Reflections 2005 
Written by Robert Kirwan

The following articles were written during 2005 and were published in The Vision Paper.

For your convenience I have provided you with the titles and a brief introduction to each editorial. All you need to do to read the article is click on the title or the More>>> prompt at the end of the introduction. That will take you to a page with the article. 

If you have any comments, please send them to me at rkirwan@infocomcanada.com 

bullet  All It Takes Is One Person…Be That Person!
Try to hold on to the memories of how good you feel during the next few weeks whenever you are around people who liven things up with happiness. See how quickly a room full of quiet people can break into laughter when one person brightens up the room. Happiness is contagious, and all it takes is one person to lift up everyone’s spirit. More >>>>
    
bulletWhat Is Going To Happen When We Run Out Of Little Red Hens?
This is my favourite time of the year, and I know that most of you likely feel the same way. However, at the risk of putting a damper on your “Christmas Spirit”, it is also the time of year when I get the most discouraged about the future of this great community. More>>>
  
bulletWe Can Learn A Lot About Living From The Simple Caterpillar
The other day I came across a short article that clearly explained why it is so difficult to get people to change their habits and beliefs. The article showed me that a simple creature like the "processionary caterpillar" can teach us all a lot about life if we are only willing to listen. More>>>>
   
bulletThere Are Never Any Mistakes In Life…Just Detours
Have you ever noticed that it is usually the little things you do for people that are often the most appreciated? More>>>>
   
bulletYou Have No Idea How Powerful Your Words May Be.
Choose Them Carefully…
We’ve all been there. If you are human, you can’t help but experience times when everything seems to be going wrong and you feel as if your life is completely out of control. More>>>>
  
bulletNothing Is More Important Than Time Spent With Another Human Being…  
The other day I was typing an article on my computer when I was interrupted by the sound of someone speaking a language which I must admit I am beginning to understand. It was my 15-month old granddaughter tugging at my shirt wanting me to play with her. More>>>
  
bulletNever Expect A Soft Landing When You Jump to Conclusions…  
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you jumped to a conclusion about someone, only to find out later that you were wrong? Embarrassing, isn’t it? More>>>
 
bulletI Would Rather Live My Life Believing…  
Have you ever been involved in an argument or debate with someone and just couldn’t find the right words to back up your position?  More>>>>
  
bulletBeware of Missing Out On The Diamond While You Are Collecting Stones!
Many of my acquaintances often ask me how I come up with ideas for my editorials every week. I tell them that it is easy when you are around people all of the time. You just have to watch and listen. Life happens and stories evolve on their own. More>>>>
  
bulletThe Miracles of Life…Birth and Death
As one grows older you would expect that there would be fewer and fewer new things to experience about life. You know the expression, “Been there, done that!”  So imagine how I felt, when, for the first time in my 55 years on this earth, I found myself standing by in a lonely hospital room last week watching my mother-in-law die. More>>>>
  
bulletWeek of The Child Is Good Time For Adults To Review Lesson Plans
Parenting is an art! Ask any mother or father and they will quickly tell you that there is nothing that fully prepares you for the role, but you soon discover that there is no job in the world that is more satisfying or more challenging. More>>>>
  
bulletThere Are Two Primary Choices In Life: To Accept Conditions As They Exist, or Accept Responsibility For Changing Them
There are certain things you stumble across in this life that hit you like a brick. A few weeks ago I saw the quotation above and it almost knocked me over. It was on one of those days when I was questioning whether or not I was making any difference at all in the things I was doing. More>>>>>
     
bulletThis Year, Let’s Make Sure We See The Cake And Not The Mess
I want to share a story with you that makes me feel just a little bit of pain every time I read it. As a father, a teacher, and a husband, I have often found myself in a situation where I “failed to see the cake” and I know I missed out on some pretty special moments. More>>>
    
bulletHold Everything!
I’ve Been Looking For A Place Like This All My Life!
I once met a farmer who had lived on the same farm all his life. It was a good farm with fertile soil, but with the passing of the years, the farmer began to think that maybe there was something better for him. More>>>
  
bulletDon't Be Satisfied With The Status Quo 
Some people find that it is a lot easier to simply accept the status quo, and go about their live with a feeling that nothing they do will make a difference.
  
bullet Did God Create Evil?
Here’s How To Reply To The Question The Next Time Someone Wants To Question Your Faith
Every now and then Christians are challenged to justify their faith in God. Some people just do not believe things they can’t understand. Here is a little story that may help you the next time you find yourself in a conversation with a person who is trying to put you on the spot. More>>>>
      
bulletCount Your Blessings One Marble At A Time
A long time ago there was a young man who was going through a very difficult period in his life. He worked extremely hard and just couldn’t find any time to spend with his wife and children. He went to confide in his father, who was the wisest man he knew. More>>>
  
bulletAn Excellent Life Is Nothing More Than The Sum Of Many Excellent Moments
Several centuries ago, the Emperor of Japan asked a Japanese artist to paint a picture of a particular species of bird. Many years later, the Emperor paid a personal visit to the artist’s studio to ask for an explanation as to why his painting had not yet been delivered. More>>>
  
bulletAre You Still Searching For Your Dream To Come True?
Wake up...It May Already Be Here!
I feel sorry for the next generation. Admittedly, I am not very old myself, but as I look back over my life I realize that the times during which I really appreciated what I had were the times when I didn=t really have very much. It seems that the more we have, the more we want, and the more we take for granted what we have. Many of us spend our entire life searching for something that we had right in front of us all along. More >>>>
    
bulletOur Most Valuable Resources Are Worth Fighting For...Accept the Challenge
I was recently reminded of a golf tournament I played in way back in August 2000. I was on a team with my son and two of his friends. When we took our place on the tee to begin our quest for the championship, little did I realize that I was taking part in one of those significant life experiences that we all look back upon with fondness over the ever increasing years of our life. More >>>>
     
bulletChanging Your Focus Can Produce Remarkable Results
Too often we come across individuals who are so sure of them self that they refuse to change their focus. They would rather continue in one direction without changing focus or giving consideration to other alternatives. How often we have witnessed failure, when a simple change of direction would have resulted in success. More >>>>
    
bulletCoping With Change Is All A Matter Of Learning How To Go With The Flow
One of the things you learn as you are going through the various stages of life is that no matter what you are involved in, life has a way of throwing obstacles at you. Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines, to a great degree, our peace, happiness and contentment in life. But how do we develop this ability to cope with change? How do we help children learn this skill? More >>>>
  
bulletThe Daffodil Principle
The "Daffodil Garden" was located on the side of a mountain. It was a magnificent scene. One of the most beautiful sights you could imagine. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes where it had run into every crevice and over every rise. The mountainside was radiant, clothed in massive drifts and waterfalls of daffodils. More >>>>
    
bulletThere's A Lot More Left In The Tube
I read an article the other day which was written by a man named Jeff Keller. After I finished the article, I realized that the title, "There’s A Lot More Left In The Tube", is one of those motivational quotations that you would like to hang up in every room to remind you that you should never give up too soon. We have all experienced frustration and despair at various times in our lives when we felt we had done everything we possibly could to achieve a particular goal. It may be something as simple as trying to grow flowers in your garden, or as serious as how to cultivate a better relationship with your child or spouse, or something to do with your job. Whatever the case, there comes a point when you simply feel you can’t go on any further. More>>>>>
    
bulletOnce A Word Is Allowed To Escape It Can Never Be Called Back
Many times we, as flawed human beings, make a personal comment, or react to a situation in anger, only to wish we could take back our words or say what we really wanted to say in a different manner? Human beings are, by nature, confrontational animals. We like to get in the last word! We are quick to strike back with a negative comment when we are angry or when we are insulted! We don’t like to sit back and take criticism! Many times, our verbal attacks make us feel good for the moment, but then we feel a sense of remorse and regret afterwards when we realize that what we actually said may have inflicted great pain on those around us. Consider the valuable lesson about life a father taught his son in this little story and see if there is a lesson for all of us. More>>>>>
  
bulletThe Barnyard
One day a little red hen scratched about in the barnyard until she gathered some grains of wheat. She called her neighbours and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant?" More>>>>>
  
bulletDon’t Ever Under Estimate The Tremendous Impact Of A Sincere Smile

The other morning I stopped for a hot chocolate at the drive through of Tim Horton’s. It was early, and the line-up was unusually long. By the time I got to the window for my single cup of hot chocolate I was more than a little annoyed at the waiting time. The glass door lifted, and there to greet my frowning face was a young lady with a sincerely friendly smile and a cheery, "Good morning, sir. Here is your hot chocolate. That will be $1.24 please." More>>>>>

 
 

Copyright © 2010 All Rights Reserved
Valley East Today is published by
Infocom Canada Business Consultants Inc.