QuickTips

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This Week's QUICKTIP:

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How to Get Your Customers to RAVE
About Your Business to Friends & Family

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Word of Mouse starts long  before you get the first meager sale from your new customer.  It starts when they are first researching their purchase online.  It starts with you positioning yourself as an expert and valuable resource and continues on through with you serving as their Research Assistant (always happily helping them and making yourself the "go to" resource that they come to depend upon).

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This belief you put in your potential customer without ever knowing whether they'll ever really buy is what amazes them and makes them believe in you enough to one day buy or recommend you to a friend (even if they themselves never buy from you).

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This focus on amazing the customers with your extra-ordinary devotion to outstanding beyond-the-call-of-duty customer service is what will inspire people to talk about you to everyone.

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- Resource ... make yourself a valuable resource by providing busy moms with easily available information that will streamline their hectic lives and make you someone they come to depend upon

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- Assist ... everyone, whether they buy or not from you, with the research they are doing online. Be useful.  Help potential customers solve their problems and they'll help you solve your problem and bring you more business

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- VIP ... treat everyone like they are a Very Important Person, because they are.  Whether they buy from you or not, people talk.  And you want them saying all kinds of good things about you.

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- Empower ... everyone that comes in contact with you to spread the word about your business, whether they know it or not.  Provide them with powerful internet tools that they can pass along to family and friends enthusiastically, such as:  blogs, workshops, online events, free downloadable stuff (like t-shirt iron-offs, printable stationary designs, ebooks with funny or beautiful images).  Tap into the incredible power of the Internet and make it mindlessly easy for visitors to help you market your business.

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For More Tips & Ideas:

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Check Out QuickTips each week OR for more Advanced Marketing Solutions to add even more IMPACT to your marketing, Join our 1-2-3 Go Workshops by

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Got a Question?  Ask Us ...

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The go2Network & the Roadside Cafe are built with a new, advanced technology that empowers you to do more than was ever before possible within just a few clicks. 

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This easy-to-use technology can have you up and running within minutes, creating blogs, groups, online workshops and more in a fraction of the time it takes to learn older technology.

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But like anything that's new, it helps to have someone In-the-Know that you can count on and turn to when you need some assistance ...

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That's what we're here for ...

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So, feel free to Ask Us for help when you need it.  We'll do all we can to help make your experience in the go2 Network as easy as 1 - 2- 3 Go!

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The following article is written by Michael Travel,
author of Super Size Your Sales through Word-of-Mouse

That’s what the news is reporting, not to mention your neighbors and quite a few other well-meaning folk. It’s spreading like wildfire … through word of mouth ...

Back in the 1930s, many well-meaning individuals spoke those same words, screamed them, when the stock market crashed and the banks closed and unemployment rose and the soup kitchen lines grew. All the advertising in the world couldn’t stop it.

During uncertain times, unstable times, fear runs rampant through the streets and through the hearts and minds of almost everyone, all of us and almost certainly your customers. During these times, it’s quite common to want to play it safe, to protect what we have, to stay close to those we love and wait for the storm to pass.

But not everybody is waiting out the storm. Some shrewd business owners are recognizing the opportunity at hand and acting upon it. They realize that while their competitors are playing it safe, there is a massive opening in the market for them to gain control of their competitor’s neglected customers and increase their own profits through word of mouth.

The reality is, whether the sky is falling or not, life still goes on. Bills still have to be paid. Children still have to be fed. Money still changes hands. The question is: will consumers be spending it with you or your competitor?

During the Great Depression, a lot of fortunes were built. We often have the mistaken impression that business came to a grinding halt, but that’s just not the case. My grandfather went from having 25 cents to his name and sleeping on a loading dock with his wife to owning a fleet of trucks. He took the last 25 cents he had in his pocket and turned it into $20 million during his lifetime. The principles that made that fortune are written about in my free e-Book, Supersize Your Sales through Word-of-Mouse.

The history books have countless reports of shrewd businessmen who cleverly reframed their customer’s perception of their business and made money during the worst of times, while their competitors were complaining about a sluggish economy and business being slow. This can be your story, too. It’s all a matter of reframing your customer’s perspective …

It’s all about changing how they see you and getting ‘em talking!

Research shows that during bad times, people want to surround themselves with things that comfort them. They want their children to feel safe and loved. They want their family close to them during times of uncertainty.

Sales of comfort items skyrocketed after 9/11.

People find reassurance in items that remind them of their childhood or better times or a place where they felt safe like their grandmother’s house. You’ll notice that publications like My River Valley Guide have a very comfy, homey look … designed to help make readers feel relaxed and warm and safe, designed to call up or produce good memories and warm feelings, to make a person feel welcome and at home ...

... designed to help spark word of mouth!

During bad times, it’s wise to align your business with warm and safe and comforting things, to do everything you can to make your potential customers feel secure. I call this evocative reframing.

By helping your customers remember that life does go on, that this too shall pass and that at least we have each other and that’s what is really most important, you are helping put their fears to rest and ignite the spirit of hope and determination, the American Spirit, the same spirit that carved a nation out of the wild frontier.

It really is all a matter of perspective, all about how you look at things, how you reframe your image in your customer's mind’s eye. Take the Cracker Barrel restaurants, for example. They serve basic home-cookin’, chicken and potatoes, meat loaf and green beans, pork chops and corn. Now, their food is good. But there’s a whole lot more to Cracker Barrel than just their food …

The Cracker Barrel experience begins as you walk onto a wooden porch with rocking chairs, an apple barrel and a checker board game. It continues as you walk inside to a general store, rich with nostalgic appeal from yesteryear.

You are greeted by folks dressed in clothing that fits the nostalgic atmosphere and led to wooden tables and seated in wooden chairs. The walls are adorned with more items from yesteryear and your drinks are brought to you in mason jars. Cracker Barrel is not just selling food. They’re selling a dining experience and evoking memories of yesteryear and all the good feelings that come with it, feelings of an old-time general store, grandma’s house, a taste of small town country livin’ and connecting all those feelings with the dining experience.

This is the secret to succeeding in a bad economy (or a good one), the formula for competing against larger chain stories outselling you on price. By adding value to what you sell, whether through superior customer service, atmosphere or simply by caring more …

… you win, your customers win, everybody wins.

After all, you are more than just a bunch of products on a shelf. You are more than just an employee, punching the clock at some big chain store, being paid minimum wage. Your current customers buy from you, because of your vast knowledge and experience. They buy from you, because of the great service you give them. They buy from you, because they have grown to trust and depend on you as a valuable resource.

All of this is what you are actually selling. This is why your customers buy from you, rather than the big chain store. And it is this experience as a whole that you must find a way to show to potential new customers, if you want them to buy from you.

They don’t know about your vast knowledge and experience, unless you show them. They don’t know about your outstanding customer service, unless you show them. And they may never know about either of these things, if you wait til after the sale to show them.

To learn affordable and effective ways that you can tap into the power of Word-of-Mouth (and Word-of-Mouse) to show potential customers up-front (before they've even spent a penny with you) about your extraordinary customer service, vast knowledge, superior service and amazing product(s), download my free ebook and discover how you too can Super Size Your Sales through Word-of-Mouse.

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Yes, I'd like to Reserve My Absolutely 100% Free Copy
of SuperSize Your Sales through Word-of-Mouse

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Note: by requesting a free copy of Super Size Your Sales through Word of Mouse, you are giving us permission to contact you, in order to provide you with the ebook.  However, this does not obligate you to buy anything and your personal information (such as, your email address) will not be shared with anyone nor will you be bombarded with unsolicited emails from us.  We respect your privacy and take every measure humanly possible to respect and protect it.

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Don't Give Up

It was 1990. My life had hit rock bottom. I had lost everything, was sleeping on my baby sister's sofa, had a severe drug habit with no end in sight and all I could think of was where to get my next high.
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Just a few years before, I had been the publisher of the second largest newspaper in a medium-sized city of over 100,000 people. I had been respected, had built this publication from the ground up out of virtually nothing. Now, everything was gone. My drug habit had stripped me of my home, my car, my friends, my family, my business, all my possessions, the respect I had worked so hard to acquire and left me dead broke and homeless.
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So, there I was looking into the cold, hopeless face of the tangled mess of a life that I could blame no one for but myself. My habit was costing me over $500 a day and was rapidly digging a grave I could not climb out of (even if I wanted to and I unfortunately hadn't lost enough yet to want to ... ). Every direction I turned was a dead end. Every direction I turned led me to the same lonely (and false) conclusion ... everyone would be better off without me.
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I couldn't see a way out.
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My younger sister somehow sensed what I was feeling (even though I hadn't told her what I was planning, that I was planning to give up that night, to end it all, to end my life, that I simply felt I couldn't take it any more). She asked me to sit down with her on the floor in front of her stereo. She put a tape in and asked me to listen.
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The song was Peter Gabriel's Don't Give Up. The haunting drum rhythms and soulful flute melody filled the room and Gabriel began telling the story of a man who had lost it all, had failed and all his dreams had deserted him. He described a man who believed no one wanted him and who could not find a job and who saw no alternative but to end his life. Then, this angelic female voice rose up and gently spoke the words, "don't give up ...'cos you have friends ...don't give up ...you're not beaten yet ...don't give up ...I know you can make it good ... "
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As I heard those words and that gentle kind voice, all the sorrow, all the emptiness, all the despair welled up from within me and my sister reached over and touched my hand and I looked up at her and she had tears in her eyes and she said, "Don't give up. Please, don't give up."
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Somehow, someway ... in that moment, as tears streamed down my face, I realized I couldn't give up, that I had to find a way to carry on, that I wasn't alone, that there were people who loved me, whom I had to find a way to live on for ... that there had to be more than this darkness that surrounded me ...
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In the months that followed, I discovered that there were other roads that had been hidden in the darkness, that I did not see. As my faith grew, possibilities unveiled themselves and what seemed impossible just a few short months before, now seemed within grasp. Six months later, I stopped using drugs and alcohol. I've been sober going on twenty years now and those dark, lonely days that seemed more than I could take are now like a distant memory.
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It's funny how problems can build up around us and can leave us feeling like we have no choices. We feel trapped. Alone. Hopeless. I read a true story once about a man who lost control of his car during a snow storm, went off the road in the mountains and crashed into a tree. He wandered through the woods for weeks, eating berries and fish, doing whatever he could to survive, many times feeling absolute despair, on the verge of giving up, until he was finally rescued. The entire time he was less than a mile from a town.
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Perception is everything. No matter how bad things get. No matter how difficult the struggle. No matter how hopeless things may seem. There's always hope. There's always a solution. Don't give up.
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"Don't Give Up"  (Listen to song now)
by Peter Gabriel (see photo above)

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in this proud land we grew up strong
we were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail

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no fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
but no one wants you when you lose

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don't give up
'cos you have friends
don't give up
you're not beaten yet
don't give up
I know you can make it good

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though I saw it all around
never thought I could be affected
thought that we'd be the last to go
it is so strange the way things turn

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drove the night toward my home
the place that I was born, on the lakeside
as daylight broke, I saw the earth
the trees had burned down to the ground

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don't give up
you still have us
don't give up
we don't need much of anything
don't give up
'cause somewhere there's a place
where we belong

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rest your head
you worry too much
it's going to be alright
when times get rough
you can fall back on us
don't give up
please don't give up

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'got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
going to stand on that bridge
keep my eyes down below
whatever may come
and whatever may go
that river's flowing
that river's flowing

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moved on to another town
tried hard to settle down
for every job, so many men
so many men no-one needs

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don't give up
'cause you have friends
don't give up
you're not the only one
don't give up
no reason to be ashamed
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up now
we're proud of who you are
don't give up
you know it's never been easy
don't give up
'cause I believe there's a place
there's a place where we belong

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NOTE: To post a comment, enter your comment in the Comment Box below or click on the Title of this blog posting (above in blue underlined).

Making Memories of Us

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My grandfather once told me that the most precious thing a man has is his word. "Always do what you say you're gonna do," he told me. "Always do more than is expected of you." I learned some of my most valuable lessons from my grandfather, didn't necessarily learn them right then and there. Usually, being stubborn and a little overly-independent, I had to go about learning them the hard way, but one way or another, eventually I learned them (in most cases, after several painful real-life experiences).

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One of the most important lessons I think I've ever learned is about being a man of my word. Everything we do in life, every relationship we build (whether romantic or otherwise) is built on a foundation of trust. It is truly the glue that holds a relationship together and the fuel that inspires it to grow. Looking back at the trail of failed relationships, my heart aches with the cold realization that if I had only listened to my grandfather things may have turned out quite different. It is near impossible to restore trust, once it's damaged. Not impossible, but extremely difficult.

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Far too often, we fall short of understanding how one broken promise - no matter how small - can be the beginnings of what later (after years of failed promises) becomes the catalyst that shatters the entire relationship. I know, this happened with me. I promised things that at the time I thought I could do, had the best intentions, but a series of misfortunate events made it impossible for me to keep my promise. And good intentions are a poor replacement and pale in comparison to actually keeping your word. It is always better to deliver more than promised, not less.

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Recently, I heard an absolutely beautiful song by country singer Keith Urban called Making Memories of Us. Keith's song begins with these words, "I'm gonna be here for you baby. I'll be a man of my word." The song goes on to say, "I'll earn your trust making memories of us." Line by line, Keith's heart-felt portrayal of a man deeply in love and willing to surround the woman he loves in a world that is better than she's ever known paints a powerful example of what a relationship built on love and trust is all about.

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But truth be told, in the end, it's really not about the promises you make. It's about what you do. It's about how you treat those you love. It's about putting what's in your heart into action and loving and caring for the other person. It's not about making big promises, but rather a collection of daily actions that let the other person know they matter to you. If you truly love someone, then your actions will tell the story.

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So, what's your story?  What do you feel is the most important thing a person can do to build trust in a relationship?  Have you been on the receiving end of broken promises or maybe failed to keep a promise?  Join me today as we discuss this topic. To participate, simply click on the 'Add Your Comment' link below.

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Lyrics to the song, Making Memories of Us  (Listen Now)
Artist:  Keith Urban (see photo above)
Album:  Be Here

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I'm gonna be here for you baby
I'll be a man of my word
Speak the language in a voice that you have never heard
I wanna sleep with you forever
And I wanna die in your arms
In a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm

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And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us

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I wanna honor your mother
I wanna learn from your pa
I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw
I wanna stand out in a crowd for you
A man among men
I wanna make your world better than it's ever been

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And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us

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We'll follow the rainbow
Wherever the four winds blow
And there'll be a new day
Comin' your way

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I'm gonna be here for you from now on
This you know somehow
You've been stretched to the limits but it's alright now
And I'm gonna make you a promise
If there's life after this
I'm gonna be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss

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And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us
I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll win your trust making memories of us

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NOTE: To post a comment, enter your comment in the Comment Box below or click on the Title of this blog posting (above in blue underlined).

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Feels Like Home

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There are places I've been that feel like home, places that touch me in a way that reaches inside and moves my soul.  There's a place in Oklahoma like that called Woolaroc.  It's a very spiritual place.  You can feel time flowing all around you as you stand on the cliff above the lake with the sound of the wind brushing through the trees.

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There are also people like that.  People who mean so much to you that wherever they are that is also home.  People who touch your heart and soul so deeply that you can't imagine life without them, who take your breath away when you're near them and rip your soul from your body when they're gone.

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Perhaps, you've experienced something like this, as well.  What is home to you?  What does home mean to you?  Is it a place or a person or something within?  We, here at the Roadside Cafe, would love to hear your thoughts on this.  

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Lyrics to the song, Feels Like Home  (Listen Now >)
Song by Randy Newman
Performed by Chantal Kreviazuk (see photo above) 

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Something in your eyes
Makes me want to lose myself
Makes me want to lose myself
In your arms
There's something in your voice
Makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts
The rest of my life
If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I've felt so low
If you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you've done

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Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back where
I come from
Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

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A window breaks down a long dark street
And a siren wails in the night
But I'm alright 'cause I have you here with me
And I can almost see through the dark there's light

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If you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
If you knew how happy you are making me
I've never thought I'd love anyone so much

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NOTE: To post a comment, enter your comment in the Comment Box below or click on the Title of this blog posting (above in blue underlined).

Rediscovering the Backroads of America

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Nothing is more of an adventure than simply veering off the main highway and seeing what is out there beyond, over the hill, around the bend.  That's why, I'm creating this blog series on the Backroads of America.  Each week, we'll feature another road trip discovery, complete with breathtaking photos from talented photographers and an accompanying article filled with fascinating facts, opinions, insights and personal experiences.

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To start the series, I've included some incredible photos from the very talented Kevin Venator.  Kevin is an avid outdoorsman with a passion for hiking and photography.  Kevin says that it is his passion to visit these amazing places, take pictures and share them with others.  He's even created a web site where he shares his photos with us, called:  AmericasWonderlands.com.

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"If I can bring back an image that captures even a hint of how these awesome places make me feel, then I've accomplished something special," explains Kevin.

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Kevin says that he's guilty of being drawn to spectacular scenes.  (Thank goodness for the rest of us, Kevin)

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To see more of the stunning photography of Kevin Venator, visit AmericasWonderlands.com

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NOTE:  To post a comment, enter your comment in the Comment Box below or click on the Title of this blog posting (above in blue underlined).

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"Echo On the Wind"

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I heard an echo on the wind today,

Whispering in the leaves above,

Hanging in the branches

Just beyond my reach

I heard an echo on the wind today,

Singing in the distance,

Floating like a cloud so free

Just beyond my dreams

I heard an echo on the wind tonight,

Calling from the stars,

Twinkling in the sky so bright

Just beyond my sight

I know that you are out there

Waiting just like me

I know that you are out there

Feeling lost, the same as me

I know that you are out there

Hearing what I hear,

Feeling what I feel

I know that you are out there

Believing as I do

I feel it in my soul

            It echoes in my heart

I feel it in my bones

Where the yearning starts 

I heard an echo on the wind today,

Whispering from up above,

I heard an echo on the wind today,

Saying softly, oh so softly,

Let it go ... don't struggle so ...

        Heard an echo   ...  on the wind tonight  ...

Whispering, oh so sweet ...  let it grow ... naturally ...

Felt your presence  ...  in my soul ...

                                        In my dreams ... guiding me  ... 

I heard an echo on the wind tonight,

Whispering, oh so sweet ...

            Like an angel sent to me

            From somewhere up above

                        Let it go ... don't struggle so ...

You're working much too hard

I heard an echo on the wind tonight
Speaking to my heart ...

It will come so easily ...

Once you let it go

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Once you let it go

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Seven Secrets of Happy Families
Have you ever wondered what it would be like
to have one of those picture perfect TV families?

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There's a magical moment when you see your baby's first smile or watch them take their first step - those moments stay with you forever - then life comes crashing in and the demands of work and the the sheer stress of everyday living begin to chip away at these moments and they become fewer and fewer.

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You find yourself trying to plug the holes in the dam, desperately searching for time, precious time to share and rediscover those magical moments.  But life sometimes is like a powerful flood pounding at the walls of the dam, punching holes in your best laid plans, demanding your attention.  First, one finger.  Then, another.  And soon, you find yourself out of fingers and toes.  And the flood's still coming ...

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The reality is that those magical moments don't take a lot of time.  What they really take is a few stolen moments here and there.

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According to a comprehensive study conducted by the National Family Strengths Research Project at the University of Alabama on what makes families happy, one does not have to move mountains to find happiness, but rather make small adjustments.

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Create a Strong Spiritual Foundation:  "Play" is a child's prayer.  A short walk through the woods can be very spiritual, if you and your child notice all the remarkable details of God's creation.

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Touch can be very powerful:  The human need for touch is well-documented.  And it doesn't take much.  A pat on the back for a job well done, a caress on the cheek to show you care.

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A clear focus on what's good about your family:  Research shows that families who appreciate the positive aspects of their lives tend to be happier.

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Laughter is still the best medicine:  By using a certain tone of voice or making a funny face, you can enforce the rules without entering into a power struggle with your child.

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Take time off without the kids:  Our kids need us, but they need all of us, not just the "used up" part.  That's why, happy parents cash in on the rejuvenating remedy of regular private time without the kids.

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Knock down the walls between work and home:  Get your child involved.  Ask their advice about some tough project you're tackling at work.  Explain to them how you fill out a form or write a memo.  If you open up to your child, then they'll feel more comfortable opening up to you.

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Just have fun:  Instead of living in constant fear that something is going to get broken, rearrange the house so that there is a space where kids can be kids.  Look for ways to have fun with your kids.

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NOTE: to post a comment, enter your comment in the Comment Box below or click here or on the Title of this article above.

Sharing a Vintage Christmas

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I remember the first time I visited my friend Lee's family.  We drove about two hours to a place that surprisingly is still on the map, but just barely.  Nestled among lush green rolling hills, there's a church and a handful of houses and a little bridge that skips over a small creek (where she and her sisters used to swim as young girls).  Geese waddle across the road and folks smile and wave as you pass by.

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My friend's parents live a mile or so outside of "town" on top of a big hill, crowned with tall watchful trees and during harvest surrounded by fields of golden shimmering wheat.  Three or four times a year, the children and grand-children gather on this hill in the old familiar farmhouse and fill it with laughter and love and warmth.  Grandma buzzes about the kitchen with the help of her four daughters preparing a holiday feast and grandpa props grandkids up on his knee and tells stories of fishing and hunting and the old days.

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There are no big screen TVs or expensive CD players, no designer clothes or fancy furniture, just love and caring and a strong sense of belonging to something special and real and wholesome. For me, these times were precious and I looked forward to them.  I would walk around the property, among the trees and in the fields, letting nature in all its wonder wash over me, feeling it wipe away the grime and chaos and stress of the city.  Then, I would rejoin the family and we'd talk and laugh and play games.  To me, this is what the Holidays are all about.

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And with that in mind, do we have some Holiday treats for you.  Both our Contributing Staff Writers and members have created some Holiday Blogs to warm the heart and fill the soul with the Spirit of the Season.

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A Vintage Christmas
Discover how handcrafted ornaments loving passed from generation to generation can transform the Holiday Season, transporting us back to a slower, simpler time ... this blog is filled with a sleighful of nostalgic, creative ideas ... you won't want to miss it!  Read more >

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Unplugging the Holidays
When you hear the word Christmas, does it always evoke an image of Victorian folk gripping steaming mugs of cider and singing carols around the piano and children who eyes light up at the sight of a wooden horse or hand stitched dolly?  Then, read on and find out how you can unplug the Holidays and take a step back in time this year ...  Read more >

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Book Review: Holiday picks for Children
It may be hard to see past Rudolph, Frosty, and the Grinch during the holidays, but if you look carefully, you're sure to find classic stories the kids will enjoy not just now, but throughout the year. Have a look at some of our favorites.  Read more >

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OOPS! Quick fixes for the Holidays
If I ask you to close your eyes and picture the perfect holiday dinner party, would elegantly dressed guests come to mind, sitting at an impeccably decorated table by flickering candlelight? Then you're certainly not at my house, and you can disregard this article. For the rest of you, here are some essential quick fixes for those little holiday mishaps.  Read more >

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A Journey through Christmas
In a world where crowds rush shopping malls to hunt for the season's latest, greatest, everyone's gotta have it, mass produced, here today gone tomorrow gadget, one man was being led by his love of all things Christmas past.  Read more >

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The Language of Love
This blog is not necessarily about Christmas or anything vintage, but it most certainly addresses the issue of how to communicate more lovingly with those we do love and during the Holiday Season as stresses and emotions mount, being able to communicate with one another more effectively certainly could come in handy.  Read more >

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Electronic Babysitters
During the Holiday Season (maybe more so than ever), we come to depend on Electronic Babysitters (television, DVDs and video games) to entertain the kids and free up our time to get things done.  But just how dependent upon this new technology should we become?  Read more >

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Organizing for the Holidays and throughout the Year
Trying to manage hectic schedules for work, family and life during the hectic Holiday Season can be a daunting task. So, how about we share some organizational ideas and free up some time in the long run. By sharing tips that work with each other, we will not only remove the concerns of the unknown but will encourage one another to set some time aside to actually get going on the areas that need organizing the most.   Read more >

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Jumpstarting the Holidays with Trivia
Nothing rekindles fond memories of years gone by like a game of Trivia.  Read more >

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