Robert Campbell – What It Truly Means to Keep Your Word

When is the last time you gave your word and didn’t keep it? I know, your intentions were good, but something came up, etc.

My father had his principle:

When you say something, make it happen.

And so he did. It stuck in my mind and I’ve been trying to apply it ever since. There are many times when others expected me to make a promise, which I never did or promised less than expected – because that much I was sure to be able to keep. Usually, this approach of mine was not understood. Even though I did more than I had promised. But I continue to believe in my principle.

I’m fascinated by every story about people who keep their word. Just like the one I’m about to tell you. It’s an astonishing lesson to remember every time you make a promise.

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Who Brings the Christmas Gifts? (It’s Not Who You Think It Is!)

This may seem like an ordinary question to you. Because you are not 7 anymore to make an existential problem out of it. Like I did.

I was in the 1st grade and Christmas was coming. Someone had been blabbing around that Santa was not… I don’t even want to remember. Anyway, this discussion divided us into two parties. In order to find a solution to our dispute, we made an appeal to the supreme authority: our school teacher. She explained to us, how she knew best, what’s the deal with all this Santa thing. That was the very first time I drew the conclusion that grown-ups don’t really know everything. (What does a grown-up know about pink unicorns, for example?!)

Since then, I have been fascinated by Santa Claus. I’ve found out a lot of interesting stuff about him. For example, that he doesn’t go from house to house. (And not for the reason that our teacher told us.)

Different countries celebrate Christmas in different ways. You can’t have imagined that Santa is such a fool as to travel to the Caribbean by sleigh?!

Let’s find out how operation Christmas Gifts goes in different parts of the world!

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The Art of Gift Giving

Generosity is a wonderful feeling! Giving something from the bottom of your heart is truly up-lifting. If each and every one of us would do this, we would live in a better world, a land of milk and honey. You wouldn’t even covet thy neighbour’s things, since he might give them to you.

It’s all well and good, until the day comes when you must pick a gift.. And this day will come, there’s no way around it! Be it a birthday, a name day, a wedding anniversary, Christmas, Easter, St. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s day, Children’s Day, Teachers’ Day, Unknown Buyer’s day (fallen in the line of duty while looking for the perfect gift)…

How is it possible that something which is supposed to be a lovely experience so often becomes an excruciating one?! There are several causes for that. But before putting the blame on social pressures, on salesmen, on cruel fate – let’s take a look inside ourselves:

Do you know how to give a gift?

I didn’t say it would be an easy thing to do. Actually, it’s quite an art to pick the perfect gift for someone. (You know, the sort of gift that touches your soul, melts your heart, and of whom you will remember dearly.)

But this art can be learned. Even if you don’t reach the “master” level, your loved ones will appreciate your efforts and they will admire you. So, I propose you take up an “intensive course”.

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Mother Teresa: Love Begins at Home

On 11 December 1979, Oslo – and the rest of the world – was still under the impression of the event from the day before: the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Peace, a prize bestowed upon Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

As it was accustomed, Mother Teresa was delivering a speech that day at the Oslo University. This is an occasion more important than the awarding of the prize itself, because the laureate has the opportunity to express his or her points of view upon a particular matter, and has the possibility to communicate a message to the world.

Since then, the world has evolved economically, technologically, socially… But the majority of the issues raised in that speech are still fundamentally valid even today. Beyond the small verbal stuttering of a woman who was not a native speaker of English, beyond the delivery of a speech which was not coherent at all times, beyond some opinions which might differ from yours, there are some passages speaking about life which simply touch your soul. Largely, the speech is a sequence of parables. But not like the ones skillfully made up by wise people. These are some actual life-experiences with which Mother Teresa encountered on a daily basis. Life-experiences that are painful, but happy in the same time.

I should better let you read the transcript, with notes which bring some extra information…

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The Lego Buyer’s Guide

If you are a parent, you want nothing but the best for your child. You want him to be healthy, happy, intelligent, creative, good, patient, neat, obedient, polite… (You can only choose five of all these, apparently.)

There are many things that can give him a good upbringing. Playing is his main activity. So, it would be great to sneak all these “ingredients” into his play time.

Creative games are among the most important of things. And Lego is the king of them all. Children love it, and parents are thrilled to stimulate their little minds and creativity in such a way. No wonder you want to buy Lego: for your own children, for somebody else’s, or even for your inner child.

But when you see the variety of Lego sets in a store, you can’t really make a choice. There are so many of them!

It’s a pity just to pick one at random. Even more so when you see that the price is not exactly cheap. Plus, in the long term, some of them can be combined with others. But there is hope: after reading the following tips, this will appear so much easier to you!

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