Tag Archives: peace

What’s the 1st word that pops into your head about the holiday season?

For many years mine was, overwhelmed. Followed closely by over burdened and let’s not forget overweight. You get the picture, I was in way OVER my head. Then I hit the “That’s it! button and decided, “This holiday’s going to be different.”

It was time to change and to enlist help. My hubby and I looked around and realized we had a whole team of helpers at our disposal, they were just disguised as family members. So, we decided to organize and mobilize ourself and the troops.

Give the gift of love

1. Have a Plan. Make a plan for your time, your health and your Spiritual growth.

Use the Holiday Help! checklist and stay organized. The Holiday Help! checklist includes all the activities that make the holidays complete and you can tweak it for your family. You post it on the fridge and let each family member or holiday guest “sign up” to help. Then, assign a completion date for every activity on your calendar and who is responsible for its’ completion. The checklist keeps you organized and holds everyone accountable.

If no one signs up for an activity, it doesn’t get done. Oh what fun, it is to get the whole family helping along, Hey! When you’re organized and everyone’s working together cheerfully, everything is better.

If you want the checklist, just e-mail me: info@christinemartinello.com

2. Be still. Pray, meditate and open your heart to the Spirit. Focus on the true reason for the season. Read the Bible, devotional or other spiritual books to slow you down and grow in faith.

3. Simplify the Season. Ask; Why are we doing what you’re doing? Ask your family, “What are the most meaningful traditions? Do those & ditch the rest.

4. Control gift giving. Ask the kids TODAY: “What gifts do you remember from last year?” Then brace yourself. If your loved ones can’t remember, simplify to just 3 gifts. After all, 3 gifts were good enough for Jesus.

5. Focus on Relationships. Focus on growing in love instead of more stuff. Simplify and include others in the Season. Let go of wanting things to be perfect. Life is not a Hallmark show. They’re not going to be. Strive for ‘good enough’ instead. You really do NOT have to do it all alone. When we let others help we teach our kids and hubby how to love by serving.

6. Be grateful and Focus on the Moments – See all the joy in faces of the people you love and the moments.

7. Give the gift of Love. Grow closer together with family and friends as you share your love with the The Christmas Love Box tradition. If you’re not Christian, you can do the Original Love Box tradition. Giving the gift of love is the greatest gift you can give your family and the world.

You can get yours online at: www.originallovebox.com

Wishing you and your heart joyful moments amidst controlled chaos. Keep the faith and by all means, just keep breathing – deeply.

Breathe in: I am at peace.
Breathe out: I share love.

Merry Christmas friend!

10 Ways to Not Feel Lonely

When you feel sad and lonely, the thing you want most is relief. Fast. You want to feel loved and connected again.

Know you are not alone. The National Science Foundation reported that unprecedented numbers of Americans are lonely. A study of 1,500 people in face to face interviews found that 1 in 4 people said that they have no one they can talk to about their personal troubles and triumphs. That’s a lot more than in the past.

Sharing isn’t always easy because we have different needs. One part of us seeks deep connection with another person who really sees and knows you. On the other hand we want freedom to be independent. America has always prided itself on independence and individualism.

Ultimately we need each other in order to:

Have strong families
Develop close and mature friendships
Have kind communities

Here are 10 ways to Not Feel Lonely

Pray. Ask God to bless you with friends that are good for you. Realize that God is always there for you and he promises to “Never Leave You or Forsake You.” Also ask God to clearly show you why you feel lonely and what you should do next.
Go out! Get out of the house one way or another.
Call or text friends and make plans. If you want to make new friends, go to Meet-up.com. Join a group exercise class, church group or club.
Limit social media. Too much social media makes you feel like everyone else has somewhere to go and something interesting to do. Realize you are only seeing mostly good moments from their day.
Smile! Smiling releases feel good hormones, increases your metabolism and reduces stress. Go out and smile at others and you’ll feel better.
Volunteer. Serving another person makes you feel connected and just plain good. It’s a win-win for you and the other people you’re serving.
Immerse yourself in a hobby or interest. Taking photos connects you to your subject. Looking at old photos makes you feel good because it reminds you of all the good times you’ve had. Reading fiction helps too as you get involved with the characters lives.
Dance. It’s helps to listen to music and get moving and groovin’.
Write Original Love Notes. It makes you feel closer and more connected as you write and read love notes to others.
Write in a gratitude journal. List as many people, places and things you are grateful for and before you know it, you’ll feel less lonely.

We hope this helps! Mother Theresa said it so well,

“Let us always greet each other with a smile – for a smile is the beginning of Love!”

How can you help yourself and someone else not feel lonely?

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How to Promote PEACE in America

I know you care.

The fact that you’re reading this means you’re committed to growing and learning about love.

Today I want to talk with you about promoting peace and leading with love. With everything that has happened recently, many are wondering, “What is going on?” Our hearts have grown weary of the violence. The question I want us to consider together is, “What can we do?”

Here in ‘Love Box Land’ we’re praying and promoting ways to #Share More Love. Don’t you think it’s time we increase the frequency and intensity of love with our family, friends and communities? You know, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. We believe it’s time to counterbalance fear with faith, peace and love.

Mother Theresa said, “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” That’s the place to start. “You must see that there is love at home and at your next-door neighbor’s and in the street you live in, in the town you live in and only then outside.

You see, we’re all family – brothers and sisters in God’s family.

There are many things we can do to promote peace and love – from random acts of kindness, to getting to know your neighbors to speaking up and one of my favorites whispering or holding our tongue instead of yelling. Love is slow to anger and rich in compassion.

What has helped our family build a foundation of love and celebrate differences is the ‘Original Love Box’ tradition. Before even writing a love note you need to think about the other person and answer these 2 questions.

What do you love about the other person?
How is the person a gift to you?

Love Your Neighbor

When you take some time to reflect on these questions and then write love notes, you are creating a precious gift and intimate connection. When you write your feelings down and then speak it to the other person, you’re creating tighter bond. Then when you re-read the notes over and over again, you are multiplying your loving feelings and re-living the loving moments.

I pray it continues to heal and build up others. We are humbled that thousands of people have done the tradition so far. Last week we got a shipment of NEW Original Love Boxes. In a limited quantity. You can find out more on the shop page.

Let’s be #Love Agents who are on a mission to love others. Bigger. Broader. More. We can do this by loving others with our thoughts, prayers, words and actions.

Let’s turn up the heat on Love.

Love is the only force that will overcome hatred and ultimately, unite us.

I wonder, “How can we build a ‘Love Revolution’ that will sweep across America?” I certainly don’t have all the answers but I would like to talk with you about the question. I would love to hear your thoughts and explore if you would like to align efforts.

So the final question and challenge is: What are you doing to GROW love in your family or community?

We’re all going to need to pitch in to SEE CHANGE. I KNOW we can do this.

Christine M. Martinello

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