by BJ Armstrong

December,  the last and 12th month of the year. It's a winter month, a blessing month, a loving month, a giving month. It's a season with a reason. It's Christmas time!

Oh, Christmas dinner. A time to eat and eat and eat some more. What's in our food that leads to obesity? It's not just fat and sugar. This is according to Stephen Perrine and Heather Hurlock, authors of a
book entitled The New American Diet. This book reveals that some chemicals in foods, called "obesogens," may disrupt our system and trigger weight gain. The major culprits being plastics and
pesticides and the hormones used in animal feed.

This book, The New American Diet, draws upon years of nutritional and environmental research to help you manage your weight and make smarter food choices for you and your family at this holiday time of the year.

Magnesium
Supports a healthy immune system, helps keeps bones strong, and regulates heart rhythm.

Omega-3
Important for blood clotting, cell division, and muscle function.

Potassium
Crucial for heart, kidney, muscles, nerves function; important for in blood control and water balance.

Selenium
Helps make proteins for preventing cell damage.

Remember  talk to your doctor about vitamins and supplements you take. Supplements may cause side effects if you have certain diseases. Therefore, your body may call for other special needs. You can still eat what you want by using choices. Eat healthy; don't over-eat, exercise and maintain your weight for your size.

In this fast-moving world of turmoil and tension,
With problems and troubles, too many to mention.
Our days are so crowded and our hours so few,
There's So Little Time and So Much To Do.    
We are pressured and pushed until we are "dizzy."
There's never a minute that we're not "crazily busy,"
And sometimes we wonder as we rush through the day-
Does God really want us to hurry this way?
Why are we impatient and continually vexed,
And often bewildered, disturbed and perplexed?
Perhaps we're too busy with our own selfish seeking
To hear the dear Lord when He's tenderly speaking 
We are working so tensely in our self-centered way,
And hard as we work, at the end of the day
We know in our hearts, we did not "pay our way," 
But God in His mercy looks down on us all,
And though what we've done is so pitifully small,
He makes us feel welcome to kneel down and pray
For the chance to do better as we start a new day,
And life would be better if we learned to rely
On our Father in Heaven without asking "Why?"   
And if we'd remember as we rush through the day,
"The Lord Is Our Shepherd and He'll Lead the Way"
So don't rush ahead in reckless endeavor,
Remember "He Leadeth and "Time is Forever"!
                -Helen Steiner Rice

After Christmas, 2010 ends and 2011 begins. It's like "off with the old,  on with the new." It will be a New Year. I hope you have had a good year. I hope next year will be better. 365 days is a long time. Make the most of it. I agree with Faith Baldwin when she says, "Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations."

Happy Birthday! Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year!


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