INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES TO GET YOU THROUGH FAMILY GATHERINGS

Many of us dread the less than inspirational family gatherings during the Christmas holidays. Sadly, Christmas is portrayed in the movies as an opportunity for dysfunctional families to air their dirty laundry and work out their frustrations.

Perhaps a cousin, aunt or uncle tossed about a few demeaning words or insulted you last Christmas. Those lingering memories of hurt feelings certainly make you less excited about getting together with your loved ones for yet another holiday round of taking potshots at each other, don't they?

The best advice is to turn the other cheek and let the healing start with you. Don't engage in the verbal exchanges. Let's make a commitment to transform the holidays.

Contribute positive and complimentary comments whenever appropriate and called for. If a negative thought travels through your mind; let it go. Let's take Christmas back to a time of inspiration and closeness that it's meant to be.

Here's an inspirational quotation that can apply to our dealings with family members at Christmas or any time of year.



Your loved ones will forgive you for what you have said
Your family will forget things that you have done
They will never forget the way that you made them feel



The meaning of this short inspirational quote is that feelings live much longer than the actual effects of a pointed remark or action. The message here is that if you have hurt those who love you in the past. There's no time like the present to make things better between you.

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGES for CHRISTMAS

I had promised my visitors a series of inspirational messages for Christmas and I have to apologize that family illness has kept me from fulfilling my promise for a few days. However, every occurrence in our lives can have great meaning if you just take the time to look for it. My recent time spent worrying in the waiting room of the local hospital gave me some time for observation and introspection that I would otherwise probably not have had.


The Christmas season is one of the most recognized holidays in the world today. It has the power to transcend both language and cultural barriers and in some instances; religious beliefs. People love to take advantage of this time when even people at war with each other can lay down their weapons and come together in peace. It can also provide a time for personal reflection.


So many people are in search of inspirational messages for Christmas. I’m not sure if they are searching for themselves or if they simply want something to read aloud to their loved ones before sitting down to a celebratory meal. Either is a worthy cause in my book as anytime is a good time to initiate spiritual family rituals that maintain the connection to ideals that are both divine and sacred.


I’d like to share with you a funny Christmas quote about what it’s like not to be a child at Christmas. It’s one that I remember from Erma Bombeck’s writings from a while back:


There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.



That is certainly a negative about not being a kid, but here’s an
inspirational message
for Christmas that reminds us that even if we are old, that we should be childlike in our faith:

LET US KEEP CHRISTMAS


Whatever else be lost among the years,
Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing;
Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears,
Let us hold close one day, remembering
It's poignant meaning for the hearts of men.
Let us get back our childlike faith again.



With those inspirational words of wisdom, Grace Noll Crowell reminds us that Christmas can be a time of rebirth. A time when we can regain our faith in ourselves and mankind.

Return to Motivational Inspirational Message for Christmas, Posters Poems and Quotes to find more words that bring meaning to the holidays.

INSPIRATIONAL CHARITY QUOTES

The following inspirational charity quotes remind us that the Christmas season is not a warm and cozy time of year to those who are having trouble making ends meet or don't have the most basic of necessities like warm clothing and food.


Real charity isn't about the tax deduction.


Quotes about charity give us the motivation to reach out and do something nice for a person without expecting anything in return other than the feeling of having been blessed by making a load lighter or a day brighter. Every little bit counts and by working together with each doing his part we can solve so much of what is wrong with our world.

There's nothing wrong with donating funds to charities in order to get a tax deduction, but as the inspirational charity quote says, the blessing is not in the personal gain that you get in tax savings. It's about knowing a child didn't go to bed hungry or that an older person got the medical help that they so desperately needed.

We hear far too much about mis-managed budgets and too little about the good that acts of kindness and the true spirit of giving do to improve the lives of so many people who have fallen on difficult times through no fault of their own. Why should innocent children suffer when a small amount from each of us could provide a meal and warm shoes and clothing? They have done nothing to deserve such fates.

Here is another favorite of many inspirational charity quotes that I would like to share with you. The early snowfall that we enjoyed today brought it to mind:


An act of kindness is just like an early snow - it beautifies everything it touches.


Return to Motivational Inspirational Charity Quotes Posters and Poems to see our latest entries.

INSPIRATIONAL CHRISTMAS STORIES - REAPING THE REWARDS

Feeling the benefits from inspirational Christmas stories seems to get more difficult each year. The sadness and nervousness from the evil in the world is so overpowering that for many Christmas represents little more than crowded shopping malls, financial challenges and dysfunctional family members. Add to that the feeling of pressure from gift obligations and how could we be surprised that many view the holidays with a sense of dread and foreboding.

If you are among the many that view this the most beautiful time of year in this way I recommend that you plan a quiet moment of stillness and repose in order to ask yourself .. when did the true meaning of Christmas escape me? And better yet, how can I rediscover the spiritual feelings of the times when the holidays were filled with positive, joyful experiences, family feelings and happy times? How can I bring back the spirituality that should be part of Christmas?

EXPLORING THE PAST

Once we are adults, each of us has our own memories of Christmases past. When December comes around, we tend to revisit those memories with their joy or its pain as we recreate and relive the season. We take a moment to examine our beliefs, our expectations and touch upon remembered disappointments by ignoring positive inspirational Christmas stories that are uplifting only to wallow in the negative memories of the past. But we are also offered the gift of new consciousness with each yearly rebirthing of our spiritual selves. We have the option to accept and make good use of this gift or to practice the mulling of old experiences that hinder our soul’s growth.

CHOOSE THE POSITIVE RATHER THAN NEGATIVE

Focusing on the stressful aspects of the holidays will snuff out the power that the magic of Christmas can work in your life. if you allow yourself to be manacled by the power of negativity instead of the power of positive thinking, you are insulating yourself from what what is good and holy. In this season we are reminded by the birthing Christ that we have a choice about priorities and where you choose to place your energy. Will you focus on seeking inspirational Christmas stories and accept the boundless love that this holiday offers you or be left feeling alone and lacking. Make a promise to yourself to search for uplifting moments or better yet create and share them with others.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR INSPIRATION

Finding inspiring images and acts often takes nothing more than to train yourself to see the good in people and your surroundings. Tune out the evening news and read a book filled with inspirational Christmas stores that will allow you to escape the turmoil of the day rather than to bring it into your home. Join a charity group that offers aid to those less fortunate to see good works in action. Form a shell around your spirit that only allows positive thoughts to grow and prosper.


REAPING THE BENEFITS

To create a visual promise, perform a personal candle lighting ceremony to commemorate the promise that you are making to yourself to eliminate feelings that keep you from your joy. Immerse yourself in meditation and a moment of quiet prayer to query your higher self on ways to offer your loved ones inspirational Christmas stories that are personal and real. While deep in prayer, affirm the courage to be open to a new way of thinking about gift giving and the holidays. The illumination of spirit you experience from this simple exercise may amaze you, but they will also bless you. Where your mind goes, often the condition of the body follows. The magic may bring peace to areas that were previously tender and aching. By embracing the inner peace this season offers, you invite the magic of Christ’s love to lift you up.

Return to Motivational Inspirational Christmas Stories, Posters, Poems and Quotes to find stories that focus on what's good in human nature.

SHORT INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES ABOUT LIFE

There's nothing like getting straight to the point. Short inspirational quotes about life have a way of simplifying its many twists and turns with just a few words. Here is a quotation that seems in tune with what's going on in the world today

If you want to make life easy, make it hard.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Quotes


What Goethe had on his mind at the time he penned or spoke these prophetic words is anybody's guess. And as with most quotations, the meaning is subjective. After watching the international markets behave more like a roller coaster at an amusement park than what should be normal in business, I would say that these words of wisdom indicate that when times are hard simplification takes place.

During times of prosperity and plenty, we have so many choices. There is the option of spending a day doing whatever might bring you happiness or give you pleasure. When money is scarce and there are difficulties in providing the most basic of a family's necessities, the choices are often made for us.

Note that in the short inspirational quote that he indicated life would be made easy when life is hard. I take this to mean that the need to wrack our brains over what to do in any given set of circumstances may be taken out of our hands during times of trouble.

This saying has more to do with keeping our minds at peace than it does with pleasure. Having your decisions made for you is not always fun but we can find wisdom in this short inspirational quote nonetheless.

INSPIRATIONAL CHRISTMAS QUOTES

I think the best way to kick off the month of December is with some inspirational Christmas quotes. Even in the best of times, words of wisdom with deep spiritual meaning might help to protect the fragile human spirit and perhaps if we pay close attention to what the author says; the money in our bank accounts.

It seems that every magazine and newspaper that comes in the mail or is dropped on our driveway starting the day after Thanksgiving is filled with page upon page of advertisements for the latest toys, gadgets and equipment. The headlines shout at us in large, colorful holiday fonts that we have very little time to make our way to the malls or stores before Christmas. The countdown alone is enough to rack your nerves and make take leave of your senses and need the peace that inspirational Christmas quotes offer.

For this reason, words of wisdom and good old fashioned common sense are especially crucial. Christmas lists are an excellent way to keep up with the endless gifts that we need to buy. It would be sad if we forgot to purchase something for a friend who is always there for us or a person who goes out of their way in their job to do something thoughtful.

We never know who may have family problems or trouble lurking behind the cheerful wave or the enthusiastic greeting. People have a way of hiding their difficulties to avoid passing their worries to casual acquaintances. During the holiday season these burdens can sometimes get the best of even the strongest individuals. For that reason, I have chosen the following inspirational Christmas quote that reminds us that the best gifts are free if we only took the time and trouble to share them with others.

PRICELESS CHRISTMAS GIFT RECOMMENDATIONS

The gift of forgiveness to your enemies
The gift of tolerance to your opponents
The gift of your heart to a faithful friend
The gift of service to your loyal customers
The gift of charity to all that you encounter
The gift of a good example to the children
the gift of self respect to yourself.

Based on a Christmas quote by Oren Arnold

If we can give one gift listed in the above inspirational Christmas quote perhaps your actions will be motivational to others and a trend will be set in motion. Thoughtful acts can be viral by nature. The chain reaction you put in place can only serve to make our world a better place.

Return to Motivational Poems,Posters and Inspirational Christmas Quotes to read more famous as well as original Christmas sayings and quotes.