Dear Friends,

What has happened to January? It is passing so quickly. I believe this year will be a year of breakthroughs, prosperity, and purpose.

I am  not simply practicing Mindfulness but I chose to live a life of Intentionality. I am being Intentional about how I use my time and my resources. More importantly, I am being Intentional about what I put into my mouth and what comes out of my mouth. I have been enrolled in a chaplaincy course to be trained to do the work of a chaplain. This can be in a variety of settings:  Hospital, Rehab centers, Nursing homes, Prisons, and Armed Forces. I have learned that my role is to listen, listen, listen. My role is to reflect on what the person needs and provide comfort, hope and validation. It is not my place to convert, convict or convince the person of anything.

I sense that God had a purpose for placing me in that class "at such a time as this"..The course, unfortunately, has been cancelled. The teacher's part-time job as a prison chaplain has suddenly become a forty hour a week job. But in the month that I have been in his mentorship, if you will, I have gained much insight and wisdom. I will implement my new learning into other roles that I play in this stage of my blessed life.

I ask you? How much listening do you do in lieu of preaching or presenting your opinions?
Whose needs do you meet? Your own or the person you are called to encourage?

Join me in living a life of serving the interests of others without concern of personal gain.
God know your heart. He know what purpose your good works serves. Let's serve our "neighbors"
with joy. You will have such meaning in this season of your life.

Let me hear from you!
Doctoryaya

Let us Rejoice in the Blessing of a Fresh Beginning!

Here we go again! Tomorrow is the beginning of the the first full week of 2019.

Where were you last year on this day?

Do you even remember? If not, why not?

Was this day last year non-eventful?

Does there have to be a birthday or anniversary for a given day to be remembered?

Was your year non-eventful?

How in fact do you measure the importance or value of a period of time?

Were you satisfied with the manner in which you used your God given time, potential, resources?

I am keeping a Five Year Journal with six lines allowed for each day of each year..If granted five more years, I plan to reflect back on the year day by day beginning in 2020. It is not a diary of events but rather a way to track my thoughts, needs, prayers and relationships. Highly recommended and purchased from my writing coach!

Uh-oh! The door bell is ringing. I am interrupted so I must close. Hope to hear from you with feedback about your plans for the first week of 2019.  My advice: Prioritize and develop boundaries!

Oh...Lastly, I am teaching Sat Jan 12 and Sat Jan 19 for The Enrichment Academy at Lake Miona Rec Center in The Villages, Fl. If you are interested in developing balance and purpose in your life, you may want to take my class. It is intended to help you find joy and meaning in this season of life!

Phyllis

I wish you a blessed, joyful, healthy, prosperous 2019. That sounds like you should expect a lot, doesn't it?  That is my point! Pray Big. Believe Big. Never cease. Keep hope alive. This is the year of your break through. Praying in and of itself is not the answer. It is absolutely necessary but in and of itself, is not sufficient.  Do what is within your control and leave the rest to God.

My personal goals are to be mindful in all areas of my life and to be intentional as to how I use my time, money, and resources. This means I will do things and think thoughts on purpose. I have allowed too many unimportant, irrelevant things to interfere with my journey.

What journey are you in the midst of? Do you know what your God given destiny holds?
Don't stifle it!

Let's enjoy the best year yet!

Warm regards,

Phyllis 

Dear Bloggers,

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year...

Make 2019 a year of Intentionality. Pray and Plan! That is, rather than making resolutions easily broken, create a road map intended to move you toward your goals with purpose and intent in mind.
Being intentional means you will not do things haphazardly or impulsively. Instead, you will proceed with caution and determination.

Set limits and boundaries with self-imposed consequences when they are violated. Where there are set-backs ,don't beat yourself up! Simply recalculate and use the wisdom gained from your mistakes to believe" big" for your future. If you have failed before, do not allow failure to define you! A failed experience does not make you a "failure".

When you want to relax, do it intentionally.Without guilt! God worked six days and rested on the Sabbath. Select your day of Sabbath. Jesus relaxed. He did not hurry and miss opportunities along his path. It does not mean, He had no plan.

You have heard the saying that we have "two eyes" to see and "two ears" to hear but only "one mouth". Pause and notice those around you. Listen to what those around you have to say. Hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit and allow interruptions without frustration.

On Sunday my husband and I actually drive to church in our golf cart. We never fail to notice the magnificent horses on the farms across the boulevard and the luscious golf course to the right of our recreation trail. My husband will ask, "Did you ever think you would be going to church in a golf cart?" And I always say, "No, I never did." He is so in awe of the Lord's natural beauty that he continues to ask the same question and receive the same response. No it is not dementia! It is gratitude!

Merry Christmas. And if you would like to use my book "Creating Balance & Purpose in your Life" as a tool to experience joy and meaning in this season of your life, contact me! You won't regret it.

With love,

Phyllis

Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
As we approach the week-end prior to Christmas, I would like to express my gratitude!

Saturday evening we held a Christmas party for the Casa Hope guys, families, staff, and volunteers after the 6:00 pm worship service at Fairway Christian Church. Several men gave their personal testimonies: Journeys to and from Hell and who guided them to discover Jesus as their personal savior. Their stories were touching and provided us a reminder of "the reason for the season".

My California family spent five days with us and were able to see and participate in our lifestyle at The Villages during the holidays. We rode in golf carts to view the brilliant, creative light displays. We packed memorable experiences into the limited time we had together. The five and eight year old grandsons had recalled feeding horses and ducks and fish last year. This has become a tradition. I am grateful for the opportunity to establish family traditions with them. Our time with them is limited by geography!

What they did not expect was Jocko!  Jocko is a black, mild mannered laboradoodle! He has been staying with us while his Daddy recuperates from back surgery. We are grateful that his owner has indeed successfully completed rehab.

Obviously, I am grateful that my Study Guide & Gratitude Journal was launched this past week.
It is a companion to "Worry, Fret and Fear...No More!" so that the reader can pass on the six week book instead of writing in it each day. It is recommended that the Study Guide be utilized to record answers to the questions and five things for which to be grateful for each day. It is not a replacement for the "Worry" book. Get both copies at one bundled price from me or purchase them separately from Amazon.com.

Pray that you too are experiencing joy and meaning in this Season of your life.
In His name,

Yaya Phyllis

Thank you for your support by visiting me at the Writers League of The Villages Expo and book signing, as well as your purchases of my books. My third book arrives tomorrow and/or is available on Amazon.com.(under books and my name) as are my first two books: Worry, Fret and Fear...No More! and Creating Balance & Purpose in your Life.  It is entitled:  Study Guide and Gratitude Journal for Worry, Fret and Fear...No More! If you purchase directly from me, I offer a bundle discount package which makes a nice gift for someone you want to encourage. I welcome your Amazon reviews and your comments on my blog. I respond to all comments.

Life has been a whirlwind! Phew! My family was with us for five days.  They live in Berkeley California. My Midwest son married a California girl and their sons, Thom and Freddie are 8 and 5 respectively. Of course two golf carts were necessary to travel hither and yon around The Villages.

Feeding horses and birds and fish. Swimming. Dancing-sort of-at The Square!  Listening to a story (Polar Express) at Barnes and Noble. This included hot chocolate and cookies. Sweet!
Long trek down to the Village of Hadley to see the street of sound and lights! The Holiday Parade at the Polo Fields. I missed this event as it was held during the Writers' Expo. We wrapped up the visit with The Grinch followed by Flippers' pizza. Today they have flown home to re-enter Pacific time.
The jet lag was not easy for them.

How about you? Does your family have traditions that involve visits around the holidays? Do you remember traditions from your own childhood?  I would love to hear from my readers. Do share!
And have a blessed week. Be kind and be careful.  The Grinch is alive and well.