BRIGHT SIDE ARCHIVES FROM AOL: FOR JANUARY 1ST, 2008 HAPPY NEW YEAR !

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

JANUARY 1ST, 2008

TODAY'S THOUGHT

Begin each day renewed, refreshed and glad to be alive.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

TODAY’S ACTION

Always look to your heart for the true answer

TODAY’S QUOTE

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.

Henry Ward Beecher

HAPPY TUESDAY !!

AND HAPPY NEW YEARS DAY!

Today is Day 4 and the final day of my long weekend. I’ll be going off to church this morning. It is a great way to start a New Year.

This afternoon I’ll be cooking our traditional Pork Roast and Sauerkraut for New Year’s Dinner. Those of my family that are around will be coming over later for a little New Years celebration.

Happy New Year !

Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

TODAY’S PRAYERS

Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me, and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name

TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God, and in God’s time all things will be made well.

TODAY IS…NEW YEAR’S DAY 2008

The world’s most celebrated holiday, New Year’s Day, has been observed on January 1 in most English-speaking countries since 1751 when the British calendar act was passed. Before that, folks wished everyone a Happy New Year on March 25, to coincide, approximately, with the beginning of spring.

In many other countries, it is customary to wish everyone a Happy Birthday (rather than Happy New Year) on January 1st since the day is called Everyman’s Birthday; the day when everyone gets a year older whether it’s their real birthday or not.

For some unknown reason, this rule also applies to race horses. No matter when they were born, all race horses become a year older today. So, wish a horse and your friends, “Happy Birthday” today, and don’t nag them about their ages.

I wish you and yours a New Year filled with peace, prosperity and good health.

TODAY’S NEW YEAR’S TRIVIA

Today is New Year’s Day, Gregorian year 2008 A.D., anno Domini, meaning "in the year of our Lord." It is a Leap Year with one extra day on February 29th.

Some parts of the U.S. celebrate the New Year with foods that they consider lucky: black-eyed peas, pork, rice and even cabbage. Of course, many traditional New Years foods have been brought over to the U.S. from abroad. Hallmark Magazine has put together a list of what people from around the world eat for luck:

Holland - Doughnuts

Japan - Soba noodles

Germany - Marzipan pigs

Italy - Sausage

Spain - Grapes, 12 of them (one at each stroke of the clock at midnight)

Sicily - Lasagna

Norway - Rice pudding (with one lucky almond hidden in it)

Greece - St. Basil's cake (a sweet bread with a coin baked inside)

The six major categories of auspicious foods are grapes, greens, fish, pork, legumes, and cakes Grapes New Year's revelers in Spain consume twelve grapes at midnight—one grape for each stroke of the clock. This dates back to 1909, when grape growers in the Alicante region of Spain initiated the practice to take care of a grape surplus

Cooked greens, including cabbage, collards, kale, and chard, are consumed at New Year's in different countries for a simple reason — their green leaves look like folded money, and are thus symbolic of economic fortune.

Legumes including beans, peas, and lentils are also symbolic of money. Their small, seedlike appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind. There areeven those who believe in eating one pea for every day in the new year. This all traces back to the legend that during the Civil War, the town of Vicksburg, Virginia, ran out of food while under attack. The residents fortunately discovered black-eyed peas and the legume was thereafter considered lucky.

The custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress. The animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving. Eat pork tenderloin roast in sauerkraut. If you have pork on New Year's you live high on the hog, but if you have chicken you scratch all year. ...

Fish is a very logical choice for the New Year's table. According to Mark Kurlansky, author of Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, cod has been a popular feast food since the Middle Ages. He compares it to turkey on Thanksgiving. The reason? Long before refrigeration and modern transportation, cod could be preserved and transported allowing it to reach the Mediterranean and even as far as North Africa and the Caribbean Cakes aren't always round.

In Scotland, where New Year's is called Hogmanay, there is a tradition called "first footing," in which the first person to enter a home after the new year determines what kind of year the residents will have. The "first footer" often brings symbolic gifts like coal to keep the house warm or baked goods such as shortbread, oat cakes, and a fruit caked called black bun, to make sure the household always has food.

In addition to the aforementioned lucky foods, there are also a few to avoid. Lobster, for instance, is a bad idea because they move backwards and could therefore lead to setbacks. Chicken is also discouraged because the bird scratches backwards, which could cause regret or dwelling on the past. Another theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.

The conclusion? Eat as much lucky food as you can, just don't get too greedy—or the first place you'll be going in the new year is the gym

TODAY’S SMILE

The wheel of time keeps moving. The old year goes away and the new year claims its place. There's a reason we call it the "wheel" of time.

The word "annual" comes from the Latin annus meaning a circuit of the sun, hence a year. Flowers don't bloom any differently just because a new year has begun.

Clouds move at the same pace whether it's a new day or a new century. Yet for humans these markers along the trail of life are quite convenient.

We brood about what happened yesterday. We plan things for the next week. And with a new year, we feel our knapsack of time is replenished. Again.

What we missed doing last year we might be able to accomplish this time. And so the wheel turns. Ultimately, it's all relative. A story goes that a man prays to God.

God appears and the man says, "Lord! Our billions of years are your one second. Our billions of dollars are merely a penny for you. Could you grant me a penny?" God smiles, says "Certainly! Back in a second," and disappears.

May all your wishes be granted in the new year! .

TODAY’S WORD

ebullient \ih-BUL-yuhnt\, adjective:

1. Overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement; high-spirited.

2. Boiling up or over.

Ebullient comes from Latin ebullire, "to bubble up," from e-, "out of, from" + bullire, "to bubble, to boil

TODAY’S REFLECTION

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:39b Those of us raised in households of faith have heard this line to "love our neighbor as ourselves" since we were children. This is an important and true lesson.

However, we must be careful not to overlook the other thing that we are called to do – to love ourselves. Love of self is something that has become a negative in our culture. Saying, "that person is totally in love with himself or herself", is far from a good thing.

Unfortunately, the action that this phrase refers to is rarely real love. Rather, it is compensation for a lack of love for self. When you have a love for yourself, you don't need to brag, either to the person you see in the mirror, or to others.

When you have a love for yourself, there is a sense of peace because you know who you are; you recognize that you are; a child of God. As we prepare to enter into this New Year, many of us will be making resolutions. Some of these will last…most will not. The ones that will last are the ones that we are truly committed to, as opposed to just giving lip service.

I've got a resolution that I hope you are willing to take into the totality of your life, and it is this: I resolve to love my neighbor as I love myself, and I love who God has created me to be. Look in the mirror, say it out loud, do whatever you have to do to remind yourself, not only of our responsibility to others, but to ourselves as well.

It is only when we come from that place of love of self that we can truly love another. Let us make this pledge to ourselves and be amazed at how miraculous this kind of love truly is! Prayerful Living” devotional messages are found at http://www.ourprayer.org

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

If New Year's Eve night wind blow south, It betokeneth warmth and growth.

79 DAYS UNTIL SPRING !

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’

www.bigmarainey.com

MY JOURNALS http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/