Why not make today a time to build some family goodwill?

1. Catch up on your reading – take advantage of the extra daylight and free time to dig into those books you’ve been putting off reading. Make sure you add some fiction to the list.
2. Have a movie day – rent or borrow DVD or some of the classic family shows: Leave it to Beaver, The Brady Bunch, My Three Sons, etc.
3. Tune up your photography skills – dust off the camera(s), read some photography tips and spend some time taking pictures of everyday objects. If weather permits, get the family out for a photo walk.
4. Get active – turn off the television and unplug the video games. Get the whole family active. Your heart will thank you.
5. Start a blog or a Facebook page – it seems like everyone and his dog has already started blogging. If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, why not start a family blog to keep the rest of your relatives informed as to what is going on in your life? Or, if blogs seem passé, get the family connect via Facebook.
6. Attend concerts or plays – find out where local entertainers are performing in your community. There will often be free or inexpensive outdoor performances.
7. Plan a special family meal – skip the turkey or roast beef dinner. Make it a DIY pizza night. Spread out a variety of fixings and everyone designs there own pizza. Finish with a make-your-own sundae for dessert.

Okay… you can’t ignore your family for 364 days of the year and expect to create goodwill from one day of family activity. Building a strong family takes regular, focussed effort. However, Family Day is a good opportunity to have some family fun together.

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Cry of a Tiny Babe ~Bruce Cockburn

Mary grows a child without the help of a man
Joseph get upset because he doesn’t understand
Angel comes to Joseph in a powerful dream
Says “God did this and you’re part of his scheme”
Joseph comes to Mary with his hat in his hand
Says “forgive me I thought you’d been with some other man”
She says “what if I had been – but I wasn’t anyway and guess what
I felt the baby kick today”

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

The child is born in the fullness of time
Three wise astrologers take note of the signs
Come to pay their respects to the fragile little king
Get pretty close to wrecking everything
‘Cause the governing body of the Holy land
Is that of Herod, a paranoid man
Who when he hears there’s a baby born King of the Jews
Sends death squads to kill all male children under two
But that same bright angel warns the parents in a dream
And they head out for the border and get away clean

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

There are others who know about this miracle birth
The humblest of people catch a glimpse of their worth
For it isn’t to the palace that the Christ child comes
But to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums
And the message is clear if you have ears to hear
That forgiveness is given for your guilt and your fear
It’s a Christmas gift that you don’t have to buy
There’s a future shining in a baby’s eyes

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Image via Wikipedia

Today is Remembrance Day.

• Remembrance Day 2 Learn about how the first Remembrance Day in Canada came to be and who initiated this holiday.
• Veterans Affairs Canada This site is the Canadian Veterans Affairs web site. You will find Books of Remembrance here, songs that were popular during war time, information on WWI and WWII and so much more on the history of war and Remembrance Day.
• Veterans Affairs/Anciens Combattants Canada At this site you can find real time audio recollections from war vets, listen to war time songs, and learn about the war years.
• Remembrance and Poppy This site has downloadable material for students and teachers to find out about Remembrance Day. Topics are: Story of Remembrance, All About Poppies, Activity Guides for teachers and speakers and student info.
• Remembrance Day – November 11 Learn about John McCrae, the author of the poem In Flanders Fields and get the words to Bryan Adams song, Remembrance Day.
• The Story of Remembrance Learn the importance of Remembrance Day and why we wear a poppy.
• The War Amps – Les Amput .s de guerre This site gives history of the War Amps of Canada. It can be viewed in English or French.

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• Lest we forget
• Tribute to World War I dead arrives in Toronto

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Today is Canada Day. This marks the joining of the British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867.

So, what does it mean to be a Canadian? At least, from the perspective of Canadians.

Picture this: Pierre Trudeau standing with his back to Niagara Falls, clutching a red maple leaf in his hand, on Canada Day. Can you imagine a more Canadian scene? Only if the robotic space Canadarm somehow made it into the scene, according to a 2008 poll.

The Ipsos-Reid survey, on behalf of the Dominion Institute and the federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration, asked Canadians what best defines their country.

After tallying the results, Trudeau was revealed as the person who most defines Canada. Niagara Falls was the defining place, Canada Day the defining event, Canadarm the defining accomplishment and the maple leaf was the defining symbol.

The top-ten results in each of the five categories are…

People:

1. Pierre Trudeau
2. Wayne Gretzky
3. Terry Fox
4. Céline Dion
5. John A. Macdonald
6. David Suzuki
7. Tommy Douglas
8. Stephen Harper
9. Lester Pearson
10. Maurice Richard

Places:

1. Niagara Falls
2. The Rockies
3. Parliament Hill
4. Ottawa
5. CN Tower
6. Quebec City/Old Quebec City
7. Toronto
8. Montreal
9. Province of Quebec
10. Vancouver

Events:

1. Canada Day
2. Confederation
3. First and Second World Wars
4. Calgary Stampede
5. Vimy Ridge
6. Plains of Abraham
7. Grey Cup
8. Olympics
9. Expo 67
10. Quebec Winter Carnival

Accomplishments:

1. Canadarm
2. Peacekeeping
3. Universal health care
4. Fredrick Banting – Insulin
5. Alexander Graham Bell – Telephone
6. Diversity, Multiculturalism
7. Canadian Constitution, Charter of Rights and Freedoms
8. Canadian national railway/railroad
9. Freedom
10. Avro Arrow project

Symbols:

1. Maple leaf
2. Hockey
3. Canadian flag
4. Beaver
5. RCMP, Mounties
6. Stanley Cup
7. Wilderness (includes scenery)
8. Loonie
9. Maple syrup
10. Moose, caribou

How about non-Canadians, do any of the above conjure up images of Canada or is it something else?

Trudeau, Niagara Falls among top Canadian icons, poll finds.

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

I’m enjoying the day with family and wish my readers a wonderful Christmas.

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Image via Wikipedia

A happy and blessed Thanksgiving to family and friends in the U.S.

“Develop an ‘attitude of gratitude.’ Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything they do for you.” — Brian Tracy

“There is no better opportunity to receive more than to be thankful for what you already have. Thanksgiving opens the windows of opportunity for ideas to flow you way.” — Jim Rohn

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” — Marcus Cicero

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

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Posted in Productivity

There’s nothing like a major holiday, such as Christmas, to ratchet up the pressure on your schedule. Parties, concerts, shopping, visiting all add to an already full schedule. While you may find a couple of quiet days around the holiday, the rest of December can be quite stressful.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help:

• If you’re selected to plan the office Christmas party, put together a group to help you out.
• Get family members involved in shopping, decorating, baking, etc.
• Charitable organizations often run gift-wrapping services as a fund raiser. You can save some time and support a worthy cause by getting your gifts wrapped.

Holidays can add the expectation of the personal touch to all that happens. Don’t feel you have to do everything. Ask for help.

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!