Christmas' story

For The Man Who Hated Christmas

It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it--overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears.
It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat.
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.” Mike loved kids - all kids - and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.
For each Christmas, I followed the tradition--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn’t end there.
You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.
Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down the envelope.
Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us.
Nancy W. Gavin
This true story was originally published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Woman's Day magazine. It was the first place winner out of thousands of entries in the magazine's "My Most Moving Holiday Tradition" contest in which readers were asked to share their favorite holiday tradition and the story behind it. The story inspired a family from Atlanta, Georgia to start The White Envelope Project and Giving 101, a non profit organization dedicated to educating youth about the importance of giving.

Bob proctor's website: http://bobproctor.com/
                                         http://www.insightoftheday.com/default.asp

MOOCs: the new experience - some pros and cons of online learning

From NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/education/colleges-turn-to-crowd-sourcing-courses.html?smid=pl-share

Let's hope that improves anyone's lives!

Trip to Salvador, Bahia - Part 1

     

       In my vacation this year, I did not have the chance of heading to any different place to rest. I have only been to São Lourenço, in Minas, for a couple of days. For this reason, I was kind of desperate, really was and my boyfriend and I decided all of a sudden to go somewhere.

       To tell the truth, it did not matter the place itself, then we entered the travel agency and asked for vacancies in the Northeast part of Brazil, although we also considered the South. Since I have never been in the hottest regions in Brazil, it would be a nice chance to know a called beautiful place. Natal, Maceió and Salvador were the names we mentioned to the travel agent to make the research for us. Salvador was the only one with the dates of flight we could deal with, so I said: let's go, let's not think of it.

      It was impulsive and rational decision. I needed to free my mind from my problems and daily routine which from time to time play hard balls on us. My boyfriend had been working a lot as well, therefore he also considered an appropriate choice. The whole pack included city tour with hotel, transfer and tickets.

       I was very happy with everything when one thing caught me completely off guard. I got a pretty harsh flu with all the worst symptoms ever. I have never felt so weak and my body could not react with simple lemonades or natural medicines. I thought I would not be able to make it. I had to miss work for two days which is something rare for me because I hate to be absent.

       I did consider not going as long as my recovery was quite slow, but considering the price for him to pay the fine in case of calling off, we agreed to go any way. I was at risk and I had an inflammation in my ears that is still with me at the moment I am writing this.

        The trip started early on November, 2^nd with some emotion. My boyfriend and I almost lost the plane that decided to call ‘the last time’ twenty minutes before the plane would take off. I was weak and running was definitely not something good. Yes, we could reach the gate at almost the last moment. That was the important thing. On the other hand, I kept being worried about my ears, besides I was aware of chewing gum could help me a little with the pressure of plane’s movements. The flight has run smoothly, I was happy despite the sore throat, ears’ pain and the tiredness. The song that I most listened when we were flying was: Titanium, by David Ghetta.  To the flu, I sang: ‘you shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium. you shoot me down, but I won't fall I am titanium…’

To be continued...

Juggle Balls

Juggle Balls
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
How?

* Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
* Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
* Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
* Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.
* Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
* Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us each together.
* Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
* Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
* Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.
* Don't forget that a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
*Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
* Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
Brian Dyson
Former CEO of Coca-Cola Company. This was from a speech he gave at the Georgia Tech 172nd Commencement Address on September 6, 1996.

Bob proctor's website: http://bobproctor.com/
                                         http://www.insightoftheday.com/default.asp

Only time

Who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows, only time
And who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose, only time

Who can say why your heart sighs
As your love flies, only time
And who can say why your heart cries
When your love lies, only time

Who can say when the roads meet
That love might be in your heart
And who can say when the day sleeps
If the night keeps all your heart
Night keeps all your heart

Who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose
Only time
And who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows, only time

Who knows? Only time
By Enya

Would you prefer to take care of the house and have your spouse support you?

I can enumerate quite a few things that I would like to achieve in my life. Among them, it is raising my children, traveling around the world, being successful in my carrier. Who doesn’t aim those accomplishments?

 

 

Well, another great deal of planning would be marrying a billionaire. What would be part of my life? In this case, I’d live in a mansion and have more than a maid to take care of the house. Perhaps, I’d get a baby sitter to watch out my children. My husband would be the kind of man that we see in films: lovely, partner in a big company, very wealthy. I can get everything I want: from the best beauty saloon to the most expensive clothes. But are all these things worth? It depends on what I put more importance in. Would be perfect staying in a mansion and having everything for me? No, I don’t think so. Why not? I reckon I wouldn’t be fulfilled. Actually, I want to have my family and to find myself successful in my profession. If I accepted someone supporting me, I would feel incapable, not useful. Then, even if my husband were rich and he gave me the option to stay in home, I’d not take. On the other hand, if I married someone not rich, but who let me not work out, I wouldn’t stay at home taking care of the house. I am not much for household chores, although I would like to spend time with my children.

February, 2001

Interesting to check

I have just enrolled at some courses available on the link below:

http://www.coursera.org/

They will mostly start in January, 2013. I am very excited about it!