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Kindness and time

~ credo2014 ~ Leave a comment

My own mentor and amazing mother always used to say the best gift we can give is our time. As we approach the Christmas period we should be mindful of those that live alone or maybe have lost a loved one with year. The first Christmas may be the hardest the family will have to face.  I have always maintained that Christmas time can place huge pressures on people to be happy when actually they may be feeling sad for many reasons.

What we can all do is to make an effort to give our time when we can spare it and of course show a bit of kindness to those that would really appreciate the sentiment perhaps more so this year.

Speaking this week with a close friend we were both in agreement that those who are bereft need our consideration long after the funeral week…but perhaps we are all guilty of forgetting that at times.

Remember life goes by quickly but kindness on the other hand lasts for ever.

If you are feeling the pain of those who are missing try and remember the happy times you shared or a funny experience and keep their memory alive in a positive way as best you can.

 

A Kiss for Christmas…

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Christmas is on the horizon and for those romantics who value the joy of kissing what better way to get in the mood than read a book on the very subject?

‘The Little Book of Kisses’  by Dolly Christmas is available to download from Amazon

Including funny true stories and some interesting facts on just how beneficial kissing can be – how to keep your dentist happy and to lose calories making way for that extra mince pie!

 

Kindness

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A grey Monday morning may leave one feeling a bit miserable but turning our focus to something that inspires us and makes us happy is a good start to the week.

I still maintain that being kind to those we come into contact with gives us the opportunity to grow, be the bigger person and start that karma account which will return positive things in the future.

There are some people we encounter where being kind can prove a real challenge and there we have it…the challenge..so accept it, reflect a while and agree that the option to still be kind is the right one. We never know what journey that difficult person has been on which has led them to come out scratching but do we have to react? No.

The one thing we all have is the ability to chose how we behaviour we have no control over others… but we can perhaps encourage them to feel better and who knows maybe act better. Kill them with kindness I say, smile keep the world guessing.

Thoughts from the crazy cat lady…so hate people that hiss!

 

Cyber bullying

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Glad to See Prince William discussing and supporting the modern day problem of cyber bullying. As I have written many times before school time bullying was just at school now its 24/7 and its effect can bring heartbreaking outcomes for families as victims feeling desperate sometimes take their own life.

Online bullying seemingly has no escape and it is so personal. Sadly we have a generation of people who post first think after…or not thinking at all. Parents, teachers need to remind all users of the ramifications of their actions.

Please read my article on Innovate My school’s website

http://www.innovatemyschool.com/industry-expert-articles/item/1670-how-schools-can-tackle-cyberbullying.html

World Kindness Day

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So I am reliable informed is World Kindness Day and for most of us this is a daily act and for others they may have to work a bit harder. I often write about kindness and how it is a strength and so easy to apply. If we are kind in our thoughts, deeds and actions, in my experience it is returned back to us.

To have that friend you have to be that friend as one of my favourite gurus once said.

This year I am sponsoring a tree again with Sarah Manning at St Saviours Tree Festival in St Albans with a theme of ‘love, kindness and understanding‘ in support of dementia awareness for the Alzheimers Society. Our tree will be in the Lady Chapel this time and we are thrilled. The festival has something for everyone, entry free but donations are welcome.

The festival starts on Saturday 16th December running daily until 23rd December. Please visit their website http://www.ssaviours.org for full details and carol services.

What’s under the surface?

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A lot of my friends and colleagues have ventured into pastoral type roles the past few years and recognise the importance of the support they give more often than not as a vocation to our struggling teens.

Modern life is a stressful path for our students aside of the stress of exams they have a lot of what many may see as self-imposed pressure via modern media. However, the emotional pain runs deep for many who suffer with various forms of peer pressure, cyber bullying and body conscious issues.

I am reminded today how we cannot always notice the signs as it is difficult to help somebody who is doing everything they can to hide their feelings. The following simple example explains a lot!

Think of a flower and its roots: The flower is things you can see happening  – what people say and do.  The roots are things you can’t see  – what people feel and think!

Delve deeper, ask the questions and give your children the platform to share they are our most precious gift.

To those in education holding the purse strings invest in our youth they are the future! We need more funding in pastoral departments not staff cutbacks.

Love and protect the elderly

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Now I know the world has gone completely mad. I am not one to shy away from technology and as my amazing mother used to say ‘don’t be beaten by man nor machine.‘ But, seriously, my lovely fellow bloggers and followers  do we really want robots looking after our elderly?

I work with clients with dementia and their families with some friends contemplating and facing putting their parents into nursing homes for various health reasons. The idea that they will be put in a room with a robot is crazy if not cruel.

Having visited various nursing homes what the residents need is the personal touch and social interaction to keep their spirits up and help fight loneliness. It is a huge and difficult period of adjustment when somebody leaves their family home to move into a nursing home. I’m sorry but a robot cannot monitor the wellbeing of humans.

These private nursing homes are making a fortune with many paying staff low wages and expecting a lot of the entertainment and other facilities to be met by volunteers. The idea they will save money by investing in robots just shows the mentality of what we are dealing with. It’s obvious a real case of business not personal care!

Many people approaching the age/stage of life to end up in a nursing home will be like me and think of robots as the cybermen from Dr Who or the classic series The Avengers of the 60’s and that is neither funny nor a entertaining thought.

Why can’t we be like other countries who value, respect and provide proper care for the elderly? The generation, in many cases who have fought for their country giving a huge chunk of their early lives in the process. What a great thank you…I am spitting feathers today I kid you not.

 

Thank you and thankfull

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A tongue in cheek ‘thank you’ to the lazy drinker who left a beer bottle in the road, luckily although I ran over it my tyres were ok. Funny how I managed to stop on my way to work and clear up the broken glass but finding a bin or taking your bottle home was asking a bit too much?? I so hate sarcasm..but litter louts more!

My lovely client looked over them for me but suggested best to get them checked. Thankfully, my brilliant local friendly garage (Redbourn Auto Solutions) found time to immediately check my ‘two day old new tyres’ over for me and without charge…mind at ease I could enjoy a coffee and really naughty pudding with a friend.

Fortunately the good karma is following me this week.