Category Archives: Happy New Year

A New Year and Adventure

20 Friday Jul 2018

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This is an open letter to all teachers, para pros, staff and faculty at my grandchildren’s schools:

It is that time of year that students, parents, teachers and faculty begin the new year at their respective schools.

I am very grateful that my grandchildren live and go to schools where they are treated with love, respect, kindness and understanding. And that are receiving a superb education.

My one request would be that no one go back to anything!  By this I mean to resolve to let go of a backward-looking consciousness.  That is, don’t say such things as, “go back to work” or “go back to school.”  These words imply monotony and unhappiness.

Let the new year be a time of reaching forward with eagerness and anticipation. In the days and months ahead live each day as if were the only day of eternity.  For it is true that the most important day is the present day.  There is no point in looking back or wasting time trying to look ahead.

Instead of keeping a calendar counting down the days to the first school break, countdown to upcoming events, celebrations, parties, and fun activities.  Post successes and achievements. Be proud that school is alive and well.

Success is based on the fact the we all have something in common.  We all love our children and grandchildren and we all only want what is best for them.  Knowing that we are one in this effort makes us strong and powerful and lifts us up which makes our schools wonderful.

And so I wish for you a great new year and an adventure for all concerned.  I plan to stay involved in all my grandchildren’s schools and be there for others who would also do so if they could.  For today is the most important year of my life and yours, the midpoint between all that we have been and all that we can and will become.

Happy New Year!

Pris Shartle

Paige, Lexi, Hayden and Emery Kate’s Grandmother and School Volunteer

To Think Impeccably

31 Tuesday Jan 2012

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Flowers from my oldest son!

I inventory my life to see what endings are preventing my new beginnings. I willingly, faithfully, and “gladly die to everything that is unlike good.”  ~ Abundant Blessings, Our Abundant Life

Today being the last day of January, I am a bit saddened to not be receiving more messages pertaining to new beginnings from the many devotions I read.  Always at the beginning of a new year, we seem to be prompted to look at life from a different perspective; whether it is a new diet, new exercise routine, new attitude about life, or a new approach to the familiar.  The purpose to this message of new beginnings is to extend one’s life; to live it fuller and with purpose and gladness.

One example I read about in my Science of Life Magazine was a message from Dr. James Rouse who said, “Begin this moment to think impeccably.”  What a huge challenge.  This is because normal society drills into us that we are not perfect, without fault, without a flaw or without a blemish.

Deepak Chopra reminds us that, “The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.”  Constantly being told we are not good enough, we could begin to believe it.  Instead, Rouse reminds us to begin a new way of thinking about our bodies/lifestyle/health.

We each have the ability to create the life we want.  We each have certain gifts.  My gift is unique to me, while your gift is unique to you.  Neither is better than the other and therefore one does not make either of us better than the other.   My life is disorderly, with fault, with flaws and yet it is PERFECT.  I know this because as Father Francis Mulcahy said in one of my favorite M*A*S*H* episodes, “God didn’t create us to pat us on the back.  He created us so He could live life through us.”

Rouse concludes, “Create an exceptional livelihood for yourself and show it off to the world around you.”  In other words, be the person we are called to be.  “Eat with intention, with the mission to nourish your mind and body so you can transcend the cultural trance of physiological mediocrity.”  Meaning don’t listen to society tell us we are not perfect.

This is our time.  We are the one.  “Get up, stand up, and put on your radiant wellness!

The Spirit of Newness

04 Wednesday Jan 2012

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New day, new year, new life; we are bombarded with ways to renew our lives at this time of year.  Famous actors and athletes are promoting all the well-known diets which are on sale or have no sign-up fees. 

Biggest Loser on NBC started last night with twenty new contestants all vying for the chance to win $250,000 and once again several of the contestants are over sixty years old.  If you are a fan of the show, as I am, you already know that winning the money is not a priority to these contestants.  It is changing their lives and lifestyle to become healthier more productive people.  My favorite part of the show is not the drama between the contestants or the “last chance workout” scenes, it is the very last segment when we see the person who was voted off and how they look today.  It proves the point that even when you are voted off after only one week on the Biggest Loser campus, you have benefited and you are on your way to making yourself new.

This newness is not available only to contestants on a TV show.  It is available to you and me and anyone who welcomes it into their mindset.  First we must acknowledge the spirit of newness which is in each of us.  We do this by believing in ourselves and the strength we have to do what we want when we put our minds to it.  When we look within, we are able to face our challenges and not be paralyzed in fear.

Yes, the sixty-two year old contestant this year on Biggest Loser has a disadvantage over the younger contestants, but her age could be the secret to her success, if she chooses.  And just like her, if we, her compatriots, draw on our wisdom and acknowledge the spirit of newness inside us, we will be renewed in mind, body and spirit.

Happy New Year!