of our comfort zones and required to respond. Australia and those lovely Pacific Islands would never have been discovered had
everyone chosen to sit tight and stay with a sure thing. Or, what if Christopher Columbus had been content to build sand castles along the
shores of Spain.
*
Now admittedly, some go a little nuts when they decide a change is needed. Larry Walters did. The 33-year-old truck driver had been sitting
around doing zilch week in, week out, until boredom got the best of him. That was back in the summer of '82. He decided enough was
enough; what he needed was an adventure. So, on July 2 of that year he rigged helium-filled weather balloons to a Sears lawn chair in San
Pedro and lifted off. Armed with a pellet gun to shoot out a few balloons should he fly too high, Walters was shocked to reach 16,000 feet
rather rapidly. He wasn't the only one. Surprised pilots reported seeing "some guy in a lawn chair floating in the sky " to perplexed
air-traffic controllers. Finally, Walters had enough sense to start shooting a few balloons, which allowed him to land safely in Long Beach
some 45 minutes later. When asked why he did such a weird thing, Walters usually gave the same answer: "People ask me if I had a death
wish, I tell them no, it was something I had to do...I couldn't just sit there."
*
Between doing nothing and trying something that ridiculous, there's a wide expanse worth probing. What ever we choose to do,"just sitting
there" isn't an option. Think of the dozens of things God is going to teach us and the many ways we are going to see Him work in the coming
year! Frankly, I have found that "my youth is renewed like an eagle"when I'm willing to change and go through needed adjustments. Let's
do it! By the end of the year we will discover that God had several wondrous things for us which we would never have known or experienced
had we not accepted the challenge changes inevitably bring. So then. . . it's up of off that chair and take the time to take on whatever these
new weeks and months will bring. The main thing remember: Don't just sit there! But I warn you, you will have to change . . . and that won't
come easily. Mark Twin was correct when he said, "The only one who like change is a wet baby"... Breaking out of old, tired routines is one
of the secrets of staying young and energetic....The Finishing Touch...Charles Swindoll
January 1 and December 31 are twelve exciting, unlived months of opportunities. Challenges brought on by change await us. We will be
shoved out of our comfort zones and required to respond. Australia and those lovely Pacific Islands would never have been discovered had
everyone chosen to sit tight and stay with a sure thing. Or, what if Christopher Columbus had been content to build sand castles along the
shores of Spain.
*
Now admittedly, some go a little nuts when they decide a change is needed. Larry Walters did. The 33-year-old truck driver had been sitting
around doing zilch week in, week out, until boredom got the best of him. That was back in the summer of '82. He decided enough was
enough; what he needed was an adventure. So, on July 2 of that year he rigged helium-filled weather balloons to a Sears lawn chair in San
Pedro and lifted off. Armed with a pellet gun to shoot out a few balloons should he fly too high, Walters was shocked to reach 16,000 feet
rather rapidly. He wasn't the only one. Surprised pilots reported seeing "some guy in a lawn chair floating in the sky " to perplexed
air-traffic controllers. Finally, Walters had enough sense to start shooting a few balloons, which allowed him to land safely in Long Beach
some 45 minutes later. When asked why he did such a weird thing, Walters usually gave the same answer: "People ask me if I had a death
wish, I tell them no, it was something I had to do...I couldn't just sit there."
*
Between doing nothing and trying something that ridiculous, there's a wide expanse worth probing. What ever we choose to do,"just sitting
there" isn't an option. Think of the dozens of things God is going to teach us and the many ways we are going to see Him work in the coming
year! Frankly, I have found that "my youth is renewed like an eagle"when I'm willing to change and go through needed adjustments. Let's
do it! By the end of the year we will discover that God had several wondrous things for us which we would never have known or experienced
had we not accepted the challenge changes inevitably bring. So then. . . it's up of off that chair and take the time to take on whatever these
new weeks and months will bring. The main thing remember: Don't just sit there! But I warn you, you will have to change . . . and that won't
come easily. Mark Twin was correct when he said, "The only one who like change is a wet baby"... Breaking out of old, tired routines is one
of the secrets of staying young and energetic....The Finishing Touch...Charles Swindoll
The Difference Between Your Concious And Subconcious Mind
Don't Just Sit There--Do Something!
You Are Capable Of Changing The World
We should choose rightly in whatever we wish to accomplish and then proceed with a plan. It is better to think before we act. If we want to
be effective and successful, we must have a definite goal, proceed with a definite plan and in an orderly way. It is like building a house:
everything must be planned carefully and each detail carried out until the house is completed.
We are all enrolled in a full-time school called “life on planet Earth.” All of life is a training course, and experience is something that is
sometimes so harsh that only by the use of sheer willpower does man survive. But man does survive and if he learns, he grows. Every soul
on earth is an unfinished product, subject to error. We are seeking to grow forward as rapidly as possible and with the least amount of error.
*
We have been studying details and developing techniques, but without application, there is nothing. Is our newly acquired knowledge still an
intellectual exercise or is it becoming a habit, with at least part of it put into use on a daily basis? Many people know what they want out of
life, but few turn their dreams into a carefully planned successful journey. They often depend on lucky breaks or the help of others. When
they fail, they may often say of those more successful, “They just happen to know the right people,” or “They get all the lucky breaks.”
They fail to realize that planning for success has no more to do with luck or knowing the right people than does planning carefully for a
cross-country trip. It’s true that when you start moving toward your goal, you’ll meet people who can help you advance. But you’ll know that
you earned those breaks because you had a goal and a plan in place to help you achieve that goal...Breakthrough...Rebbeca Clark
be effective and successful, we must have a definite goal, proceed with a definite plan and in an orderly way. It is like building a house:
everything must be planned carefully and each detail carried out until the house is completed.
We are all enrolled in a full-time school called “life on planet Earth.” All of life is a training course, and experience is something that is
sometimes so harsh that only by the use of sheer willpower does man survive. But man does survive and if he learns, he grows. Every soul
on earth is an unfinished product, subject to error. We are seeking to grow forward as rapidly as possible and with the least amount of error.
*
We have been studying details and developing techniques, but without application, there is nothing. Is our newly acquired knowledge still an
intellectual exercise or is it becoming a habit, with at least part of it put into use on a daily basis? Many people know what they want out of
life, but few turn their dreams into a carefully planned successful journey. They often depend on lucky breaks or the help of others. When
they fail, they may often say of those more successful, “They just happen to know the right people,” or “They get all the lucky breaks.”
They fail to realize that planning for success has no more to do with luck or knowing the right people than does planning carefully for a
cross-country trip. It’s true that when you start moving toward your goal, you’ll meet people who can help you advance. But you’ll know that
you earned those breaks because you had a goal and a plan in place to help you achieve that goal...Breakthrough...Rebbeca Clark
Plans Are The Dreams Of Those Who Have Understanding
| Meditation |
| Take the sage advice of Henry David Thoreau, and begin your day by filling your mind with these beautiful, inspiring, uplifting thoughts. “What you allow to enter your mind the first hours you are awake will set the tone of your entire day.". |
A Meditation And a Prayer For This Day
You can still view 25 of our past cruise reviews on "Tom & Mary's Cruise Reviews."
Mary & I wish you and your family a healthy, happy, spirit filled New Year
Meditation for this day:
In the new year, I will live one day at a time. I will make each day one of preparation for better things ahead. I will not dwell on the past or
the future, only the present. I will bury every fear of the future, all thoughts of unkindness and bitterness, all my dislikes, my resentments,
my sense of failure, my disappointments in others and myself, my gloom and my despondency. I will leave all these things buried and go
forward, in this new year, into a new life.
*
You are made so that you can only carry the weight of twenty-four hours, no more. If you weigh yourself down with the years behind and the
days ahead, your back breaks. God had promised to help you with the burdens of the day only. If you are foolish enough to gather again
that burden of the past and carry it, then indeed you cannot expect God to help you bear it. So forget that which lies behind you and breathe
in the blessing of each new day.
*
Prayer For this day:
I pray that God will guide me one day at a time in the new year. I pray that each day, God will supply the wisdom and strength that I need. I
pray that I may face each new day, the coming twenty-four hours, with hope and courage.
In the new year, I will live one day at a time. I will make each day one of preparation for better things ahead. I will not dwell on the past or
the future, only the present. I will bury every fear of the future, all thoughts of unkindness and bitterness, all my dislikes, my resentments,
my sense of failure, my disappointments in others and myself, my gloom and my despondency. I will leave all these things buried and go
forward, in this new year, into a new life.
*
You are made so that you can only carry the weight of twenty-four hours, no more. If you weigh yourself down with the years behind and the
days ahead, your back breaks. God had promised to help you with the burdens of the day only. If you are foolish enough to gather again
that burden of the past and carry it, then indeed you cannot expect God to help you bear it. So forget that which lies behind you and breathe
in the blessing of each new day.
*
Prayer For this day:
I pray that God will guide me one day at a time in the new year. I pray that each day, God will supply the wisdom and strength that I need. I
pray that I may face each new day, the coming twenty-four hours, with hope and courage.
Your subconscious mind accepts what is impressed upon it or what you consciously believe. It does not reason things out as your conscious
mind does, and it does not argue with your controversially. Your subconscious mind it like a bed of soil that accepts any kind of seed, good
or bad. Your thoughts are active; they are seeds. Negative, destructive thoughts continue to work negatively in your subconscious mind.
Sooner or later, they will emerge and take shape as an outer experience that corresponds to their content.
*
An example: The conscious mind is like the navigator or captain at the bridge of a ship. He directs the ship. He sends orders to men in the
engine room. They in turn control the boilers, instruments, gauges, and so on. The people in the engine room do not know where they are
going; they follow orders. They go on the rocks if the man on the bridge issued faulty or wrong instructions based on his finding with the
compass, sextant, and other instruments. The people in the engine room obey him because he is in charge. Because he is supposed to know
what he is doing, the members of the crew do not talk back to the captain; they simply take orders. The captain is the master of the ship,
and his decrees are carried out. In the same way, your conscious mind is the captain and master of your ship—your body, your environment,
and all your affairs. Your subconscious mind takes orders you give it, based upon what your conscious mind believes and accepts as true. It
does not question the orders or the basis on which they are given.
*
Remember, your subconscious mind does not engage in proving whether your thoughts are good or bad, true or false. It responds according
to the nature of your suggestions. If you consciously assume that something is true, even though it may be false, your subconscious mind
will accept it as true and proceed to bring about results that must necessarily follow because you consciously assumed it to be true.
The Power of the Subconscious Mind---.Dr. Joseph Murphy, D.R.S. Ph.D., L.L.D.
mind does, and it does not argue with your controversially. Your subconscious mind it like a bed of soil that accepts any kind of seed, good
or bad. Your thoughts are active; they are seeds. Negative, destructive thoughts continue to work negatively in your subconscious mind.
Sooner or later, they will emerge and take shape as an outer experience that corresponds to their content.
*
An example: The conscious mind is like the navigator or captain at the bridge of a ship. He directs the ship. He sends orders to men in the
engine room. They in turn control the boilers, instruments, gauges, and so on. The people in the engine room do not know where they are
going; they follow orders. They go on the rocks if the man on the bridge issued faulty or wrong instructions based on his finding with the
compass, sextant, and other instruments. The people in the engine room obey him because he is in charge. Because he is supposed to know
what he is doing, the members of the crew do not talk back to the captain; they simply take orders. The captain is the master of the ship,
and his decrees are carried out. In the same way, your conscious mind is the captain and master of your ship—your body, your environment,
and all your affairs. Your subconscious mind takes orders you give it, based upon what your conscious mind believes and accepts as true. It
does not question the orders or the basis on which they are given.
*
Remember, your subconscious mind does not engage in proving whether your thoughts are good or bad, true or false. It responds according
to the nature of your suggestions. If you consciously assume that something is true, even though it may be false, your subconscious mind
will accept it as true and proceed to bring about results that must necessarily follow because you consciously assumed it to be true.
The Power of the Subconscious Mind---.Dr. Joseph Murphy, D.R.S. Ph.D., L.L.D.
| Your subconscious mind accepts what is impressed upon it. It does not reason things out as your conscious mind does. |
| Thinking, and planning today means mastery tomorrow. |
| Where do you want to get in Life? What is the first step? Why don’t you take it now? Be master of yourself. |
| "Failing to plan, is planning to fail.” * A plan is an indispensable tool when you travel the journey of life toward your goals. Life provides the canvas: you do the painting. |
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| New Postings Every Monday |