Take comfort

A very good friend is feeling down as all kinds of misfortunes happen to her. Her husband has alzheimer disease and is placed in an institution, her mother has a stroke and she herself has two breasts removed because of cancer. Her daughter is divorced and has since moved to the States. Soon my friend will have to go for an operation to remove her ovaries, uterus etc to prevent the spread of cancer to those places.
No wonder she does not want to answer phone calls from friends and is reluctant to meet up with us, her old friends of many years.
How do we offer comfort to people like her who seem to suffer one misfortune after another?
Now, I understand why God leads me to read the Book of Job and related books based on the theme of sufferings. Why do man have to suffer?
The book 'Take comfort' -Encouraging words from second Corinthians by Bob Russell was what I found at the Church Library.
In the first chapter 'Comfort-able living', I read that the two greatest human needs met by God are forgiveness and comfort. Everyone is a sinner and needs God's peace. Suffering is a normal part of every Christian life, just as sin is. 'The sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives.' (2 Corinthians 1:5 )
The Bible teaches us from the very beginning that suffering is a natural part of every life lived in this contaminated world.
'Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.'( Job 5:7)

Stress- Paul Fitzpatrick

Are frayed nerves the main concern of the 21st Century?
According to the newspaper article, about 10 000 Japanese died of 'karoshi', which means sudden death triggered by physical or psychological symptoms of work each year.
Some of the causes of stress at work include the inability to cope with the quantity of work, role or goal ambiguity, role conflict, lack of autonomy or control, where job exceeds intellectual capacity or where work does not stretch the person's capacity.
Some suggestions on how we can cope with stress include the following:
Have good time management, have a balanced diet, strike a balanced and sound attitude to life, accept personal responsibilities for setbacks, have time to relax, have regular exercise, avoid short-term stimulants and adopt preventive measures to reduce potential causes of stress.

Living a meaningful life

I have been reading quite a lot on Retirement lately and just borrowed a book 'Age Smart' which promises to help us to discover the fountain of youth at midlife and beyond.
The book is divided into different parts. Part 1 deals with issues of the body- exercise and diet.
Part 2 deals with our mind- taking care of our brain, staying curious, and to practise optimism.
Part 3 deals with the importance of our soul- nurturing it and the importance of socialsing and having a purpose in life.
Part 4 deals with money and our job.
The book is comprehensive as it deals with the various important aspects of life that we are most concerned with.

Looking forward

At the end of this year, I will retire from my teaching career.
I'm looking forward to a new chapter of my life, having worked as a teacher for forty years.
At the same time, I'm also not without apprehension as I will be 'jobless' soon
The books at the library have been most useful as I read on how I can better prepare myself for this new phase of my life.
There will be time to relax and do all the things that I have dreamt of doing.There will be time to serve the Lord, study the Bible, exercise and pursue my interests.
I hope to be a blessing to others and spend time serving God and my fellow beings.
I will be doing quite a bit of travelling with my husband. I will visit my sister who lives in North America as well as visit a friend who resides there.
I will also go to Europe to re-visit the places that I have visited some twenty five years ago.

life is great!

Life is wonderful and great if we know how to be grateful.
Life for me has been wonderful and I just want to give thanks to all that I have been blessed with.
Praise God for making me a part of this great world.
Praise God for a wonderful family with a caring and loving husband and two wonderful daughters.
Praise God for good health
Praise God for a meaningful career
Praise God for all that He has given to me.