The Eagle
By Rodrick Walters

If birds of a feather flock together

Then why does the eagle roam?

For whether in calm or stormy weather

The eagle flies always alone
 

On his own the mighty eagle flies

He soars to heights unknown

Alone he sees the vast blue skies

The world is all his own
 

His vision is much sharper than

Any other bird of prey’s

From miles away the eagle can

See nature on full display
 

The eagle can renew his strength

By changing his feathers and beak

Instinctively he knows to shed

The parts that make him weak
 

A lesson to humanity

The eagle teaches well

More than a symbol of liberty

He has a story to tell
 

While others fit in with the crowd

On your own course embark

While others sit you must stand proud

If you wish to make your mark
 

With the mighty eagle’s vision keen

Stay focused on your goal

For you can realize your dreams

They’re under your control
 

When it seems all hope has gone away

And you need your strength renewed

Just like this awesome bird of prey

Learn how to start anew
 

Then fly above on eagle’s wings

Fly on and reach new heights

For each man has a song to sing

And dreams to put to flight.

Let Rodrick Walters Motivate & Inspire You
You can buy his book at amazon .com or read his awesome blog.

I Have Started Dating Again, What Can I Do To Help My Child Adjust?
By  Cathy Meyer

Question: I Have Started Dating Again, What Can I Do To Help My Child Adjust?

When parents date, it creates anxiety in children. The changes and losses they have gone through often cause them to feel insecure. They may become withdrawn and rebellious or over attached to you. Each child, depending on age and personality, will react differently. But it is important to understand that they are struggling.

Answer:

• Give them reassurance.They need to know that their relationship with you will not change because you are beginning to date. If you child feels secure in their relationship with you, they are less likely to feel threatened or afaid. Don’t allow dating to interfere with visitation schedules or normal child/parent activities. Quality time with you tells your child they are important and that you are paying attention to their needs.
  
  
• Allow your child to express all their feelings about your dating.Listen and show concern, do not over react by yelling, judging or criticizing them or their feelings. The goal is to help them express their needs and feelings about the situation without doing damage. Don’t ignore it or try and gloss over it just because you are uncomfortable with it.
  
  
• Don’t introduce casual dating partners to your children.
  
  Children become attached easily and then suffer more loss. Having a revolving door with many short - term relationships in your child’s life causes ambivalence. It is wise to be discreet so that you will avoid causing confusing and stressful feelings in your child.
  
  
• Don’t force an introduction on your child.Never force your child to meet or accept someone you are dating. It is OK to expect your child to behave well but, don’t dismiss their feelings or force your new relationship down their throat. Give the child time to get to know the new person in your life. If handled correctly, given time, your child will accept the relationship.
  
  
• Be a positive role model to your child.Children learn more by example than by what you say. If you have teenage children keep in mind that they are struggling with their own emerging sexuality and don’t need to have to deal with yours at the same time. Keep your sex life separate from your children’s lives.
  
  
• Don’t allow your date to discipline.Your children will respond to you better than your boyfriend/girlfriend. Until the new relationship has had time to become permanent it is better that they don’t have authority over your child. Set boundaries for your children and teach them how to behave appropriately yourself.
  

Being single with children can be demanding and exhausting. It definitely has it’s own set of challenges when it comes to dating. It’s easy to be confused as to how to parent and date at the same time. Communication with your child is always the goal no matter the situation. Being sensitive to their needs will promote a healthy family environment.

It’s Generosity Day - Say Yes and Give

On Valentine’s Day, rather than telling you something, I’m asking something. 

I’m asking you to participate in Generosity Day.  It’s a day when you seek to be selfless and see what happens when generosity becomes your default.

1. For all of February 14, pledge to be generous.  Say yes to every request for help, every opportunity to do a kindness, and - yes - every car edging front of you in traffic. 

2. Ask others to do the same by blogging, emailing, Tweeting - face-to-face asking!

3. Post your experiences on Facebook (here) or on Twitter with the hashtag #generosityday.  Share what you do and what you witness.

I am a true believer in the concept that being generous is the key to inspiring generosity in others.  Let’s see what’s possible if we all participate. 

Thanks to Sasha Dichter for starting it! (He did it for a whole month.)  And read the whole story behind this at Fast Company.

 

Every year, on February 14th, millions across the world present their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries, restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines. There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the day.

Connect to your friends and family on the event on Valentine's Day with a free Valentine greeting cards from The Family & Friends Free E-Card catalog. We have arranged for the best of Valentine greetings on the net, so that you can say "Happy Valentines Day" with only the best of the e-greetings. Please refer the site to all your friends.
Wish you A Very Happy Valentine's Day from Family & Friends Connection, Inc.

Looking for some tips to romance your sweetheart on this Feb 14? You've come to the right place then. Here are ten nice romantic ideas that you can use to build the romance in your relationship with good effect on your special someone. Check out! I Celebrate Valentine's Day E-cards with everybody and have a great time with your sweetheart. Happy Valentine's Day!

10 Romantic Ideas for Valentine's Day
Create a LoveSpace
A splendid idea on Valentine's Day is to open your heart to your sweet one and let know your feelings for her. An easy way to do this would be to create a "lovespace". If you are not already registered to myspace, you can sign up for a free account and within minutes you'll have a page dedicated to your sweetie. Keep it focused on romance with weekly love notes, romantic poems, and photos.

You can even add a romantic lovesong that she loves very much in your 'lovespace'. That way she will get to listen to her favorite song whenever she visits the page! If you both are private persons and don't like to let the world know about your relationship, you can sure make the page private. That way you'll also feel free to open your heart and write about your inner feelings without a care.

Send an e-Card
You may have doubts whether sending an e-card will not be an impersonal way of communicating with your special someone. But trust us, this is a great way to add a little romance to your sweet one's day. Browse the various free e-card sites, such as DeepestFeelings.com, for a gamut ofromantic e-cards ranging from the funny 'n flippant to the poetic and passionate. 

It is even better if you can send a personalized message with your card and sites like DeepestFeelings lets you do that. Put in a bit of thought to your message and rather than ending it casually, think deep and write from the heart. It will work wonders with your lover. Imagine your sweet one's delight on finding a cute, romantic e-greeting with a romantic message in his/her inbox on Valentine's Day. Doesn't that seem great?

Make a Video
Another splendid idea is to make a short video declaring your love for your honey. If you have a camera phone or a webcam at your disposal, you can easily make a video and upload it online in sites like YouTube for free. You can then send a link via email to him/her to check out your valentine video! If you don't prefer a public declaration of your love, you can keep it personal and have a private viewing of your video with your sweetheart who'll surely love the idea. 

A nice tip is to use windows movie maker in your video-making.

Buy roses for your love
This one is specially for men. Buy a dozen roses for your sweetie, hide them in different spots of a place like a park or a mall. Invite her and hide in some nearby spot from where you can watch the proceedings. Arrange a person to hand over a rose to her as soon as she arrives. Attach a note to it informing her where to find the next rose. 

This should be the case with each rose and the last one should lead her to you waiting with a bouquet of flowers. You should take the authorities into confidence for this plan to work out smoothly. Thereupon, treat her to a sumptuous lunch/dinner.

Candle-lit dinner
Treat your honey to a romantic dinner by candle-light. That doesn't mean you don't have to take your sweetheart to a posh restaurant and spend a lotta bucks. Rather, you can arrange your own candle-lit dinner at home. Cook up a splendid dinner together. Even a simple pasta would work; buy dessert from the bakery in the grocery store. Set the table; create a romantic atmosphere with candles, sweet snacks and wine. 

Have soft romantic music playing in the background, and dim the lights so that it's mostly the candles lighting the room. Then dress up and "attend" the dinner walking up to the table hand in hand with your love. You'll be amazed how much more fun it gives to have a candle-lit dinner at home. Once dinner is over, dance slowly to your song. Then snuggle as you watch a romantic flick together.

Prepare a dessert
This one is specially for the ladies. Invite your honey and treat him to a dessert dish. Find out about the favorite dessert of your partner and prepare it yourself on Valentine's Day. Even if it doesn't turn perfect and your cooking skills don't prove amazing, he'll pleasantly surprised and love you for your serious attempt.

Balloons in the car
Sneak into your sweet one's car while he/she is busy at work and fill it with roses and balloons upto the roof. Also leave a note inside telling how much your sweetheart means to you. It will amaze and touch your love to no less measure.

Walk on the beach
Take a ride to a secluded beach at sunset and park your car nearby. Slip your hand into your partner's and take a stroll along the beach bare foot, watching the sunset together. It will be better to stay awhile after the sunset and enjoy the sight and sound of the waves crashing into the shore, as the water covers your feet. Look up at the starry sky and feel the magic of the universe

.Have a beach-dinner 
If you can arrange it, treat your love to a candlelit dinner under the stars, preferably to the accompaniment of some music playing off somewhere in the background. You can arrange it all near a lake or pond to make the ambience even more romantic. To top it all, you can rent a small boat and row it after dinner to go out to the middle of a lake and watch the stars

.Love-letter
Believe it or not, writing love letters is still as cool. Yes, the world may have changed and e-mails and text messages may be the order of the day, but a passionate letter of love still posseses that eternal charm and out-of-the-world romanticism which many would die for. So put your pen to paper and pour your feelings out for the love of your life. 

Say in simple words what your sweetheart means to you, and how your life has changed since his/her arrival. Then hide it in some spot where your sweet one is likely to lay his/her hand soon. Don't worry if you're not too good with words, your sweetheart will surely appreciate your gesture. Your effort will culminate into a moment which both of you'll treasure forever, trust us.

Steps For Nurturing Your Marriage. Live a Fuller Married Life

Marriage is often said to be akin to nurturing a plant. As a seed requires proper care and nourishment to develop into a plant, so also marriage requires love, patience, proper understanding and sensible effort on the part of both partners. The key to a happy and lasting marriage is about understanding your partner, being supportive and following some simple rules. Go ahead and know what these rules are by reading 'Steps for Nurturing Your Marriage' 

These are the basics of a conjugal relationship that, if followed properly, can go a long way to consolidate your bond with your partner.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Check out these simple steps and improve your marriage. Practicing these small steps will make a world of difference in your relationship with your spouse.Open Your Heart

Any relationship works only when you open your heart and convey your feelings to the other person. And this is specially necessary in marriage, where the husband and wife are said to be of one flesh and blood. An increased bank balance or a healthy sex life with your spouse loses does not mean much unless you two have a candid relationship. So make it a point to indulge in a heart-to-heart conversation with your partner, at least for half an hour each day.Know your spouse

Most of us live married for years without actually knowing our partner. This is because most of us are too full of ourselves to pay attention to others. That's why, often we fail to recognize our mates properly and miss out little things about them till we come to know about them through some other source or when a third person points out those things. That fills us with guilt and often makes us jealous. But the truth is, you should spend more time with your partner and try to understand him/her more.

Be on Time 
Being punctual is the greatest tip for people of both sexes. Be on time for your date. It's real bad manners on your part to turn up late and let your date wait anxiously. It makes you seem rude and an insincere person to have a relationship with.Listening

Try to talk less and listen more. That way, you will discover your spouse's thoughts and feelings more and more. A recently conducted research shows that the average person listens for only seventeen seconds before interrupting with his/her own ideas. Probably you do it too. But you can improve it. Work to increase your listening span more and more. Practice looking at and paying attention to your spouse when he/she talks to you. Remember, listening begins with seeing and having eye contact with your patrner while having a conversation, shows that you are attentive to the words being spoken to you.

Don't Bicker
A lot of marriages head to the brink of seperation only because of constant bickering among the partners. Do you do so too? Just pause and think, how many times did you tell something to your spouse that you repented upon later and rued that you had better left it unsaid? Ignore the little things, and save the confrontations for the bigger problems. Whenever an argument arises, try to solve it peacefully. 

Even if you have to raise your voice, never lose your temper and never let the thought of seperation cross your mind. No marriage is perfect and differences are part of any relationship, be it among friends or family members or spouses. Tolerance, a little patience, understanding your partner's wishes and respecting his/her opinions are what are required for a smooth marriage life. Be gentle with one another and never go to bed angry with each another. This is harder on the both of you. Keep in mind that no problem is so big that you can't solve it together. No trouble is worth breaking your marriage over. 

Appreciate
A common habit of most humans is to see only the negative qualities in their spouse and ignore the positive ones. But no relationship can benefit from constant criticizing and nitpicking. Try to appreciate whatever good you find in your partner and do so openly, vocally. Remember, all of us want a little appreciation in our lives.

Talk
Communication is the key to a healthy marriage. Having a great relationship doesn't mean that things are always perfect. If you have problems, you need to talk about them, and work out a solution that is acceptable to both of you. Make sure that you have an open relationship with your spouse. That way, you will get to know what your partner's expectations are from you. Once you get to know, do not ignore those. Work on them. The little botherations of today can build up into something so big tomorrow, that you may not be able to solve them ever.

Thank your Partner
Try to thank your partner often for everyday things like making a meal, taking out the garbage, cleaning the garage or buying the groceries. Common courtesies help a great deal in any relationship. Whatever duties your partner performs in a relationship, a thank you or a compliment can mean a lot. We all crave for some acknowledgement in life. Tell your spouse at some opportune moment, how much he/ she means to you. Acknowledgement is a great necessity in marriage; it fills the recipent with a sense of belonging and acts as an encouragement. If you're not used to doing this, you may need some time to really think about what life would be like without your partner. 

Laugh
The couple that laughs together often, stays together. Modern life has resulted in all of us being tensed and worried for some reason or another all the time. Laughter goes on to ease that. Try to make one another laugh everyday! Too much serious talking can leave you both stressed out, making you both grumpy. Joking and having a good laugh every now and then is necessary for a happy married life. 

Share the responsibilities
The birth of a child often intensifies the stress in the household and sometimes creates a distance between husband and wife. Men normally tend to distance themselves from the entire situation, leaving the mother to feel alone and burdened with the responsibilty of rearing the child. This is a wrong approach, for bringing up a baby requires the sharing of feelings and responsibilities of both parents.

Spend time with each other
Take a break and try to spend sometime with each other from time to time. This tends to keep the romance alive and provides both partners a welcome relief from the hassles of family life. Even if ytou have a baby, arrange for a babysitter, and enjoy time as a couple. Go out to dine together, watch a movie or enjoy some game that you both like. Leave aside all worries for sometime and enjoy life in the company of each other. You will be surprised at how refreshed you feel and these timeoffs will give you both a renewed energy and enthusiasm to face life.

Say "I love you!"
I Love You. Just saying these magic words now and then can help you keep the flame of romance burning in your life. Try it often. You're feel a visible difference, not only in your marriage, but in your entire family as well. Remember, happy couples are the foundation for happy families! 

Another Excuse? Why?

How long has it been since you saw or talk to your parents? That long huh? Is there a special reason why you haven't interacted with them in such a long time? OK, Wow. No, UHH. Well, just so you know, you are not the only person in that situation.  For whatever reason, we have all been hurt at some point in our life.  Unfortunately for some of us, the hurt came from the people who should protect us and love us the most, our parents.  Many of us, too many of us have avoided seeing our parents for one legitimate reason or another. So no, you are not unique, nor are you a bad person. 
 
Yes, we should avoid company that limits us as individuals.  We should avoid people who try to trample our self esteem and make us feel less valuable than we really are. If someone is not supportive of our dreams, legitimate dreams, and does not care to help provide moral support when we desperately need it, why should we want to see them?  Well, I don't want to sound like a preacher, but remember the word FORGIVENESS?

Oh, yes. I am here to try to help by discussing thoughts and ideas to  try to help make you feel more empowered by the act of  forgiving.  I am not able to get into the why or because, as everyone will most definitely have a different reason for their hurt. We will just talk about how.  How do we work through all of this built up resentment, and sense of abandonment that so many of us feel?  One tried and true way is by forgiving.  True forgiveness helps us reclaim our emotions and get back in total control.  The ultimate freedom that only you can give yourself.
 
Right now, we need to try to make the healing begin.  So we will do this for us,  not them.  We need to heal, not them. Notice I am using we?  Yes, there are a few things that I was mad at my parents for but I have worked through them, and even though it was not easy, I am at the place where forgiving is easier than I thought it could ever be.  You can get there too! How do you do that after all this time?  It's not easy, but it can be done.

Look within yourself.  Who is this long held resentment hurting more?  Them or you? Think about it for a while.  Now, why are you hurting just thinking about it?  See what I mean?  It hurts you more even though you did not realize it before.  What do you need to do to feel better?  Let it go!   Go ahead, scream, cry, yell, no swearing now though.  Oh well, do whatever feels and works best for you.  Realise that you don't have to call or write to do this. Just tell yourself, you have had enough of this. 

Enough of the daily resentments.  Enough of the blaming.  Enough of the negative attitude.  Enough of you blaming and resenting people who you have no control over. Try not to blame them for what you have become if you don't like yourself.  But thank them if you like who you are.  Your parents helped to make you.  You are their product.  Forgive them for what they have done to you, or didn't do for you and free yourself.  Now. 

This is about you, giving yourself permission to get rid of negative tension so you can begin to feel better.  You don't need anyone else to release you from your hurt.  All you need now is a positive you. 

I am suggesting that you try to pray, because this is the one thing I know that really, really works.  It does for me.  It can for you too.  Yes, ask for the strength to forgive.  You may never accomplish that on your own, but with a little divine intervention you certainly will.  Yea, I remember you... You do not pray you say, so what now?  How do you handle this?
 
Good old tried and true meditation works wonders.  Look deep within yourself.  Give yourself permission to release the hurt.  Release the pain.  Reclaim body, mind and soul and be the best person you can be.  You don't have to forget the hurt to heal.   You just need to forgive it.  Do it now and be free. You deserve to feel free and happy. After all, you have worked so hard to improve your life.  Go ahead and reclaim it. Take the power back.  Begin to feel good, like you haven't in a long time.
 
After you let it go, you might begin to look a little younger and feel more energetic.  Enjoy the freedom.  Revel in the good vibes.  Now reach out to someone who you know is in pain.  Continue to feel free and happy.  You have earned the freedom.  Contentment is a wonderful feeling.  No more excuses!
 
DB