Communication between parents and their children is essential if the parents are going to play the basic role of teacher and mentor.

It’s very difficult for frequent, meaningful conversation between parents and children to occur without “THE FAMILY MEAL!”

A kitchen with a table is favorable to a counter which can eliminate face-to face contact.

While discussing an issue with one child, you are simultaneously teaching the others.

Your kids are exposed to more sources of information than ever before.

These sources have a great influence on their behavior and their system of values.

It’s really not a fair fight.

Your ability to influence behavior and values is limited.

That’s why THE FAMILY MEAL is such a vital tool that every parent can use to stay in touch with their kids.

Everyone has to eat. 

So, it is s logical time to gather as often as possible.

If not today, when?

 

 

Yes, it’s time to talk about your relationships with your various relatives.

Of course, there are some you like more than others.

And there may be some you dislike altogether.

Nonetheless, they are FAMILY.

When you marry, you instantly gain more relatives.

I think it’s best if you make an extra effort to be civil to all your relatives.

In regards your in-laws, your spouse will appreciate your good manners with his/her side of the family.

This eliminates any additional potential stress in your marriage.

Regarding your side of the family, your parents will also appreciate your kindness.

So, you see. It’s a win-win.

BTW, If there is already discord in familial relationships, don’t make them worse.

Relationships with friends, neighbors and co-workers are difficult enough.

Do what you can to promote PEACE within your family!

If not today, when?

It’s true.

YOU, my reader, are on my mind every morning.

I wonder what kind of day YOU’LL have today.

What challenges will YOU face, maybe for the first time?

What nagging problems do you have with your marriage, your kids or your employment?

This is my 847th blog.

All those mornings, I awoke with YOU in mind.

My blog appears on Word Press, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Each of those sites give me a daily count of how many of YOU read that day’s blog.

Believe it or not, one of my most read blogs was entitled, “Don’t Miss Lunch!”

Sometimes you’ll read a blog that you find quite meaningful and you’ll let me know.

I’ll be 80 on this coming September.

I’ve experienced a lot of life and I try to pass on to YOU what I’ve learned.

I hope you find my efforts worthwhile!

If not today, when?

We have all made mistakes along the way.

Some of those mistakes have hurt other people.

So, because we feel badly about it, we carry it or them with us.

Everyday we carry guilt for previous mistakes, we punish ourselves all over again.

If the offended person is still alive, reach out and apologize.

It is up to them to accept your apology.

If the offended person is deceased, ask GOD for forgiveness and move on with your life.

The daily challenges we face are enough of a burden.

Don’t pile guilt on top of them.

None of us are perfect, so, learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them.

We actually learn more from our mistakes than our successes.

God is not done with you yet.

You’re still a work in progress!

Because we are with our spouses more than anyone else, we have a tendency to tune them out.

How many times has he/she said with an exasperating tone, “You don’t listen to me?”

Good communication is the lifeblood of every relationship!

There is no more important relationship than that between you and your spouse.

If you haven’t lately, give it the importance it deserves.

You can improve your relationship with Active Listening.

Definition: Active Listening is a technique of careful listening and observation of non-verbal cues.

So, when your spouse is speaking, you must look at him/her in order to pick up the non-verbal cues.

Looking at your spouse while he/she is speaking also renders respect because he/she has the floor!

It is also easier to hear the other person when you’re looking at him/her, thus avoiding the necessity to ask to repeat it.

Your marriage can descend to an unacceptable state if your spouse thinks you’re not interested in what he/she has to say!

If not today, when?

No one wants to relate an incident in which they regret their role in it.

So, why should you do it anyway?

A simple answer, it BUILDS TRUST!

And TRUST is an essential ingredient when attempting to build a relationship.

The other person, when hearing your self-deprecating story, has one reaction:

“If he will tell the truth even when he looks bad, I bet he tells the truth all the time.”

So, here is a person that he/she would like to get to know better, because you have CHARACTER!!

This issue of telling the truth is a really big deal in today’s society.

Many prominent politicians and newscasters are telling deliberate lies that suit their agenda.

Don’t become “Just another liar.”

Always tell the truth even when it makes you look bad.

THE TRUTH is the BASIC BUILDING BLOCK OF A LIFELONG RELATIONSHIP!

If not today, when?

It happens.

You’re both busy people trying to earn an adequate income while also raising kids.

Sometimes, the demands of daily life push the romance off to the side.

As a man, I believe it should always be conducted as a lifelong courtship.

You courted your “Fair Lady” once a long time ago.

I don’t think the courtship should ever end.

Here are a couple of simple things that you can do to keep the COURTSHIP ALIVE.

Surely, the two of you can go out to dinner at least one night a week.

Surely one of you can surprise the other with some act of kindness once in a while.

You know what he/she likes to do. Do it.

And, you must tell your partner how much they mean to you once in a while.

These are all deliberate attempts to keep the ROMANCE ALIVE!

Why not?

It was LOVE that brought the two of you together.

It will be LOVE that will keep the two of you together!

If not today, when?

I believe the key to a happy life is accomplished by attempting to emulate the life of Jesus Christ.

He taught us how to live.

It really comes back to the old saying, “It is in giving that we receive.”

Or, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

The best way to emulate His life is by helping other people who are suffering.

They are all around us, in every community.

They are in your community.

Don’t get me wrong.

I believe in working hard to create a` decent living for yourself and your family.

I just think the best way to serve the Lord is by sharing some of your abundance.

This abundance can be your money or your time.

Sharing either one is a way to “Serve the Lord!”

If not today, when?

Loving a person is all about what you can do to make their life better!

It’s really that simple.

When you say, “I love you,” the words have to be backed up by actions.

Who takes out the trash in your house?

Who makes the breakfast?

Who runs to the grocery store?

Who keeps the cars filled with gas?

Who `gets the kids off to school in the morning?

Who does the laundry?

Who vacuums the living room carpet?

Who runs to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription?

Who attends parent-teacher meetings?

Who pays the bills?

These are all tasks that must be performed by someone.

The more of these tasks that you perform, the fewer your partner has to do.

These are all ways to express your love by making their life easier.

If not today, when?

In today’s world, I think we often assume the worst.

I truly believe, however, that everyone has some worthy qualities.

If we assume that this stranger is a good person, it affects our approach and its success.

If we go the other way and act with suspicion, the other person senses our wariness and withdraws.

Now, we have put up a barrier to an otherwise potential dialogue.

Yes, you will encounter people who don’t have good intentions.

Don’t allow that to affect your approach to everyone you meet.

You can’t go successfully through life without an optimistic attitude.

Optimism is the key that opens doors to valuable, new relationships.

Also, try to discover what you and this stranger have in common.

That is always a powerful “ice breaker.”

Look for the GOOD in everyone you meet!

If not today, when?