Mi Choza De Nipa

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY   From TODAY, Voices Wednesday December 31, 2008   By Dr Bill Maier   You say you’re not happy with your life? What if I told you it was all in your mind?   Think of your brain as a computer that serves two purposes. It stores information in your memory bank, but it also transmits information to your heart.   When something happens to you, your brain takes it and puts it somewhere in your mind.   Then your mind sorts through that information and sends signals to your heart, telling you how to react.   Here’s the good part: How your mind processes that information is completely up to you!   You can’t always change what happens, but you have complete control over how it makes you feel.   You can decide to let your circumstances bring you down, or lift you up. And whatever you choose, your mind has to obey, because when it comes to emotions, you’re the...

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY   From TODAY, Voices Tuesday December 30, 2008   By Dr Bill Maier   First time mums often say that once the baby comes, they turn into a different person.   Things they used to enjoy doing suddenly hold no interest to them.   They lose their desire to read or exercise or go to yoga classes.   And cleaning house is the last thing on their minds. All they want to do is hold and care for their new baby.   They develop a serious case of “baby on the brain”, and wonder if they’ll ever snap out of it.   The good news is, it’s a natural phenomenon. In fact, it’s an integral part of the bonding process, and almost all new mothers experience it to some degree.   You’re not losing your mind, you’re just temporarily distracted – and that’s a very good thing.  

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY   From TODAY, Voices Monday December 29, 2008   By Dr Bill Maier   Marriage is designed to be a lifelong relationship between a man and a woman. But sometimes conflicts become so great and unhealthy that the only solution is a time of separation. Some counsellors even recommend it – but only in severe cases.   When marriages become so entrenched in conflict that the couple can’t seem to talk without getting into an argument, something has to give. And sometimes the best approach is through a cooling-off period. This gives each partner time to think rationally, and to work on their personal and spiritual growth. It’s also a good time to seek counsel and support.   But it’s important not to think of a separation as a precursor to divorce. It should only be done as a means of rebuilding and strengthening a troubled marriage. And only under the guidance of a good counsellor.  

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY   From TODAY, Voices Friday December 26, 2008   By Dr James Dobson   Boys without dads – it can break your heart. I once heard of a man named Brad, who was waiting for a table at a neighbourhood restaurant when he felt something tugging on his pants. He looked down and was startled to see a little boy, about 3 years old, looking up at him.   The boy’s mother then rushed over and pulled him away. Brad noticed the woman was crying. “I’m sorry, “ she said, “but you look just like his father – he misses him terribly.” The boy’s parents were divorced and his father had dropped out of his life.   Children living in father-absent homes are more likely to have emotional and behavioural problems, to be suspended from school or drop out, to be victims of child abuse or neglect, to use drugs and to commit suicide as teenagers.   Dads, your child longs for y...

From TODAY, Voices Wednesday December 24, 2008   By Dr James Dobson   Some parents refer to their children as the “apple” of their eye, but one mum I know affectionately thinks of her kids as the “star” in the apple.   This mother discovered one day that by cutting an apple horizontally across the middle instead of coring it and slicing it in wedges from top to bottom, something new and striking appeared. A perfect five-point star was formed by the tiny seeds at the centre. The star had been there all along but she’d never seen it because she always approached the apple from a different point of view.   Most of us look at kids in a certain way. We see them, perhaps, as lazy or irritating or demanding. But children are infinitely complex, and we may be overlooking qualities of character that we’ve never seen before.   If we try to see them through fresh eyes every now and then, we may stumble ...

From TODAY, Voices Tuesday December 23, 2008   By Dr James Dobson   It was Dec 23, 1818, in the small Austrian village of Oberndorf. Father Josef Mohr had begun preparing the music for the Christmas Eve service at his church.   That evening, he attended the town Christmas play, then made his way up a nearby mountain overlooking the city.   There he sat, taking in the beauty of the evening darkness and the starlit sky overhead.   He reached home around midnight and sat down to pen a new song, one which could be played on the guitar, because the church organ was broken.   With the freshness of the mountain evening still on his mind, he began to write. All the while, the words flowed from his pen.   The next morning he asked his organist, Franz Gruber, to put a tune to the poem, something that could be played on a guitar. A few hours later, the task was accomplished.   And so it was, on Christmas Eve, 18...

From TODAY, Voices Monday December 22, 2008   By Dr James Dobson   Somebody once said that ages one to 21 are when you do what your parents tell you to do, ages 21 to 65 are when you do what you have to do, and ages 65 and over are when you do whatever you want to do.   Well, if you ask me, I’d say that “doing whatever you want to do” is bad advice. It’s a raw deal, and everybody loses. Here’s why.   First, it’s unhealthy to focus on yourself, and to stop helping others.   Secondly, retired folks are in a unique position to help single parents, or to mentor children. These young people need somebody who’s not running at the speed of light to spend a little time with them, to do simple things, like read a book to them.   I might remind you that all of the stuff we accumulate, and most of our achievements, will lie rotting in the dump someday. But what will last forever is the lo...