New Beginnings
By Jo Cavanaugh
Every time you inhale you are at a new beginning. The new
breath is a new beginning for your body to provide oxygen to fuel
your cells and keep your body working. When we look at
beginning in the most elemental way, such as a breath,
they don't seem to be so fearsome.
The beginning of a new year provides a great time to for a new
beginning but so does the start of the week, the start of the day,
or to break it down to the most elemental unit of time, the next
breath.
Don't wait. Don't put off your self care until a good time such as
the New Year, the beginning of the week, or the next day. Start
with your next breath to begin to take better care of you.
As you inhale focus on how your lungs expand and how it feels to
breathe. Focus on your breath. As you exhale feel the renewal
and increase in your energy. Remember that we all have an
opportunity for a new beginning. Enjoy the opportunities with
each breath. Take time each day to focus on your breath and the
promise of a new beginning.
Words of Encouragement
Look in your pocket or change purse for a penny. Is the penny
shiny and new or does it have the rich brown color of age? Both
pennies have the same monetary value. Both pennies represent
what we have at the start of each new year. The new penny has
the promise of something new just like we view each new year.
A promise for something new in our lives. The aged penny
represents our endurance, permanence, experience and knowledge. Enjoy 2004 with the hope and shine of the new
penny while enjoying the permanence and experience you
already possess.
Book Award
Kathy, a caregiver from California is the winner of Everyday
Calm, Relaxing Rituals for Busy People, by Darrin Zeer. Congratulations!
Reminders
Don't forget that January is:
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
http://www.preventblindness.org
Caregiver Connection Support Group
Looking for a support group that you can attend from the comfort
of your own home or office? Sign up for Caregiver Connection and attend a telephone support call every Wednesday at 10:00 PM Eastern Time.
Don't miss the mid-February 2004 issue of Caregiver Tips with tips and information on Your Fair Share - Resources.
Messages for Caregivers
Thanks for letting me introduce myself, I am Paul Alper, President
and CEO of The Caregivers Marketplace - a free and confidential
service that offers $100's of dollars a year and more in Cash Back
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Enrollment and participation is completely free and private and
we are endorsed by more than 22 national organizations
including The Visiting Nurse Associations of America, Easter Seals,
The National Alliance for Caregiving, Wellspouse Foundation and
Children of Aging Parents.
To enroll call toll free enrollment at (866) 327-8340 or on-line
below.
Thanks, we look forward to being of service.
Caring for a Loved One Isn't Easy, Saving on the Things They
Need, Is.
Paul Alper
President and CEO
The Caregivers Marketplace
http://www.caregiversmarketplace.com
So Good I Want To Share It
"Lessons from an Oyster"
Author: Author Unknown
There once was an oyster
Whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand
Had got into his shell.
It was only a grain,
but it gave him great pain.
For oysters have feelings
Although they're so plain.
Now, did he berate
the harsh workings of fate
That had brought him
To such a deplorable state?
Did he curse at the government,
Cry for election,
And claim that the sea should
Have given him protection?
'No,' he said to himself
As he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it,
I shall try to improve it.
Now the years have rolled around,
As the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate
Destiny stew.
And the small grain of sand
That had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.
Now the tale has a moral,
for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do
With a morsel of sand?
What couldn't we do
If we'd only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.
Internet Sites 2Good2Miss
Enjoy this movie on your PC:
http://www.scottstratten.com/movie.html
Self Care Tip
Quick, easy and impossible to forget ? Breathe.
Take a big deep breath. Feel your lungs expand and notice how
your body comes alive with the breath. Exhale and release your
cares, worries, and the little nagging thoughts. Inhale again and
feel how much lighter you feel. Exhale and release your sadness,
guilt, and troubling thoughts. Inhale for the third time and feel the love and joy that is possible with three simple breaths.
Exhale and realize that you can do this at any time, any where.
Special Announcement
My husband came home on December 26, 2003 with hospice care. He had a diagnosis of fluid on his lungs, and tumors. They didn't know if it was metothelioma, or cancer because they couldn't do a biopsy. Click her for more information on mesothelioma.
Buddha left a road map, Jesus left a road map, Krishna left a road
map, Rand McNally left a road map. But you still have to travel the
road yourself. -- Stephin Levine
Find out more about Caregiving and receive weekly tips on self care and wellbeing. Subscribe to "Caregiver Tips?".
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