“Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”
(2 Kings 6:16)

They That Be With Us

Dear Friends,

Greetings!

It has been said that almost the Devil's total power is in fear, and that fear is faith in the enemy. With the world in its present situation, there would appear to be an epidemic of fear, like a dark cloud getting darker with every passing day. In fact the Bible says in Luke, chapter twenty-one, that times will become so unsettled and fearful that some “Men's hearts (will be) failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”

What is the opposite of fear and dispels fear? Faith. Faith in what? Faith in Jesus and His Word as stated in the Bible. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Although we need to be aware of the signs of the times, as in Matthew 16, we do not need to be fearful of what we see. There are many, many, promises of God that we can claim to help in calming any fears that would try to take hold in our life. Paul said in 2Timothy 1:7 that “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The very last thing Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew was, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)

“And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. ”(2 Kings 6:15-17)

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The Times Of Israel

Syria, Iran, Russia and China plan joint war games, Iranian news agency says

Largest exercise in Mideast history set to take place within a month; Syrian official denies report

(Are the sides lining up for the Battle of Armageddon? See Ezekiel 38 and 39 in the studies section of this web site.)

By GABE FISHER

June 19, 2012

Iran, Syria, Russia and China are planning the "biggest-ever wargames in the Middle East," according to an unconfirmed report on the semi-official Iranian news site Fars News. A Syrian official denied the claims.

According to the article, the four countries are preparing 90,000 troops, 400 aircraft and 1,000 tanks for the massive joint maneuvers, which are to take place along the Syrian coast within a month.

The report states that Russian "atomic submarines and warships, aircraft carriers and mine-clearing destroyers as well as Iranian battleships and submarines will also arrive in Syria" and that Egypt has agreed to let 12 Chinese warships cross the Suez Canal for the exercises.

According to Israel Radio, Bouthaina Shaabana, a Syrian official and President Bashar Assad's special adviser, said the reports about such a drill are "baseless" and false.

The IDF spokesman's office called the report a "political matter" and declined to comment.

Iran is currently holding talks with six Western powers over the fate of its nuclear program. The talks, said to be held in a tense atmosphere in Moscow, seek to alleviate world concerns that the Islamic Republic is developing nuclear weapons.

Syria meanwhile faces international pressure to end a 15-month crackdown on local rebels trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.

China and Russia have come to the aid of both countries in recent months at the UN Security Council, vetoing military intervention in Syria and expanded sanctions on Iran.

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RT News

Japan pushes for law to secure Iranian oil supply

Published: 16 June, 2012, - Edited: 18 June, 2012

Reuters / Tim Chong

Japan's lower house passed a bill on Friday to provide government guarantees to tankers carrying Iranian crude, which is to replace commercial insurance by Europeans after the EU's oil sanctions kick in.

­The bill is yet to be voted on by the upper house, but the opposition parties controlling it already indicated their support for the legislation. The bill may be signed into law by month's end and before the European Union's sanctions against Iranian oil industry are put in force on July 1.

The Japanese government plans to provide coverage of up to US$7.6 billion for each tanker carrying Iranian crude bound for Japan in the event of accidents. It is the first time Tokyo has offered guarantees on marine shipments, an official in the country's Transport Ministry, who helped draft the bill, told Reuters.

The guarantee is needed to continue traffic after European insurers are banned from serving Iranian oil trade. The ban is part of the sanctions package the EU has issued to put economic pressure on Tehran and make it stop enrichment of uranium. Western countries suspect that Iran is hoarding the material to create a nuclear weapon, while Iran insists that it needs it as fuel for its civilian nuclear program.

Japan is the first of major buyers of Iranian crude not to follow the US' and EU's example of stopping all fuel imports from Iran. Similar moves by China, India, South Korea and South Africa may well follow.

Japan is among the countries which reduced crude imports from Iran and thus won a waiver from the US, which is issuing sanctions against Iran's trade partners. However, Tokyo is reluctant to make further cuts, especially since its own nuclear energy industry was crippled by the Fukushima power plant disaster and the safety checks it prompted.

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The Guardian

Global economy: reasons to be fearful

Monetary and fiscal authorities are running out of policy bullets or, more cynically, policy rabbits to pull out of their hats

Nouriel Roubini

18 June 2012

Labourers pour molten iron at a foundry in Xiangfan, China. A Chinese slowdown is likely to drag down emerging and developed markets. Photograph: Reuters

Dark, lowering financial and economic clouds are, it seems, rolling in from every direction: the eurozone, the United States, China, and elsewhere. Indeed, the global economy in 2013 could be a very difficult environment in which to find shelter.

For starters, the eurozone crisis is worsening, as the euro remains too strong, front-loaded fiscal austerity deepens recession in many member countries, and a credit crunch in the periphery and high oil prices undermine prospects of recovery. The eurozone banking system is becoming balkanised, as cross-border and interbank credit lines are cut off, and capital flight could turn into a full run on periphery banks if, as is likely, Greece stages a disorderly euro exit in the next few months.

Moreover, fiscal and sovereign debt strains are becoming worse as interest-rate spreads for Spain and Italy have returned to their unsustainable peak levels. Indeed, the eurozone may require not just an international bailout of banks (as recently in Spain), but also a full sovereign bailout at a time when eurozone and international firewalls are insufficient to the task of backstopping both Spain and Italy. As a result, disorderly breakup of the eurozone remains possible.

Further to the west, US economic performance is weakening, with first-quarter growth a miserly 1.9% - well below potential. And job creation faltered in April and May, so the US may reach stall speed by year end. Worse, the risk of a double-dip recession next year is rising: even if what looks like a looming US fiscal cliff turns out to be only a smaller source of drag, the likely increase in some taxes and reduction of some transfer payments will reduce growth in disposable income and consumption.

Moreover, political gridlock over fiscal adjustment is likely to persist, regardless of whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney wins November's presidential election. Thus, new fights on the debt ceiling, risks of a government shutdown, and rating downgrades could further depress consumer and business confidence, reducing spending and accelerating a flight to safety that would exacerbate the fall in stock markets.

In the east, China, its growth model unsustainable, could be underwater by 2013, as its investment bust continues and reforms intended to boost consumption are too little too late. A new Chinese leadership must accelerate structural reforms to reduce national savings and increase consumption's share of GDP; but divisions within the leadership about the pace of reform, together with the likelihood of a bumpy political transition, suggest that reform will occur at a pace that simply is not fast enough.

The economic slowdown in the US, the eurozone, and China already implies a massive drag on growth in other emerging markets, owing to their trade and financial links with the US and the European Union (that is, no "decoupling" has occurred). At the same time, the lack of structural reforms in emerging markets, together with their move towards greater state capitalism, is hampering growth and will reduce their resiliency.

Finally, long-simmering tensions in the Middle East between Israel and the US on one side and Iran on the other on the issue of nuclear proliferation could reach a boil by 2013. The current negotiations are likely to fail, and even tightened sanctions may not stop Iran from trying to build nuclear weapons. With the US and Israel unwilling to accept containment of a nuclear Iran by deterrence, a military confrontation in 2013 would lead to a massive oil price spike and global recession.

These risks are already exacerbating the economic slowdown: equity markets are falling everywhere, leading to negative wealth effects on consumption and capital spending. Borrowing costs are rising for highly indebted sovereigns, credit rationing is undermining small and medium-size companies, and falling commodity prices are reducing exporting countries' income. Increasing risk aversion is leading economic agents to adopt a wait-and-see stance that makes the slowdown partly self-fulfilling.

Compared with 2008-2009, when policymakers had ample space to act, (monetary and fiscal authorities are running out of policy bullets or, more cynically, policy rabbits to pull out of their hats). Monetary policy is constrained by the proximity to zero interest rates and repeated rounds of quantitative easing. Indeed, economies and markets no longer face liquidity problems, but rather credit and insolvency crises. Meanwhile, unsustainable budget deficits and public debt in most advanced economies have severely limited the scope for further fiscal stimulus.

Using exchange rates to boost net exports is a zero-sum game at a time when private and public deleveraging is suppressing domestic demand in countries that are running current-account deficits and structural issues are having the same effect in surplus countries. After all, a weaker currency and better trade balance in some countries necessarily implies a stronger currency and a weaker trade balance in others.

Meanwhile, the ability to backstop, ring-fence, and bail out banks and other financial institutions is constrained by politics and near-insolvent sovereigns' inability to absorb additional losses from their banking systems. As a result, sovereign risk is now becoming banking risk. Indeed, sovereigns are dumping a larger fraction of their public debt onto banks' balance sheet, especially in the eurozone.

To prevent a disorderly outcome in the eurozone, today's fiscal austerity should be much more gradual, a growth compact should complement the EU's new fiscal compact, and a fiscal union with debt mutualisation (eurobonds) should be implemented. In addition, a full banking union, starting with eurozone-wide deposit insurance, should be initiated, and moves toward greater political integration must be considered, even as Greece leaves the eurozone.

Unfortunately, Germany resists all of these key policy measures, as it is fixated on the credit risk to which its taxpayers would be exposed with greater economic, fiscal, and banking integration. As a result, the probability of a eurozone disaster is rising.

And, while the cloud over the eurozone may be the largest to burst, it is not the only one threatening the global economy. Batten down the hatches.

(NaturalNews)

Greek healthcare system collapses, hospital workers now working without pay

by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer

June 22, 2012

The economic situation in Greece is only continuing to worsen, as reports indicate that hospitals and care centers throughout the nation are running completely out of medicines, and many healthcare workers are now voluntarily providing care services without pay.

Strapped with spiraling debt, the Greek healthcare, which is government-run, has had to receive gobs of international financial aid just to keep operating with some semblance of normalcy. There has also been plenty of IOUs issued, and desperate patients quietly forking over cash "gifts" to doctors to receive treatments. All in all, the healthcare situation is in utter chaos, save for those that have sacrificed their own time, often free of charge, just to help those in need.

As we reported here at NaturalNews back in 2010, Big Pharma had already been withholding drugs from Greece because of the country's inability to pay for them. Greek authorities had tried to negotiate with drug companies to lower the exorbitant costs associated with drugs, and some complied. But many others simply stopped shipping in medicines, leaving thousands of ill patients without any options. (http://www.naturalnews.com/028922_Greece_Big_Pharma.html)

Today, the situation has gotten even worse, particularly because the Greek healthcare system heavily relies on brand-name drugs rather than far-less-expensive alternatives. Since the entire system is clogged because of unpaid bills, many pharmacies, for instance, have had to simply close their doors. Those that still remain and continue to supply drugs on credit -- these are few and far between -- are being overwhelmed by long lines of desperate patients seeking life-saving medications.

"We're not talking about painkillers here," said one Greek woman, a cancer survivor, to Reuters. "We've learned to live with physical pain. We need drugs to keep us alive."

MSNBC reports that many hospital workers have been working for a many as five months without pay, including at the Henry Dunant Hospital in Athens, which is owned by the Hellenic Red Cross Foundation. These workers hope to one day receive the backlog of pay they are owed, but because the crisis only appears to be worsening rather than improving, this may not ever happen.

As of this past weekend, the New Democracy Party's Antonis Samaras claimed victory as Greece's new prime minister, ending a seven-week period in which the nation was essentially being ruled by nobody. Much to the chagrin of many Greeks, this new regime plans to stick with the eurozone and pursue more financial bailouts (http://www.nytimes.com).

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The Vigilant Citizen

For the Love of Music

By VC | June 18th, 2012

This ad named “For the Love of Music” plays frequently on the Australian TV station [V]. It is obviously inspired by the works of Marco Brambilla, an artist that is very sought after by advertisers and record labels for his trademark “video tableaux”. He directed Kanye West’s very symbolic video Power   – see the article entitled Kanye West’s “Power”: The Occult Meaning of its Symbols). This ad however takes things to another level. It is full of symbols and messages representing the hidden forces that control the music industry.  See for yourself:

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iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/40211387" width="500" height="420" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen

The Vigilant Citizen

For the Love of Music

By VC | June 18th, 2012

This ad named “For the Love of Music” plays frequently on the Australian TV station [V]. It is obviously inspired by the works of Marco Brambilla, an artist that is very sought after by advertisers and record labels for his trademark “video tableaux”. He directed Kanye West’s very symbolic video Power.   This ad however takes things to another level. It is full of symbols and messages representing the hidden forces that control the music industry.  See for yourself:

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AP

Vatican official blames media--and the devil

By Nicole Winfield

Jun 18, 2012 -

VATICAN CITY (AP)--The Vatican's No. 2 official on Monday blamed the media--and the devil--for fueling the scandal over leaked Vatican documents.

Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone told an Italian Catholic weekly that journalists reporting on the leaks scandal are "pretending to be Dan Brown ... inventing stories and replaying legends." The reference to Brown is particularly acute; Brown wrote "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" the best-selling fictional accounts of power struggles and scandals inside the Catholic Church.

The Vatican has been on the defensive ever since sensitive documents alleging corruption and exposing power struggles began appearing in the Italian media in January. A recent book containing dozens of documents from Pope Benedict XVI's own desk has compounded what many see as a plot to undermine Bertone's authority.

Several top Vatican officials have castigated the media for fueling the scandal, and to be sure Italian newspapers in particular have been on a feeding frenzy reporting details of the Vatican's investigation into the leaks that the Vatican spokesman routinely shoots down.

Pope Benedict XVI himself has complained about media reports that "went well beyond the facts, offering an image of the Holy See that doesn't correspond to reality."

But Bertone's interview with Famiglia Cristiana took the complaints to a new level, blasting the "vehemence" of some Italian newspapers in seeking to create divisions between the pope and his collaborators where there weren't any.

"The truth is that there's a will to create division that comes from the devil," he said.

Bertone admitted the Holy See isn't perfect and that "none of us wants to hide the church's shadows and defects." But he said the Italian media in particular had gone too far, violating the privacy rights of both the pope and the people who correspond with him by publishing leaked documents.

So far only one person has been arrested in the case: the pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, a 46-year-old father of three who was arrested May 23 and accused of aggravated theft after reams of papal documents were found in his Vatican City apartment.

The leaks scandal broke in January when Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi revealed letters from a former top Vatican administrator who begged the pope not to transfer him for having exposed alleged corruption that cost the Holy See millions of euros (dollars) in higher contract prices. The prelate was transferred and is now the Vatican's U.S. ambassador.

The scandal widened over the following months with documents leaked to Italian journalists that laid bare power struggles and differences of opinion inside the Vatican over its efforts to show greater financial transparency and comply with international norms to fight money laundering.

The scandal reached a peak last month when Nuzzi published an entire book based on a trove of new documentation, including personal correspondence to and from the pope and his private secretary, much of which painted Bertone in a negative light.

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Baltic Sea 'UFO' Mystery Deepens With Dive

by Soren Dreier

Posted on June 18, 2012

A strange object spotted during a sonar survey last year continues to baffle Swedish treasure hunters who have now dived the site.

The Ocean X Team normally look for shipwrecks in search of historic artifacts and antique wines, but decided to investigate their discovery, which some believe to be a UFO, more closely.

Located at a depth of around 85 meters (280 feet) in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland, the rounded object is about 60 meters (195 feet) in diameter.

It is actually mushroom-shaped with the rounded part raised about 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) above the seabed. Leading to the object is a downhill trail more than 300 meters (328 yards) long which the divers described as a runway.

An egg-shaped hole at the top of the disc appears to be some sort of opening. Nearby are strange stone circle formations that look rather like small fireplaces and appear to be covered in soot.

"During my 20-year diving career, including 6,000 dives, I have never seen anything like this," said team member Stefan Hogeborn in a statement. "Normally stones don't burn."

"I can't explain what we saw, and I went down there to answer questions, but I came up with even more questions."

According to the divers, the object has rounded sides and rugged edges.

"First we thought this was only stone, but this is something else," said Peter Lindberg, co-founder Ocean X Team, in the statement. "And since no volcanic activity has ever been reported in the Baltic Sea the find becomes even stranger."

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Natural Society

Lifespan-Crushing Stress Levels Skyrocket Since 1983

Elizabeth Renter - -

June 17, 2012

In the past, it was difficult to get an accurate measure of how stress had changed over time. This is because people 50 years ago simply didn't measure stress levels; it wasn't the concern that it is now. But because of the status quo, the need to make more money, gain more accolades, or simply pay the bills--stress has become harder to ignore.

In 1983, a telephone stress survey was conducted. Now, almost three decades later, we get to compare the results of that survey with current numbers to see how stress levels have changed through the years.

The results of the research are published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Carnegie Mellon University's Sheldon Cohen and Denise Janicki-Deverts analyzed the data from the 1983 phone survey and compared it with online surveys from 2006 and 2009. Perhaps not surprisingly, they found that stress levels have gone through the roof.

Most people showed increased stress levels. But women, poor people and those with lower education levels reported more stress in each subsequent survey. The group that experienced the most stress related to the 2008-09 economic catastrophe were white, employed, middle-aged men with college degrees. Researchers surmise this could be because the group had the most to lose when the economy took a downturn.

According to USA Today, "stress increased 18% for women and 24% for men from 1983 to 2009." They also found that stress tends to decrease as people age, with those in their 30s reporting lower stress levels than those in their 20s, and so forth. Nearly every demographic reported higher stress levels in the 2000s than in 1983, anywhere from 10 to 30% more.

This particular report has been called "more credible than most stress surveys because of its scientific methodology." And I think most of us would agree that we are living in more stressful times now than 20 or 30 years ago. This is particularly concerning due to the fact that high stress levels have been linked to a 50% increased chance of premature death.

David Spiegel of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University School of Medicine says, "Economic pressures are greater, and it's harder to turn off information, and it's harder to buffer ourselves from the world."

("For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." 1 John 2:16-17)

He makes a good point. Not only do we, as modern adults, seem more preoccupied with getting more "stuff" and having more success, but we have a harder time escaping from the pressures of life. A vacation now isn't what it was 30 years ago. We remain connected to our office, bill collectors, and everyone else with modern technology, and there really is only fleeting escapes from these constant demands. We are bombarded with reasons to stay stressed, if not from our own doings, than from mainstream media, making things like meditation, proper nutrition, and stress-blasting fitness all the more crucial.

Thankfully, there is information available you may use to understand how to destress.

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Natural Society

How to De-Stress the Brain Surprising Ways ("Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3)

Mike Barrett - -

November 5, 2011 (Edited from longer article.)

Stress always has been and always will be one of the main contributors to virtually every problem known to man. High stress levels have been shown to lead to an early death and wreak your immune system, showing that you really do need to know how to destress. Although it was, and still is, very hard for many people to believe how impactful stress can truly be, realizations concerning its connection with illness and disease are beginning to be achieved. Stress levels today may very well be at the highest point they have ever been in history. The simple act of driving a car raises stress levels a considerable amount, and adding a cell phone into that equation elevates the levels thousands of times.

Knowing this information is critical to pinpointing possible causes of any health complication. It is also critical to know to de-stress the brain, and to have a pocket full of de-stressing techniques so that there is never a time where stress levels can't be lowered at least a little bit. Although there are hundreds of ways to de-stress the brain, here are a few surprising ones you can try out almost immediately.

How to DeStress | Eliminate Negative Thoughts

Are negative thoughts cutting your lifespan in half? I actually can't stress the importance of eliminating negative thoguhts. The thousands of thoughts you are thinking every single hour of every single day have a direct impact on how you feel and therefore how stressed you may be. Many people don't even realize that the majority of their day they are thinking about what might go wrong with this or that, and how the drawer is broken. In the grand scheme of things, the little things simply aren't worth worrying about. The next time you find yourself thinking a negative thought, consciously be aware, then do your best to transform that thought into something more pleasing.

(Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8)

DeStress by Feeling Just a Little Bit Better (Edited)

Paying close attention to thoughts and feelings is one of the best techniques on how to destress and enjoy life as you should always be doing. If you feel frustration, give yourself a chance to feel optimism. Moving up the emotional scale is probably one of the most important things you have to do every day. Whether your feel-good activity is playing with a pet, painting, or going for a walk in beautiful weather, never forget they exist for you.

("For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7)

Eliminate Negative Thoughts by Thinking in the Present Moment

Thinking in the present moment will stop you from worrying about past event or future negative potentialities. Often the reason people can't get stuff done or aren't really listening in a conversation is because thoughts are bouncing around the timeline of life. Although thinking positive thoughts about the future or remembering positive experiences which happened in the past, thinking in the present makes you focus on the present. When you focus on the present, you are building your future.

(Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10)

Notice Your Posture

Adding another technique on how to destress, an incredibly effective and little-known technique for feeling better and reducing stress levels is to notice and change your posture. The majority of people slouch, frown, and don't stand up straight nearly all day and don't even notice. The way you sit and stand, as well as the muscles you're using to create a facial expression, have a direct correlation with feelings. Feeling bad is incredibly easy when posture is poor. As an experiment, next time you notice poor posture, immediately put a smile on your face, sit up straight, and take notice of the changes internally. This technique without a doubt should lead to better feelings.

("Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Psalms 43:5)

Engage in Intense, Deep Appreciation

Appreciation may very well be at the top of the emotional scale. Many people take what they have for granted. Seldom do we cultivate thoughts of how grateful we are for the things that we have, but instead we choose to take special notice and damn the unwanted things we have. The truth is, no matter what your situation, things could be worse. Having the ability and opportunity to simply live on this planet should rise above all "negative" aspects of our lives. The moment you engage in intense, deep appreciation is the moment your life will change forever for the better.

("In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

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Top Five Regrets of the Dying

By Bronnie Ware

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learned never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected: denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial, and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship.

Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks, and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually, though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks: love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one.

Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice.

They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called “comfort” of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

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Until next week...keep on believing.

Almondtree Productions

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
(James 4:14)