Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett

Editor’s Note: It the difficult times we are facing with financial and job crises, the need for volunteers in every community is growing.  We are tempted to focus on ourselves because of the fear and uncertainty seemingly in the news every day.  It is our hope that after reading this article you will see that volunteering not only helps others, but it helps each of us.  Approaching volunteering with gratitude will leave each of us feeling better and greedy for more of this feeling every day.

Even to most amiable of people, mental ruts seem to find their way to the forefront of any given personality.  Signs of such an impersonal emotion are strong amounts of irritability and discontentment mixed with downright ill tempered attitudes.  These traits more than likely do not represent who you are, hence the term ruts.  

For me, mental ruts are extremely frustrating because I am consistently on the go and my life moves very fast.  So I ask … how is it possible to not only find a simplistic way of relieving that unwanted crabbiness but also find a way to channel that off-putting energy to good use? Read More »

Part 3 of a 3 Part Series

Article by Make the Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

“If everything is sacred, then nothing is sacred.”

-Peter Walsh

What’s sacred in your life?  What are the material possessions that hold real value for your family?  Is it a family heirloom, an important award, or old love letters from your spouse?  Could you find them immediately, if someone asked to see them?  Do they have a place of honor in your home?  Or are they buried beneath everything else that you can’t get rid of?

My husband and I found ourselves in this situation at the beginning of our marriage.  We spent the first two years of our marriage shopping instead of connecting with each other and material things took the place of passion.  We lived paycheck to paycheck and couldn’t understand why.  This left us feeling frustrated, broke, and surrounded by things that we didn’t even like.  We came to the conclusion that we couldn’t live this way any longer. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe

Finding balance in a busy life is difficult.  Often we make temporary sacrifices in one area of life to focus on another more intensely.  It’s important to be flexible enough to do this from time to time.  However over the long haul, especially if work is our chief focus, very real problems can arise.

Don’t get me wrong.  A passionate approach to one’s work is great.  It’s workaholism I am talking about here – working instead of attending to other parts of life. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Tamara Belinc

Editor’s Note: Thanksgiving is normally the start of the Christmas season.  This article is dedicated to all the family traditions we each hold dear in the hopes we are able to maintain and cherish them this season and many more to come.

Every year on Christmas Day, after the turkey was eaten and the presents were opened, my family members participated in a no-hold barred paper ball fight.  As everyone opened presents, they gathered wrapping paper, hording it behind, under and around them – anywhere they could get it, just so they could get in on the fun.

Soon, red, green, blue and multi-colored paper balls were flying; people were ducking and twisting to avoid being hit, while strategically throwing the balls at whomever they wanted to hit.  It was a fun way to avenge any wrongs that might have happened during the year.  Even my Granny, the family matriarch, got in on the action, throwing from her lift chair in the corner of the room. Read More »

Article by Kevin L. DeWitt

Of the several themes that run through Make The Days Count, gratitude is probably one of the more central and important ones.  It’s sometimes tough in the times we are living to be grateful for the blessings that we are given.   Financial crises, family and friends off to war, business failures, wondering if we will still have a job (or find a job) next year, not to mention the individual challenges we each face on more personal levels.  As Thanksgiving approaches, remembering to be grateful can be tough for each of us.

Personally, I worry about what the impact of our many crises will have on my family, my church and business, and me.  It’s difficult sometimes to be thankful for the many blessings God has given me, most undeserved.  And He has given me many. 

Perspective is so important at this time of the year. Read More »