Sunday, February 7, 2010

Prayer for the Family.

O God of goodness and mercy, to Thy Fatherly guidance we commend our family, our household and all our belongings. We commit all to Thy love and keeping; do Thou fill this house with Thy blessings even as Thou didst fill the holy House of Nazareth with Thy presence.

Keep far from us, above all else, the blemish of sin, and do Thou alone reign in our midst by Thy law, by Thy most holy love and by the exercise of every Christian virtue. Let each one of us obey Thee, love Thee and set himself to follow in his own life Thine example, that of Mary, Thy Mother and our Mother most loving, and that of Thy blameless guardian, Saint Joseph.

Protect us and our house from all evils and misfortunes, but grant that we may be ever resigned to Thy divine will even in the sorrows which it shall please Thee to send us. Finally give unto all of us the grace to live in perfect harmony and in the fullness of love toward our neighbor. Grant that every one of us may deserve by a holy life the comfort of Thy holy Sacraments at the hour of death. O Jesus, bless us and protect us.

O Mary, Mother of grace and of mercy, defend us against the wicked spirit, reconcile us with Thy Son, commit us to His keeping, that so we may be made worthy of His promises.

Saint Joseph, foster-father of our Savior, guardian of His holy Mother, head of the Holy Family, intercede for us, bless us and defend our home at all times.

Saint Michael, defend us against all the evil cunning of hell.

Saint Gabriel, make us to understand the holy will of God.

Saint Raphael, preserve us from all sickness and from every danger to our lives.

Our holy Guardian Angels, keep our feet safely on the path of salvation both day and night.

Our holy Patrons, pray for us before the throne of God.

Yea, bless this house, O God the Father, who hast created us; O God the Son, who hast suffered for us upon the holy Cross, and Thou, O Holy Spirit, who hast sanctified us in holy Baptism. May the one God in three divine Persons preserve our bodies, purify our minds, direct our hearts and bring us all to everlasting life.

Glory be to the Father, glory be to the Son, glory be to the Holy Ghost! Amen.

Healthy Relationships.

Many people experience problems in relationship because they do not have any idea whether their relationship is healthy. As an ordinary human being, we constantly seek for advancement in everything we do. No doubt that this is good in almost every area of our life but this is not always true when it comes to relationship. Seeking for improvement is good to a relationship if you work to improve it from the inside out. However if you start to seek improvement by comparing it with other couples, you are asking for trouble. The reason is simple as almost every relationship is not the same and it is impossible for you to compare it with other couples. The definition of a healthy relationship may not be the same for each couple and hence before you dare to think that your relationship is inadequate or unhealthy, evaluate the below to determine whether your relationship needs improvement.

In every healthy relationship:

1) Both you and your partner enjoy passion and safety. There is also a shared sense of intense passion and sexuality but they are not the key aspect of the relationship. In other word, passion and sexuality are the resultant of a balance relationship but not the cause.

2) Your relationship revolves around shared values, goals and lifestyle preferences which were established based on respect, trust and sense of security.

3) You know who your partner is and what your partner wants and vice-versa, your partner knows who you are and what you want.

4) Both your feelings’ and communication are well balanced and clear. You do not allow your feeling to be the excuse on irresponsible act which can affect your relationship and vice-versa.

5) Both you and your partner has the room to think clearly for yourselves, for each other and as well as your relationship as a whole.

6) Both you and your partner are present for each other and vow to support each other’s wants or needs to the best ability.

7) You are satisfied with who you are and more important you are satisfied with whom your partner is.

8) You do not hide your partner behind the scenes and are proud with what they do/did or who they are and vice-versa.

9) You are pleased with the relationship that you both built and you know that nothing can replace the relationship and lastly,

10) You have a realistic expectation on the relationship, on what it can or cannot do for you and most importantly both of you are happy and satisfied with the expectation.

If your relationship possesses most of the above quality, you are on the right track to a perfect relationship and you have nothing worry about. Seek to work on improving the other area that is lacking. And for those who did not meet the above quality, you can always use the above as a guideline to improve the health and wellness of your relationship.

What Makes a Healthy Relationship?

What Makes a Healthy Relationship?
Hopefully, you and your significant other are treating each other well. Not sure if that's the case? Take a step back from the dizzying sensation of being swept off your feet and think about whether your relationship has these seven qualities:
Mutual respect. Does he or she get how cool you are and why? (Watch out if the answer to the first part is yes but only because you're acting like someone you're not!) The key is that your BF or GF is into you for who you are — for your great sense of humor, your love of reality TV, etc. Does your partner listen when you say you're not comfortable doing something and then back off right away? Respect in a relationship means that each person values who the other is and understands — and would never challenge — the other person's boundaries.
Trust. You're talking with a guy from French class and your boyfriend walks by. Does he completely lose his cool or keep walking because he knows you'd never cheat on him? It's OK to get a little jealous sometimes — jealousy is a natural emotion. But how a person reacts when feeling jealous is what matters. There's no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don't trust each other.
Honesty. This one goes hand-in-hand with trust because it's tough to trust someone when one of you isn't being honest. Have you ever caught your girlfriend in a major lie? Like she told you that she had to work on Friday night but it turned out she was at the movies with her friends? The next time she says she has to work, you'll have a lot more trouble believing her and the trust will be on shaky ground.
Support. It's not just in bad times that your partner should support you. Some people are great when your whole world is falling apart but can't take being there when things are going right (and vice versa). In a healthy relationship, your significant other is there with a shoulder to cry on when you find out your parents are getting divorced and to celebrate with you when you get the lead in a play.
Fairness/equality. You need to have give-and-take in your relationship, too. Do you take turns choosing which new movie to see? As a couple, do you hang out with your partner's friends as often as you hang out with yours? It's not like you have to keep a running count and make sure things are exactly even, of course. But you'll know if it isn't a pretty fair balance. Things get bad really fast when a relationship turns into a power struggle, with one person fighting to get his or her way all the time.
Separate identities. In a healthy relationship, everyone needs to make compromises. But that doesn't mean you should feel like you're losing out on being yourself. When you started going out, you both had your own lives (families, friends, interests, hobbies, etc.) and that shouldn't change. Neither of you should have to pretend to like something you don't, or give up seeing your friends, or drop out of activities you love. And you also should feel free to keep developing new talents or interests, making new friends, and moving forward.
Good communication. You've probably heard lots of stuff about how men and women don't seem to speak the same language. We all know how many different meanings the little phrase "no, nothing's wrong" can have, depending on who's saying it! But what's important is to ask if you're not sure what he or she means, and speak honestly and openly so that the miscommunication is avoided in the first place. Never keep a feeling bottled up because you're afraid it's not what your BF or GF wants to hear or because you worry about sounding silly. And if you need some time to think something through before you're ready to talk about it, the right person will give you some space to do that if you ask for it.

Signs of Successful Relationships

It is widely known that building a stable and healthy relationship with the partner can make a happy life. What is the healthy relationship? How do we know that whether we have a healthy relationship with our partner? A healthy relationship has its own signs. The following are some signs of healthy relationship.

Do you have comfortable and open communication? Those who are able to openly and honestly express their feelings with their partner are more likely to maintain a healthy relationship and deal with any incident in the relationship.

Can the two of you laugh and play together? Can you help each other to lighten up with humor? Partners who can make each other laugh tend to be good at de-escalating conflicts when they do arise. Humor plays a huge role in a healthy relationship.

Do you enjoy sharing affection? Partners who stay in physical contact in some way throughout the day have appeared to be the happiest ones. These moments don't need to necessarily lead to sexual intimacy but are rather easy ways to say, "I love you," without the words. Warmth and affection are vital for a healthy relationship.

Do both of you have Mutual and Separate Friends? It is important for a healthy relationship for each person to have friends and interests, so that they are not dependent on each other. This leads to more self satisfaction which translates to relationship satisfaction.

Are you each more interested in learning about yourselves and each other than you are in controlling each other? Is listening to each other with an open heart and a desire to understand more important than judging each other or defending yourselves? Do you each trust that the love is solid, even in very difficult times between you and your partner.

What causes drug abuse and addiction?

What causes drug abuse and addiction?

What makes one person abuse drugs to the point of losing their home, their family and their job, while another does not? There is no one simple reason. Drug abuse and addiction is due to many factors. A powerful force in addiction is the inability to self- soothe or get relief from untreated mental or physical pain. Without the self-resilience and support to handle stress, loneliness or depression, drugs can be a tempting way to deal with the situation. Unfortunately, due to the changes drugs make to the brain, it can only take a few times or even one time to be on the road to addiction. Some other risk factors include:

* Family history of addiction. While the interplay between genetics and environment is not entirely clear, if you have a family history of addiction, you are at higher risk for abusing drugs.
* History of mental illness. Drug abuse can worsen mental illness or even create new symptoms. See dual diagnosis for more information on mental illness and drug abuse.
* Untreated physical pain. Without medical supervision, pain medications or illegal drugs like heroin can rapidly become addictive.
* Peer pressure. If people around you are doing drugs, it can be difficult to resist the pressure to try them, especially if you are a teenager.

Signs and symptoms of drug abuse and addiction
How can I tell if I or a loved one has a drug abuse or addiction problem?

Although different drugs may have different effects on overall physical and mental health, the basic pattern is the same. Getting and using the drug becomes more and more important than anything else, including job, friends and family. The physical and emotional consequences of drug abuse and addiction also make it difficult to function, often impairing judgment to a dangerous level.
Physical signs of abuse and addiction

Drug abuse affects the brain and body directly. While high, the drug affects the entire body, from blood pressure to heart rate. Stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine “amp up” the body, increasing blood pressure, metabolism and reducing the ability to sleep. Drugs like opiates and barbiturates slow down the body, reducing blood pressure, breathing and alertness sometimes to dangerous levels. Some physical signs of abuse and addiction include:

* Cycles of increased energy, restlessness, and inability to sleep (often seen in stimulants)
* Abnormally slow movements, speech or reaction time, confusion and disorientation (often seen in opiates, benzodiazepines and barbiturates)
* Sudden weight loss or weight gain
* Cycles of excessive sleep
* Unexpected changes in clothing, such as constantly wearing long sleeved shirts, to hide scarring at injection sites
* Suspected drug paraphernalia such as unexplained pipes, roach clips or syringes
* For snorted drugs, chronic troubles with sinusitis or nosebleeds
* For smoked drugs, a persistent cough or bronchitis, leading to coughing up excessive mucus or blood.
* Progressive severe dental problems (especially with methamphetamine)