2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

December 2016

Day

December 1, 2016  World AIDS Day

December 10, 2016  Human Rights Day

Month

National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

November 2016

Day

November 13, 2016  World Kindness Day`

November 14, 2016  World Diabetes Day

November 16, 2016  International Day for Tolerance

November 17, 2016  Great American Smokeout

November 19, 2016  International Survivors of Suicide Day

November 19, 2016  National Adoption Day 

Month

Adoption Awareness Month

National Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (CRPS) Awareness Month

Runaway Prevention Month

wonderful words

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

October 2016

Day

October 2, 2016  International Day of Non-Violence

October 5, 2016  World Teachers Day

October 6, 2016  National Depression Screening Day

October 10, 2016  World Mental Health Day

October 15, 2016  Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Week

October 5 – 9, 2016  Mental Illness Awareness Week

October 16 – 22, 2016  National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW)

October 23 – 31, 2016  Red Ribbon Week (Drug-Free America)

Month

ADHD Awareness Month

AIDS Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Bullying Prevention Month

Cyber Security Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

Rett Syndrome Awareness Month

Selective Mutism Awareness Month

at war with myself

Does anyone understand?

life lessons

There are very many daily affirmations one can use for both health and well-being.  It’s an individual thing.  What works for me may not for another.  It’s a process discovering where and when and how they can improve and change your life.

·                  My body is the storehouse of my mind.  It’s important to me to keep both my body and mind well tuned and working for me.

·                  My mind will take good care of me.  I’m consciously conditioning my mind to help keep my body as healthly as it can be.

·                  I choose to be healthy, energetic, and attractive.

·                  I try to do everything I need to do each day to create the me I really choose to be.

·                  I believe in myselt.  I know that I have the power to achieve realistic goals which I set for myself.

·                  My rule is:  Don’t think about why I cannot – think about how I can !

·                  I conquer my fears, they do not conquer me.  I confront them and I’m learning to deal with them so that I can defeat them.

·                  Each day I enjoy being interested in something which is special to me.

These are just a few.  There are days I can work thru this list.  Days I can only handle one or two.  Days that anything is too much.  It’s a process.  There are many more daily affirmations, but I’m taking them slowly. 

Repetition is the key.  It’s what works for me.  I have to repeat until it becomes second nature.  This is going to take awhile…

daily reminder

God is committed to me and assumes the responsibility to help me accomplish the goals He is leading me to accomplish.

God promises to be with me, provide all I need, empower me, encourage me, and give me the strength, energy, wisdom, ability, courage, and motivation I need to accomplish His goals for my life.

Withn God, I cannot fail!  Success is built-in:  He is working FOR me to reward me as I pursue His goals and plans.  He is also WITHIN me to ensure my success. 

I will trust God, ask for guidance, and rely on the Holy Spirit within me every step of the way. 

truth

#truth

life lessons

life lessons

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

September 2016

Day

September 10, 2016  World Suicide Prevention Day

September 25, 2016  National Psychotherapy Day

September 29, 2016  World Heart Day

Week

September 5 – 11, 2016  National Suicide Prevention Week

Month

Childhood Cancer Awareness month

Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month

Children’s Good Manners Month

Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness Month

National Recovery Month

Self-Awareness Month

Self-Improvement Month

Sickle Cell Awareness Month

National Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

August 2016

Month

Children's Eye Health and Safety Month

Immunization Awareness Month

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

July 2016

Day

July 30, 2016  International Day of Friendship

Month

Purposeful Parenting Month

National Minority Mental Health Month

the name of Jesus

love

We have the greatest power through love that can be known. It overcomes everything with its fierce and steady truth, if you can continue to stand in it.

You can call love to you, directly from the original stream of consciousness, anytime you feel weak or fearful, and you will be given strength and courage.

You can call love to you, directly from the original stream of consciousness, anytime you feel sad or alone, and you will feel embraced and comforted.

Call love to you if you feel vulnerable. Feel its purity come to you from the universe and flow round you like a miraculous mother cradling its innocent child.

Breathe love in. Say to yourself as you breathe deeply “I love. I am loved.” Say it over and over as you breathe it into yourself and out to the universe, until you really feel and believe that you ARE LOVE.

Feel love pour into your lungs as you breathe. Feel it circulate round your body to fill every organ, every limb, and every cell. Vibrate with its radiance, and share it.

Jay Woodman

quick quotes

forgive

Try to forgive by trying to understand how it would feel to be in the other’s shoes. If someone hurts you – ask them - “What hurts you so much that you would do this?” Listen to the answer and try to understand what is valid for them. They may have been fighting for your attention, but no one thinks of themselves as attackers, only defenders! So don’t judge their ways, only set them free by giving them a chance to speak. You may both learn a lot from your kindness and courage in asking for the truth. But even if nothing changes, release it, remember that you both have a right to be who you choose to be. When we make judgements we're inevitably acting on limited knowledge, so ask if you seek to understand, or simply let them be!

Jay Woodman

love endures

Love ENDURES and works out ways of enduring the other stuff. As long as you can communicate you can work out issues, but good communication seems to be one of the weakest skills in human beings, so don't be afraid to try and try different ways of communicating, be patient. Don't be afraid of seeking help either - the chance to keep love alive is too important to let fear get in the way.

Jay Woodman

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

June 2016

Day

June 27, 2016  National PTSD Awareness Day 

Week

June 13 –19, 2016  National Men's Health Week

Month

AIDS Awareness Month

Children’s Awareness Month

Father's Day Month

Gay and Lesbian Pride Month

Student Safety Month

one day in may

It was a day much like today. The sun shone pure. The air felt cleansing. The sky was limitless. Yet my heart was full. My mind unclear. That moment I accept clarity is just beyond my reach.

A day like today feels good. I love nature, I enjoy nature, I feel at peace in nature. No matter what's going on, nature feels good. Just to take in a deep breath is a comfort. To release it slowly is relaxing. To listen only to the sounds of nature, while blocking out any distractions, is therapeutic.  Nature is God's creation.

But it is clarity that I seek.

Ephesians 1:17-18 NLT

asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

Acts 26:18 NLT

to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

May 2016

Day

May 21, 2016  RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) Day

May 31, 2016  World No Tobacco Day

Week

May 1 –7, 2016  National Children's Mental Health Awareness Week

May 2 –8, 2016  National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week

May 8 –14, 2016  National Women's Health Week

May 15 – 21, 2016  National Prevention Week by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations (SAMHSA)

Month

Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

Family Support Month

Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

Helping American Youth Month

Huntington's Disease Awareness Month

Mental Health Month

National Maternal Depression Awareness Month

National Mobility Awareness Month

Physical Fitness and Sports Month

Scholarship Month

Self-Discovery Month

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Social Media Month

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

pretty pictures

Joseph Coat's Rose

Hyacinths

birdhouse from Hobby Lobby

Long time since my last post.  Here are pictures from the world outside my door - enjoy!

Red-winged Blackbird

Eastern Towee female

American Goldfinch

Downy Woodpecker

Mourning Dove

American Goldfinch

Hosta

American Goldfinch female

House Finch and American Goldfinch

Hyacinths

Eastern Bluebird

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Japanese Cherry tree

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher and House Finch

Carolina Jasmine

Japanese Cherry tree

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

April 2016

Day

April 1, 2016  World Autism Awareness Day

April 7, 2016  World Health Day

April 7, 2016  National Alcohol Screening Day

April 15, 2016  Day of Silence

April 28, 2016  Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

Week

April 4-8, 2016  National Youth Violence Prevention Week

April  24 - 30, 2016  National Infertility Awareness Week

Month

Alcohol Awareness Month

Autism Awareness Month

Child Abuse Prevention Month

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) Alcohol Awareness Month 

STD Awareness Month

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

Stress Awareness Month

Youth Sports Safety Month

quick quotes

quick quotes

quick quotes

lessons learned in life

personal relationships

Matthew 5:22-24 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

*******************************************

Our relationships with others are important to God--so much so that this passage instructs us to take care of those relationships before worship. And it's got a correspondingly harsh condemnation of those who verbally abuse others. 

be the first

the first to apologize is the bravest

the first to forgive is the strongest

the first to forgive is the happiest

God's resolution plan

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” 

Matthew 18:15-17

These steps find their practical use “if your brother sins against you.” While there may be situations of other kinds of conflict where the model of private before public can well be followed, this procedure was given to address one kind of conflict: “if your brother sins against you.”  This is the situation of a private offense. Our reaction should be just as described by the Lord. To be hurt, then hold that hurt in your heart over several years is never recommended in the Scriptures! To complain and gossip is not the right response. “If your brother sins against you,” you are obligated by virtue of discipleship, to follow the Lord’s method of conflict resolution. Go to him.

Step #1 is to “go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” Necessarily implied in this is, the matter is private. You are taking a private matter up with the alleged offender privately. Based on this, at the first thought that I have been sinned against, I need to GO, not stay and sulk and go and tell others. The Lord said, “go and tell him his fault,” and do this privately at this point: “between you and him alone.” 

The hope: “If he hears you, you have gained your brother.” If you approach the guilty party with right attitude and sufficient evidence, and this is combined with a receptive, humble spirit, “you have gained your brother.” In the case of sin proven, there would need to be repentance. (In some cases, since we are fallible, our perception of sin may not be reality. Once the misunderstanding is cleared, the matter is over.)

Step #2 is, “…if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that, ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established’.” In modern lingo, you “kick it up a notch” now. This doesn’t mean you get angrier, campaign or gossip! The “notch” is defined by the Lord: “take with you one or two more, that, ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established’.” These witnesses are not “on your side,” and their function is not to “gang up” against the offender! You are not getting your friends to help you fight a battle. You are asking fellow disciples to listen objectively to the matter. “Witnesses called in at this level should have impeccable integrity and be people whom the accused will recognize as fair and impartial,” (Ken Chumbley, The Gospel of Matthew, p.#329).

Additional steps: http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-matthew-18-15-17.htm

2016 ~ National ‘Awareness’ Days, Weeks, and Months

March 2016

Day

March 1, 2016  Self-injury Awareness Day (SIAD) 

March 1, 2016  Zero Discrimination Day

March 16, 2016  Kick Butts Day (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids)

March 21, 2016  World Down Syndrome Day

March 21, 2016  International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

March 22, 2016  American Diabetes Association Alert Day

Week

March 6-12, 2016  National Sleep Awareness Week

Month

American National Nutrition Month

Brain Injury Awareness Month

Mental Retardation Awareness Month

Self Harm Awareness Month

overlooking an offense

(Devotional from Proverbs31.org)

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 (NIV 1984)

What did she mean by that? Why does she always hurt my feelings? Why does she treat me that way? I didn’t realize these words played through my head on a continual basis until my daughter pointed it out.

She ended many of our conversations with, “Why do you get your feelings hurt so easily?” Or, “Mom, you’re so sensitive.”

At first, her words angered me. But over time, I began to hear what she was saying.

For years, I allowed people’s words to hurt my feelings. In turn, I harbored anger for those words. The anger took root. Satan fed the words to me over and over again. I re-played them in my mind. Each time the anger grew deeper roots.

Listening to a sermon in church, I would think, “I wish ______ was here. She really needs to hear this!” Of course, the sermon by-passed my heart all together.

Without realizing it, the words of others consumed my thoughts and focus and stole my time. About this time, God called me to teach a Bible study on the book of Proverbs. I spent days and weeks absorbed in this amazing book of wisdom.

One afternoon, this verse leapt off the page and into my heart, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11). I had a choice. Up until then, I heard people’s words, jumped to a conclusion and chose to be offended.

But through His Word, God gently corrected me. I sensed Him saying that I can choose to look past people’s words and not receive them with an offended heart. I discovered that I needed to LISTEN objectively and ask: What is driving their words? Do they have a valid point? Do they have a deep hurt? Or do they need something I am not giving?

The responsibility was on me to stop the words from taking root in my heart. When I accepted this, my attitude changed. Yes, it took time, and I am a work in progress. But now when someone speaks a hurtful word, I check it before letting it take residence in my mind. I hear the words, recognize my issue, and speak Truth over my heart. I literally say, “It is to my glory to not receive this as an offense.”

Everyone wins because I don’t ruin the rest of the day by pouting, making it all about me, or soaking in self-pity. Each time I make this choice, I sense God is pleased as I honor Him by choosing NOT to be offended.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I am created in Your image. Thank You that I find my identity in You. Thank You that it is only Your Word and Your opinion that matter. Lord, give me Your ears to hear. Help me not to be easily offended and easily angered. Help me lay down any offenses to which I am currently holding. Let me live in the freedom of Your love and forgiveness. Help me live not in my flesh, but supernaturally in the fullness and freshness of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner: The Transforming Power of God’s Story by Wendy Blight

Check out Wendy’s study of the book of Proverbs, All Things Wise and Wonderful: Applying God’s Wisdom in Everyday Life(eBook).

Stop by Wendy’s blog and leave your thoughts about today’s devotional for a chance to win a copy of her newest book coming out in March 2014, Living So That: Making Faith-Filled Choices in the Midst of a Messy Life.

Reflect and Respond:
Read 1 John 1:8-10 and reflect on its meaning in relation to this devotion.

Over the next week, listen to your conversations and note if you are easily offended.

Power Verses:
Ephesians 4:26-27, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (NIV 1984)

Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (NIV 1984)

statements on faith

(writings of my Dad)

God created! Life is His Gift.

Victorious believers are His witnesses.

The Son paid our sin-debt with sinless blood.

The Holy Spirit guides and convicts us.

The Father rules supreme.

All nature is His handiwork.

The Scripture is His Word.

The prophets foretold of Him.

The law proved the need of Him.

The apostles lived His message.

The faithful preacher proclaims Him.

The true witness tells of Him.

Angels minister over the believers.

The church trains us.

Christian friends share another’s burdens.

The enemy tests the believers.

The Savior prepares us a place.

The Holy Spirit guides and keeps us.

Ye must be born again or you shall die.

JW Smithwick

seeking God

(writings of my Dad)

I Sought for God

I sought for God along life’s busy highway

I turned and walked in Nature’s paths of grandeur

I sought for God in a great Cathedral

I prayed within a quiet lonely heart

Oh God I’ve found my burdened heart is free

I watch the throngs rush in a maddening pace

The glorious sunset, fragrant flowers at my feet

With awe, the building beauty filled my eye

The thoughts of earth came and pressed me hard

My sins forgiven, new life within the man

No time to stop and seek their Holy Maker

The pleasant valleys, the woods and mountain peaks

Majestic music strains did fill the air

Oh God forgive my darkest sins forgive

Oh wondrous God such love I do behold

No thought of God in life’s petty little race

I saw His works, but Him I could not meet

The pastor spoke of things beyond the sky

For I believe and hunger for Thee Lord

Touch me, use me in Thy Holy plan

I found him not, and none to help me there

I must find God, but then I knew not where

I worshiped God, but did not loose my care

I found Him then, beheld His countenance fair

I’ve found my God, His message I do declare

JW Smithwick

eagles's wings

Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:31 NAS

This is one of my most treasured Bible verses.  I return to it again and again. 

I understand what God is saying, I understand that He alone gives me strength, I understand that strength is divine, I understand that strength is unshakable.  I admit, there are times when I feel totally alone, times that I’m extremely tired, times that I want to crawl under the covers, times that I shake my head and deeply sigh.  

But, I also understand that He is always here.  Always with me.  Always.  It doesn’t matter what it is, devastating or minuscule, I can always and only depend on Him.  I have a note in my Bible that reads:  Let’s call upon, let’s wait upon, let’s depend upon the Lord.  That’s it!

I just need reminding.  And, once again, I return to Isaiah 40:31.

friday funnies

A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." His son asked, "What happened to the flea?"

A ten-year-old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then one day she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus: the Virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"

Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."