Endings and Beginnings

      As we once again approach the end of a year and begin another one; it never fails to amaze me how often we repeat the same old patterns.  Oh to be sure…there will be the predictible year in review on the news programs…on the entertainment programs; and, even on the morning talk shows.  Does anyone else watch those things and think….that happened this year?  Why, i thought that person passed away longer ago than that…or did that much stuff really happen just this year?  We can learn from these things because time really does pass more quickly than we are aware of.

         As as we approach the new year…we will invariably have to hear about all of the new year’s resolutions that we may or, more likely, may not keep within days of making our comittments!  🙂  We will hear from all of those people who have the ability to “predict” the future; telling us their  version of the coming days and, how we are going to handle those situations around the world. 

          I say, let’s do something new this year.  Let’s live in the moment for a change…how does that sound?  People get so locked into the past that they can’t envision the future.  Those who have their sights set on the future…are so busy trying to forget about the past that they cant live for today.  When we live in a constant state of rewind or fast forward…we miss some of the greatest moments today with our friends, our family, our co-workers, neighbors and even with friends we have not yet met.

          Each day is a gift and must be truly lived in to be appreciated.  There is nothing worse than meeting someone who is bitter and corrupted from the past that continues to haunt them…or someone so bent on tomorrow that they can’t even take the time to realize that today is passing them by while they are so busy preparing for the next greatest thing that may be coming their way.  Regrets are a terrible thing to live with because wishing things were different doesn’t make it so. 

          People who get to the end of their lives either take stock and tally all the blessings in their life or they sit and review all of the missed opportunities and regrets of things that they could have, would have or should have been done better.  That is not a happy moment.  

          Our attitude or approach to life should be viewed as a whole life outlook or plan…not as in segments to be filed away for posterity to be reviewed at a later date; it is much too precious and passes way too quickly, we might forget to DO something important if we view life in small segments to be accomplished.  At the end of life, there are no do overs; I am afraid to tell you.  This is it, in this world that we live in.  If you get off of your chosen path…it is easy to re-route your footsteps and get back on track…as long as you are still breathing…you can change the course that you choose to follow.

         Many of us spend way too much time doing things that we don’t want to do…things that don’t make us happy; or, doing things that others expect us to be doing.  When it comes right down to it…no-one else lives inside of our skin…or our souls; we alone are responsible for our personal failures and achievements.  Yes, there are others who help us on our way but; no matter what…when it comes right down to it; we each have a responsibility to figure out how we want to live our lives…with both the beginnings, the endings and all that happens in our lives, in the very important middle.  Let’s make it a goal to make every day count for something special!

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Did You Agree To Rip Yourself Off?

       Here is something to think about with all of the financial crisis making the daily news.  Have you signed anything legal agreeing to rip yourself off financially?  Many people probably haven’t realized this aspect of the times yet…but, a normally smart thing to do each summer is to sign up for a budget plan with your winter heating fuel supplier…agreeing to “lock in” a price when the prices are low during the summer…just in case the price of heating oil/gas goes up, like it normally does in the fall and winter months.

        This year…against any predictable reasoning…gas prices have fallen, sharply.  Still, once people sign on the dotted line to lock in a heating source price…they truly are locked in at that price.   I think as people discover this situation for themselves…there is going to be alot of anger of being caught in this situation.  Some say, that most years it makes sense to lock in and it works out to their advantage…but, this year has really challenged that theory.

          Locking in makes sense usually; the agreement is usually accomplished in mid summer.  Well….if you remember correctly, in July…gas prices were sky high.  In my neck of the woods…gasoline prices have dropped from an all time high of approximately $4.25 down to now a $2.88 cents a gallon.  If you apply that thought process to home heating oil/propane….you can just imagine how much money that people are loosing.

          With the rising cost of food, rent/mortgage payments, health insurance, and other necessities…people can ill afford to pay extra when they don’t have to.  I, for one, am glad that i didn’t lock in my propane prices; like i was advised to! 

          Did you get ripped off by signing an agreement to lock in your heating costs this year?  If you did…you are not alone…and personally i don’t think anyone expected such a situation…but, it really is a gamble trying to predict the future with heating costs.  I am pretty sure that, next year, companies will have a hard time getting people who were burned this year, to sign on the dotted line.  Just stop and think about how many people are living on fixed incomes…i almost hate to see winter arrive because…we will see more people suffering and living in dangerous conditions, in colder climates, because of this.

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Time To Get Out Of The Way…Now!

        It is time to get out of the way, now!  Don’t wait…find a way to get to safety.  Don’t try to stay to protect your possessions…nothing that can be replaced is worth dying for.  There is a new hurricane threat to the coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico.  The hurricane named Gustav, is at the moment a category 4 with winds around 150 miles an hour.  It has been pounding Cuba and it is gaining in strength.

         Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin is calling it the storm of the century.  This is frightening…because hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans.  People need to get out of the area now.  There has been a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans ordered by the mayor. 

         To enable the flow of traffic out of the city…the highway is directing all of the lanes of traffic to head away from the coast.  There will be no traffic allowed to travel into the city starting at 4 am Sunday.  Predictions are that the hurricane will become a category 5 by tomorrow.  This is the type of storm no one should stick around to witness.  It is the kind of storm that nightmares are made up of.

          With hurricane Katrina…many people tried to stay and ride out the storm.  The mayor of New Orleans is advising against that…because they will be running the city with a skeleton crew of emergency responders.  There will be no one to help once the storm hits. 

           Remembering the disaster of Katrina…I feel for all of the people of the Gulf.  May God protect them and their homes.  Fear, loss, and depression still lingers from the effects of Katrina.  It is such a terrifying thing to not know what to do or where to go.   It was being reported that some gas stations along the main highways were running out of gasoline to help the people being evacuated out of the area.  We need to pray for everyone who is being affected by this hurricane season.

           Where the Gustav will land is not known at this time…Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and parts of Texas are all under a hurricane watch.  To find out the latest on hurrican Gustav click on the site of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration here: http://www.noaa.gov/

          

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