Today I choose ...

I read this recently and thought it was wonderful ... enjoy!

Today I choose . . .
The day is coming the refuge of the early morning will invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met

For the next 12 hours I will be exposed to the days demands. It is now I must make a choice. And so I choose

I choose Love
No situation justifies hatred; no justice warrants bitterness.
I chose love
Today I will love God and what God wants.

I choose Joy
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical … the tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by God.
I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose Peace
I will live forgiven.
I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose Patience
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so.
Rather than complain that the wait is loo long, I will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose Kindness
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
I will be kind to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose Goodness
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I boast.
I will confess before I accuse.

I choose Faithfulness
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust.
My associates will not question my word.
My wife or husband will not question my love.
And my children will never fear their father/mother will not come home.

I choose Gentleness
Nothing is won by force.
I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may be only of myself.

I choose Self - Control
I am a spiritual being, after this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal.
I will be drunk only on joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control … to these I commit my day

If I succeed, I will give thanks
If I fail, I will seek his grace
And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest

Newspaper artcles & Vegas Photos!

Well since I got back from Las Vegas I've been sick ... actually I got sick in Vegas. The day before the run I woke up with a sore throat and laryngitis. I kep telling myself "I'm not getting sick, I'm not getting sick." Then I ran the marathon and I'm certain I let the virus get in really good!

So since then I've been coughing and talking like a frog or a man.

We had two articles in the Hamilton Spectator ... kinda cool. About our renewal. Click here for the first article (December 1, 2005) and here for the 2nd article (December 9, 2005). They are both in PDF format but you can also view them in html format here for #1 and here for #2.

I'm posting our pics on FLICKR so check out the pics at left.

But in the meantime ... here's some pics from Vegas! Happy anniversary darling!

~ Shirley