Dear friends,

Greetings from Japan.

Remember that there's always something positive to lighten our days if we choose to take the time to notice. Simple things in life, like the beauty of nature and little achievements, can go unnoticed if we forget to celebrate them and just focus on that one big achievement that we desperately want to achieve, hectic calendars, or every day's news we watch that is filled with war and diseases. To experience happiness we must train ourselves to live in this moment, to savor it for what it is, not running ahead in anticipation of some future date, nor lagging behind in the paralysis of the past. It is easy to loose our ability to laugh. It is easy to forget the simple ways of purely enjoying life or one-another, building friendships within the family and beyond.

Take a moment and notice the beauty around you. You'll be aspired on how that will lighten your day and fill you with new energy. I took a walk to the beach the other day, sat down near a rock and blocked out the rest of the world and focused only on the beauty of nature. I sat there looking at the waves moving around Okinawa Island in Japan, I took a deep breath and appreciated what I saw around me.... Peace, peace and peace. The sound of waves and little laughter from divers and skaters, reminded me of the importance of appreciating the things we sometimes take for granted. For a moment I felt as though I traveled with the waves around the world and saw how God has been kind to me, and allowed me to live for the moment and has provided for all my needs beyond my imagination. A life of hard work alone will not crown one's life destination with fulfillment as we human beings tend to think sometimes. I opened my eyes and looked at the East China Sea again, waving before my eyes and remembered the Indian Ocean waves in my home country. As I grew up, I never looked at nature with such appreciation. Our beautiful flower garden at my grandmother's house was just a discipline to me....now when I see such beautiful exotic flowers, I smile or take a second to analyze, and appreciate the beauty they carry.

In the same way in life, we might take many things for granted, especially when they are available. Take a family or good friendships for example, how often do we embrace and cherish those?! It is important to think big and reach out for your goals, but never allow ambition to steal your reasons for life celebration. Celebrate your life daily as tomorrow might be too late. Work hard, but never forget to count your blessings. Tomorrow might come while you are around, just to realize you missed an opportunity to exhale and enjoy a moment, which will lead you to more searching as the world will always call for more...more of everything.... Things of the past and mistakes one has made should be learned experiences, in order to make for a better today and tomorrow. Be sorry for your mistakes, but learn from them. Refuse to live in guilt because of them. If we allow ourselves to grow and learn from the past, we can make the best of our today's situations without worsening our present, or destroying our future.

If we keep on doing the same things over and over again, we will end up with the same results. Always treasure what you have now. Seek opportunities to show appreciation, make room to do better and share your excitements with others, and appreciate the beauty in those around you. This will be productive not only for you, but also to those around you, who may be hoping you'll turn around and realize they are there. When you take time with the people around you and appreciate them, even though they might have been disappointed with you or with your work in the past, they will see the goodness and productivity in the new you. I encourage you to live for those brief shining moments. The wonderful thing about beauty is that we can store it in our minds to be played over and over again....anytime we need to refresh the goodness.

Few Suggestions to lighten your days:

1. Take a walk to a quite place and let yourself be surrounded with nature. Be quite and listen to your inner voice.
2. Do at least one thing a day to make a loved one feel cherished.
3. Remember to say "Thank You".
4. Exercise at least 20 minutes every day for the next 4 weeks and see how your body will feel.
5. Take a quite moment to pray and meditate for at least 15 minutes everyday.
6. Sit down for dinner or at least one meal a day with your family.
7. Turn off the Television and read a good book.
8. Spend 1 hour every day taking actions towards a key goal.
9. Eliminate all junk food in your diet.
10. Maintain a clean house/car/office and keep your body and outfits clean.
11. List people who helped you in your life and write a note of appreciation to them or help someone else with their needs.
12. Count your blessings by looking at previous achievements.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time ...."

Till next time ....