17th Anniversary of 9-11...

17th Anniversary of 9-11...
On the 17th Anniversary of 9-11, we continue prayers for a path to peace. (Picture above - TishTrek and husband Harry @ the podium inside the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City). It was the privilege of a lifetime for us to be with leaders from around the world on a night when honoring excellence in writing and reporting was the common language uniting all of us. As one of the proud sponsors of the Annual U.N. Correspondents' Dinner, we enjoyed honoring excellence in writing and communications by helping to fund scholarships for international university students who had the courage & talent to tackle some of the difficult issues of our time. Through their magnificent words, they successfully created content that helped readers see through the lens of their research & life experiences. These students inspired all of us. I have confidence the next generation will pick up where we leave off.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ash Wednesday: God Grant Me Serenity...

Step, step, step... today is the first day of the rest of my life. I'm going to make sure the next 40 days make a difference for the next forty years!

1) My Morning Prayer for this Lenten Season will be the Serenity Prayer. My commitment is to recite it daily.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr


2) I will continue my journey to Health & Wellness with renewed & awesome passion.

3) I will summon the strength inside me to close "those" old chapters in my life that have caused unhealthy stress and/or pain.

4) I will not look backward; only forward...

5) I will accept God's will, no matter how difficult the situation.

6) I will help my triglyceride count by eliminating wine and ice cream completely from my diet, (Our friends at Bob Hoffmann's Ice Cream and Gerard's Liquors will not be happy...)

7) I will help my cholesterol count by reducing my red meat intake to no more than twice a week, (Oh gosh - I hope Colonial Ranch Meat Market doesn't go out of business! Have the fire department alert Darren & Lisa Arms!)

8) I will increase my good cholesterol count by eating more foods that feed that number which in my case "must" stay between 50 & 100.

9) I will sit quietly and listen for His voice when I'm struggling to accept something heart wrenching and important that I cannot change.

10) I will contribute to the peace-of-others by not resisting so much when it's time to walk away.

It's okay to scream, "Tish - How are we ever going to miss you, if you never go away?!" I actually had this joke painted on a piece of wood for Aunt Mary Brusgard's 70th Birthday Party. I thought the quote was hysterical when I delivered it during my long-winded monologue as the self-appointed Mistress-of-Ceremonies for this wonderful family celebration at Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty. At age 51, my advice to others is to be wary of revisiting your monologues and one-liners from previous decades. Things that you said which seemed funny then may no longer be funny simply because you're filtering your own words through ten years of new experiences. Oh and finding out an audience may have been laughing at you and not with you back then does nothing for your health and welfare.

I wish everyone serenity and inner-peace this Lenten Season. God bless you all.

Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 16/51

Quote of the Day: "I've always known what I needed to do; for reasons I actually understand - I just never cared about myself in the same way that I've cared about others. Convincing myself I was worth it combined with this process of turning my own positive energy inward has brought great joy."
- Kate's Mom, February - 2010

2 comments:

  1. No one was ever laughing at you, but only with you as you made every situation funny and added a special feeling to every party.

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  2. Tish,

    If I remember correctly at my 50th, I laughed and cried from all the great memories good and bad that we shared. Thank you for being a part of the celebration and always being there for me in the good and bad times.

    Love,
    Cousin Kathleen

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