Giving Thanks

It is fitting that we, as a nation, take a day each year to give thanks. We all know the story of how "our forefathers set forth on this continent a new nation". And regardless of whether they were actually your forefathers or not, they at least represent the same spirit and drive for freedom that have beckoned men and women to our shores for hundreds of years now.

The editor and staff at Macomb-Page want to take this opportunity to express our thanks. We are thankful to God for His mercy in letting us live on the fruitful plane of America. And we are thankful to those who have gone before and those who yet today risk their lives to purchase the freedom we have left. Please join me and others in expressing that thanks to them.below are several website involved in the support of our soldiers where you can send a card, find a pen-pal, or put a Bible in the hands of one of our troops.

• www.letssaythanks.com
• www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil
• www.operationthankyou.org

Resolve
Making life better

Continuing on the theme of resolutions it is beneficial to examine the nature of resolve. Appropriate synonyms are determination or a more colloquial “stick-to-it-iveness“. Resolve is that characteristic that helps us finish a task. Resolve will carry us through touch times, bitter struggles, and will keep us focused on a worthy goal when the going gets tough.

Having resolve is an extremely valuable character trait. Society trusts those with resolve because they become known for following through with their commitments. We count on them. We place trust and confidence in them because they have resolve. The old saying “don't make a promise you can't keep“ is an important aspect of resolve. Promises easily made tend to be easily broken. As the martial arts master would say, it is important to “choose wisely“ when considering making a promise or a resolution. But once the homework is done, once the groundwork is laid, and a resolution has been made, a person of character will follow through with resolve.

What if we determine later that we made a mistake? Does having resolve mean we continue blindly, denying new facts or information? Is that character? Not at all. But it does mean we re-examine the facts in light of the new information. It does mean we don't just quit. There is indeed a way out if we have made a mistake. In fact, another attribute of a person of character is having the ability to admit mistakes. A person of character does not simply “quit“. They admit a mistake and make a purposeful and determined break with a previous direction and set a new course with the same determination and resolve.

The Thing About Resolutions
Making 2006 a better year

How are you doing with those resolutions? Did you make any? Are you still on track, or have your resolutions already fell pray to daily life? Was it a mistake to make resolutions in the first place? Here are some pointers to get you beyond the guilt or feelings of failure and to put yourself in the winners' circle.

1. Remember, your resolutions are not the Ten Commandments. These are your resolutions. You can modify them, revise them, or even scrap them. 
2. Review your resolutions. Especially if a resolution is not working out, analyze the resolution. Was it a worthy resolution? Do the benefits of the goal motivate you, or are they important enough to continue to pursue? Is the cost too high? 
3. Make an honest analysis. In reviewing  your resolutions don't just “let yourself off the hook”. But don't beat yourself up either. Remember, the objective is to accomplish the goal of the resolution, not make yourself pay for having missed it. 
4. Adjust. Yes, you can change any resolution if you find that the change will move you in the right direction. Perhaps the original goal was too aggressive. Perhaps it needed to be more aggressive. Perhaps changes in circumstances mean you need to rewrite your resolutions. Resolutions should work like a business plan for your life. The only business plans that are unchanging are one for those who are no longer in business.
5. Seek advice. How many would stop and ask directions if lost? OK, there are some of us who would not. But most eventually would. On the road of life there is no harm in stopping  once in a while to ask direction of a trusted friend or adviser.

Most of all, remember, change is an indicator of life, not failure!