by Amelia Farquhar

There's one simple secret to achieving happiness, balance, and better health, sceientists say: letting go of past hurts and absolving the people who've caused them. And that lofty goal is easier to reach than you'd think.

People who are more forgiving become less angry, more hopeful, less anxious, less stressed and more confident. Forgiveness can improve physical health too. A stronger heart, a healthier immune systerm, fewer headaches and back-pain relief.

Forgiving is not something that is easy to do if you've been hurt deeply. The article explains that forgiveness is not reconciliation. It's not condoning unkindness, giving up your hurt feelings, forgetting what has happened, or excusing someone from taking responsibility for their actions. Deciding to forgive doesn't mean you don't protect yourself. You can forgive without trusting again.

To read more, grab a copy of December's issue of REDBOOk. I only quoted a few sentences that I found were highlights of the whole article and to be very true, for me. What do you think?

I never really cared much for the holidays. Never really something that I look forward to. Especially now that my mom is gone, I dread the holidays. Half my family is across the US. More reasons to dread the holidays.

But as some of you may reunite with your family and friends, it is just another day for me. But I am thankful for many things, not just now because it's the holidays. But thankful always in my heart and in my mind. Although only half my family is here with me, I am thankful for that much. How lonely it would be without that half. I am thankful for my little family. That everyone is in good and stable health (hopefully). Thankful for me, thankful for you. Peace.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays.

My daughter has been quite artistic lately. I've attempted but the images are better in my mind.

 I love you too Michelle!

I don't blog much about her. But the people who knows me, knows that she is my everything. I go everywhere with her. So I don't really go places where I can't take her.

Responding to myself about a blog I posted a couple of weeks ago about being afraid of getting hurt. As I slowly try to accept that perhaps I am afraid, I realize something else. I haven't found someone worth my time to give it my all.

I'll leave it at that.

are nothing compared to yours.

I'm starting to realize why I have such a hard time explaining myself and my troubles. It's not hard at all. I find my worries and troubles nothing when I think about those less fortunate that has it worse. Bills are late and behind. Boo hoo. Who's fault? Mine's. What's to complain? Nothing.

So it turns out, my problems are not problems at all. My worries are over things that I could control to prevent from happening. That makes my life pretty dull, but calm and I like it.

Another thing I've always wanted to bring up. Blogging. When I first started so many years ago, I expressed myself through poems. It could be about anything not even relating to myself but just how I felt about things, personal or not. In a way, I was pretty much hiding behind words that were my own yet could not be about me so it was easier then. I use poetry in a theraputic way, to help me fight my demons (or whatever you want to call them).

My point is that I'm not a blogger of everyday things. Some people write and share their life daily. And nothing is wrong with that. I have a family to care for and the things I do becomes a routine.. to be safe so that I don't forget. So for a very long time, I couldn't write anything. Because I felt I had nothing interesting to share like everyone else.

So my realization is nothing really but it is satisfying for me. Everyone has their own reason for their doings and I have one now.