The Canadian Thanksgiving Day came about because of a combination of traditions. Before the first Europeans arrived in North America, the farmers in Europe held celebrations at harvest time. The farm workers filled a curved goat's horn with fruit and grain to give thanks for their harvest having been a good one. This horn was called a Horn of Plenty.....or a Cornucopia, and the farm workers who started a new life in Canada took this tradition with them.

In Newfoundland in 1578, the English navigator Martin Frobisher held a ceremony to give thanks for surviving the long journey. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Canada named after him.....Frobisher Bay. As other settlers arrived they continued these ceremonies.

In 1621, in what is now the United States of America, the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest in the New World. By the 1750's settlers moving to Canada from America had taken this celebration to Nova Scotia. At the same time, French settlers arriving in Canada with the explorer Samuel de Champlain held thanksgiving feasts and shared their food with their Indian neighbours. After the seven years war ended in 1763 the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.

At the time of the American Revolution, the people who remained loyal to the Government in England moved to Canada and spread the Thanksgiving celebration to other parts of the country. Other English settlers were also used to having a harvest celebration in their churches every Autumn.

In 1879 the Canadian Parliament declared the 6th November as a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday. Over the years the date has changed with the third Monday in October being the most popular time. Finally on the 31st January 1957 the Canadian Parliament proclaimed that....

'A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God
for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has
been blessed.....to be observed on the second Monday in October.'

Tags: Thanksgiving Canada , swalk1955

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The American Thanksgiving holiday began as a feast of thanksgiving in the early days of the American colonies almost four hundred years ago.

In 1620, a boat filled with more than one hundred people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. This religious group had begun to question the beliefs of the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it. The Pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn (maize), a new food for the colonists. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish.

In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn.

In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. George Washington suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Then in 1863, at the end of a long and bloody civil war, Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to set aside the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, a different date every year. The President must proclaim that date as the official celebration.

In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt set it one week earlier. He wanted to help business by lengthening the shopping period before christmas. Congress ruled that after 1941 the 4th Thursday in November would be a federal holiday proclaimed by the President each year.

Symbols of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for tradition and sharing. Even if they live far away, family members gather for a reunion at the house of an older relative. All give thanks together for the good things that they have. In this spirit of sharing, civic groups and charitable organizations offer a traditional meal to those in need, particularly the homeless. On most tables throughout the United States, foods eaten at the first thanksgiving have become traditional.

Turkey, corn (or maize), pumpkins and cranberry sauce are symbols which represent the first Thanksgiving. Now all of these symbols are drawn on holiday decorations and greeting cards. The use of corn meant the survival of the colonies. "Indian corn" as a table or door decoration represents the harvest and the fall season.

Sweet-sour cranberry sauce, or cranberry jelly, was on the first Thanksgiving table and is still served today. The cranberry is a small, sour berry. It grows in bogs, or muddy areas, in Massachusetts and other New England states. The Indians used the fruit to treat infections. They used the juice to dye their rugs and blankets. They taught the colonists how to cook the berries with sweetener and water to make a sauce. The Indians called it "ibimi" which means "bitter berry." When the colonists saw it, they named it "crane-berry" because the flowers of the berry bent the stalk over, and it resembled the long-necked bird called a crane. The berries are still grown in New England. Very few people know, however, that before the berries are put in bags to be sent to the rest of the country, each individual berry must bounce at least four inches high to make sure they are not too ripe!

In 1988, a Thanksgiving ceremony of a different kind took place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. More than four thousand people gathered on Thanksgiving night. Among them were Native Americans representing tribes from all over the country and descendants of people whose ancestors had migrated to the New World. The ceremony was a public acknowledgment of the Indians' role in the first Thanksgiving 350 years ago. Until recently most schoolchildren believed that the Pilgrims cooked the entire Thanksgiving feast, and offered it to the Indians. In fact, the feast was planned to thank the Indians for teaching them how to cook those foods. Without the Indians, the first settlers would not have survived.

Tags: Thanksgiving USA , swalk1955

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Harvest Festival UK


Harvest Festival is one of the oldest known festivals. In the UK it is traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon. This moon is the full moon around the time of the Autumn Equinox in September. Unlike the USA and Canada, the UK does not have a national holiday for Harvest Festival.

The celebration of Harvest in Britain dates back to pre-Christian times when the success of the crop governed the lives of the people. Saxon farmers offered the first cut sheaf of corn to one of their gods of fertility, in order to safeguard a good harvest the following year. The last sheaf was thought to contain the Spirit of the Corn, and its cutting was usually accompanied by the ritual sacrifice of an animal - often a hare caught hiding in the corn. Later, a model hare made from straw was used to represent the continuity of the Spirit. This practice eventually led to the making of plaited 'corn dollies', symbolising the goddess of the grain. These were hung from the rafters in farmhouses until the next year. When the harvest was in, a celebratory supper was held to which the whole community was invited.

These traditions continued after christianity arrived in Britain, sometimes in a slightly different form, and there were ceremonies and rituals at the beginning as well as the end of the harvest and church bells were rung on every day of the harvest. A corn dolly was made from the last sheaf of corn harvested - a figure made of plaited straw, which was held aloft and carried with great ceremony to the celebrations - and it often had a place of honour at the banquet table, and was kept until the following spring. The horse bringing the last cart load was decorated with garlands of flowers and colourful ribbons. A magnificent harvest feast was held at the farmer's house and games played to celebrate the end of the harvest.

The tradition of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches began in 1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church at Morwenstow in Cornwall. This led to the custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the Harvest Festival service.

The traditional ways of celebrating the harvest still survive today in rural communities. Nowadays, children also take gifts of fruit and vegetables to church and present them during the harvest service whilst the harvest hymn 'We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand' is sung. After the service, these gifts are distributed to the elderly and needy of the community.

Many schools also have a Harvest Festival assembly and the gifts of fruit and vegetables are distributed in the local community.

Tags: Harvest Festival UK, swalk1955

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We are God’s masterpiece (work of art, workmanship). Our salvation is something only God can do. It is his powerful, creative work in us. If God considers us his masterpieces, we dare not treat ourselves or others with disrespect or as inferior work.



You are God's Masterpiece


You are God’s own masterpiece. That means, you are not ordinary or average; you are one-of-a-kind original! When God created you, He went to great length to make you exactly the way He wanted you. You’re not meant to be like everyone else; God designed you the way you are for a purpose. Everything about you is unique and everything about you matters. You may feel like your life looks ordinary today, but when you understand your value-not only who you are, but also, whose you are-then you will love yourself more, and you will also love those people around you in a greater way. Realize that because you belong to Him, you are extremely valuable.

I read a story one time about a man who lived in a tiny apartment and died in extreme poverty. At one point in his life, he had even been homeless, living on the streets. This man never had any successes to speak of, nor any noted victories. He lived and died as just another face in the crowd.

After the funeral, some family members went to his little run-down apartment to clear out his belongings. They found a painting hanging on the wall, so they decided to sell it at a garage sale. The woman who bought the it from the garage sale took it to a local art gallery for an appraisal and was shocked to discover that the painting was extremely valuable. The piece of art that hung for so many years in a little run-down apartment was painted by a famous artist who lived in the early 1800s. The woman decided to auction off that painting and ended up selling it for several million dollars!

Just think how that poor man’s life might have changed if he had known the value of what he possessed. He was a multimillionaire and didn’t even know it! So many people today are living with priceless treasure inside, and they don’t even know it. Sometimes we have to explore what’s on the inside of us to really understand what we have. Don’t settle for living a mediocre existence. You are a masterpiece, created by the most famous Artist of all, but if you don’t understand your value, you’ll go on thinking, I’m just average; I’m not that talented; I’ve made so many mistakes. Don’t allow those negative thoughts to play in your memory box. Instead, every morning when you get out of bed, remind yourself, I am important. I am handpicked by God, and I am a person of extreme value and significance.

Remember, You are God’s special treasure, selected by Him and for Him. You are created in the image of Almighty God. He made you exactly the way He intended, and He equipped you with everything you need. You have the strength to stand strong in the midst of difficult situations, and the wisdom it takes to make good decisions. Understanding exactly whose you are, and how you fit-in God’s plan, creates such purpose, confidence and such identity. You are a person of destiny. You have an assignment and you are full of gifts, talents, encouragement and love. You have rich treasure inside you that people need. You have more in you that you realize, and you can accomplish more than you ever though possible. Dare to be bold and believe that you are a person of destiny because you can leave your mark on this generation. Understand you are important, and out of your importance, know that you are called to add value to the world around you. No matter where you are in life today, you have potential to increase, grow, to be strengthened, and to move forward. God created you for His good purpose, and know that beyond the shadow of a doubt, you are His masterpiece!



We Are God's Masterpiece Creation

The Bible represents God's "logos" in written form. Jesus Christ was God's "logos" in the flesh. God has given us His Word so that we may know His will, His desire and His heart. If a believer will study the written Word of God and develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then it is available to know who God is, what God wants, why God put us here, where God needs us and when God plans to do things. Without knowledge and experience, all is pure speculation and guesswork.

I can testify that the more you know the Word of God, the more you realize how little you know. God is bigger than the universe, for He created it. God is wider than the earth, for He is the one who put it here. God is longer than a line that stretches for eternity and God is deeper than the sea for He filled it with water to begin with. In Romans 11:33 we read:

"Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God; How unsearchable are his judgments, and His ways past finding out."

This wonderful verse of praise to God, describes His infinite wisdom and His unsearchable judgments and untraceable ways. Almighty God cannot be put under a microscope nor can He be found with the most powerful telescope. The ways of God can be studied, but never fully understood. He is bigger than our ability to "figure Him out", for He is God. Verses 34 and 35 state:

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor?
Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto Him again?"

The answer to these rhetorical questions is NO ONE. There is no man or angel who has known the mind of the Lord. There is no man or angel who has been God's counselor. No being exists who first gave to God, for Almighty God is the Supreme Source of all gifts. Man wants to lower God to his level. This is where all idolatry starts and ends. Man wants to create his own gods so he can tell them what to do. Truly these verses in Romans are confronting the arrogance of man, and also his foolishness. In verse 36 Paul ends this "prayer" with the following:

"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen."

Literally, this verse is saying that "out of" God (as Creator) all things have their origin. People did not evolve from amoebas or apes or anything else. All things created have their origin in God. He is "Elohim", the Creator of the heaven and earth and all therein. He is the source of life and "out of" Him; all created things have their origin.

Not only is God the creator, but it is "through" Him all things are preserved. Not only did God create the heavens and the earth, but He has continued to preserve them through His grace and power. Peter speaks of God preserving the current heaven and earth until the day in the future when he will destroy them and create a new heaven and earth wherein dwells only righteousness.

Not only are all created things "out of" God, and are preserved "through" Him; but the purpose of all created things is "to" glorify God. The ultimate purpose of life is to bring glory to God. God created all things and has preserved them for His glory. God's greatest creation was man, and man's purpose in this life was and always will be to glorify God. There is no other reason for our being than to bring glory to the God who created us and has preserved us.

God's claim to glory is valid forever, through all eternity. God's claim will never expire. He is the eternal creator and keeper of our souls and He not only deserves to be glorified; it is the very reason for our existence. Man was not put on this earth to become great and powerful , full of knowledge and wisdom so as to make himself god. That was the lie the serpent tempted Eve with in the garden. "Ye shall be as gods" was the first and continues to be the ultimate temptation.

Mankind's purpose in life is to bring glory to his creator. If an artist spends his whole life "creating" a masterpiece, what will make it worth all the work it took to make it? Recognition, of course. When others stand in awe of the craftsmanship and precise master strokes of the artist, it brings glory to him and justifies all the sacrifices it took to produce it.

When we, as God's creation, produce good works and live our lives in a Godly manner; then we bring glory to our Creator and fill His heart with joy. When we live for ourselves and care not if what we do disgraces our Creator, we fill His heart with sorrow and anger. When man lowers God to his level and makes god do what he wants him to do; Almighty God sits in eternity and weeps giant tears of grief for the loss of His prized possession.

In the centuries after Adam's fall, mankind began crafting and making idols made with his hands. These idols did as they were told for they were not the creator but the creation. People would worship these idols because they did as they were told. If they failed to "produce", they were thrown away or melted into raw material. Mankind has had a love affair with idols for 6,000 years.

Many people today want a god who will do what they want him to do. They are not interested in yielding to a God they cannot see, hear, taste, smell or touch. People want a tangible god, not some spirit that cannot be seen or searched for on Google. People want to be able to put their god in a box. The idea of a "cosmic entity" out there somewhere beyond man's ability to locate both terrifies and confuses the natural man. This type of god is not to be desired by these people, for he cannot be controlled.

When a person finally decides they are tired of worshipping idols made with human hands and turn to the true God; they begin a journey which will take a lifetime to finish. God is not one to be known or understood by simply reading about Him in a book. His power, grace, mercy, love and peace all must be experienced before they can be even remotely understood. No idol ever made by man has the ability to save, restore, heal or forgive. Almighty God not only can do all these things, He graciously HAS DONE them through the work of His Son Jesus Christ.

In Ephesians 2:10 we find one of the greatest verses in the Bible concerning who we are and what God has done for us:

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

The word translated "workmanship", would better be translated "masterpiece". We are God's "masterpiece" created in Christ Jesus. That which we were created FOR is Good Works. When God created us IN Christ Jesus, it was all so we could walk in good works to bring Him glory. We have within us the necessary ingredients to walk in such a way as to produce fruit that glorifies God. That is our very purpose and destiny in this life. We are alive to bring glory to our God who saved us and created Christ in us, the hope of our future glory.

We are not alive to bring glory to ourselves, our families or our employers. We are here to live our lives in such a manner as to bring glory to the God who not only created our physical bodies but who created in us the Holy Spirit and thus enabled us to produce fruit to the glory of God. As we walk in the "good works" we were fore-ordained to walk in, we glorify God in our body, soul and spirit.

At times it is difficult to justify the rejection, pressure and sacrifice needed to walk, stand and live in a manner that identifies us as sons of God. People laugh at us, mock us and defame our very character. They call us fanatics, mentally challenged, foolish and enemies. Friends forsake us, relatives hide from us and acquaintances keep their distance from us; all because we are not like them. Let them whisper among themselves. Let them make their snide remarks and roll their eyes. Let them go home to the idols they have made and worship as their creation.

We ARE different, for we serve the one True God not made with human hands. We worship the Creator of all things and especially US. We obey and live for Him who saved us and called us with His holy calling. We march to a different drum. We tread on the road less traveled. We do not live for man's glory, but to glorify the God who created us and has preserved us. If this is our attitude toward living, then it really doesn't matter what other people think or say. For we know when it is all said and done where we will be spending eternity and who we will have the joy and honor of spending it with!

Tags: We are God’s masterpiece, swalk1955

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Shopping online is temptingly convenient and plenty of us don’t give the risks a second thought

Tags: Online shopping, swalk1955

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Scam or scoop? How to stay safe when you’re shopping online

Tags: Scam or scoop? How to stay safe when you’re shopping online, swalk1955

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T'was the 1st week of December,
And everywhere, even here,
The people were saying-
That Christmas is near!

The cold was so cold,
That it froze the river,
And all through the night,
The people did shiver.

Their noses went runny,
And their teeth would chatter,
But somehow to them,
It all did not matter!

So they sat bundled up in their mufflers and coats,
To keep them warm as the snow began to fall,
Not cribbing, not complaining,
Not one bit, not at all.

Why were they so tolerant?
Oh what was the reason?
Coz- t'was the time to be jolly,
T'was the holiday season!

T'was the season for singing,
And shopping and giving,
The season for laughter,
And general 'Good living!'

All over the world
They awaited this festive day,
T'was much the same in this town,
The little town called 'Robin's Lay'

The townsfolk of Robin's Lay,
Oh they could not wait!
And every year they said a prayer-
That Christmas didn't come late!

Their decorations were up,
Bells and Holly and plenty of mistletoe,
While the town prepared for Christmas,
A white Christmas, all covered in snow.

The town twinkled and jingled,
A winter delight!
And at its very center,
A tree the size of Texas, stood shining bright!

The children of town
Were excited because-
Christmas meant the coming
Of good old Mister Clause!

For he came every Christmas,
They knew without doubt,
He never made excuses
Like the sniffles, a headache or gout!

So they sat down to think,
Every little girl and boy,
What should they ask Santa for?
What present? What toy?

Phineas Ferb said that he wanted
The brand new Sony Playstation.
Jason Brown would like a much longer-
Summer Vacation!

Millie McGoo, said that she'd like,
Believe me it's true,
A giant sized bottle
Of Everlasting Super Glue!

Cindy- May wanted to exchange
Her big sister for a baby brother,
And Zach Scurville wanted a new mink coat,
Not for himself, but for his mother.

If anyone heard
Tiny little Maggie Ryan
Say that she wanted a big Teddy bear,
Well then, she wasn't lyin!

Tommy Tonks wanted a toy truck
And Jilly Hughes wanted a doll,
And Lisa-Anne Devon?
She wanted it all!!!

Just one gift wouldn't be enough to please
Greedy little Lisa- Anne,
She wrote Santa and said-
“Bring as much as you can!”

She wrote out her list
Till she was out of paper and ink,
Asking for everything from gummy bears,
To roller blades, to all things pink!

A dolls house, A rocking horse,
The Wizard of Oz,
A music box, a swing set,
Green glitter and gold gauze.

If there is anything to ask for,
Lisa- Anne had asked it,
She even told Santa to bring-
A new waste paper basket!

The postman said “It may not reach him,
It's too heavy, this letter.”
But Lisa- Anne shook her fist in his face and said-
“WELL IT BETTER!!!”
But make it, it did,
To Santa's letter box
Where it was taken out
By an old elf named 'Knox'.

“Sloppy Sleigh bells!” cried the elf,
Calling the others, “Come look!
This is so long,
I can't tell if its a letter or a book!”

The overworked elves cried out in dismay,
“It will take us a year to make all these toys!
Lets not forget the gazillion things to be made
For all the other girls and boys!”

Till one young elf cried-” I have a plan!
To make it all better.
Let's not tell Santa about Lisa- Anne,
And lets hide her letter!”

Knox said- “Mr Clause will be mad!”
But the others replied- “ Mr Clause won't know!
We'll take her name off his 'Good Kid list'
And bury her letter in the snow!

Santa's getting mighty old,
And he's forgetful this December,
Let's make Lisa the first kid,
That Santa forgets to remember!

If it saves us some work,
Everyone will love our plan.
Well at least everyone but
Greedy little Lisa- Anne!”

So they did what they said,
And hid their sly grins from sight,
As Santa Clause set out
That Christmas Eve Night!

Santa and his reindeer
Went from houses to houses,
Sneaking through chimneys,
Silent as mouses!

Dropping off presents
Wrapped in shimmery paper and ribbons of silk,
Never forgetting to eat his cookies
And drink his milk.

Checking his list to saying-
“She was naughty, he was nice.”
He'd checked it before, but as we all know-
He always checked it twice!

And though he went from house to house,
The Devon home he missed,
Which was no surprise seeing as,
The elves had taken Lisa's name off his 'Good Kid List'.

That Christmas morning
Lisa awoke with a smile,
She ran to see her gifts under the tree,
Expecting a huge, huge, HUGE pile!

But when she got there,
You should've seen her face fall,
There wasn't a single present,
There was- nothing at all!

No swing set, no teddy bears,
No miniature skating rink,
No doll's house, no roller blades
And absolutely nothing that was pink!

She checked her stocking, checked outside,
Checked again under the tree,
Till she was forced to whisper sadly-
“There's nothing here for me!”

She screamed and she cried
And she threw a huge fit,
But no present appeared, Nothing,
All was done, that was it!

“Santa's forgotten me, and I'm going to complain!”
Cried poor little Lisa- Anne Devon.
“I'll tell my teacher, and the policeman,
And the big guy up in heaven!”

“There's something here for you Lisa”
Called out her mother,
“It's addressed to you, I'm sure,
No one else, not another.”

Lisa ran to fetch it,
“It might be my music box!”
But no, it was a note
From someone named Knox.

It said- “Yes he forgot you,
But Santa's not crazy.
It's just your list was so long
And us elves were lazy.
We'd a hundred things to do,
And you'd asked for this, that and such.
In short, little lady, you asked for too much!
So when you write us next year,
Do ask for something, but please remember-
A million other kids also
Want gifts in December.
Ask for a thing or two-
A guitar, a doll,
But whatever you do,
Don't ask for it all!”

And when you write your letter
To Santa this December,
Make sure you're not the next kid,
He forgets to remember!...

Tags: christmas, xmas, santa, swalk1955

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With the UK clocks about to go back, nights drawing in and temperatures rapidly falling, the long days of summer are suddenly a heady memory and soon we’ll all feel like we’re spending more of our time shrouded in darkness.

For many people, the horror of this vampire-like existence means the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition which takes its toll on an estimated 20% of women during the dark, chilly months. Symptoms include fatigue, depression and overeating - so as well as inflicting damage on our mental health, the condition can also add unwanted inches to our waistline.

Fortunately, you can escape the vice-like grip of SAD by rejecting comfort foods and eating a healthy, balanced diet.  

Give up white carbs

The key to conquering SAD is to avoid any foods that cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate, leading to serious mood swings. The worst offenders are refined white carbs, like pasta, rice and bread. Do your mental health (and your boyfriend) a favour by swapping these out for wholegrain carbohydrates like granary bread, wholemeal pasta and brown rice to keep your energy levels on an even keel. Slow release carbs like porridge, meanwhile, will provide you with a steady supply of energy throughout the day, preventing cravings for unhealthy snacks.

Eat lots of protein

Healthy sources of protein, such as nuts, chicken, eggs and fish will help you shed that winter fatigue by keeping you feeling full up for longer and suppressing food cravings. Try eating eggs for breakfast (with only one slice of bread) and carry handfuls of nuts in your handbag to munch on throughout the day to keep hunger at bay.

Cut down on stimulants

A morning cappuccino helps keep us warm in the cold winter months, while a glass of red in the evening acts us a pick-me-up when it starts to get dark at 5pm, but the overall effect of stimulants like these is to keep us up at night and lower our general mood. Alcohol is packed with calories and is a known depressant, so you should limit your intake to prevent mood swings, while you should also try swapping caffeine for herbal teas, which have a calming, rather than anxiety-inducing, impact on the body.

Stock up on vitamin D

One vital nutrient we all need to work harder to get in winter is vitamin D, which we need for good health - both mental and physical. Few foods contain significant amounts of vitamin D, and we therefore rely on sunlight for around 90% of our supplies. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that women with vitamin D deficiency are twice as likely to develop symptoms of depression. Fish, oysters, eggs and mushrooms are excellent sources, and you can also buy products that have been fortified with vitamin D, such as milk, cheese and butter.

Avocados

Don't be put off by their high-fat content; avocados are one of the most effective blues-banishing fruits. They may have the highest oil content of any fruit (the soft, delicious fruit is around 30% fat), but these are 'good' fats and you shouldn't worry about their effect on your waistline. Avocados are also a great source of protein, as well as nutrients folate and tryptophan, both of which are thought to act as anti-depressants. Avocados also contain a healthy dose of vitamin B6, which gives us energy and fights fatigue.

Sweet potatoes

As a source of carbohydrate, regular potatoes often leave us feeling bloated and sluggish, whereas their orange relative, the sweet potato, has the opposite effect on the body. Why? The secret is - again - high levels of folate, which keep blood sugar levels steady, meaning you don't want to pass out 30 minutes after eating.

It seems there is plenty of truth to the 'brain food' moniker applied to oily fish like mackerel, salmon, tuna and sardines. Fish such as these contain lots of omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in high concentrations in brain tissue and are thought to play a crucial role in mood function and concentration levels.

Natural yoghurt

Nutritionists associate calcium deficiency with mental health problems including anxiety, depression and irritability. You can therefore ease mood swings by eating calcium-rich foods such as natural yoghurt, which is also packed with those essential omega-3s. Try mixing with berries and oatmeal for an extra kick of antioxidants and slow-release energy.

Leafy green vegetables

Delicious green cruciferous veggies come into their own at this time of year. Soups, stews, casseroles - they all benefit from a handful of leafy veg like spinach, kale and broccoli. Rich in iron, they help boost energy levels and improve concentration, while also acting as an excellent source of folate and B vitamins for an extra fuel injection.

Bananas

To prevent the long nights giving you a long face, you should try to eat foods that encourage the production of serotonin, the so-called feel good hormone, in the body. Bananas, for example, are rich in tryptophan, which the body needs to make serotonin, and potassium, our supplies of which run low when we suffer from stress. Bananas are also packed with B vitamins, so are a great source of energy in the cold, tiring winter months

Tags: What to eat to beat SAD, swalk1955

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Do you ever have things you know about people? Do you ever think to yourself, “I really love that person” and then tell them how much you love them?

Yet you leave out the realization you had that they NEEDED to hear it?

There are thoughts behind thoughts behind thoughts, yet there’s a place where we only speak what’s in the forefront. We do not speak what’s further back and what’s even further back than that. People long so much for intimacy and truth, but they’re only willing to go to a certain level in sharing their own thoughts.

Then there’s the other version, where we have something to say that’s not so loving and beautiful; and we hold it in and we lie. And you know what? This is a very telepathic world — they know we’re lying! They may not want to hear what we have to say, so they’ll let it go; it’s an 'Agreement to Collude' around the Lie. “I know you lied to me but I’m going to let it go because I don’t want to hear what you were going to say.”

Have you ever heard people speaking and you feel the flow of higher truth moving through them and, all of a sudden, there is sort of a pause and you hear words fill in the next gap and you realize that the energy’s changed somehow? That is where the personality or mental body came in to make sure they were getting it right and that no one listening thought they were messing up.

How many of us spend a good portion of our life trying to
understand other people and be understood by them?
What would life be like if we gave up the need
to understand and the need to be understood?

The gift that life offers every being that exists is a unique perception of All That Is. No one will, nor can, know life in the same way we know it. No one will ever have the same way of seeing things, the same way of knowing things, the same way of hearing things ... EVER.

Imagine how it would be if we didn’t have to stand guard, editing at the doorway of our mind, saying, “Oops, that’s a good thought! OOPS, that’s a bad thought!” There are all kinds of places where we rob ourselves of our own divine force; it is then that speaking from the heart becomes squelched by reason. Just because something occurs to us doesn't mean that we're going to manifest it into form or that we'll even be drawn to say it.

Just because we say something doesn’t mean it’s right and other people have to change their lives around it. So plucking out the idea that we have to be right, also plucks out the manipulative tendencies and lets us drop the burden of significance!

In following our spirits without hesitation things occur to us and we say them.
That sparks, or doesn’t spark, insights. If we feel inspired to say something to someone
that makes no sense from our perspective, we still say it. Sense is optional.
We cannot see the “Big Picture” and do not have the power or the
control to know what will unfold in the vastness of the Universe.

You can even prepare all the people in your life and say, “Look, I’m going to be doing this new thing. I’m going to be practicing following my spirit without hesitation, it might inconvenience you in some way. So ahead of time, I apologize for any inconveniences. Just know that I’m doing this spiritual discipline.” That will make your emotional body feel a little better.

When you follow your spirit without hesitation, a lot of your ecstasy and fulfillment comes from hindsight. You look back and say, “WOW! Can you believe that? This, this, this, this — and it all came together and it was this? WOW! Am I glad I followed my spirit!” But in terms of foresight in following spirit, it's not likely.

You’ll be given visions which may or may not manifest. They may be given to you simply to give you the illusion that you have some sense of direction because you still seek that. Spirit may actually blatantly misdirect you to stimulate certain insights. You can tell how much you resist your fear by how much you wish to be in control in your life.

Desire for control is directly related to the amount of fear
that we make important in our life. The less fear that we make important,
the less we have any desire to be in control.

You have emotion — so what? Emotions are emotions. Follow your spirit without hesitation and then deal with whatever that brings up for you. But the first order of business is to follow your spirit without hesitation. The second order of business is to deal with the fear. Most people put it the other way around. “If I can handle this fear I’ll follow my spirit.”

Well, follow your spirit and eventually the fear will stop tagging along. You will have such a deep experience of faith in universal principles after following your spirit for awhile that the fears will just go away. But you aren’t going to get it first. You aren’t going to get that faith first. That faith comes after you’ve been doing it for awhile. It comes from the experience of it working.

The fulfillment of expressing whatever it is that our spirit wishes to express in every moment, the feeling of that energy moving through us, the vitality of that, is life! It doesn’t matter whether we understand or whether we are understood. We are in our natural state when we are following our spirit without hesitation.

To follow our spirit without hesitation is very simply to choose life over death. Our spirit is the source of our life. Hesitation is death. Editing is death. Lying is death.

Tags: FOLLOW YOUR SPIRIT , SWALK1955

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