Miracles Move Me

I rise early this morning.  Gleams of sunlight breaks through my blinds, slices past my curtains to the wood floor.  Shortly after it creeps up the side of my bed facing east, and begins to encroach across my sleeping eyes. My initial reaction is to squeeze my lids tighter and pull the covers over my face, however instead I open them gently and know that God is here with me. Right at that very moment, the creator is on my bedside looking at me ever so dearly and loving.  I am his and he is mine. I am his child forged in his beauty and his flaws.  I wake and stretch out my arms wide engulfing the air surrounding me.  I know this is going to be a good day.   Every move I make has a designated purpose and I succeed at each objective.  Nothing can go wrong I believe.  My faith is strong and rising.  I exit my domain and smile at each individual I pass in my certain stride.  Some retur...

When people encounter someone with a strong personality, they don’t understand the kind of person they are dealing with. Some people think you dominate. Some just think you are rude. But none of these are the truth. These words actually do not reflect your personality at all. In fact, strong people are often kittens on the inside. It’s just that people with domineering personalities just give you a bad rep. Strong people do not have to win, they just are not willing to let other people walk all over them on the outside. Sure, some people might be afraid of you. But that is only because they do not understand how you can be so comfortable with yourself that you do not need anyone else to validate you. Here are eight signs that you have a strong personality that might scare some people. You Don’t Put Up With Excuses Strong personalities do not put up with excuses. When you have a strong personality, you’re not willing to listen to people waste time whining about w...

Click Link below for short video clip of NYC 1st Mirco Unit in Manhattan. What do you think? Can These Micro-Units Fix New York City's Housing Problems? by Alissa Walker Micro-unit developments—new apartments that are 400 square feet or smaller—are sprouting up all over the country as cities try to cram more housing into their neighborhoods. New York City’s first micro-unit development opened this month and it’s controversial—even in a city where people already pay top dollar to live in tiny apartments. We recently took a tour of a new micro-unit development called Ollie that just opened in Manhattan. Although Mayor Bill de Blasio is behind the most recent campaign to bring 80,000 affordable housing units to New York City, the push for this particular housing typology originally came from the previous city’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who hosted a micro-unit design competition in 2012. The winning concept by Brooklyn-based nArchitects was this 55-unit tower, which was...

Many people look to the government to find out how to apply for a grant or to get "free money," which they have seen advertised on television or in various publications. Often times some people confuse grants for benefits or financial assistance, learn more about  benefits and how to apply . Federal grants are awards of financial assistance to an individual and/or organization awarded to carry out a government service or purpose. To learn more about this process, check out our  grants page on USA.gov.  

PLEASE READ PART 1 BEFORE READING PART 2... Reliance on Others If we look to our relationships to complete us and fulfill our unmet needs for happiness and love, then those relationships often result in disappointment.  When we believe that persons we are in a relationship with are responsible for making us happy and whole, then we create unhealthy expectations that become impossible for anyone to meet. This sense of lack can cause us to feel fear whenever our partner is not satisfying our expectations for attention and love. This leads to suffering and co-dependency.  Such insecurities cause us to act with jealously and neediness as our primary motivators, or to constantly seek approval from our partner which can become nagging behavior.  If this continues and becomes intense and out of control it leads to compulsive behavior, obsessive mindset and destructive actions.  It can even mimic addiction. The main issue in this situation is that we look outside f...

Whether you witness a catastrophic event or discover that you must give an unprepared speech in the next 30 seconds, crises happen. And regardless of magnitude, the “recipe” for responding to any of them is the same. The first step is the most important —avoiding panic and emotional confusion by staying in the moment and focusing only on what is directly in front of you. This is easier said than done, because most crises instill immediate fear—fear of what’s coming next. If you can detach quickly from this dynamic, you experience clearer solution-oriented thinking, even in the midst of utter confusion. The next step —make decisions about what action to take and taking that action with thoughtful engagement. You don’t need Navy SEAL training to learn these skills. Your practice opportunities come with common events—a flat tire, an overdue bill, a burst pipe, a failed test, a cut finger, or a wedding band down the bathroom drain. Your success with these smaller events ...

7 Ways to Make the Holidays Special for Your Children  BY  KAREN BRESNAHAN This time of year can be challenging for any parent. As schools, businesses, churches and communities everywhere are gearing up to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas, the days and weeks ahead can become crammed with activities that will wear out any child and their parents. But a conscientious parent will search for ways to teach their children the true meaning of the holidays, so they don’t get lost and confused by the commercialism promoted by retail stores. Instead of focusing on the self-absorbed attitude of deciding what they want to get out of it, (like how many toys will Santa bring me) maybe you would prefer that your child learn  about why we celebrate these holidays to begin with. Here are some simple things you can do to help your child learn the traditional meaning of the holidays, while giving them something they can treasure about the upcoming events. 1. Bake so...