Forwarded Messages

Many negative and sad news came; and I will not focus in that this time, as we close the year.  Instead, I will share what DIANNA HERNANDEZ forwarded from the world of advertising, where I also belong.  Enjoy and have a blessed and meaningful 2014 to all! TOP 3: EVIAN'S Baby & Me It involves impossibly cute dancing babies that are impossible not to smile at. Literally impossible — I tried. TOP 2: GEICO Hump Day: Happier than a Camel on Wednesday It has over 18 million views for one simple reason — the talking camel is funny and cute. Also, every single Wednesday (aka hump day), people are inspired to share it with their friends and coworkers. TOP 1: DOVE Real Beauty Sketches It touched on an emotional issue  — how we view ourselves compared to how others see us. It was a powerful message of self-awareness and acceptance that resonated with millions of people around the world, and thus it became the most watched video ad of all time. ...

The year was 1761. King Carlos III of Spain, realizing that his country would soon be involved in the Seven Years' War, appointed Juan de Prado as commander-in-chief of Spain's key holding in the Americas: Cuba. Specifically, de Prado was sent to Havana to prepare the city for the inevitable invasion by British forces. The king gave de Prado a task that was of highest priority: fortify La Cabana hill, which overlooked the Morro castle. The Morro protected the Havana harbor; as long as the castle remained in Spanish hands, the city would be unassailable. A year after de Prado's arrival in Havana, the British came. One of their first attacks was on La Cabana. They took the hill easily, for the fortifications had not been made. The city fell soon after, her defenses undermined by de Prado's failure to prepare.

There's a story that tells of a woman who volunteered with the school  district in a large city. Specifically, she was helping tutor children  who were forced to miss school due to illness. One day she was given a  name and a hospital room number, with this written instruction from the  teacher: “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now, and I’d be  grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn't fall too  far behind.” When the woman arrived at the hospital room, she found a young boy who  had been badly burned that was lying in great pain in the bed.  Overwhelmed by the sight of this boy, all she could do was blurt out,  “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.”  After working with the child for a time, she left feeling foolish. What  good were grammar lessons to a boy in his condition?

Today, I had a terrible day. Everyone was against me. Some days, I get so frustrated with people. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to deal with people at all. They can be so unreasonable. Today was one of those days. Today was "trash day." I took out our trash the night before, but when I pulled out of our driveway, I noticed that our grouchy neighbor had thrown a piece of his trash in our yard, close to our trash can! (But he didn't. The wind blew it over). After dropping the children off at school, I needed to make a left-hand turn into a long line of traffic. I saw one of my friends in line and thought she would let me out in front of her. She saw me, but wouldn't let me out. Some friend she is! (But she didn't see you. She was miles away in her own thoughts).

:-) 

I recently read a little story about a little girl that touched my  heart. It seems that this little girl was late coming home for supper  one evening. When she got home her parents were understandably upset.  He questioned her about why she had been so late, after all they had  worried about her! The little girl said, "I stopped to help Marcie, she had a wreck on her  bicycle and it was broken." Her father said, "But you don't know  anything about fixing bicycles!" To which the little girls replied, "I  know, but I stopped to help her cry."

1. Own your stress. Sometimes we stress about our stress. Seriously! If, like most, you’re a sensitive and thoughtful person trying to make the best choices in your life, you may have to guard against the all-too-easy habit of judging yourself and beating yourself up over the negative feelings that come with stress. I find that the judgment of a stressful situation or emotion is often more upsetting than the original issue. This can create a spiral of negativity. If you’re stressed, own it! You are allowed to experience all your feelings, including the stressful, negative ones. Accept them and find a way to channel them in a positive direction, such as outcome-based thinking. This is where you say “I don’t like this situation. I feel awful. What do I want it to be like instead? How do I want to feel instead?” rather than “I don’t like this situation. I feel awful! It’s hopeless!”. At the risk of taking us all back to the 1970s, be your own best friend; be gentle with yourself. Give...

During a question and answer session at a recent speaking engagement, a university student asked, "Why do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?"  

There was an old country doctor who would take his dog along with him  when visiting patients. The dog would remain outside while the doctor  went in for the house call. On one occasion, the physician went to the home of a man with a  terminal disease who didn't seem to have much time to live. The man  confessed to the doctor his fears about death and said, "What's it like  when you die?" The doctor thought for a moment, then got up and opened the front door.  His loyal canine friend, who had been waiting patiently on the porch,  gleefully bounded in to join his master.

Have you noticed how we consumers are being swayed into buying products  by the advertisers? There's a psychology behind what makes us buy  things. Maybe those stores and their advertisers are in cahoots to make us hungry enough to buy their stuff! A few years ago, a lady in my exercise class sold athletic clothing.  She told us about her product line and showed us her catalog. The  clothing looked very nice, but it was a bit too pricy for me. My other  rationale was -- did I need to look stylish while working out, or  impress anyone? The lady told one of her interested customers about a  hot-selling item. She said that it was available in Merlot, but she was  out of the Chocolate Brown.

For a believer, life is a growing collection of God stories...  See beyond your vision.