very yechidish.
Thanks for sharing of yourself with us ... it made a difference in my day.
kutan

there are times where God cherishes our fighting to be good in a difficult struggle even more that whatever the results may be....


Flawed

by Karen C Vanderlaan

What is wrong with me?

Sometimes the very thoughts,

That swim around in my head,

Belie the person that I so much want to be.



But amid the spiritual insights,

And the ways I use to figure out me,

I still remain so imperfect,

With envious thoughts

And numerous flaws to sort through.



I want to be a person of honor,

Yet I struggle day to day,

To be better than I was the day before,

To stand always for right or wrong.

and this is another purpose of having a wife-though very few know it.

but God entrusted this special task to you.

A trustee that has the tools and capabilities not only to preserve a goodness that is already there,but to help enhance it.

After 120,you will be thanked personally by your Creator for this soul whom you have helped  and loved and let shine through,by you,the only one that can do this....





Share with Me Your Soul

by Karen C Vanderlaan




Share with me your soul



Show me who you are down deep



Sing to me your lyrics of life



The stories from life as you’ve lived







Share with me your soul



Show me pictures and let me linger



I want to see those moments captured,



Remembrances close to your heart







Share with me your soul



Show me your scars, old wounds that have healed



And tell me of your open wounds



Let me help you heal



and one person who reviewed this poem wrote as follows:

"in asking...acceptance of one's soul...is giving healing light."

and another wrote as follows:

"To reach out to touch someone inside where we cannot see without being shown is often a frightening experience but often leads to the most spectacular results. To care that deeply is a cure that cannot be bought"

mini vacations help too....

Marriage Advice: Save Your Marriage with a Getaway? & 4 Warning Signs of a Neglected Marriage

by Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left. - --Chinese Proverb

When was the last time you took a vacation? A family vacation is one thing, but I am talking about a couples vacation-just you and your spouse. Are you about due yet? If you want to do more than just get away, read on. Vacations can help to refresh and revive relationships. It is like breathing fresh air into them, reenergizing them with greater intimacy and deeper love.

By definition, vacation is time devoted to rest and relaxation as from work or study. So if you are wondering if it is something you can afford, think of it this way. It is something you cannot afford to go without. Without devoted time for rest and relaxation, we get burned out on our jobs, and lose our effectiveness and interest. How about our marriages? They suffer also. Couples grow apart, experience less satisfaction, and are more irritable with each other.

So how can couples keep their relationships healthy and strong? By devoting quality time to them, that is, time away from all that keeps them busy and distracted. Studies show that couples who schedule periodic dates and spend more time together are more satisfied with their marriages than those who don't. How often do you devote time to be alone together? Whether it's a date or vacation, spending time together is an investment with great returns.

With no interference from work or home, periodic getaways with our spouses allow us to focus on each other, share memorable life experiences together, and simply have fun. Did you ever experience something enjoyable and wish your partner had been there to share it with you? Well, getaways provide opportunities to create cherished and lifelong memories. Vacations with your partner are about being together in body, soul, and spirit. They are times that bring great fulfillment and wholeness to the relationship. And they are times couples need for their relationships to thrive.

Before you go on vacation you don't want to have any grudges, resentment, or unforgiveness toward one another. It is healthy to release any negative baggage and work through unresolved issues before you go. Otherwise, there is a very good chance they will come up directly or indirectly in a bad attitude, sarcasm, or distancing. The focus ought to be on the strengths of the relationship. You can both make a commitment to overlook minor annoyances and notice the good not the bad. If you are unable to so, then I recommend counseling before you go on a vacation and maybe start with dating first.

Getaways don't have to be expensive. The real goal is to enjoy being together, to value that time, and to grow and appreciate the beauty of life and gift of love. When planning your special times together, be sure to consider fun things you both like to do, something new you can experience, and romantic and playful ways to enjoy one another. Turn off the cell phones, forget about work, leave your cares behind, and devote quality time to the love of your life. Enjoy each other!

4 Warning Signs of a Neglected Marriage:

1. Priorities out of order. If you devote most of your extra time and attention to anything above God and your spouse, your relationships will suffer. We see this with workaholics. Whether their work is their passion or an escape, it becomes their top priority at all costs. Their spouses and children feel the affects and it damages the most precious gift they are blessed with: family. Anything that comes first in a person's life can get out of balance and become an idol. It can be an addiction such as pornography or drugs. It can be can an interest or hobby such as sports or entertainment. If a relationship is a top priority, more quality time and attention will be devoted to it. What are your top 5 priorities? Do your actions and devotions support your answer? Where does your spouse place on your list? Would he or she agree?

2. Divided attention. Too often we can be in someone's company and find that they aren't fully present. Physically they are, but their thoughts and occupations are elsewhere. They are answering text messages and cell calls. They are distracted by competing cries for their attention. Focus is lost and shifted to other things, and it leaves others feeling less important, alone, or in the way. Divided attention doesn't have to become an ongoing problem with couples. Appropriate limits and boundaries can be set. Have you been guilty of allowing distractions to draw you away from your partner? If they have been excessive, what can you do limit them? Ask your partner how he or she feels about it and what would be an acceptable solution.

3. Missing Quality Time. When couples don't spend enough quality time together, they begin to get bored in the relationship. A lack of fun and sharing can lead them to think there is something wrong with their marriage. This leads to confusion about their feelings. Some wonder if they fell out of love, when in fact they haven't been investing time with each other and fanning the flame to keep their passion and love for each other fully alive. Investing in a relationship takes time and work. Relationships that are neglected grow weak and routine. How satisfied are you with your marriage? How much quality time do you spend with your partner? What enjoyable things do you together for excitement?

4. Over-Stressed. With many responsibilities at work, home, and school in this face-paced society, it is no wonder that many are stressed. Without enough time for rest and relaxation, stress can lead to burnout and irritability as well as relationship and health problems. Reducing stress not only improves ones outlook and energy, it improves relationships. A calm and peaceful state of being brings out the best in us. We are more patient, kind, and content. Is stress weighing on your marriage? What, if anything, are you doing to manage stress?

So, how can getaways help in the 4 key areas we addressed above? First, we decide that time devoted to spend with our spouse is a top priority. Second, we leave all distracting devices and attention seekers behind. Third, we decide to enjoy and appreciate each other's company by sharing and doing things we enjoy together. Fourth, we release stress and allow peace to fill us and restore us.

thank you yechida, beautiful, deep and uplifting (as usual)

i liked "Share with Me Your Soul" especially

if Rage were here he would call me a flake, i think

probably -I've been officially certified as a flake by Rage.

My only redeeming quality was that I enjoyed "IT" by Steven King.

I hope he is doing OK

never read that, am i un-redeemed?

i've read Hanoch Teller, the Hardy Boys and The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
do any of those qualify?

wow,that's an interesting assortment.read them too but I don't think they were Rage's cup of tea..

Read Teller's "soul" books

Read the first 65 Hardy boys (and yes some Nancy Drews-less action but more logic in them).It amazing that Joe always stayed 17 and didnt get brain damage from all those blows to the head.


The Rise and Fall,if one has patience to read it,is a stunning book,and there you see what we call Hashgacha Pratis.I always called the Holocaust an inverted miracle-a miracle in reverse.To have such a calamity befall us in such a way required billions and billions of factors and an naturally impossible chain of events to have occurred -Only God could have arranged all this.Read Shirer's "Berlin Diary" and "The Nightmare Years" as well

Anyone read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

never read that one, kutan

i have long since lost count of what i have read.

what you pointed out about the rise and fall book, yechida, is very true. some bumbling neurotic corporal became a totalitarian ruler like no other in a short few years.

And let us say, Amen! That was something. Thanks, Wiley.

good to hear from you.I want to write but I have a pile of work I have to do.I will try to get it in today,and if not,on Monday

Skoach Mr never. i think guard should put that in a email.

yechida wrote on 29 Oct 2010 13:53:


work?
:

???

:-\

:'(

I hope this gets to those who need to hear this.

I know our modes of expression differ greatly, but in the heart we have been in the same place. Don’t let my inherent sometimes-flowery style of writing deceive you .I know all about the darkness and ugliness of despair and self-disgust and anger and loathing and I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I wouldn’t have received those un-wanted gifts. But gifts they are-and the hell hole itself propels us to inner peace and contentment. This may seem as a delusional dream but trust me, you have a lot to look forward to, a lot to hope for. You are relatively young, not like the athlete in America who career is done at the age of 38. There is a lot of life ,good life ahead of you .The training of darkness is coming to an end, And the warmth and light has yet to come..

Darkness comes before light
And very deep darkness gives birth
To the most brilliant light of all

Sane decent human beings
Reject the darkness in their life
It hurts them
Confuses them
Hurls them into the abyss
Of despair
That cannot be described in words

Who would choose this ?
Who truly desires these demons
That plague him
Day in and day out?

Why shouldn’t I hate my life
Chaos within
Tragic errors I have made
To perpetuate this hell?

Yet there are soldiers
Who went through hell and back
Survived as you will
Coming back from war
Embracing wife and child

As you are holding on to them
For dear life
Telling them
I didn’t expect such pain and agony
Didn’t want to see the horrors that I saw
Torn away from what is so dear to me
But I wouldn’t take it back
For I have made the
World
A better and safer place.

I come back to you
Shattered
Yet whole
And when you return my embrace
Seeing those kind eyes of yours
I know you accept me fully
The broken,the whole,
Sustains me
Inner joy breaks through the
Barrier of pain
And slowly takes hold
So that the healing can begin

Just when I fell into
That deep dark pit
Actually did fall in
Somehow a ray of hope
Kept me going

This experience
As horrible as it was
at the time
and even those terrible mistakes
of my own making
got me to places
where I needed to be

It’s the only reason
I am here
Right know
Broken, yet whole
In your arms
As I cry
Tears of pain
Mingles with
Tears of joy
Which are real

Who would have thought
That I would have felt joy ever again
On this earth!!

I am broken
and whole
accepting finally
all of me
inner strength
to look into
that deep dark abyss
without flinching
without cowering in fear
giving my hand
to all my brothers
that are still trapped
in that darkness
that I wish I would not have experienced
in the first place.

But now I see
That I was a soldier in training
Tasked with the unique mission
Of helping my hurt brothers
And to help them see the good
That has always been
Within them.