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	<title>Make Today Matter &#187; Ramblings</title>
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		<title>Good Morning: What is Christmas Spirit, Anyway?</title>
		<link>http://brooknoel.com/reading-room/brooks-journal/soul-food/good-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway/</link>
		<comments>http://brooknoel.com/reading-room/brooks-journal/soul-food/good-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:38:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brook</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family Time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Morning Inspirations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramblings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sammy Wisdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soul Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspirational quotes]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://brooknoel.com/?p=1903</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.&#8221; ~Roy L. Smith, (from Joy to the World, 2003; Hallmark Books)  Good morning!   While we check our light strings for working lights, and gather cookie-making &#8230; <a class="more-link" href="http://brooknoel.com/reading-room/brooks-journal/soul-food/good-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="a2a_button_hotmail" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/hotmail?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Hotmail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/live.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Hotmail"/></a><a class="a2a_button_yahoo_mail" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/yahoo_mail?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Yahoo Mail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/yahoo.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Yahoo Mail"/></a><a class="a2a_button_google_gmail" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/google_gmail?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Google Gmail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/gmail.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Google Gmail"/></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/twitter.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Twitter"/></a><a class="a2a_button_aol_mail" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/aol_mail?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="AOL Mail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/aol.png" width="16" height="16" alt="AOL Mail"/></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/facebook.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Facebook"/></a><a class="a2a_button_blogger_post" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/blogger_post?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Blogger Post" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/blogger.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Blogger Post"/></a><a class="a2a_button_linkedin" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="LinkedIn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/linkedin.png" width="16" height="16" alt="LinkedIn"/></a><a class="a2a_button_digg" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/digg?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Digg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/digg.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Digg"/></a><a class="a2a_dd a2a_target addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;title=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" id="wpa2a_2">Share/Bookmark</a></p><h4><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #ff9900;">&#8220;He who has not Christmas in his heart<br />
will never find it under a tree</span><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #ff9900;">.&#8221;<br />
</span>~Roy L. Smith,<br />
(from Joy to the World, 2003; Hallmark Books) </h4>
<div><strong>Good morning!  </strong><strong><br />
</strong></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;">While we check our light strings for working lights, and gather cookie-making recipes, and confirm event dates, and dress children for concerts and plays, let&#8217;s not forgot to look for the Christmas spirit in its most important place&#8211;our hearts. With everything going on this time of year, it can be easy to be checking externally for signs of the holiday, but we should be mostly concerned with the signs within.<br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;">What is the Christmas spirit, anyway? I posed this question to my daughter when she was ten years old. I asked her, &#8220;If you could capture the Christmas spirit on little pieces of paper, and tuck them into a bottle to last all year &#8230;how would you define the Christmas spirit?&#8221;<br />
 <br />
She said, &#8220;What are you talking about Mom?&#8221;<br />
 <br />
I tried again. &#8220;If someone were to ask you, &#8216;what does the Christmas spirit mean,&#8217; how would you answer?&#8221; First she said &#8220;Bah, humbug.&#8221; Then she started laughing, saying she was just kidding. She went on to answer: &#8220;It is about giving to other people more than to yourself.&#8221;</span></div>
<div> </div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;">&#8220;The Christmas spirit is being jolly and remembering all the things to be jolly for.&#8221;</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;">&#8220;The Christmas spirit is about getting excited, and having belief, and magic, and faith.&#8221;</span></div>
<div> </div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;">&#8220;The Christmas spirit is about having everybody available in your family together&#8230; except if it is a really big outdoor dog.&#8221;</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;">&#8220;The Christmas spirit means, even when you don&#8217;t get what you want, you&#8217;re still grateful for what you did get.&#8221; She paused thoughtfully. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ve ever had that happen, but if you don&#8217;t get what you want, don&#8217;t start yelling at the person, as they<br />
tried their best.&#8221;</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;">So, what is the Christmas spirit? It is all of those things Samantha came up with and more. The themes underlying all of her statements are gratitude, caring for another, taking time to be present with one another, giving of ourselves, expecting, and believing, and receiving magic.</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Your Turn:</strong> Today, take a moment to bring the Christmas spirit alive in your household. Ask each family member, over dinner, to define the Christmas spirit. Then post their answers on your refrigerator as your personal family-reminder of what this season is all about.</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Today&#8217;s Affirmation</strong>: I cherish and nurture the spirit of Christmas within my heart.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Your Two Cents:</strong> Your feedback is what motivates me to create the Good Morning. Share your thoughts and browse my archives by </span></span><a rel="nofollow" href="http://brooknoel.com/free-downloads-and-resources/newsletter-archive-index/"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">clicking here</span>.</span></a></div>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"></p>
<div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div>
<div><a title="Click to Learn About Brook's Program!" rel="nofollow" href="http://brooknoel.com/shop/memberships/make-today-matter/"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img src="http://www.brooknoel.com/images/mtmgraphic.gif" border="0" alt="" width="409" height="109" /></span></a></div>
</div>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>And as always, don&#8217;t forget to start your day with a heartfelt:</strong> &#8220;Something great is going to happen today&#8230; I can&#8217;t wait to see what it is!&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>And when ending your day ask yourself:</strong> &#8220;What is one more thing I can do to make today matter?&#8221;</span></span></p>
<div id="crp_related"><h4>Related Posts:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://brooknoel.com/reading-room/attitude/good-morning-be-rich-in-spirit/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Good Morning: Be Rich &#8211; in Spirit&#8230;</a><span class="crp_excerpt"> Good Morning!

Today I want to share an anecdote I stumbled ...</span></li><li><a href="http://brooknoel.com/reading-room/challenges/your-weekly-challenge-christmas-is-a-little-more-than-a-store/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Your Weekly Challenge: Christmas is a Little More than a Store</a><span class="crp_excerpt"> Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
"What if ...</span></li><li><a href="http://brooknoel.com/uncategorized/stepping-up-to-the-plate/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Stepping up to the plate&#8230;</a><span class="crp_excerpt">  "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ...</span></li></ul></div><p><a class="a2a_button_hotmail" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/hotmail?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Hotmail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/live.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Hotmail"/></a><a class="a2a_button_yahoo_mail" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/yahoo_mail?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Yahoo Mail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/yahoo.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Yahoo Mail"/></a><a class="a2a_button_google_gmail" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/google_gmail?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Google Gmail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/gmail.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Google Gmail"/></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/twitter.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Twitter"/></a><a class="a2a_button_aol_mail" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/aol_mail?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="AOL Mail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/aol.png" width="16" height="16" alt="AOL Mail"/></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/facebook.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Facebook"/></a><a class="a2a_button_blogger_post" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/blogger_post?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Blogger Post" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/blogger.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Blogger Post"/></a><a class="a2a_button_linkedin" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="LinkedIn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/linkedin.png" width="16" height="16" alt="LinkedIn"/></a><a class="a2a_button_digg" href="http://www.addtoany.com/add_to/digg?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;linkname=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" title="Digg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://brooknoel.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/icons/digg.png" width="16" height="16" alt="Digg"/></a><a class="a2a_dd a2a_target addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrooknoel.com%2Freading-room%2Fbrooks-journal%2Fsoul-food%2Fgood-morning-what-is-christmas-spirit-anyway%2F&amp;title=Good%20Morning%3A%20What%20is%20Christmas%20Spirit%2C%20Anyway%3F" id="wpa2a_4">Share/Bookmark</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Thoughts on Success</title>
		<link>http://brooknoel.com/reading-room/brooks-journal/thoughts-on-success/</link>
		<comments>http://brooknoel.com/reading-room/brooks-journal/thoughts-on-success/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:19:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brook</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Brook's Journal]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Of course there is no formula for success except, perhaps, an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings. Arthur Rubenstein Every time I am asked about &#8220;secrets of success&#8221; I notice there is an underlying theme. Each formula I &#8230; <a class="more-link" href="http://brooknoel.com/reading-room/brooks-journal/thoughts-on-success/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p>Every time I am asked about &#8220;secrets of success&#8221; I notice there is an underlying theme. Each formula I have shared has contained, in essence, <em>intent-action-belief &#8211; faith-and then letting life happen</em>. Reread today&#8217;s quote several times and really absorb what the words mean. Remove &#8220;success&#8221; and try &#8220;peace&#8221; or &#8220;happiness&#8221; or &#8220;contentment&#8221; or &#8220;joy&#8221; in its place.</p>
<p>When I seek success in something, I first focus on what I want and why I want it. When I know that it matches my mission of helping women create more positive lives, I then make an action plan. After all that homework is done, I believe with my heart and soul that nothing will stand in my way from realizing the vision. And then I do something else that many people forget to do when chasing a dream: I let it go.</p>
<p>It might seem odd to let a dream or vision go, especially right after we take our first action steps. And, I don&#8217;t mean that I literally let it go and never think of it again. It means that I have faith and trust in the mystery of miracles and life. When we hold onto what we want very tightly, we don&#8217;t give it room to grow into what it might be. Instead, we mold it and twist it to match only what we can see and believe. Yet life often has wonderful things in store for us that we may not yet be able to envision or believe. We have to let go of our limited scope of seeing a result in order to let life meet us halfway-to transform a goal into a vision.</p>
<p><strong> Your Turn: </strong>Where in your life is letting go the next step to moving forward?</p>
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