Sunday, January 31, 2010

How To Be Successful With Your Cosmic Order

By Carole Stracken

A great deal of attention has recently been placed on Cosmic Ordering. Scores of individuals place their own cosmic order. However, the question is, does it work in reality?

Almost everyone has heard of the secret and the law of attraction. However, you can obtain your desire, because cosmic ordering is much more detailed.

If you could order anything up in your life, what would it be? Would you want the perfect mate, a large bank account or perfect youthful vigor and health? All of these are available just for the asking if you use the cosmic order system.

According to numerous celebrity endorsements and a multitude of individuals, it does work for them. Even so, what is it that occurs while placing your cosmic order? In addition, how is it that for some it does not work?

The process is simple and yet many fail to reap the rewards that they want. There are several reasons for this. One is that they still have the old belief system that there is not enough to go around for everyone.

There is abundance everywhere and yet some never find it no matter how hard they search. They believe that anothers success takes away from them because theres only a limited supply. They become envious and angry with others that seem to have it all.

The rewards they desire are then blocked by this belief. It sends a message to their brain once more that there is never enough for them to have any. This brain energy then signals the Universe, which in turn fulfils their prophecy.

The second reason that most people dont succeed is that, while they believe theres enough to go around and get excited for others, they dont believe it can happen to them. You hear it every time someone buys a lottery ticket. I never win anything. They are never disappointed that way. They believe that if they acknowledge their lack, some outside force will feel sorry for them and fill the gap right away.

This will never work, since you can make your cosmic order and determine your destiny by making a simple phrase to accompany the cosmic order.

Lastly, the desires of many are not achieved, because they hold no true belief for having what they desire. Their desire becomes blocked by this negative energy. It is their belief of their uniqueness and desire as well as their ability to obtain their desires that holds no universal value and then their experience of possibility when making a cosmic order is seized.

When you find that, you are lacking in your beliefs you must do some serious reprogramming. You must begin to acknowledge that you are special and essential as an individual, while removing your old system of beliefs. Remember, we are all equal and none is better than the other is.

All earthly creatures have a divine right to health, happiness and wealth. Nevertheless, you have to release your past and believe in receiving that which you deserve and desire.

When you have the right tools, this is an easy thing to do. The concept has been proven by scientific studies. Quantum physics reveals a smidgeon of the common sense behind the secret that has escaped man for centuries.

You can ensure that cosmic order is successful for drawing your desires to you. Essentially, you should remain positive. Making positive affirmations, self-hypnosis and meditation are helpful.

Using special sound frequencies known as binaural tones, which are recent developments in sound technology can aid you tremendously to change the state of your mind in order to communicate with the universe. You will see faster results when you use such technology, since it can aid you by clearing away you old system of beliefs much faster.

Long ago, mystics and true believers of a religious sect were the only ones who took advantage of the cosmic order system. Today, anyone who believes it is possible can do it. Wisdom of the ancients and science unite in order to aid you in achieving your desires.

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Wedding Table Decorations With That 'WOW'

By Emily Tanner

Being engaged and buying the dress is just the start of it! Now you need to think about how you can create perfect wedding table decorations that will impress your guests. We can't stress enough how important it is to take the time to get the look as well as ensure maximum impact and style.

The first and probably the most important job you need to do is create a mood board. This can be in any form whether it be a notebook, whiteboard or simply a sheet of paper. It becomes the place where you record all your wedding style ideas and include dress material samples, wedding menu cards, floral arrangement cuttings from magazines and colours you wish to incorporate. You can even include words to describe the theme of your day e.g. free-flowing, spirited and casual or opulent, stylish and regal. Once you have started putting ideas to paper, some general trends will become evident which will provide the inspiration you require for creating the perfect wedding table decorations.

The next thing you must consider is when and where your event will be take place. For those choosing a rural pub in high summer, your inspiration can be taken from hydrangea, wisteria and sweet peas. If your wedding is taking place in a castle in the winter, your inspiration will be taken from faux fur shrugs, snowy views, cosy hearths and regal velveteen. In order for your wedding accessories to co-ordinate successfully with your surroundings, you must consider the season and your venue carefully. If it's ok with your venue, it would be wise to take a photograph of your reception area and add it to your mood board.

Your ideas should be coming together nicely now, so you can start to consider which colour palette you should have. To achieve maximum impact, your table decorations, wedding favours and table accessories need to be in the right tone and shade. Having a spring wedding? Use the seasonal greens, soft pinks & bright daffodil yellows as your starting point. If your event is taking place in the summer, be inspired by hot tropical pinks and splashes of acid orange. Choose Christmas gold and red if marrying in the winter or cosy coppers, vibrant orange and chocolate browns if marrying in Autumn months.

Lastly, once you have completed your mood board it's time to start shopping! You will need to set one table up exactly as it will be on the wedding day to see how it is going to look. Remember to include place card holders, wedding favours, ribbon for napkin ties, ribbon swatches you may be using elsewhere, balloons, chair ties, table confetti or table gems, table trivia and other decorative items. It would also be worth purchasing just one or two blooms that will be used in your table centrepiece to give you an overall feel. This is a good time to take a picture too so that you can show your venue, planner or bridesmaid exactly how you want your tables set on the day.

We trust that this article has helped you appreciate the importance of wedding table decorations and has given you some ideas about how you can achieve stunning wedding reception tables. And remember to take your inspiration from your venue and the time of year to ensure you create the perfect wedding table decorations.

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Clearing Your Chakras and Cleansing Your Life

By Jai Dahalli

In the modern world it is very important to keep on reinventing yourself to ensure that you can achieve desired success, equally important is to refresh the energy and desire in you so that you can push yourself to do your best.

There are various other determinants of uninterrupted growth which include the body strength as well as the mental makeup and the passion within the heart of an individual. A fairly crucial part is played by centres of spiritual energy in your body as they help in development of the persona of an individual.

In order to reach your goals it is important that the strength and energy lying within you are transformed into performance and here is where the chakras play a defining role. The only thing that you need to be careful about is that these chakras require being refreshed periodically or else their efficiency might reduce.

Since each chakra in our body has relevance with various aspects we need to understand and ensure that all of them are paid adequate attention, the seven chakras in your body lie between the bottom of your spine and the head.

Clearing chakras involves the release of the toxic energy within the body into the environment and capturing the positivity from the surroundings.

Certain moves in the clockwise direction help to get in the positive energies while opposite movements are required in order to get rid of the negativity.

Also in the process of clearing chakras you might experience a little pain in body parts but that is just an indication of the occurrence of the process of energy exchange.

It is believed that the circles or the chakras in your body derive energy from the planets and the heavenly bodies and allow the human mind, body and soul to function in the right direction.

Clearing chakras leads to complete reinvention of your personality and you feel as if the world around you has become very pleasant. Individuals like to perform this act on a regular basis but the regularity differs from individual to individual.

Once you clear the chakras and ensure that the positive energy gained is stabilized you would discover that your mind is filled with creative thoughts much more than what you would have previously thought. It helps the others familiarise with the different aspects of your life and thoughts.

The process of clearing chakras can start by paying attention to 1-2 of the circles of energy in your body and in the process try to get all your chakras cleared as only then you will be able to enjoy the advantage of your energies. People would be able to experience peace of mind as well as they tend to be relaxed.

Once you are parts of your body that relate to a particular chakra are understood you just need to use your feeling sensation to find the part which has a problem and work out on the corresponding chakra.

The amount of competition in all fields today is tremendous and you have to be very agile. In case you do not have the apt approach or there is an imbalance of the energies in your body, the execution of your skills and talents into effective results would be very difficult.

The spiritual energy has a potential role to play in the success of an individual in all fields and that has been realised by people practising this art. Also efforts are being made to understand the science of chakras in a better way.

You can bring a lot to your life in terms of happiness, satisfaction, achievements and success if you can practise and implement the fundamentals of chakras. A lot depends on how you approach it, chakra clearing would help you to approach your goals with a freshness of mind and body!

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Six Like Wow Jewelry Gift Ideas For Mom & Grandma

By Tom Jones

Finding first-class jewelry gift ideas for mom is simple when you shop at the right online store. You can find the ideal gift of jewelry for Mother's Day, her birthday, Christmas or just "because". What mom & grandma doesn't enjoy receiving jewelry for just about any reason and mom will remember you each time she puts on her special jewelry gift from you.

The following column will discuss six first-class jewelry gift ideas for mom like: beautiful mother's & grandmother's rings, personalized or engraved jewelry, fashion watches, fabulous mother's & grandmother's earrings and unique mother's & grandmother's bracelets that really let you charm your mom & grandma while giving her a precious reminder of the people she loves the most - her children.

Probably the most traditional jewelry gifts for mothers are birthstone jewelry items. When you purchase birthstone jewelry for her whether it is necklaces, rings or earrings, you are demonstrating how important her birth is to you.

Jewelry that is personalized or engraved makes great jewelry gifts for mom. You can have a particular word or meaningful expression engraved inside a ring, necklace or bracelet to demonstrate to your mother the depths of your feelings.

Another fabulous idea for jewelry gifts for mom is fashion watches. Your mom & grandma needs a fashion watch to match her favorite wardrobe item and maybe even several to go with her color palette.

Of course, mother's jewelry is always a great alternative to get for your mom & grandma. She will be proud to sport a keepsake that reminds her of the births of her offspring and for a lot of mothers this special ring is their most prized item of jewelry.

Another option in mother's jewelry is a mom's & grandma's bracelet. Attractive charm-type bracelets let your mother add a charm for each of her children and it can be their birthstone or a unique item that reminds her of that particular child.

Lastly, there are numerous jewelry gifts for mom that are able to give your mom & grandma a smile and demonstrate to her how you feel. Necklaces are a beloved choice whether you get a mother's necklace or perhaps a gorgeous locket that can hold your picture so it can stay close to her heart.

Mothers are extraordinary and we could not be who we are without them. The right gift can help you express how much you love your mom. Shopping over the internet can help you find these top six spring jewelry gifts for mom & grandma.

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Best Valentines Day Flowers

By Victor Wales

Observed on February 14th, lovers often anticipate Valentine's Day. Flowers can assist people who are in love to share their feelings and romantic notions, and there are many flowers that are linked to Valentine's Day. Customarily, one who loves another will offer him or her a card and a present. A crimson rose, in particular, represents sensuality and romance, and it is a well-known and ever-pleasing Valentine's Day flower. Currently more exciting flowers, like a striking orchid or an aromatic lily, are more adventurous Valentine's Day flower options.

The Rose: The Eternal Valentine Flower

Many ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans began using the rose as a symbol for differnt emotions; red for love, pink or yellow for friendship, and white for peace. Even Cleopatra used rose petals to demonstrate her love to Mark Anthony. The Empress of France, Josephine even filled her gardens with beautiful roses.

It was down to the Victorians to look deeper at flowers and how they can express feelings, especially those of love. The size, placement and flowers found in a Victorian bouquet would express specific things, minute details could make all the difference. Such as the difference between a single red rose, and a bouquet of red and white roses.

A multitude of different types of roses exist today: there are untamed roses; new yard roses that may be tiny, ascending, in a brier or a thicket; or antique yard roses that may ascend up walls. Roses, which have different shades and fragrances, are most popular in crimson, blush, ivory, and lemon for Valentine's Day. The way a rose smells - which may be different for every flower - is known to be erotic, inviting and a libido-enhancer.

Orchids: Sophisticated Flowers for Valentine's Day

Orchids are sophisticated by nature. Between 25,000 and 30,000 different types of orchids exist all over the globe, even by the ocean and up in the peaks.
Different types of orchids have different scents, but they are usually strong, alluring and even pungent and sweet. The variety of shades of orchids include blush, lemon, crimson and lilac, and in order to thrive they need a balmy, wet environment, which is why they do well in greenhouses. Orchids are not standard blooms, but they are gorgeous and they make nice presents that symbolize love, and that makes them ideal for Valentine's Day. X

Lily: The Best Scented Of Valentines Day Flowers

The tiger lily, the oriental lily and the Madonna lily are some types of rare lilies. The most antiquated type of this flower is the Madonna. The Madonna lily was known in long-ago Egyptian and Greek lands. This particular flower is alluring, exciting and a libido-enhancer, despite the fact that it is not a popular flower for Valentine's Day.

You do not have to adhere to a preconception of what should be considered as valentines day flowers, whichever you choose should mean a lot to whoever you gift them to. The above three are those I prefer, but every individual is different and as such you should find those valentines day flowers that your partner will greatly appreciate.

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Saturday, January 30, 2010

Choosing Engagement Ring

By Robert Sherley

It's your engagement ring and you want it to last for a whole life. From the setting and the stones down to the choice of metal for the design, you can accept nothing except perfection. The difficulty is that you can't make up your mind between white gold or platinum. Both sorts of metal look inspiring and are excellent for engagement ring settings. Understanding them can help point you to a better informed selection. This metal is about twenty-five p.c heavier than white gold and is noted for its sturdiness. The scratching on platinum is regarded part of its charm. When platinum scratches it creates a patina that ends in a strongly white, brushed look.

While platinum is a good choice, there are some potential downsides to this selection.

It can, in actual fact climb to as much as 3 to 4 times the price of gold. White gold is a standard and wonderful choice of metals for an engagement ring. This implies it is made with a mix of metals to guarantee the gold, which is always yellow, takes on a white cast.

This choice of metals is less complicated for jewelers to work with, more handy to resize and does cost a great deal less than platinum.

While white gold is a spectacular choice, especially if budget is a concern, it does have some potential flaws. This kind of engagement ring can be subject to brittleness and will likely have to be plated again from time to time as the finish can lose its whiteness. It is also possible that allergic displays can happen in some who are reactive to the metals utilized in the amalgamate. Choosing between platinum and white gold for an engagement ring is no simple venture. If pureness is a difficulty platinum is the very best choice. If pricing matters and the price will affect the quality of the center stone, white gold infrequently wins every time.

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Why Children's Search Curriculum Important?

By Kenneth Taylor

Children's search curriculum helps in the development of overall personality of a child. They get a good religious knowledge. It is the responsibility of church leaders to give the best spiritual knowledge. Religious growth is important for the social and personal growth.

If you want the development of overall personality of your child then it is very important that you make them join children's church curriculum. Normally children get all the physical and social knowledge. But it is utmost important that they also get the religious knowledge also. So it is very important that you make your child join children's church curriculum.

It is not only the responsibility of the parents to make their children join children's church curriculum. But it is the responsibility of church leaders also to check if every child is getting the proper education. They should be cautious about choosing the right curriculum that must be taught to all the children belonging to their community. But the question arises how this will happen?

The children's church curriculum should be efficient in propagating the Gospel. It is therefore important for it to be able to conform to the teachings of the church regardless of religious affiliation. This is one of the numerous parameters that are important for finding best Children's church curriculum.

Children's church curriculum should be like that it should build faith on God. Church leaders should keep in mind to use new technologies and tell the children about experiences that changed their life and inspire them to do good things. Teachings should be of the standard of the age of children and should build faith on their religion.

It is your responsibility to search for children's search curriculum in the medium that they normally use. The main thing is how the church leaders use techniques to teach the most important thing in life. At the time of learning a new thing it is very important to make the children entertain. This is because at the time of learning new thing children get bored. So it is very important that you make the religious learning a fun learning. You should make them learn religious things by using latest technologies like using music, videos and telling new stories. This will make them understand everything easily and in a better and entertaining way.

For searching the best children's church curriculum you can take the help of internet. Just search on Google and find out the sites that are working in this field. Choose the best site and take its help.

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The Truth On Building A Chicken Coop

By Ellen Roberts

Building a chicken coop can be a very rewarding experience as the healthy chickens you raise will produce fresh eggs all year round. However, this can also be a daunting task as a single mistake can result in a mediocre coop or worse, unhealthy chickens.

A chicken coop is more than just a small little building to house chickens in. Building a chicken coop is easy and inexpensive. You can build your own backyard chicken coop using common materials and household tools. Build a house-like structure sized according to the number of birds you'd like. Make sure there's compartments for the hens to lay in, and a separate spot for a rooster or two. They troughs for feed and water, and a catch-all tray beneath for droppings.

Building an overhanging roof can also help prevent rainwater from getting inside your coop and can save you the trouble of running outside in the rain to close the shutters. Be sure to build your chicken coop in an area that faces the sun which will help warm and dry the soil and coop itself after it rains. Building the chicken coop on a high yet well drained area with ensure the least amount of dampness of the coop.

Choosing a breed will depend on the kind of chicken that you want to raise. There are chickens that seem healthy but their egg-laying capacity is frail while other chickens give out lots of eggs every day. Choose a plan that fits your image of the ideal chicken coop. Once you have your plan, it's time to gather your materials.

Chicken coops can be built in assorted sizes, depending on what your needs will be. Chickens don't require a lot of space so you don't have to build a huge house if you plan to have 5-6 hens. Chicken coops can be built in one or two days.

Starting a chicken coop is very easy provided you have free chicken coop blueprints in your possession and if you do not have the blueprints, then you can obtain the same if you go after the links given here. Start with the foundation. Make sure that it is strong enough to weather potential harmful forces. Starting it early, you can have your coop finished in a day. When you already have your coop built, do not put your chickens in it yet for at least 72 hours because the silicone you used for curing will still give off its fumes for many hours and chemical fumes are not good for poultry animals.

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Wedding Photography - A Different Look

By Joel Wong

Wedding photography includes pictures of the couple before the wedding, as well as coverage of the actual wedding event and reception. The two approaches in wedding photography are traditional and photojournalism. Traditional bridal photography consists of classically posed images. In this approach, there is much interaction with the photographer on the day of the wedding. In the photojournalistic approach, the images recorded are much more subtle with less photographer interaction. These two approaches are the two extremes of photographic styles. Today most photographers will side with one of the two styles.

When you are hiring a bridal photographer to shoot your special day, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Every photographer possesses an individual style. There is some research you should do before you decide who you want photographing your wedding. To find the perfect photographer you should start looking well ahead of time. Look into your photographers creative side more then the business side when hiring a wedding photographer. One shouldn't be concerned about comparing various package details or the number of prints he is going to get. Take care of all the last minute details so your photographer isn't preoccupied with thoughts about payment on your wedding day.

Don't boss your photographer around all the time. The biggest pet peeve of wedding photographers is that they are given instructions by the brides, grooms, parents, relatives and everyone on the wedding party. No photographer likes to be directed as to what to shoot and how to do it. The more there's third party interaction, the less creativity in the photography. Sometimes the relatives and friends are so preoccupied in instructing the photographer that they almost miss the entire wedding.

Trust is a key on the wedding day with your photographer. If you trust them and show this to them, you will allow them to feel so much more relaxed and thus produce better results. It doesn't matter how experienced a photographer is - they're only human and they have a big job on the day. So trust them and let them do their work. You will benefit from the results.

Most importantly, do not starve your photographer. No matter how professional the photographer is, he needs to eat. This should be the last person you want to starve at your wedding. Do not give your photographer long lists of things to do. This would distract him from what you actually hired him to do.

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Sacred Buddhist Funeral Rites And Their Significances

By June Parks

The primary teachings of the Buddha form the core of the Buddhist religion which is practiced in many countries all over the world today. Buddhism involves mercy and love for mankind and fruition of the Ultimate Truth.

These essentials of Buddhism can be seen in the rites practiced in a Buddhist funeral. Certain mandatory rituals should be observed once a person in a Buddhist family dies, to make sure that their soul gets elevated to a higher level in their next life. Prayers are used to invoke the positive energies of the deceased, ensuring his or her deliverance from this life and wishing them the best for the next life.

A traditional bath to the body marks the start of the Buddhist funeral rituals. Buddhist monks chant different religious text, and these chants are believed to give the soul the right guidance to attain spiritual freedom. The monks read out those sermons of the Buddha that talk about the importance of practising compassion and kindness. Meanwhile, the body is prepared for the final rites. Friends and family members usually place some money in the casket of the dead person. This is supposed to help the deceased cross the River of Three Hells to reach his destination.

Afterwards, the casket is displayed to the family and friends to let them to pay their final respects by placing it at the altar. Attendees are expected to pray for the dead person and the family and relatives offer their condolences. The ceremony is accompanied with chanting of relevant sutras by the priests. After the completion of recitals, people present at the ceremony bow at the altar. After the proceedings, the family members of the deceased give out gifts to the visitors for sharing their grief.

Once these rituals are over, the family can decide to bury or cremate the body according to their family beliefs. These rites are meant to enable the family to overcome their sorrow by saying prayers that will raise the dead to a higher stage of religious being.

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Friday, January 29, 2010

The Lord Works In Mysterious Ways!

By L.J. James

There once was a young couple who lived in a beautiful town. They had the best of everything. Their love was strong and real. When their first child was born she was the most beautiful child they had ever seen.The couple believed their life to be perfect.

One day when their Daughter was about seven years old the Couple was in a car crash.Checking his wife right away the husband was relived to see she was ok. They both had received only a few scratches.They turned to check on their young daughter and as soon as they saw her both of them burst into tears.The wife started screaming NO GOD ! PLEASE GOD NO ! Their pain was felt by anyone and everyone who happened to be around them that day. The Beautiful young child had passed on and left this world .

During the funeral the deceased child's mother kept asking why ? Why my child? oh dear Lord why? People paying there respects to this wonderful couples most beautiful child tried to console her. They told her things like "It is the Lords will" and "She is in Heaven now" These things did not help the child's Mother and she cursed God Saying to the People "There is no God" for if there was such a God how could he allow something so terrible to happen? Surely he would have saved my child and she would still be here with us!!

Years passed by as they always do and the pain this Couple felt started to ease. They had more children over the years, all very beautiful None quite as beautiful as their first one.Their life went back to being as close to perfect as can be.But Every time the women heard something bad had happened in the world it reinforced her belief that there was no God and no Heaven up above,For surely no God would allow such terrible things to happen in this world !!!

One day as the Woman was walking to the store she heard these screams "NO LORD PLEASE LORD NO" The tone of the screams took her back to the death of her child and she ran toward the sound of them. She saw the woman who was screaming and behind her she could see a building on fire, My Child is in there Screamed the woman! Pointing to the building engulfed in flames. Knowing the pain this woman would go threw and not wishing it on anyone she raced into the building. Flames shot at her and she could feel them burning her but the pain was some where else and did not hurt her .As the flames got larger and the heat got much hotter the woman thought this is what hell must be like! Then she thought but there is no hell for if there is No God and No Heaven then there can't be a Hell can there? These thoughts passed threw the woman's mind as she felt herself begin to grow tired.

As She felt herself about to pass out the Women saw a child in the distance and with new found strength she started walking towards the child. As she got closer she could see it was the most beautiful young girl she had ever seen . When she reached the child the child spoke hello mother it is I your Daughter the one killed in that car accident those many years ago. No the Woman said you are gone your Dead. Dead yes I may be Mother but gone no I have never left you .I have always been in your heart and you in mine. But I am with the Father now in the most Wonderful Kingdom imaginable. With who? asked the Woman , The Father God answered the child the one you denounced upon my death. No said the woman there can't be a GOD or a heaven For surely no God would allow the Terrible things to Happen that happen upon this earth. Terrible things are done by terrible people answered the child and they will answer for their sins in the afterlife have no fear of that my Mother, The Lord will see that justice is done.

But what of you asked the Mother you where not taken from me by a terrible person it was an accident why did the Lord take you from me. The Child smiled at her Mother and spoke Mother what you see as the most terrible thing ever is not. For I am in the Kingdom of the Lord and there is no greater reward then that ! My life on Earth was short Mother, I agree with you on that but Mother let me let you in on a little secret "All life on Earth is short" It is just a blink of the eye to the Father. Miss me Mother for I know you always will, But have faith in the Father for if you believe in him and follow his words you will be with me again one day and then you will feel no pain or sorrow ever again. The Mother reached down picked up her child closing her eyes and hugging the child to her bosom, She heard a voice that was not her Daughters say "I will always Love you my Child"

The woman opened her eyes and she saw lights and heard sirens and the voices of many people. Not sure what was going on she looked down at her child only to see that she was not holding her child but a small young boy. The Woman who she had seen screaming was grabbing for this child saying Thank you oh thank you Lord for sending this Woman to rescue my Child ,In my heart Lord I always knew you would save him, for surely you would never allow something so terrible to happen !!!!

By L.J. James AmericanBikerX.com

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How Funeral Services Are Managed

By Jannet Ford

Death is an inescapable reality that all of us have to face but organizing the funeral of a family member can still be very disturbing. Yet you have to bear the weight of your loss and begin making necessary preparations for the funeral service to allow the guests to share your grief. Most funeral homes will assist you through the process and help you make all the arrangements but it is good to be aware of a few things in advance.

A funeral is an expression of how one lived his life and it must be planned accordingly. Most funeral homes are willing to make slight alterations in their basic method of funeral services for incorporating certain cultural or religious preferences of the departed and of his or her family.

Visitation is the first stage of the procedure and it can roll over from a span of a few hours to many days. In this, relatives and acquaintances get together in memory of the dead person. The next stage is formal funeral proceedings at any site like a church, a chapel, a mortuary or at some other place that had a special value for the deceased person. A hearse or funeral coach will have to be arranged if the funeral is to be arranged in an outdoor venue.

Once this is over, the family and relatives arrive at the cemetery for the next phase of the funeral. You can either allow for this to be handled by a family member or by a member of the clergy. You will have to consider various aspects, including who will be leading the service, the kind of flowers you would require, and if you want a photo or any other article owned by the deceased to be exhibited.

The burial is the final part of the ceremony, and its location depends on the family tradition or personal preference of the deceased. The burial can take place on a family plot or a graveyard, or if the dead person had wished for a cremation, the ashes can be spread at a proper location.

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Looking For A Family Portrait Photographer

By Sophia Rogers

Professional photos of families are used for various occasions such as anniversaries, family reunions and birthdays. Portrait photography is probably the best way to capture the emotion and mood in such happy events. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you must get the best quality possible. Bad quality photos are not nice to look at, rendering them useless. Hence, it is important to carefully select a professional family portrait photographer & a few important factors if taken care of will contribute significantly towards making the portrait photography sessions a huge success.

The first thing to check is that the style the photographer adopts is in sync with your requirements. This implies you have to first think of how you want your family portraits to be taken. Do you want spontaneous, informal portraits or elegant and formal ones? Is black and white your preference or the colourful alternative suits you better? There could be various such style factors which you must decide about well in advance & then approach a family portrait photographer for presenting before you some work samples of his earlier work in those particular styles.

Then you need to think about the backdrop of the photograph, which has a great impact on the result, as well as on what photography equipment the family portrait photographer needs to carry with him. The treatment of indoor and outdoor venues is entirely different & only an experienced photographer would be able to make the correct selection of the camera & additional equipment.

Besides the photographer's expertise & his agreement with your needs, you should also look into the kind of output his company can deliver. If the developing of the film & its paper printing that takes place in the darkroom is carried out well, it can have a significant effect on the picture quality. A good photography services firm should have a library of appealing picture frames & well-designed albums for you, so that you can preserve your photos in the way you like most. Hence, it is a good idea to check for these before finalising the family portrait photographer for your event or need.

Some additional services must also be considered before hiring the photographer, like finding out if his company provides free doorstep delivery of photos or visits the venue prior to the photo shoot to examine it thoroughly & address any special requirements that may emerge because of the selection of venue. You won't be making any unreasonable demands on the firm by desiring for these services, as they should usually be included in the price that you pay for the service.

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Coordinating A Photographer For Your Wedding Day

By Franz Patel

Preparing for your wedding can be overwhelming, and selecting the right wedding photographer is a huge part of your wedding. It's important that you look at a wide variety of photographers and choose on the styles and techniques that you would prefer on your wedding day.

1. Examine the photos.

It may be that the most crucial part of selecting a wedding photographer is the pictures they shoot! When inspecting their work, be honest, do you like the photography? Are you pleased with the way the album is designed and put together? Are the picture images in vivid color and sharp focus?

2. Investigate The Studio

The bigger wedding photography studios will have multiple photographers, so verify which will be working at your wedding and review their past work. A smaller operator is the other choice. Typically you know who to expect on your wedding day, you are familiar with their work from their photos, and you get a better quality of service when you only work with a single person.

3. Planning your Photographic Requirements.

Now that you have found your professional wedding photographer, you should meet with them and schedule your photography sessions and the photos you want taken. It is good to make plans because the event and the photography will be much less stressful, and you can remember it if you are patient and let enough time go by to do everything, including an unhurried photo shoot with the right lighting.

As you go over the event with the photographer, it is necessary to determine the amount of coverage you prefer as well. The wedding day can be segmented into four photographic sessions which are: the pre-wedding photos, the ceremony, the organized set photos or location photos, and the reception.

Upon deciding on a wedding photographer, you can relax, smile and take pleasure in your wedding day.

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Food Pictures Tips

By John Billy

We are surrounded by food pics everyday but we stop seeing it after a while. But maybe that's why we love food - because we see it subconsciously everywhere!

When you first take a peek into the domain of food photography you may feel that you can never take photographs like the professionals but you could surprise yourself.

Light as always with photography is King. Get it right and you create magic. Get it wrong and we all know the result! Treat the food you're photographing as you would any other still life subject and ensure that it is well lit. Most of the bad examples of food photography you will come across would have been drastically improved with adequate lighting.

Using natural light from a window can be perfect for food photos because it gives food that natural look. Support this with bounced flashlight and you can get a simple yet perfect result.

If you have to take a lot of food pics then invest in buying or making a light box or tent. This is simply an enclosed area that is lit externally through diffused walls in the tent/box.

Slow is great with food so use a slow shutter speed which will allow time to capture the depth of the image. Put your camera on a solid tripod and use a shutter release cable.

Choose your props very carefully to suit the end results that you are looking for. The props will make or break your photos. It's usually the props that set an amateur pic aside from a pro shot.

Use professional equipment when you do food photography and you will see the results. Using good quality lighting and a high quality camera are the main equipment your will need. You have to use a SLR camera with food photography if you want to get the best results. You will need to be able to zoom in and control the shutter and aperture settings to capture the full depth of the image.

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

I Want My Wife Back Fast - It Is All My Fault

By Kim Sanchez

Men are usually so proud and macho that they can't accept their mistakes. Suffice it to say, I admire you for being honest and accepting that you admit your mistake, that you screwed up. Not a lot of men will do this. You are now one step closer towards forgiveness.

If you really want forgiveness, then you should say you are sorry. A good apology should be sincere and humble. You already swallowed your pride by accepting your mistakes. Apologizing is still necessary. How can someone forgive you if you don't let them know you are sorry?

Do you know what a sincere apology should be. It is two-fold. One, you have to say that you are sorry for your mistakes. Two, you have to tell her that you will never make the same mistakes again. "I am really sorry for what I did. I promise that I will never make the same mistake again." That is the basic apology.

Say you cheated on your wife. Do you think it is enough to say you are sorry? Of course not! You should assure her that you will never repeat the same mistake again. The only real way that you can assure her that you will not make the same mistakes again is through your actions.

As they say, action is louder than words. A good scenario is when you have alcohol or drug problems. You should get rid of all these problems first before you apologize to her so that you can show her that you are sincere in your apologies. Tell her you are getting rehabilitated, that you are really willing to change.

So before you get ahead of yourself and think that your mistakes are unforgivable, give apology a try. You can have forgiveness if you apologize, all you really need is to be sincere and humble.

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The Art Of Gift Giving

By Royston Tan

Gift giving is always easy but to select the right gift set is certainly not a simple task. The simple reason is because the gift should be something memorable and also what the recipient wants. Gift is something that we want to buy to express our thought and feeling to the recipient.

But you will often spend a lot of your time just to hunt for the right gift. It may be pretty frustrating if you cannot think of any good gift ideas or end up buying the wrong gift for the recipient. Moreover, it is no surprise that many of us are so busy with our work and we always tend to do last minute shopping for gift sets. This can be seen during the last Christmas in 2009 as last minute shoppers fail to get their desired gifts when the stock depleted.

To choose the right gift set, it requires your sensitivity and thoughts for sure. This task may be simple and straight forward if the recipient tells you exactly what gift he or she wants from you or if you know the recipient's preference and likings. From our sub-conscious mind, we all know the importance of giving gifts or we may not even think of this idea at the first place.

Quite often, your recipient may not want to tell you directly what gift he or she wants from you. Under this case, it depends on how well you know about the recipient and his or her likings. In some cases, your gift may be a wrong gift to cause misunderstanding to both of you or the gift is not really needed by the recipient at all.

The tips in buying a women gift set is not to buy something to suggest the body size of a woman. If in doubt, you may buy a gift that is a smaller size as women prefer to return the gift back than to receive an over sized gift. On the contrary, it is more straightforward to buy a men gift set. You just need to please his stomach or to give a gift which he does not own it before but you know he will need it. Or it can be also a naughty sexy act may be just good enough for everything. For spouse wise, try not to buy anything that suggests he or she is not perfect. One example is to give an anti-aging cream to the wife and the other example is to give weight loss supplements to the husband. For busy mothers, a good dinner to take her out will make her day as she knows someone else will cook the dinner instead. For parents, a gourmet gift to their likings or even a holiday gift package for the whole family will please them for sure.

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How Should Children's Church Curriculum Be?

By Kenneth Taylor

Children's church curriculum is really important to pertinent to the religious growth of each and every child across the globe. Both parents and church leaders should be reminded that just like personal and social development, kids' religious growth should never be taken for granted. Because of this, it is really important to ensure having only the best of this kind of curriculum.

Parents should therefore try to inched their way out in trying to ensure being able to provide all the necessary tools and resources to take care of their children's spiritual growth. As parents it is also our big task to ensure that our children are properly nourished with the words of God for their spiritual growth. Other than providing for your kid's physical and social needs, it is essential that you should scrutinize children's church curriculum used in church or religious congregation you belong.

It is therefore necessary for church leaders to be extra cautious in having to choose with the right curriculum that must be taught to all children belonging to their community. These people need to ensure giving only the best spiritual teachings to all children in their church community. How then should these people of you as parents choose the right children's church curriculum?

There are different parameters for each and every one of us to adhere to when it comes to making sure having only the best children's church curriculum. How varied these curriculum may be, it is essential that it must conform with the teachings of the church regardless of religious affiliation. It should therefore be efficient in propagating the Gospel.

Most importantly, it should therefore be efficient in propagating the Gospel. Such curriculum must be powerful enough to build strong christian faith amongst children. It must inspire their young minds to adhere to God's teachings for them to be able to live life to the fullest in God's glory. It should therefore provide some stepping stones for children to have adhere holy living once they become adults.

Aside from having to take note of the content of this curriculum, it is also very important to take note of the medium in which these shall be taught. Since most children easily get bored, it is important that this must be taught in a more interesting manner. The medium in which it shall be propagated therefore also counts a lot.

Since, most children are easily bored, children's church curriculum should be taught in an interesting manner. Using the latest in modern technology this curriculum can become more exciting for children to appreciate and learn. But what is more important is for it to be easily understood for kids to be able to absorb the teachings they ought to get from such curriculum.

You do not need to spend a lot for curriculum of this kind. For children to easily absorb the morals and teachings it contains, it should be simple and easily understood. These are just among the many things you need to take note of in having to choose only the best Children's church curriculum.

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I Screwed Up Our Marriage - I Want My Wife Back

By Kim Sanchez

You admit it. It was your fault that your marriage is on the brink of break up and divorce. You screwed up but you still want your wife back. Is there something that you can do to prevent break up and divorce? Is there still a way for you to get your ex wife back in your arms again?

If you really want to get your wife back, you have to know what humility means. Humility is defined as a lack of false pride. This means you have to bow your head down figuratively speaking. You have to swallow your pride no matter how hard it is.

When apologizing to your wife, there is no other way but to listen to her. I mean you really have to listen to her. Do not interrupt her or argue with her when she is talking. Always remember that you are lucky that she is even talking to you even though it is your fault. And do remember that it is your fault.

Needless to say, when you are in speaking terms with your wife again, never make her feel that your relationship issues are trivial. It is plainly a big deal because it can cost you your marriage.

The next thing you have to do is promise your wife that you will change for the better. No words can convince her that you will change. You will have to act on your promise. For example, if you have drug or alcohol related problems, you should get rid of these bad habits first before you apologize to your wife.

You have to admit it, there is nothing that will change the situation you are in if you do not apologize and change your ways. Your old self is just not good enough to make your marriage last. You have to make your wife believe that you are sincere. That way is through action.

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What Is Blood Alcohol Content?

By Sharon Jhonson

Blood alcohol content is the percentage of alcohol present in your bloodstream. Normally the legal percentage of alcohol in blood is different in different countries. In the United States and Canada, the legal percentage is 8%.

The meaning of this figure is that you will be legally considered as intoxicated if the percentage of alcohol in the blood is less than one tenth of one percent of your blood that is concentrated with alcohol. You cannot measure the blood alcohol content without a breathalyzer.

There are different things and habits that effect the measurement of the blood alcohol content. The most important is what type of alcohol you are taking, what is your tolerance power, what you have eaten before, at the time of drinking and after drinking, your gender, what is the percentage of body fat and many other different things. Your sickness can also change the level of alcohol in blood.

If you are a regular drinker and drink same number of pegs even then your blood alcohol content varies. Suppose you have taken five cans of beer last night and today also you have taken five cans of beer. It is not always possible that your blood alcohol content will be same. If it is .10 last night then it can be .08 today. It depends on many other things. Also if you are hungry, thirsty, tired or have taken less of different alcohol than last night then your blood alcohol content may vary.

There is no spread sheet on internet or any other way from which you can download and check the level of alcohol in the blood. Even there is no mathematical calculation to calculate the blood alcohol content. This is only because of the changes that take place in the body.

You try hard to instantly reduce the level of alcohol in blood like drinking a lot of coffee, doing a lot of physical exercise, bathing under cold water, eating a lot of pickles, drinking a lot of lemon juice, etc. This is just total waste of time and money. All you have to do is to wait for around one day and you will get to know that the level of alcohol in the blood is reducing. This means the level of alcohol in the blood can only be reduced by passing time. It can take one to four days or more to clear out the level of alcohol in the blood. There is no other way.

To get the level of alcohol in the blood accurately all you have to do is give a sample of blood for testing and after checking the exact alcohol content in the blood can be determined. It is 100% accurate.

The safest thing to do is do not ever drive after drinking. If it is so urgent then you can take the help of someone who is not drunk.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What Your Body And Soul Crave

By Masami Sato

As the age old adage says, health is wealth. Here we are speaking about soul's wealth. Nutritious food is good for one's health because body can absorb its essence - it is ditto with our life. When we espouse life in its entirety, enjoying all the impressions and sensations in it, our soul will be able to take in its 'quintessence', coming to terms with the core of our existence, and helping us to live our lives to the highest. Masami Sato shares the mystery of living a complete life in this excerpt from her latest book, ONE.

Why is it that many of us, (actually, most of us) now and then feel some sort of a barren sensation in our lives? It is like being ravenous. When we eat, we are satiated and become slightly indifferent to food. But after some time, we once again feel like having food. Then suddenly we are drawn again to the aroma and picture of food. We can also feel strange pangs of hunger when we are not actually craving for food - just after having eaten something. Some of us have a craving all the time.

Perpetual emotional vacuum is not the best of feelings. Then how do we live our lives to the maximum? How can we be more fulfilled forever?

Maybe the answer is simple: just live our lives as a whole. The word 'whole' holds the meaning of completion. Then the secret to live a complete life is simply to live it as a whole.

Let's start to look at one example of this 'wholeness' with something awfully close to our heart-our stomach.

Whole Food VS Part Food

We are familiar with the word 'whole food.' It is said that consuming whole food is the secret to the health and fitness we need. What has whole food got more than 'part food?'

A whole grain for example has a life. So, if you soak the whole grain in water, drain the next day and leave for a few days, it sprouts. It has a life of its own. When we eat such food, our body absorbs the full live nutrients. It has all the properties to cleanse, heal and nurture different body cells.

As in the example of a grain, most conventional dining includes having whole creatures as well. Having entire fresh fish used to be more popular than taking a portion of fish and throwing the balance away. It was ditto for poultry and also for vegetables.

'Semi food' at times is more sweet and aromatic but does not offer much nutrition. We may savour its taste, but we could become a victim of a long-time malady if we only ate 'semi food' every day of our life.

So, to balance the missing part, we started to take dietary supplements. We have been studying and researching for a long time to find the perfect balance. It gets more and more complicated as we chop the food up, preserve and transport, and even try to balance with other parts coming from different sources, regions and seasons. Some of the nutrients even come from non-food items. They are chemically generated. After analysis and testing, we approve it for human consumption. But no matter how hard we try; we cannot put all the 'bits' together to make it come alive.

Semi Life-'Sweetness' of Life

So, if we looked at our life now, part of what we are doing can be like eating the 'half food'. Just savouring the sweetness of life but throwing away the real nourishing part. And if we soaked our 'half life' in water with other bits and left it in the sunlight, could it shoot and grow into a beautiful whole life?

Whole food is not (as some people view it) insipid. It is in reality very tasty if prepared expertly. But as the demand is minimal, it has become costly. It will in fact prove to be cheaper in the long run though, as we will not have to spend on medicines later on. When more people will opt to have it, it will normally become less costly because it is a simple food with little wastage and processing.

Our life is identical. When we are only conscious of the 'sweet taste' and discard the remainder into the dust bin because we do not realise its worth, we may be jettisoning the most important component. And that which we cast out could have the maximum power for the substantiation of our life and our financial system. It also needs more vigour and sources to throw it away. Better yet, that which we throw away comes at no cost.

So, what is that we are not looking at?

Imagine a life where we didn't really feel we were missing anything there.

The secret is right here. The secret of a complete life.

Whole Life-The Complete Life

When it's 'whole', it doesn't matter how big the whole is. It can expand simultaneously. It can still contain all the elements to sustain itself as a whole living being. Once it grows to a certain size, it can still live without some of the parts. Like plants can live after being eaten a little by birds or trees still thrive even after losing their leaves. But if we neglect the balance for a very long time, eventually it can start creating a fatal imbalance. Then it could become too complicated to get back into balance.

We do not have to return to prehistoric times to find fullness. Fullness exists in the present. All that is required to do is view intently; view intently enough to actually find.

When we start seeing our life as a whole and stop throwing away what nourishes our life the most, we start feeling more and more fulfilled without looking for 'things' to fill holes and dents of our life. Everything finally falls into place. We now understand the mechanism of our world in a very different way.

Yes, it is now time to learn how we can form (and find) this equilibrium constantly and manageably.

The actual sustaining element of our life is what makes us feel joyful deep down. It is like that component of food that makes our body strong in the long-term. Emotions we feel in our everyday life are the real solution to our permanent happiness. And there are emotions that make us feel more absolute.

The happy faces we see when we give recognition to others. The pleasure we experience when we give presents to others. The affection we feel when we see our kids being happy. The encouragements we get when we feel our life is full of significance ..

Let's experience these moments of our life fully and enjoy the flavour of our whole life. Then we will see how it is not so necessary to continuously fill our mind (and stomach!) with temporal gratifications-those types of things that make us even hungrier afterwards.

We can actually experience this delight, thankfulness and affection in order to sense life as a whole at any minute irrespective of the circumstances. It is not about what we perceive, what we are told or how we act that conclude our life as a whole. It is about what we 'opt to' feel about our life.

Yes, our life indeed is already complete.

When we start taking actions based on this understanding, we can become true masters of the balance creation-long-term health, wealth, nurturing relationship and happiness.

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The Straw Giving Farmer - Becoming Rich

By Masami Sato

A rich man born out of giving!

There is a Japanese folk tale about the power of giving and it exemplifies how we can get the most wonderful of gifts when we're gifting things to others and are positive about what we have already got.

Here is the story.

Once upon a time, there lived a young farmer of very modest means. Whatever he tried to do did not find fruition and he always remained penniless. He was completely broke without any money, without any food and with no relatives. So one night, totally despondent, he went to a temple and sat near the altar begging the Gods to show him a way.

"I have always been truthful and assiduous, but all my industry never resulted in anything good for me. What did I do wrong?"

He slept at the feet of the deity after having put that question. In the morning, just as he woke up, one of the Gods of his dream appeared before him enveloped in a brilliant golden light. The voice of the God resounded in his mind.

"When you wake up today, treasure the very thing you have in your hand and keep giving it generously to others on your way," the God whispered.

The farmer woke up. He still had many questions jumping through his mind but he lifted himself up and tried to shake off the strangely vivid dream he just had. To his surprise, he saw a piece of straw in his hand. Maybe it was on his clothes after the long day of fieldwork.

He nearly dropped it to the ground, but stopped for a moment remembering what the God said. He sat down again. And looked at the straw.

He sat still for a long time thinking what this meant. He had no clue why a piece of straw can be of any value to him. Then he saw a wasp flying around. It eventually landed on the tip of the straw. He caught the wasp and tied it to the straw with a piece of thread from his clothes. Now with a piece of straw with a flying wasp at the end, off he went on the path.

He had only walked for a few minutes before he saw a little boy and his mother coming from the other direction. The boy was crying. As he said hello, the boy noticed the wasp moving on the straw that the farmer was holding. He stopped crying and asked for the straw. The farmer nearly declined but then he remembered about the God's message that he needed to treasure what he had but also remembered that he was to give it away to others. So, he offered the straw to the boy. The mother was very appreciative as now the boy stopped crying and began smiling. The mother offered the farmer three tangerines.

The farmer moved on. As he proceeded, he felt hungry. He was about to eat the tangerines when he again remembered that what was important was giving things to others, not giving it to himself.

As he went over a steep hill, he saw a merchant sitting down on the ground by a tree. Next to him was a wooden box. The farmer said hello to the merchant. He seemed to be exhausted. The merchant saw the tangerines in the farmer's hand and asked if he minded giving him the tangerines. He said he was so thirsty.

The farmer was also quite thirsty having walked for a long time during the heat of the day but he offered all the tangerines to the merchant. The merchant ate the three tangerines and regained his strength. He was very grateful for the kindness of the farmer and opened the wooden box next to him. There were rolls of hand dyed silk fabric. The merchant handed him one roll, thanked him and walked off.

The farmer walked again and continued on the same path. After a while he found a river from which he drank water. He felt recharged. He went forward with more energy and a feeling of ease.

He walked for some more time but did not come across anyone else. He felt that the silk might be that which would bring him something good. So he chose to go to a town in the vicinity and trade the fabric.

But as soon as he turned the corner, he found a group of soldiers. One of them, who appeared to be the leader of the group, was standing near a horse that had fallen on the ground. The leader of the soldiers was saying something to the men of his group.

"This horse is not likely to live long. We will have to abandon it here. Just look after it and follow me." Saying this, he climbed on to another horse and rode off and disappeared.

The remaining soldiers were left discussing what to do about it. They were reluctant to kill the animal but they did not have much of a choice. At last one of them took out a sword.

The farmer quickly ran over to them and asked them to stop. He said he would like to look after the horse. He also offered the silk fabric to the warriors. They jumped at the offer and took off very quickly.

Now the farmer stood there with a dying horse. He thought he might have made a mistake that after all he was not meant to be wealthy. Then he remembered something. There was the stream he'd just passed.

He immediately went back to the stream, took off his shirt and soaked it in the fresh water so he could give water to horse. He returned to the horse still lying there on the ground. The farmer squeezed the wet cloth over the horse's mouth. Very soon the horse began to respond and regained its consciousness, so the farmer pulled it up with all his might.

Once the horse was up the farmer was able to lead it to the river. The animal drank to its satisfaction and there was also green grass nearby that it could feed on. With both that the horse became fully recharged.

So now the farmer owned the horse! The man and the animal traveled together, and the farmer had to run as the horse led the way. They traveled together for miles. Finally, as the sun was setting, the horse came to a halt in front of a big house. The animal pushed the farmer towards the gate when he finally drew level with it.

As the farmer made his way to the gate, all of a sudden the gate opened and an old man was standing there. The man looked drawn and he was hastening out onto the road. The old man took notice of the farmer as well as the animal standing nearby.

The old man asked the farmer what he was doing. The farmer said he was looking for a place to stay the night. The old man said he was going to the town for an urgent matter. He asked the farmer if he minded looking after his house until he returned. He said he might not be able to come back for a little while.

As the old man seemed to be in a hurry, the farmer offered him the horse. The old man appreciated the generous offer and took off with the horse. As he was leaving, he said something peculiar to the farmer.

"If I do not come back in three years' time, this house belongs to you."

As you possibly deduced, the old man did not come back.

The farmer lived in the large house for the rest of his life with a land full of crops surrounded by kind neighbors happily ever after. But he never forgot to always give away the things he had.

Thank you for reading this story. And what do you think it is all about?

Maybe there is a key to something. When we can turn our 'getting game' into a 'giving game', our life often flows bringing more abundance. But it is not always easy to practice the old wisdom in our real life.

The following are the interesting principles we can see in the tale:

* When we are willing to provide what others want, their value for it enhances more than when we are trying to 'barter' it (as mostly we hope to get something out of it) since they compare the price with what we expect for it and would obviously pay less.

* When we are not attached to the things we have, we often find that we attract better opportunities as we can let go of existing ones.

* When life seems to deal us a bad hand, instead of focusing on the problem if instead we focused on giving and caring, life seems to end up bringing better luck later.

* When we try to encash what we have created, believing that "this is the maximum it will bring", as we think we might be the loser if it is not turned into cash, our life will stagnate. Instead of that, we should continue to give liberally whatever we have got and however wealthy we are or we are not.

Giving is part of many successful people's lives. When we give first, we have more chance of living a life of magnificence, ease and expansion.

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Which Profile of 'Giving Bee' Are You?

By David Anttony

Bees are all giving by nature. They give naturally to maintain the world of abundance. But each bee actually takes a different position in maintaining the colony as well as the flower garden. So, I thought human beings are the same. We are all naturally giving and sharing. But we express our giving in different ways. So, here it is a 'giving bee' chart where you can find your bumblebee type. Watch out for the following bee analysis! The more you share your value as a giving bumblebees, the more we can all do together to make a difference.

Check here for image: http://www.buy1-give1free.com/images/What-type-of-giving-bee-are-you-Global-Giving-Village-sml.jpg

Bee type analysis

1. Change-making bee

A giving bumblebee who likes to see change - who spots every opportunity to do something better and worthwhile. A change-making bumblebee often starts up new interesting projects for others to participate in. A flexible thinker who can collaborate well with others while often taking a leadership role in making change. Many business leaders and creators are this type of giving bee. They are not afraid of opening to change.

2. Believing bumblebee

A giving bumblebee who believes in one core belief very strongly and inspire others to follow. Rather than changing all the time and being way too flexible, this giving bumblebee attracts people by being solid like a rock and integral to the unwavering belief and vision. Some of the religious leaders as well as politicians are this type of giving bee. Believing bees makes for a great leader who attracts huge numbers of followers. This bee can also be a great follower who strongly supports an existing belief and inspires others to come together.

3. Caring and nurturing bumblebee

A giving bee who may not stand out as a strong leader but actually are the biggest heart focused giver. A caring and nurturing bee is egoless in giving and is always first to take the giving action when seeing anyone in trouble. Though this bee seems gentle and caring, the strong desire to give and care for others drives this giving bee to demonstrate some unbelievable giving acts. Many people who dedicate their lives to giving (volunteering, community service etc) are this type of bumblebee. Giving is totally natural to them.

4. Supporting and uniting bumblebee

A giving bumblebee who sees the biggest value in connecting and collaborating in effective partnerships. This giving bumblebee is very focused on looking for existing great ideas, mechanisms, philosophies or beliefs to benefit the community. It tends to support what resonates with him/her more often than coming up with a brand new way. A supporting and uniting bumblebee is less attached to own way and has more flexible thinking while being quite strategic about what to support. Rather than taking direct action emotionally, this bumblebee sees the value in creating the long-term unity. Long-term 'quiet' charity givers and people who take low profile in community giving but stick to the same project for a long time are more often than not this type of bee.

Original article is at: http://www.buy1-give1free.com/index.php/598-What-is-your-giving-bee-type.html

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Steps On How To Successfully Give

By Masami Sato

A new experiment is completely changing lives in the rural areas of India by bringing luminosity where there used to be darkness.

The New York Times published an article titled, "Husk Power for India". Electricity, which is prevalent in the lives of many in developed nations, is a pure luxury in remote areas of developing ones. What was once fed to animals now is used to generate electricity - rice husks.

Being brought up in the pastoral Bihar State, Manoj Sinha knew what it was like to be without light at night. Being an engineer with Intel Corporation he had all the competence to bring a lifelong idea to fruition. He led the creation of his power generation equipment from rice husks and other wastes from farms and now he sells power to rural areas across India.

Sinha is what could be called a social industrialist because he feels entrepreneurship is a way out for important problems of the society. "Business leaders must realise that the world's poor need investments more than handouts," he says, adding, "these are customers, not victims."

The article motivated me to think about offering things in a different way that made me ask myself, "what is the most perfect form of giving?" Is it edification, commerce or disaster aid? There are so many ways to create a difference. One way of giving can seem more productive or practical than other ways depending on the way it is given expression, viewed or put into practice.

I then came to define there were eight parts to giving as a way to look at this. So, let me map out the eight distinctions; which in effect are often 'stages' of giving as well.

Stage one: Urgency - rescuing and supporting others who are struck by natural disaster, epidemic diseases or other uncontrollable circumstances.

Stage two: Relief - providing relief from long-standing hunger, poverty, diseases, handicaps or discrimination which otherwise would continue or worsened because of the lack of information, education or resources.

Stage three: Healing and protection - mentally, physically and emotionally. Many people carry traumas that may be invisible but severely limiting their lives. Giving the healing to release the deep-rooted pain creates more opportunities for them while giving suitable protection gives them a sense of security.

Phase four: Edification - giving better edification, awareness and skill imparting to create empowered and innovative solutions to generating resources while helping people to discover their exclusive talent to succeed.

Stage five: Creative investment - lending a hand, money or resources to those who have great potential to make a difference. This gets leveraged many times as the resources increase and passed on to many others who again make more out of the opportunities given.

Phase six: Maintainability - working collectively involving the people in the local surroundings, creating maintainable society - ecologically and communally.

Stage seven: Empowerment - sanctioning and influencing the people to set free their true capability and drive to make a difference. In this group of offering, the aim of offering changes from 'giving to those who are in need' to 'giving people an opening to give to others' and to the whole group.

Phase eight: Caring - just doing whatever we want to do to cherish and care for others. No tactic or expected result exists in this phase of giving. 'Giving' does not even exist here in the conventional sense of the word, as there is no sense of ownership or reasoning or yearning to alter anything. This is where we do not even have to worry about anything, we give as a part of our own delightful sense of being.

What we also find is that at each of these eight stages of giving there are different things that the giver receives.

One: Sense of bonding

Two: Sense of contentment

Three: Relief from pain (our own)

Four: Gratification for our own understanding, talents and situations

Five: Long-term sense of commitment and contentment for our own life

Six: Improved environment for our own life and for the lives for all those we love and care for

Seven: Soul fulfilling inspiration and dedication to our own purpose

Eight: Care

Giving has many planes and understandings upon the basis of the giver and the beneficiary. And the 'levels' do not explain which one is higher than the other. All are imperative.

I was lucky to have an experience early in 2008 while journeying with a group of devoted entrepreneurs across India to see how we could be more productive in our helping. I was particularly happy to have one outstanding encounter that led me to think about what 'actual giving' really meant.

We were travelling in a small town one day. Four of us had just called a taxi to take us to another nearby town. We dealt with the driver cautiously as our hotel staff had forewarned us about the possible swindle when they see that we were not local.

We halted briefly in front of the local train station for a short recess on the way. While the others went to use the restroom, I tried to chat with our taxi driver standing near his vehicle. With his limited knowledge of English and a wonderful smile that showed his blackened front teeth, he told me that he had a house on the suburbs of the town and he had a sweet wife and two lovely kids who went to the local school - I felt a strong bonding with him.

I patted him on the back for having an affectionate family and told him that I also had two kids of the same age as his. When the others came back the driver instantly asked us to come to his house for food. I thought it was just a formality he wanted to convey at first. However, after leaving us at the centre of the town, he was particular that he would wait for us till we were done with our traveling around the town. And he actually did. I was in fact quite taken aback to see him still standing by the side of the road next to his taxi even after an hour. We hopped back into the taxi and he whizzed off up the road to where his home was.

When we arrived we were actually quite shocked to see how he was living. It was almost like the same condition (if not worse) to the lifestyle of people living in slums we had visited previously. From the nice new taxi he was driving, who could have imagined

As he reached the narrow open street in between shanties that were made with rough concrete blocks and mud walls, we felt guilty about accepting his invitation. For a brief moment I was nonplussed. "How could I accept the hospitality of this man who didn't seem to have anything at all and I didn't even bring any gift that could be a help to his family", I told myself.

As we went inside his house, we saw a vessel and a small stove on the floor. His timid young wife raised her head in surprise and withdrew into the small store room (a cupboard size) adjacent to it. As I took in the scene, I saw the neighbours residing next door giving her a few cups across the broken down concrete fence. The young couple did not even have sufficient teacups in their house. There was a single room fitted with one single bed and a pretty old galvanised box near it.

The cab driver swiftly took out three hand-woven rugs from the galvanised box and placed it neatly on the small space of the mud floor keeping one on the bed.

Hot cups of tea came pretty fast and so did some snacks. His kids as well as all the little ones in the neighbourhood came to see us and stood around near the door. All six of us were totally wedged into the small room. I asked him with surprise where all his children slept. I thought they might be having another space somewhere. To my utter surprise, he pointed the chest and happily said that it was their sleeping space.

He happily told us that he was an amateur dancer in the town and showed us some plaques on the sill above the bed. Enthusiastic to show us his dancing proficiency, he ran outside all at once. From somewhere music came flowing into the tiny room. He had no apparatus for music within the house, it was coming from outside. Surprised, I looked around to see him reversing his vehicle towards the back of his house keeping the doors open with the radio of the car blaring forth!

The time moved fast (with his dancing and the many more cups of tea that followed) and very soon it was time to thank them for their great warmth and courtesy and make our move. As we got ready to leave and express our gratitude to him and his wife, he pulled out the best of all the rugs he had, and just gave it to us. It was one of the very few things he owned. It was impossible to believe that he was offering it to us.

We all politely declined his gift and walked out saying goodbye to all the people waving at us. We got confused about this whole thing. Should we have given some money to the family as their life obviously looked very limited? Should we have accepted his prized gift?

As I was thinking about this soul-lifting happening a few days afterwards, I was wondering about refusing his gift. He looked quite dejected that we didn't agree to take the gift. It wasn't only the fact of declining the gift that crossed my mind.

I realised that the feeling of restlessness I felt was in reality the result of seeing him as less privileged. I was feeling that I couldn't probably receive anything from someone who owned too little.

But did he really have so little? Maybe he had more - a lot more.

Maybe the greatest gift we could have given him then was to receive his gift in total respect and gratitude.

All acts of giving and receiving are necessary for us to fill our world with abundance and fulfillment equally for both giver and receiver. We can start doing this instead of judging and justifying one over another. The pure act of giving and receiving requires no further explanation.

Manoj Sinha's words continue to reverberate in my mind, "these are customers, not victims." I can picture the happy faces of the rural folk who are now pleased to have power in their hamlets and the kids who now can read books and happily do their homework at night.

About the Author:

Becoming Professional With Your Bridal

By Ron Wong

You are creating something that people will keep for years to come. You are capturing a very special moment in people's lives. Your clients - the bride and groom to be - will want the best and will want the quality guaranteed. You can make a lot of money if you decide to be a wedding photographer. With the money comes the risk which you must manage well.

A disclaimer should be included in a well written up first time contract. A disclaimer is something that can prevent you from being sued later on. For example, you should include that you are not responsible for pictures that might get lost after you send the film away to get developed, or pictures that do not come out clear due to equipment failure. You do not want to be sued for breaching your contract.

The hourly rate and how many pictures are to be taken should also be included in the contract. Something else you should include would be the fees for developing and the fee of the album. Make sure you discuss with your clients what their requirements are. They might want a certain person or family they would like pictures of since they don't get to see them often, so that should be discussed as well if it is an issue.

Make a list of all the pictures that your client's requested. Here are a few common ones, pre-ceremony, wedding ceremony, post-ceremony and reception. Discuss with the clients about which shots they want and who's going to be in the pictures. Not every client will be the same so pay attention to what they are saying.

A deposit should be made after you book your clients in. At least 50% deposit should be paid prior to the wedding. So you don't end up bothering the bride and groom during the reception, arrangements should be made for when the remainder will be paid. They would think you were unprofessional and wish they had hired someone else.

Photoshop is a good program to use if you are going to be processing the pictures yourself. You can enhance the photos with all sorts of techniques such as flaw removal, montage, changing the color to black and which or sepia, as well as other unique features.

Always look to see how you can add more value than what you said you would give. A special surprise will keep everyone talking and generating more business for you in the future. Think different. Imagine for example if you uploaded all their pictures onto a password protected part of your website so that they and their friends can login and view.

At the end of the day doing bridal photography can be a lot of fun and you can make good money at it. You may have to take your people skills to the next level but the financial returns will be worth it.

About the Author: