Thanksgiving is vastly approaching and then the push for the old fashion Christmas that we all remember when we were children.  Trying to find the perfect gift in very difficult times in a very uncertain world is stress in its self. So how do we all cope and still find love in our hearts?

If we all remember when we were children the time spent with family with good food and laughter was always the memory. Looking back at old photos during the holiday time maybe a gift in its self. We do not have to go to the department store for that special gift as it may be in our own home. A drawer or cabinet where the old photos may be. The purchase of a special frame or collage for that special someone will be a lifetime of joy and memories. Possibly there are many to exchange gifts with and the thought of this can overwhelm the best of us. Picking one name from the list or Yankee Swap may bring fun and lightness to the holiday time and more thought could be taken for just one instead of many.

The thought of good food, drink and laughter is a memory and to be cherished. The special cookies, candy or gift basket filled with tasty goodies from ones own kitchen can be the most delightful.  We have so many great cooking shows on our televisions and access to their recipes. A few days in the kitchen alone, with friends or family to prepare such delights will be a memory of preparation as well as gift giving. 

We can all simplify our lives and create wonderful memories with time, love and just a bit of new thought of joining the old world such as the Norman Rockwell Christmas and the new technology of today.  How fortunate we are to have the ability to maybe make someone something with our hearts and hands with just a bit of imagination.  After all isn't that what children do all the time. Holidays... no matter the religion, bring a little child into your heart  and surprise someone.

We’ve all heard stories from our Grandfathers about the days past and how they lived without all the “newfangled” things we have today. We’ve probably all ignored most of them too. After all, what do they know? They were young so long ago! But maybe we should think about their stories and take them to heart. The average American family these days has so many things to do and play with that quality family time seems to be a myth. So why not try to revive an old legend and bring the family back together, using some tried and true methods?

When is the last time your family sat down together for a meal, with no television, MP3 players, or cell phones to distract anyone? If you can’t remember when it was, try making it happen this week. Ask your kids how their day went. Of course, many kids will give the standard “fine” but you may be surprised at how much they open up to you. There is also lots of evidence that there are long term benefits for children who have a ritual of family dinners. An example of these benefits includes a smaller chance of a child becoming involved with illegal drugs. Isn’t that a wonderful reason to have spaghetti and meatballs together?

Why not try something else and take a break from electronics, if only for a night? A good time to start this might be during National TV Turnoff Week. This week of family togetherness is next scheduled for April 20-26, 2009. Not having the television as a distraction may give your family a chance to try something like taking a walk around the neighborhood or playing a game. There’s nothing like a good game of Scrabble to bring the family together. You may just be amazed at how much a game of Charades will make your normally sarcastic teenager laugh. And who knows, maybe she’ll be willing to be seen with you in public after a while!

People of all ages die every single day. Yesterday, someone may have lost a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a pet, or even their own life. Death is one of the most disconcerting experiences that we must all deal with at some time in our lives. When those that are close to us die, the grief that emanates may sometimes be unbearable. However, life must always continue somehow and not let death diminish our own lives.

When people lose members of their own family, the grief takes a great toll. When a parent loses a child, they often feel that they have lost a part of themselves. This creates a large void in that parent’s life that may never be filled again. Almost every aspect of that parent’s life may be affected by such a loss and it can be very debilitating. People different ways of dealing with this type of stress. Some may spend more time with their careers and grieve quietly while others may grieve openly and talk about that child every chance they get. There is no right or wrong way to deal with losing a child. Most importantly, parents must find a way to cope with their loss or they will suffer.

When parent lose their children to death, they experience a serious type of anguish that can sometimes overtake their own lives. Parents should never have to bury their children. There is something instinctively wrong when they have to bury their children when their foreseen futures never have a chance to come to an existence. There is probably no cure for this type of loss. The remedies that are available to parents suffering from child loss can only diminish the pain but they never get rid the pain.

One of the key aspects of living a healthy lifestyle is to exercise on a regular basis. There are many benefits of exercising. One of the most important is the positive affect that it has on our health. Most people that exercise frequently do it because of health-related reasons. Some may do it to maintain their weight while others may do it to diminish the symptoms of an illness they may be suffering from like hypertension or diabetes.

One of the most obvious reasons why most people exercise regularly is to control their weight. It is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories. The longer and the more vigorously you perform exercises, the more calories you burn. Running on a treadmill or going to the gym everyday is not the only way to exercise. Exercising could also be taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walking to the grocery store instead of driving. As long as you are using your muscles and being active every chance you get, you are exercising.

Another reason why people exercise is to manage their stress. People that are continuously exposed to long periods of stress need to cope with it or they could develop stress-related illnesses. Exercise is a remedy that doctors prescribe to diminish the harmful effects of exercise.

Another reason why people may exercise often is because it is fun. Some people look at exercise as something to do when they are bored. Besides being just fun, exercise is most importantly beneficial to your health and it can increase your lifespan. Next time you have a choice of either the stairs or the elevator, you now know that the healthier choice is the stairs.

Music has been suggested to be on the same level as food, water and sex to a human being. Music is an important part of our life and can be used in teaching and healing. If you listen to music you can understand the difference in the way the choice of music makes you feel. Relaxation through music would be the sounds of nature or classical or spiritual to some. Exercise and excitement through music would be a fast song that you like. To some that would be 50s music and to others that would be hard rock, new age, country, etc. Some people wake up to music in the morning to get them out of bed and motivated for the day. There is a question on what came first, music or language?

Music can open the mind of people locked in a body with cerebral palsy or autism. Sometimes they are able to compose music when they can not speak. This gives them the self esteem to know they can communicate in some way.

Musicians in impoverished areas can tell you if it weren’t for music, they would be on the streets getting into trouble. Children turn to music to drown out unwanted noise, like parents and siblings fighting or gun shots outside their windows at night.

Music is one of the best teaching tools in our schools. Students who are also musicians are reported to do better in academics. Teachers in elementary schools use music to teach the alphabet, stories about better behavior etc. The power of music is undetermined but is proven essential in our lives.