Do not judge...

When Christ spoke on earth, He warned us not to judge...

'Judge not and you shall not be judged.'

Simple to say, yet perhaps not so simple to practise.

Our neighbours and friends and family, however good they are, will challenge us. Their values and ways of doing things can be different to us.

We are invited to love, not to find fault. When we make it our business to do this then we will be able to see how beautiful each person is.

Love unites.

TRANSFORMATION

To become transformed / to change ourselves requires diligence and most importantly, a goal-oriented reason for doing so.

Every sane person wants to improve and become better at what they do and who they are.

How we do this depends, firstly on how sane we are and secondly on how brave we are.

It takes courage to be different, to make changes in our lives, to change ourselves.

Transformation will take place when we are centred on what we want and more than willing to pay the price.

Yes, there is always a price to pay for becoming a happier and saner person.

The price is Love.

How we put love into our lives can be different for each person, yet will have the same results.

For the Christian-minded person, LOVE is found in a very simple way, through our belief in the Presence of God.

Remember to tune into God in our lives everyday and without great effort, we will be transformed!

BE REASONABLE!

In life we are called to be a balanced, reasonable person, someone who looks at the whole picture and makes intelligent choices.

To be reasonable depends on how educated we are, not just ABC's, but socially intelligent.

We have neighbours, friends, family, connections with the world at large and so it takes a sound and reasonable mind to allow the Truth to emerge.

We may often see things differently to other people. Our tastes and values can be so different, yet there is a guiding light to help us to become reasonably-minded people.

We have the gift of Faith. Let's use it.

FOLLOW your DREAM

Today, in a world of recession and so much talk about how bad things are etc. it's important to follow your dream, whatever it might be.

Are you a writer? An actor? A dancer? A landscape Gardener?

Whatever puts vitality and passion into your life, follow it. Do it!

Life is so short and what a pity for us not to have a dream, an inspiration that gives zest and fun to our lives.

We will always have our 'duties', our work and looking after those to whom we have responsibilities etc.

This is all good. Our main duty in life is to love, yet remember we also have an obligation to love ourselves truly.

Following our dream is God's way to inspire us to be happy and sane.

Be ready...

How important it is to be ready, be ready for whatever comes our way.

The insecure person will want to have everything 'under wraps' so nothing goes wrong, yet this can lead to anxiety and fear.

The secure person will prepare and therefore have confidence in their ability to deal with whatever comes their way.

This is a good approach to life, to be ready to face each day and welcome the challenges that we are faced with.

After all, what would life be like without a challenge. And the positive-minded person will know that each difficulty is also a learning curve, helping us to become a better, more rounded person.

So, be ready...

YOUNG AT HEART

I had the opportunity to chat with two young people who have come to Ireland to experience our culture etc.

Wicklow has been their home for the past few weeks and they have so many experiences to add to their treasure of cultural wealth.

They have already travelled to many countries and will visit many more, finding work to support themselves.

They embrace the world and instead of sitting in a comfortable home and 'google' they go out and gain personal experiences of countries and people.

What a wonderful gift it is to be young at heart!

GRAN CANARY

I've just returned from a wonderful holiday in Gran Canary, an island of the north-west coast of Africa. It was a great experience for me, especially as a writer, to focus on people and their lives.

Arguineguin, where I stayed, is mostly a Scandinavian community, dappled with English and Irish people.

I had planned to study my Spanish notes, yet soon found myself practising what Danish I could remember.

This community of very actively-retired people are impressive. They keep fit and live disciplined lives, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Having made an investment in property, it works out cheaper for them to spend the winter living in a warm climate with no heavy fuel bills etc. And of course, much healthier!

With the average temperature of 25 degrees and constant sunshine, Gran Canary is a haven of peace and relaxation.

On Sundays, the Norwegian Choir sang some beautiful hymns at the local Church. It was a delight to listen to them, a large group of actively-retired people who simply love to sing.

They say, 'To sing is to pray twice.'

A local Canaries woman told me that the group move over to Gran Canary in October and stay until May.

No wonder they all look so happy and healthy.

I guess HOME is where the heart is...