Blessings, affirmations, grace, and reflection

No doubt about it that 2009 has had its share of challenges. On the flip side it has also had its share of blessings, so I am not quite sure how I feel about seeing it go. Most people are ready to see it go. They are reflecting on the past year and planning for the new year. Strangely, I feel very little excitement for the new year. I guess it might behoove me to reflect on how my life has changed since 1999, but I don't feel like it. I just want to see my life continue to grow and to see myself become better than I was this past year. I want to move...not sure if it will be from this city...but I need to move. I need to stay on top of my health and my priorities. I need to carry forward the work ethic I developed over the past year. I am on the right track in some areas, but need to grow in others. Happy new year! See you on the other side!

Let me preface this by saying this  is a controversial topic. It is also one that has been weighing heavy on my heart and mind. A popular catch-phrase around Christmas time is that people want to take Christ out of Christmas by abbreviating with X-mas or (respectfully) saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. As someone who comes from a multicultural world, the reality is that I come into contact with Hindus, Baha'is, Muslims, Jews, and Jehovah Witnesses. To impose your religion on them is the same complaint that many Christians cry foul about when the inverse happens to them. But the larger picture can be displayed by a situation that happened to me one winter evening last year.  I had learned that one of the largest and well-known churches in the city was having a concert. Now, I did not realize there was a cost associated with going to a concert at a church. I entered the church and found a pew toward the back. The sanctuary had a good number of people in it, bu...

Talk about a mash up!

Enjoy this holiday track from Ledisi zSHARE - 05 This Christmas _Could Be The One_.mp3

Packaged in a shiny silver casing, The Truth About You: Your Secret to Success by Marcus Buckingham is designed to grab your attention. Who wouldn't be interested in being let in on 'the secret to success?' But this isn't your standard self-help book full of questions, scenarios, and clients whose names have been changed.  The Truth About You starts out by giving the reader a bit of background about the author and what motivated him to write the book. Buckingham starts out with describing how he didn't know what he would do with his life. He then went back to basics and thought about what grabbed his attention in school. What subjects drew him in. He then points out that fewer than two out ten of us get to play to our strengths in our work lives. And thus, sets the tone for the book. Buckingham then begins to describe what the reader will find within the confines of the book. A 20 minute DVD about a boy Ewan with a problem he learns to overcome is tucked in...

http://vimeo.com/8274428

Rest in peace, Alaina.