Happy Friday, RISERS! I hope this week has been good to you. Can you believe that tomorrow is New Year’s Eve? I had always heard that as you get older, time moves faster. Boy, is that ever true! 2022 has been a good year for the Rhines family, and I hope you can say the same for your family. I don’t know what you have planned for the weekend—perhaps it’s binge-watching your favorite shows or making plans for 2023. Whatever you choose, be safe and stay warm.
Quote of the week: “Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” –Germany Kent
Song of the week: Featured in the 1942 Bing Crosby movie Holiday Inn, this song is called “Let’s Start the New Year Right.” In case you have never seen Holiday Inn, it’s a movie about a love triangle involving characters played by actors Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Virginia Dale. When Fred steals Virginia away from Bing, Bing decides he wants out of the show business grind. He moves to Connecticut and opens Holiday Inn, an inn open ONLY on holidays. Bing gets a new romantic interest, played by Marjorie Reynolds, but only until Fred steals her away, too. Anyway, I hope you like the song and reflect on its meaning. Oh, and Bing gets the girl in the end.
Joke of the week: What do snowmen eat for breakfast? Frosted Flakes
Organizational Tip for the week: For the first organizational tip, it is kind of a tip and nugget of wisdom rolled into one. With us on the cusp of a new year, with a brand-new slate, here is what I suggest. Instead of making resolutions, jot down a list of things in your life for which you are grateful. Next, figure out how to incorporate these things into the lives of others around you. The reason I am suggesting this in place of resolutions is because if we focus too much on what we want to “fix” about ourselves, we forget about the good things about us we already have. Besides, when we make resolutions and cannot meet them, we feel like failures. If we take the traits we do well and extend them to those around us, we make their lives a little brighter. And the world needs LOTS of that.
Shout-Out of the week: This week I want to give a shout-out to all of the people who are just doing life the best way they can. It is hard when you are not in the situation you hoped you would be, especially if that situation is not a favorable one. You are not alone. Reach out to a friend, your family, or a coworker. I cannot say that 2023 will be better for you, but keep putting one foot in front of the other. As Walt Disney said, you must “keep moving forward.” It may take time, but you’ve got this.
Have a great weekend. Remember, you are most awesome, and YOU ROCK!Marion Rhines is a foster-turned-adoptive parent. She lives in Knoxville, Tenn., with her husband and five children. She has written and published two children’s books as well as two foster-care-themed novels. She has a Facebook blog, Tips from the FLIP Side, and enjoys working with children of all ages.
