I don’t pretend to be an expert on marriage, if there is such a person. But, I have been happily married for 54 years and I can’t wait to see my wife’s face each morning! So, we must have learned something along the way.

Here are my rules:

Never cheat on your spouse.                                                                                                        Be honest.                                                                                                                                         Express your love in different ways such as helping with chores.                         Always let your spouse know he or she is the most important person in your life.         If you have offended your spouse, give a sincere apology quickly. Don’t linger.            Allow your spouse private moments.                                                                                        Find things to do that you both enjoy. Create fun times.                                                    Be quick to forgive.                                                                                                                        Talk things out. Don’t give your spouse “The Silent Treatment.”                                          Do a lot of kissing, hugging and loving regardless of your ages!

If not today, when?

PARENTAL LOVE: This kind of love is not mere affection for your child. No, Parental Love is an all encompassing effort which includes leadership as its very unique quality. To be even more direct, you can’t allow the inmates to run the asylum! Children need guidance and if they don’t get it from you, the world provides many other sources to them.

STRUCTURE: You must have rules that you and your children live by. These guidelines will help your children become responsible members of society.  Rules of behavior must be enforced with consequences. The consequences include praise for following the rules and some appropriate form of discipline for breaking them.

Throughout your children’s lives, they need Parental Love and Structure.

If not today, when?

 

 

The old days of dad going off to work while mom stayed home to raise the kids, shop for groceries, prepare the meals, clean the house, chauffeur the kids, schedule doctor appointments, wash the clothes, etc. are gone!

If your family is fortunate enough to have both spouses raising your children together, it is important that both parents are “all in!” Separation of responsibilities is really not practical anymore considering our pace of living. Also, in order to maintain your financial needs, both of you are probably employed.

Dads have to pitch in wherever needed to keep the family moving in the right direction! It is unfair for one spouse to do 75% of the work!

Forget the old stereotypes. It’s a new ballgame!

If not today, when?

What a huge tragedy for one family to bear! He had two kinds of riches; financial and familial. I bet he would pay any price to bring his kids back to life.

If you are blessed with people in your life, you are also rich. Oh, I know they all have shortcomings of one kind or another, but so do you. In the midst of all your daily hustle and bustle, it is important to sometimes pause and take a moment to thank God for your family and friends.

Don’t ever take them for granted! They are a gift that is here today and should be celebrated today. When is the last time you told each and every one that you love them?

If not today, when?

 

Recently, a young seminarian was playing in a soccer game when he suddenly collapsed and died on the field. Three days after his funeral, he appeared to one of his teammates and said, “If only you could see what I see!”

Every once in a while, we get reminders of life after death. When they communicate with us in some manner, they always seem happy. I believe we can live happier lives here on earth if we know that our deceased loved ones are happy in the hereafter.

So, let’s move on with our lives safe in the knowledge that good things are ahead of us!

As the Reverend Jesse Jackson always told us: “Keep hope alive!”

If not today, when?

If you worry, you are presupposing you know the future.

Sorry, but you don’t!

After living 77 years of life, starting 8 businesses, having 6 children and 22 grand children, I’ve had plenty to worry about. Listen to this: The overwhelming amount of worries never happened! I wasted a lot of nervous energy and angst on ideas I created in my mind that never materialized.

Yes, good and bad things happened that I did not anticipate, but they were going to happen anyway. That’s why we must absolutely be thankful for today because we don’t know the future, but we can surely ruin today worrying about it.

Most of the tomorrows you create in your mind don’t exist!

Don’t ruin today! Live it! Be thankful for it!

If not today, when?

There is a new normal in our daily lives. It is the constant news of events in every remote corner of the world. We are brought to the scene via 24 hour TV networks and the internet playing video, photos and live reporting on our cell phones.

I think there are a whole lot of calamities around the world we really don’t need to know about! So, our minds are filled with our own personal agenda as well as traumatic happenings being felt by people we don’t know and never will know.

These distractions mean that many of us have difficulty devoting ourselves to a given task. Would you be happier and more productive if you returned to the “old normal” not allowing your mind to be filled with unnecessary news and trauma?

  Try living YOUR life simply without 24 hour news.

If not today, when?

Are you carrying a grudge from some incident that happened in your past? If so, it has become a burden for you and it is also a burden for the other person.

Forgiveness is very difficult for all of us.

Because the original perceived offense hurt us, we’re not inclined to “turn the other cheek.” For the same reason, unconditional love is a worthwhile objective, but seldom realized.

If you think carrying a grudge is difficult while the offending party is alive, try carrying it the rest of your life after he or she is dead!

Forgive and forget! It’s the right thing to do!

There are enough burdens in our lives that we can’t easily eliminate. Forgiving someone, however, can be done quickly and you’ll make two people instantly happier!

If not today, when?

The burning of Notre Dame Cathedral was a horrific event! People around the world paused their own personal lives to witness the destruction of one of civilization’s most easily recognized landmarks.

From most tragedies, however, there usually comes something good.

And, it was also true yesterday. We witnessed Parisians and tourists (complete strangers) embracing one another in their shared grief as they stood together in the streets watching the famous steeple fall into the unquenchable flames. Without the fire, those people would not have embraced one another. But, they had something instantly in common.

We all are very similar, you know. Many people today try to accentuate our differences by pointing out the diversity of our society. That is very short sighted.

We were all made by the same God and we all bleed red!

If not today, when? 

Yesterday, after an 11 year drought, Tiger Woods won the Masters by one stroke. During those 11 years, he endured three back surgeries. The pundits felt he would never be able to compete at the highest level again.

Because of an approaching storm on the final day, the tee times were moved from mid afternoon to 9:30AM. A reporter asked Tiger when he would have to wake up in order to tee off at that time. He replied, “3:45AM” because he had to go through a strenuous physical workout to be sure his back was ready. So, at 4AM, he was seen in the weight room going through his daily routine.

Willpower is an awesome thing! You can accomplish so much more with your life!

Are you willing to pay the price to become so much more?

If not today, when?