Motivation Mondays: HOLIDAY SPIRIT #mondaymotivation

“This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!” D.M. Dellinger

Motivation Mondays: HOLIDAY SPIRIT – Images of the Holiday Spirit

Holidays by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The holiest of all holidays are those
Kept by ourselves in silence and apart;
The secret anniversaries of the heart,
When the full river of feeling overflows;–
The happy days unclouded to their close;
The sudden joys that our of darkness start
As flames from ashes; swift desires that dart
Like swallows singing down each wind that blows!
White as the gleam of a receding sail,
White as a cloud that floats and fades in air,
White as the whitest lily on a stream,
These tender memories are;–a fairy tale
Of some enchanted land we know not where,
But lovely as a landscape in a dream.

Happy Holidays!  What does a Holiday Spirit mean/look like to you?  Today marks an important turn in our season; it is the Winter Solstice which is the shortest day/longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In a few days, many will swing deep into the holiday spirit by celebrating Festivus on the 23rd, Christmas on the 25th, and Kwanzaa on the 26th through January 1st. The spirit of the holiday season is about expressing our gratitude for the ending year, staying open to receive the goodwill of others, and letting go of our rigid rules around when/what should be celebrated. 
 
If we don’t feel like getting caught up in the pressure and commercialism of the season, this is a great time to do some volunteer work and remember to give back to others in our communities. If none of the holidays above tickle your fancy, you can choose to do as you wish or enjoy any of the many festivities that are shared on the streets of cities around the world. One of the key elements of the holiday season is to use the time to encourage and uplift others. When we take a moment to remember folks who can’t join us, when we take a moment to brighten someone’s day, and when we take a moment to remember to be grateful for all we have, we are truly expressing the spirit of the holiday season.
 
 
A Story: Use The Season To Encourage Others Part 1
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his room-mate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band — he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Then unexpectedly, a sinister thought entered his mind. Why should the other man alone experience all the pleasures of seeing everything while he himself never got to see anything? It didn’t seem fair. Zen Stories on Goodweb.cn

“To many people, holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance.” Philip Andrew Adams

Motivation Mondays: HOLIDAY SPIRIT – Images of the Holiday Spirit

Motivation Mondays: HOLIDAY SPIRIT – Images of the Holiday Spirit

Love the giver more than the gift. Brigham Young
I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. Harlan Miller
If I were a medical man, I should prescribe a holiday to any patient who considered his work important. Bertrand Russell

What is motivating your Holiday Spirit? One of the challenges of this holiday season is the pressure, some feel, to buy tons of gifts off of the long lists provided by family members. Instead of stressing over meeting the expectations of our family, by providing more stuff that will get shoved to the side in a few months, this might be a good time to have an honest conversation about the true meaning of the Holiday Season. It is, probably, a terrific time to encourage our families to try a new approach to the celebrations.
 
Do we need more stuff? Do we need to spend more money on items we will discard in a few days/weeks/months? How do we differentiate the holidays from our birthdays? How do we teach our children about the holiday spirit?  Every year, during the holiday season, we talk about swimming in the ocean of goodwill and how important it is to give back … but, how do we go about doing so and how do we know when we are doing the best we can of sharing our goodwill? This year, we can choose a new approach that incorporates loving the giver more than the gift… How are you using this season to teach compassion, caring and helping others inside and outside your household?
 
 
A Story: Use The Season To Encourage Others Part 2
At first thought the man felt ashamed. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, he allowed his envy to erode into resentment and it soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window — that thought, and only that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running in. In less than five minutes the coughing and choking stopped, along with that the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence — deathly silence.

The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside.
Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall! The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”
 

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for November and December are:

11/02 – LEGACY/REMEMBRANCE – All Souls/All Saints Day (11/1)
11/09 – HONORING VETERANS – Veteran’s Day (11/11) &
11/16 –  HONORING ALL/OUR CHILDREN – Universal Children’s Day/World Children’s Day (11/20) & Great American Smokeout Day (11/19)
11/23 – GIVING THANKS – Thanksgiving Day! (11/26)
11/30 – REVISIT KINDNESS – World Kindness Day (11/13)

12/07  – GIVING SEASON – 6th Chanukah for 8 days, 7th International Civil Aviation Day, Letter Writing Day, National Cotton Candy Day, Pearl Harbor Day,  On this day in 1877 Thomas Edison shows off his new invention, the phonograph
12/14 – AWARENESS –  Poinsettia Day,  International Children’s Day (12/12,13 & 12/15),  Bill of Rights Day, Honoring B.K.S. Iyengar’s Memory and 97th Birthday
12/21 –  HOLIDAY SPIRIT – Winter Solstice (shortest day of the year),  Festivus!, Christmas, Kwanzaa (12/21, 12/23, 12/25, 12/26 -o1/01)
12/28 – THE JOURNEY –  National Fruitcake Day,  Boxing Day,  New Year’s Eve (12/27, 28 & 31)
 
More Below!

“Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you. Thinking of you this holiday season!”  T.A. Barron

Motivation Mondays: HOLIDAY SPIRIT – Images of the Holiday Spirit

Motivation Mondays: HOLIDAY SPIRIT – Images of the Holiday Spirit

We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves. Galileo Galilei
Good news from heaven the angels bring,
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is given,
To crown us with the joy of heaven. Martin Luther

In the spirit of the Holidays, I want to add that this has been a great year of learning, sharing, and revelation and I THANK YOU all for helping me along the way. Thank you for the terrific support you’ve given me this year. I would not have stayed the course without your loving feedback and encouragement. May the coming year be filled with love, joy, and abundant blessings and goodwill for all of us. What are your plans for the holiday season? How do you spend your holidays? What do you wish for yourself in the coming year? Thank you!
 

A Story: The Ocean of Life & Good Action
Once upon a time, a young fish asked an old fish: “Everyone talks about this thing they call ‘ocean.’ What the heck is it?”
The older and wiser fish answered: “The ocean is this thing that surrounds you on all sides.”
The younger fish didn’t understand: “There’s nothing around me! Why can I not see this ‘ocean?'”
“Of course you cannot,” the old fish was patient. “The ocean is both inside and outside of you. You were born in the ocean and chances are you will die in it. The ocean flows around you, just as your own skin does.”
Confucius once said, “Fish forget they live in water; people forget they live in the Tao.” We all live in the ocean of Tao. It flows over us; it is within us and all around us. It enfolds us like our own skin, and yet we cannot perceive it… indeed, most of us have no idea what it is. Let us think of Tao as the universal flow of reality. This will take us another step toward true understanding of Tao. Zen Stories on Goodweb.cn

Positive Motivation Tip:  Happy Holidays! Enjoy the Holiday Season by spreading goodwill and sharing gifts with loved ones and those in need.

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM

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PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Stories via Zen Stories on Goodweb.cn   Quotes via Great Inspirational Quotes and/or Brainy Quotes. All Photos: From my Personal Collection,  and/or  Christmas cards,  Kwanzaa Candles, Christmas Nativity,  Winter Solstice Sun Goddess – Amaterasu, Lourdes Skyline, via Wikipedia

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet