This is a test to see if I can post from my iPhone. This is only a test so I can use this feature while on vacation.

A time to contemplate, a time to reevaluate.....

Can you feel it in the air? The times they are a changing again. I know it is easier when you are up north and the miserable, cold, wet winter is gnawing at you, and you begin to sense the change. the days are getting longer, the days are not as bleak. It is a time of renewal, a time of rebirth. Spring is upon us and lent is just about to begin.

What a perfect time , to sit back, recalculate , reevaluate our journey , this pilgrimage we are all on. I have decided to take the time, to set myself apart as best as I can to see where I am headed. Is it where I want to be and go, or am I really being open to the guidance and promptings of God through His Holy Spirit. I have at times during this past year felt that I am at a cross roads , a pivotal point in my life, and I feel that I am quickly approaching one now.

So I take time , to look , to listen to pray and to be open. In less then a month. I start the walk of St James, the camino in northern Spain. know it will be life changing because even if there is no major revelation, I will have many stories to tell and share with you all. Until then, until I start writing from Spain, I will be silent. I will sit and listen to the gentle whisper , the stirrings in my heart.

Peace to all.

Even when you think no one is watching...

I woke up this morning and realized what a miracle it was just to wake up, feeling good and pain free. As I prayed and pondered my life this morning , I came to realize how each of our lives is intertwined with the others around us. No matter how insignificant your day to day activities seem to be, someone is watching your actions. So be careful,act accordingly. Be positive because a negative attitude will affect you and those around you in a negative way.

You might think why worry about my actions. I only have to worry about myself. But you know in your heart that it is not the truth. We are not created to be just an individual living isolated. As humans we long to interact with others, to be accepted by others. So we have to cultivate that, build a relationship with God, find fulfillment and then you can be a positive influence on others.

We are heading into the third month of the new year. I shared at the beginning of the tear about resolutions, about where each of us were heading. some of you shared your resolutions with me. I now invite you to let me know how you are doing. What are your successes, where are your struggles? We are all in this together, so let me help if you need a little push.

Think about it, pray and about it, and be positive.

It's all in the mind....

Well, I am finally writing the blog a few of you have been waiting for. Have you ever felt as a failure? Has it ever happen to you that you fail and that one thing plagues your whole outlook for a long time. Each decision, each action you sort of measure against what you considered was your defeat?

Three times, that I can remember, in my life have a felt as a complete failure. The first was when my marriage failed, the second was the first time I was fired from a job, and the last was when I was not able to complete the Goofy Challenge at Disney last year in 2010.

Since that day, it seems like everything I did I, myself, kept comparing to what I could do and what I would do if I failed again. Alot of things have happened, negative as well as alot of positive, and already as most of you know, I did complete the Disney Marathon and had a personal PR to boot.

I guess as I write this, I do not want to concentrate on the success that I accomplished, but more on all that I missed during this past year. I learned that all things are possible with God's help. I also learned that you have to enjoy the journey along the way. You can't just plan on the end because if you don't make it to that end, then you really have not enjoyed the journey.

So my goal now is to really enjoy the journey. Smile more often and definitely not take each day so seriously. So don't forget to smile and love today, this might be it.

A New Year, A New Start...

Yes, it was last year since you heard from me last. I wanted to write on this first day of the year, not only to commit myself on some resolutions that I have set; but , also, to encourage you to set some resolutions and then share them with me so that I can help you and hold you accountable as the year progresses.

My church, St Gregory's, publishes this poem every year at this time and I felt it was appropriate to add it to this blog.
"He came to my desk with a quivering lip:
the lesson was done;
'Dear Teacher, I need a new page', he said,
'I have spoiled this one.'
I took the old page, torn and blotted,
and gave him a new one, all unspotted,
And into his sad eyes smiled:
'Do better now, my child.'

I came to the throne with a trembling heart;
The year's work was done;
'Dear Father, I want a new year', I said,
'I have spoiled this one',
He took the old year, torn and blotted,
And gave me a new one , all unspotted,
And into my sad eyes smiled;
'Do better now, my child!"

Every New Year's morning , I get up and walk with Barbara for a few miles and then I wait for the sunrise, to see the new dawn on the year. Well, today as I walked the weather was iffy, it was cloudy, and very breezy. In the mental dilemma I felt God saying to 'Trust in Him alone'. I realize that no matter what if I saw the sunrise or if it was covered by the clouds the sun would still rise, just as sure as God was present and guiding me in my life. Well as you can see from the pictures, the sunrise was spectacular. But a lesson was still learned in my morning walk.

Without further delay, my 2011 resolutions are as follows: 1) do the 100 day challenge,2) do a half marathon in less then 3 hours; 3) continue to lose weight and reach my goal weight; 4) continue to write the novel:5) do "El Camino"; 6) with help of God, conquer one vice(or sin) at a time; 7) reconcile with brother and his family.

I know some of these seem easy and some nearly impossible; but I have set my goals, I have started my quest to reach them and I know as the year continues to unfold, I will struggle , and I will conquer. I thank you for being my guideposts at time in my life. I look forward to continuing to share this adventure. Like I said I hope that you will be willing to share some of your goals, some of your resolutions so that we can help each other in our journeys. Share them as comments here or on facebook. I look forward to this year with you.

BURN THE SHIPS.....

I know what you must be thinking by now,I haven't seen anything written for months and now it's only been two days and he has another entry. What is going on? Well, let me tell you I think this is an extremely important time in our lives. I love the holidays, but there is nothing like a new year just about to open up for us, it is a very special time, where you feel like a new beginning, a fresh start to your life.\

I take this moment and look at my past year's adventures, trials and accomplishments. I believe in setting new year's resolutions, not because I intend to give up on them but as a challenge to try to better myself. Last year, I came up with 7 resolutions, I was able to keep four and a half of them. Think those are good odds, at least for me. In a few days I will post my 2011 resolutions here, and I invite you to share some of yours too. Maybe this way we can be more accountable and have a higher success rate.

When the Spanish conquistadors came to conquer Mexico, after many months at sea; their captain asked them on the beach...are you ready to go into battle. And of course they said, YES. Three times they were asked the same thing and three times they excitedly said YES. Then he said, OK you are willing to stay and fight, then before you do burn the ships. See this is my advice to you today, before you start out on this new year, look at all the things that will make you look back and reconsider those resolutions. Anything that will make it easy not to get healthier, or wiser, or better, or just feel better of yourself as a person. Get rid of it before you wake up the morning of January 1. You only have one way out of this year, of this life and it is to go forwards. Arm yourself wisely for the trip, surround yourself with the ones that love and will help you along the way. OK, OK.....by now you are saying, enough. Well it is enough, I have to start looking at the pieces of my ships that I am trying to glue together. See, I have burned them once before, now I have to finish the job and get rid of the splinters.

Once I again,I wish you a healthy, joyful NEW YEAR.

Time does not stand still...

It has been over two months since I posted here and so many things have happened, mostly positive, in my life. I would love to go into some of the details at this time but I figured it will have to wait at least a little longer.

My heart is full with anticipation for the New Year, though, I felt it would be only appropriate to write a few thoughts on this milestone in all of our lives. I can not believe that we enter the second decade of this new century and millennium. It seems like only a few days ago when I was anticipating the dawn of the 21st century, and now I look and I am 10 years older. Wow, it just flew by.

I feel that I am at the doorstep of a very exciting time in my life. this past year things have fallen into place. I have grown through many struggles and I have matured into a person that, if I had looked at the beginning of the year, would have said it was not possible. I hope that as 2011 starts I will be able to share some of my accomplishments, defeats, struggles and growth of this past year.

I end this year on a very positive note. I am where I am because of each one of you. Your interactions into my life, have brought me to where I am now. For this I thank each one of you. I pray that you will continue to share this life with me and wish you a very prosperous, joyful and healthy NEW YEAR.