vision piece

The pain/suffering of those around me has caused me to think more deeply about our personal chances and choices, and how that effects our lives. After receiving your responses I plan on forwarding them to my dear family member who is feeling the painful repercussions of her choices. My hope is that after reading your responses she will not feel alone. 1. Are there any chances you have had in life which you chose not to accept? What were the results of that decision(s)? 2. What are some of the choices you most regret? 3. Are there any choices you regret which happened today? 4. Are there chances in life that you grasped and are continuing to benefit from? 5. Which choices are you most happy/proud of?

The tag questions: 1. Name a few things or activities that lift your spirits and really get you going. 2. Name a few things or activities that drain all of the tension out of your body and mind. 3. What helps you get or stay focused? 4. Are there any things you've tried and taken off the list? My husband and I are going to answer this together as thoughts randomly cross our minds, in no particular order except Selvi's outline: 1. spending unlimited(without children) time in the library, going to the House of Worship in Wilmette, spending time in a pristine natural environment...grasping the earth between my bare toes...feeling the sun upon my face, and warm rain upon my back...a refreshing breeze on a humid and hot summer day...serving/teaching children, seeing the service of others, a smile genuinely spread across the face of another...spending time in a movie theatre seeing thought-provoking artistic and respectful films...music which brings diverse elements/musicians/instru...

In contemplation...upon the chances we have been given, and the choices we make....we are given complete "freedom" to choose our direction, and then we deal with the consequences or feel inspired through confirmations. There are times we choose wrongly and experience hell, choose correctly and have heaven on earth. "Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from this counsel and whosoever desireth let him choose the path to his Lord." How do we recreate this as a model for our children, as a method of discipline? ... Using questions and choices which have rewards and punishments, which are a direct result of their decisions? Encouraging them to make the decision? Whichever path, always providing love through a gentle or torrential rain, and/or warm sun?