Prayer is everything and it is sweet.  Prayer is the way we communicate with the divine whether we find that divine within ourselves through various mediatations or body work or whether we look out into the great universe and speak to Sacred Mother or Father that exsist out in world.  Prayer can be words or the lack of words, it can be groans, it can be breathes, it can be dance, or movement.  Prayer is what ever you use to feel connected with the divine.  So my friends i hope this new day you to will feel the presence of the divine.
Namaste

simply a smile, its been missing a while now it is back!

Stories my wife tells about prison work.  Probably the story about the kid who was mad at her for smiling.

The whole of last year was adventure.  It was adventure in patcience and learning and much pain.  It started with my wife starting an 1000 hr practicum as a prison Psychology intern.  This caused her to move to a new part time job that did not work out.  so for the first two months of the year money was up in the air.  Meanwhile at my job what had been a good year in 07 turned south with lots of negativity being thrown my way.  What made it such an adventure was everything I tried didn't seem to work and no one wanted to help but to say hang in there, that caused trouble later.  My wife resigned on her old job part time through June and that helped but unfortunately they were mad at her for not staying full time and so didn't rehire her.  So from June - Dec we were short income.  Four kids some with special needs and short income is a tough house to live in.  Especially when you and your wife can't even land a part time job.   In Oct  I was given a two day notice that I needed to quite my job as I wasn't working out, but nobody could define that and my boss told me it was a mistake but his hand where tied.  I was put out to drift in this scary economy with six months to figure things out.  After some therapy  I realized that I had been selling my soul to keep a job and now am in the progress of finding not only a new job but a new purpose.   All this was a breaking point for my wife who had started a new job as a Pschy assistant in juvenile prison.  She loved her job and had begun to find purpose but she had lost purpose in our relationship.  Others made her laugh.  We have been putting together a new relationship over the last week that doesn't leave me hopless but doesn't produce much hope.  So as one adventure ends I believe the new year presents a new adventure.   I look forward to finding a new purpose and reaching new heights.  I am interested to know where my relationship with my wife will go, it has potential to move to a more mature higher level.   I must confess I am not looking forward to the pain but I am looking forward to writing this post at the end of the new year.  To all who kind enough to read this post thank you.

Shalom
The traveler

I am feeling a little sarcastic today and ironic so here where the first two things that came to mind.  First on the ironic side I shared my  flu bug with my wife! yes not the happy answer but in the ying and yang of life that is part of it.  :).   On the sarcastic side the last thing I shared was some of my spending cash with my kids.  Some times it seems life is just a little ironic it doesn't always fit into our world of peace and love.
Peace, Namaste

This makes me wonder if I am easy to be with?   I look for someone who is flexible but not spineless.  Someone who laughs alot and likes to talk.  I am a good listener not a talker.   Someone who is not always judging people.  I feel so awkard when I  am with people who cut other demographics down.  How are you supposed to relax with those kind of people?    I think though the most easy people to be with are those who are perfectly comfortable in their own skin.    I think I have more work to do.

Peace among my kids, my wife's love. simple but real.

I have always wanted to way in on this question.  I one sense I do believe in karma.  The energy you put out in this world will return to you generally speaking.  If I am nice to my neighbor he will be nice to me.   If I am kind generally speaking others will be kind to me.  So also I have expereinced how hurting others will  bring bad karma to you.  Case in point was when a friend of mine was fired from her job by a hr committe that used some very underhanded  techniques to do so.  They also did everything in their power to restrict her earnings while under severance.   Within a months time every person on that committe had a tradgedy in their familly, shocking deaths, children with surgery, and illness.    this all said I have a problem with the karma idea.  I grew up in a fundementalist home where you were supposed to do right so God wouldn't be upset with you and punish you.  I hear people especially kids who talk about doing good so others will do good to them.  I think more important than what you do is with what spirit and reason one does it. 
Tim

I love coming home after I have been gone from home for a couple days.   My younger kids come flying up and give me a hugs and don't detach.  My wife gives me a big kiss and my older kids start jabbering non stop.  It is reminds me that no matter where I am their is one place that I am always missed
Peace

The most difficult promise I made was the one that I take most serious.  That is the vows I gave to my wife.  Don't get me wrong they are also the most rewarding as well. But after you have lived with someone as long as I have you become familar with that person  and it is easy to see their faults or to feel their upsetness with your faults ( and I have a lot!).  What I think is the most difficult and rewarding is changing with them.  When you take vows with a person you start a journey together I believe you have two choices; one of the partners can lose themselves into the others dreams, or you can both journey together but also seperately.  In my marriage we have chosen the later.   So there have been times when we are in different places.  In some ways it requires you to constantly romance your significant other to get to know them better.  I become most aware of this at Christmas time.   It used to be I could land the best gift giving husband of the year trophy all the time but my as my wife works on her doctorate in pscychology she has changed and now the ideas that I used to have aren't as good or fit her.   On the flip side I have an intellectual stimulating conversationalist when ever she is home.  The fire and passion in her is extremely stimualting. But I must tell you it is not always easy.
shalom

Right now it seems surviving the month would be lovely.   My wife will be gone for three weeks and it is effecting my kids and me.  but I guess if I have to look at life positively I hope this month will bring my family closer and strengthen them.  I hope to find peace and harmony as well.

The hardest thing about love is remembering you are not supposed to give love to get love.  In fact it may not be love at all.  To many times we forget to love unconditionally and our love brings hurt and discouragement.  Having children will remind you of this.  When a child says you don't love me because I have to stop something fun and do a chore or responsibility, you are still loving them, even if they tell you you don't love them. 

I think I have been naive about some of the jobs I have taken.  I have been hired at least at my last job to be an agent of change when in reality people just wanted me to make what already exsisted work.  i like to think good about people at first.  i also have a gift of seeing peoples potential.  It took me a while to realize what peoples potential is ,does not mean people will meet it.  I was naive enough to think that I could help every one reach that potential.  Now I know that we all fall short no matter who guides us or teaches us. It makes me wonder if what my guides and teachers felt of me?