The Sun Also Rises Have you lost sight of the big picture? Has every little detail, every little brush stroke, taken on such importance that you no longer remember what you set out to create? Here’s some news for you:  it’s going to be okay, even if today’s troubles seem overwhelming and insurmounta

The celebration of the New Year is an ancient tradition that dates back thousands of years. In fact, the earliest recorded New Year festivities are believed to have taken place in ancient Babylon over 4,000 years ago. The Babylonians celebrated the New Year in March, at the time of the vernal equino

As an African American and Pan-African holiday celebrated by millions throughout the world African community, Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense. Given the profound significance Kwanzaa has for African Americans an

It’s that time of the year again, the most wonderful time of the year – Christmas Day! A day that brings us closer to our loved ones, a day filled with joy, laughter, and love. For many, Christmas Day is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, while for others it’s just a day to spread cheer

What About That Grindstone?Ever hear your parents or grandparents quote today’s Inspiration when explaining the secret to success? If so, they probably ended your education right there, leaving you totally in the dark about the meaning behind the expression.While there are many explanations of the p

Living Gratefully Being thankful isn’t just saying a prayer of gratitude on the fourth Thursday of November.  Living every day with gratefulness is a task many of us would have a hard time making a habit of.  It’s too easy to take for granted our material things, getting up every day in a warm house

Thanks, Nobody Who ever heard of an unsuccessful “self-made” man? Does anybody set out to become a failure? Well, of course not, but a lot of people who end up that way often end up finding fault with their circumstances or the people that surround them. What is so honorable about Joseph Heller’s ma

Thank you for your service!Veterans Day is a federal holiday that honors Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard U.S. military veterans. It is celebrated each year on November 11th in recognition of the end of World War I fighting on November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m. Veterans Day was originally

When you list your house for sale, it almost always starts out hunky-dory and hopeful. But as time passes, and your house isn’t fetching offers, you might start feeling like your agent won’t be able to get it sold. Once you start to lose faith in your agent, you may start thinking about hiring a dif

Poverty or Plenty: A Perspective The following story is unattributed: A father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how much poverty exists in the world. They spent several days and nights on the farm of a very poor family. On their

On-The-Job Straining Ever get that “burned out” feeling? You’re operating at maximum capacity and doing a darn good job of it, but the inspiration and the motivation start to wane. Don’t feel badly about it – after all, you can only really hit a slump when you’ve been experiencing a streak of succes

Learning to Fly In the 1930’s and 1940’s, there were numerous women’s magazines. Besides offering a fictional short story and maybe some celebrity gossip, these magazine showed women in the role of the day–keeping their home. They suggested the number of times per week the home should be dusted, scr

The Carpenter Challenge Picture a builder hiring a new framing carpenter to help construct his new homes. The first day on the job, the new carpenter shows up without a tool belt . . . and without any tools . . . and asks, “Where do I begin?” How much progress do you think would be made by the end o

Keep Your Eyes On Your Desk! Watch young children on the playground and you will notice them trying to duplicate each other. One hangs upside down on the monkey bars, and soon everyone is doing the same. Teens behave the same way;  one tries an extreme hair color or social media challenge, and soon

Here’s an Underused Solution if You Work From Home… If you’ve been hoping to buy a home, you’re probably well aware that prices (and competition) for places to live have both been steep for quite some time in many areas. And even though mortgage rates have risen in the past year, a drastic drop in e

Ask “Why?”The 1960’s brought about a revolution of sorts in this country. It was a revolution that was irreverent at times, almost always anti-establishment, and it turned many traditional social customs upside-down.How did it begin? The young, many of college-student age, began to ask, “Why?” They

Be a Hero Are you one of those people that other people always come to with their problems? It’s easy to become frustrated when your day is interrupted by a crisis you didn’t know existed until now. There are a couple of “attitude adjustments” that might help you cope when you don’t feel like rescui

We will never forget.On Sept. 11, 2001, America was forever changed. It has been 22 years since the attacks, but that tragic day, which served as a true test of the American spirit, will be remembered always.“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged st

Honoring Labor Day Summer seems to have passed in the blink of an eye, soon making way for autumn festivities and the joys of pumpkin carving. But before we bid adieu to summer, let’s pause and reflect on the significance of Labor Day before we embrace the seasonal shift. Labor Day, observed on the

Age Doesn’t Matter Whether you’re 23, 43, or 73, ask yourself this wonderfully refreshing question: “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Regardless of our age, it’s so easy to lose sight of the specific “somebody” we always wanted to be. What’s more, the “somebody” we had in mind in our 20’s maybe