Last chance to do a gift exchange

I remember as a child on January 6th I would hear a constant door bell ringing as people would say to my mom feliz dia de Reyes or this is from "los Reyes Magos." many family members some close and some distant, friends and neighbors would bring us gifts. My mom always had something to give them too in return so it became in my mind the last culminating big event of  the season, the "clausura' or " cerrar con broche de oro."  At that point I knew that Christmas was over.

Today we had our monthly ex-pat luncheon at Nuria's who hosted it. She had a gift for everyone and I also brought one to give too. We all shared memories of a memorable Christmas whether it was spiritual, cute, weird or funny. We all had such a fun time! The Hispanics there explained a little about what Kings day means to us and how is celebrated in Latin America and Spain. At this time of year we hear the stories of the Wise Men so I thought it would be a fitting time to share an Anonymous posting I came across called “20 Words to the Wise” that had 20 great words of advice to help each of us become more wise in our own lives:

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

2. Dear God: I have a problem. Sometimes, it’s me.

3. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

5. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. Faith is the ability to not panic.

8. Laugh every day, it’s like inner jogging.

9. If we worry, we probably didn’t pray. If we pray, we probably don’t worry.

10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.

11. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

12. The most important things in our homes are the people.

13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knots for us.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead. And who knows where he has gone?

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until we experience it, otherwise it’s just hearsay.

18. It’s all right to sit on our pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living our life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams we seek require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle — it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

I think we can all improve just one notch if we follow a few of them. They were all great words of advice to make each of us a little bit wiser in life. I am for sure going to try number 9!