Our Lady's Juggler One special night, a young monk-in-training discovers the deep meaning of 'invisible gifts.' By Paulo Coelho, translated from the Portuguese by James Mulholland Reprinted with permission of HarperCollins Publishers. A medieval legend tells us that in the country we know today as Austria the Burkhard family – a man, a woman and a child – used to amuse... [read more]

What Does 'Huge' Mean To You? The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good. -Brian Tracy From "Gesundheit!," by Patch Adams with Maureen Mylander: Try to tame it - HUGE! One can't imagine 'more huge.' In the inanimate world, 'huge'... [read more]

The Christmas Candle For two hundred years, one candle brings more than light to an English village. By Max Lucado In the village of Gladstone, England, an angel lights up the room of a candlemaker and his wife, awakening them on the final Saturday of Advent. Silent, the angel touches one candle and swiftly disappears. Too hundred years later in 1864, the candlemaker's... [read more]

The Root of Joy Joy is not in things; it is in us. -Richard Wagner From "Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer," by Brother David Steindl-Rast: Ordinary happiness depends on happenstance. Joy is that extraordinary happiness that is independent of what happens to us. Good luck can make us happy, but it cannot give us lasting joy. The root of joy is gratefulness. We tend to... [read more]

I just lost 23 pounds in 5 weeks and it was easy…. I need to tell you about an amazing product that has changed my life. It is the first and only pill to combine the two most effective rapid-slimming ingredients together. The combination of these two products together is unsurpassed in helping people drop serious pounds. The Bottom line is: People love this stuff because it contains... [read more]

Spirituality in a Material World   Awareness isn't something you achieve, says Deepak Chopra. It's what happens when you stop trying so hard. Interview by Lisa Schneider   Called "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine" by Time magazine, Deepak Chopra, M.D., is the founder and CEO of the Chopra Center for Well Being in Carlsbad, California. Dr. Chopra was born and raised in... [read more]

I Kid You Not Although I love children, I am content with knowing that motherhood is not in my future. By Eileen Mitchell As I straddle middle age, I realize it's unlikely that I'll ever be a mother. Heck, in recent months I haven't found a guy I want to share a dinner with, let alone my DNA. But that's okay. Because throughout adulthood, while attending dozens of... [read more]

Mural Mosaic: Town of Cochrane Community I am just so awestruck by this mural Web site! I’m going to start you off right where I stumbled in at. Each tile is a picture all by itself and put together, they make an amazing mural! If you click a square, you’ll be taken to that tile's page, where you will learn all about who made the tile, what panel number it is and you’ll be able to see that square... [read more]

Who Are Your Spiritual Teachers? Teachers open the door but you must walk through it yourself. -Chinese Proverb From "Writing the Sacred Journey," by Elizabeth J. Andrew: Make a list of people who have contributed to your spiritual development in simple and profound ways. Then, as concisely as possible, write down the primary lesson each person taught you. Spiritual... [read more]

Will Airports Destroy Your Computer Equipment? Q: You've talked about laptops going through airport security before, but what about other electronic devices, such as flash drives and CDs? Can those be damaged when going through the security line? A: That's a great question and it couldn't have come at a better time! With Christmas and New Year's right around the corner, I'm sure a lot of you... [read more]

Let Go of Anger in 4 Steps I used to store my anger and it affected my play. Now I get it out. I'm never rude to my playing partner. I'm very focused on the ball. Then it's over. -golfer Helen Alfredsson From "Positive Energy," by Judith Orloff, M.D.: Anger, an intense sense of displeasure and antagonism, comes from the Latin angere, "to strangle." We get angry at those... [read more]

Love Vibes I am thankful that thorns have roses. -Alphonse Karr From "Field Notes on the Compassionate Life," by Marc Ian Barasch: Every now and then, I’ll meet an escapee, someone who has broken free of self-centeredness and let out for the territory of compassion. You’ve met them, too, those people who seem to emit a steady stream of, for want of a better word,... [read more]

Get Moving: Disabled Doesn't Mean Inactive by Linda K. Wright Research shows that the isolation and stress of a chronic disability can be relieved by the development of an individualized wellness plan. "Most health clubs couldn't meet my needs," says Margaret Smith, a 51-year-old woman diagnosed with multiple sclerosis twenty-five years ago. "After experiencing a spinal cord injury, I went... [read more]

Buying a Webcam Are you in the market to buy a new Webcam this holiday season? If so, I've got just the thing for you! Webcams are becoming more and more popular every day. It seems like almost everyone you talk to has one these days. We've even been selling them every once in awhile here at WorldStart and they seem to be pretty popular with all of you. Webcams are very neat when you think about what... [read more]

Overcome Your Emotional Roadblocks We all have something standing in the way of coping with our emotional pain. Here are seven ways to break through. By Bob Livingstone We all experience emotional pain in our lives. Someone close to us will eventually die. A friend or lover will betray us. We will lose our jobs or not get the one we really wanted. Many of us have been... [read more]

Are You Having a Personal Energy Crisis? Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance. -Brian Tracy From "Positive Energy," by Judith Orloff, M.D.: Are you forever in a rush, staving off exhaustion?... [read more]

Remember to Smile    They gave each other a smile with a future in it. -Ring Lardner From "Being Peace," by Thich Nhat Hanh: From time to time, to remind ourselves to relax, to be peaceful, we my wish to set aside some time for a retreat, a day of mindfulness, when we can walk slowly, smile, drink tea with a friend, enjoy being together as if we are the happiest people on... [read more]

'Don't Lose Hope!' Eight things you and your family can do to increase hope in uncertain times. By Naomi Drew   I've been so overwhelmed by what's going on these days," a mother recently said regarding world events. "I feel like there's nothing I can do and the world's spinning out of control." Her words echo the sentiments so many of us feel each time we pick up a paper or turn on the... [read more]

Sharing Sorrow Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief. -Joseph Addison From "As You Grieve: Consoling Words From Around the World," by Aaron Zerah: Soyen Shaku, the abbot, each morning took a walk accompanied by his companion from the monastery to the nearby town. One day, as he passed a house, he heard a great cry... [read more]

Q: When I visit certain Web sites, I often get the error message of "Done, but with errors on page." What does that mean and is there anything I can do to fix it? Please help! A: First of all, I want to make sure everyone's clear on what we're talking about. Here's the scenario: you're browsing the Web and you see a Web site you'd like to visit. You go to the site, it loads up and everything seems... [read more]

Writing to Find Out What You Believe Perhaps we write towards what we will become from where we are. -May Sarton From "Writing the Sacred Journey," by Elizabeth J. Andrew: Describe a small, ordinary activity that you've already done today (brushing your teeth, buckling your seatbelt, etc.) Imagine that this event appears in your spiritual memoir. Reflect: What does... [read more]

The Kind of Love That's Contagious If there is any kindness I can show, any good thing I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. -William Penn From "Field Notes on the Compassionate Life," by Marc Ian Barasch: If there's a facet of human nature that, when you hold it up to the light, shines... [read more]

Online Medical Advice It's that time of year again. Yep, all the colds, the flu and everything in between are back again. So, wouldn't it be nice to have some place you could go for fast medical advice? Well, I've got just the thing for you today! This is the perfect tip for just about anybody. It doesn't matter how old you are, we all have to go to the doctor at some point or another. And let's face... [read more]

When Fear Affects Your Health   Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. -Arthur Somers Roche From "The Healing Power of Prayer," by Chester Tolson, Ph.D. and Harold G. Koenig, M.D.: Loneliness can lead to fear and fear can sometimes lead to serious illness. Many medical doctors... [read more]

Bernie Siegel's Soul Prescriptions Five ways to live a happier life. By Bernie S. Siegel, M.D.   From "365 Prescriptions for the Soul." Used with permission of New World Library Prescription #1: Gratitude A gentleman I was talking to on the phone related that his doctor and the EMR team had told him his heart stopped beating and he had died at least five times during surgery. He concluded... [read more]

The Difference Between Healing and Curing   The bigger meaning of healing is a 'wholing,' a filling out of the missing pieces of a person's life. Sometimes this may even mean facing death in a more fully realized way. Certainly it is an opportunity to come more deeply and fully into life. -Patricia Reis From "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom," by Christiane Northrup,... [read more]