Next year my goal is to not have to wrap presents! Does anyone else hate this job? Use your creativity to think of ways to downsize the preparation time.

There is another whole side to this balancing effort, quite a pleasant one if we will follow through. During the holidays we hear words like: holiness, charity, togetherness, generosity, magic... How about we keep some of the holiday spirit? Could you host a post-holiday party on the 25^th of January? Personally I think that's why the Super Bowl was set around that time of year. If you have a favorite Christmas or Hanukah decoration, what's wrong with leaving it on display until Easter? Could we volunteer at our local homeless shelter for one evening a month, maybe on the twenty-fifth of each month?

Perhaps we could find someone who could use a small gift? I've found two women on the program who are in real need. One has MS, her husband lost his job, they suddenly had to move, and she needed surgery... all within the month of November. The other is a young mom in Chicago who was living in a homeless shelter and because of that her 2 year old was placed in foster care until she could establish a home. She has recently been set up in an apartment so the family is back together. These women were of course given a scholarship program but, I felt I had to ask them what else they needed. I hope they tell me.

Whatever I can give them materially will be very small on the grand scale of things. I wish I could give them a house, cure MS, and start a college fund for the baby, but I can't. These two women will be "gifts" I give myself. Because frankly, I get a real good feeling when I help make someone's life a bit easier, and as you all know, I'm into feeling good! J

Keep the holiday spirit,
Carolyn Dickman, Education Director
 

Hazel

I am often the recipient of some of the most delightful writing. I have permission to share some with you. Gordon and Hazel live in Saskatchewan and decided to do the program together. "I really wondered when we sent for the course if we'd make it to our 50^th (anniversary party)...Before I saw your course on TV I had taken part in ten spiritual growth courses with an Irish Catholic Father. (I'm Anglican-United myself) and I'm amazed as I go back over my notes how his wisdom is so similar to the course.

"Under every anger is fear and below that, hurt." "Pain is the breaking of the shell that leads to understanding. The more you become your true self the pain is pushed up. Through our wounds we are healed."

...I needed more, this course with its cognitive training and systematic reinforcement (was what I needed). I carry my reminder cards and leave my STOP, accept the feeling, etc. cards around the house.

Thank you all at the Midwest Centre for this amazing gift to my husband and I. We have never been this close."

Love,
Hazel

From her book, Hazel's World: Crumbs in the Drawers
You know that guy on the bottle of household cleaner, the one with one earring, smiling and showing off his muscles? Well, he's got a head-lock on a lot of homemakers. He nods his bald head and they run from room to room with pails and mops. But no matter how hard they work, they still suffer from terminal guilt.

Take this neighbour (English spelling) of mine. Her house is spotless, as far as I can see, but when I dropped in on her last week, the first thing she said was, "Don't look in my oven!" I assured her I felt claustrophobic looking into people's ovens. When mine gets in bad shape, I just move to another house.

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