My Dear Friends,The words of Charles Dickens comes to mind this morning. He says.... "Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." Is this not the trouble with most of us. How many times have you reflected on the bad experiences in your life, forgetting about all the many blessings you have received. It is only when we allow our minds to ponder on the negative that we become ensnared in the traps that Satan sets before us. When the urge to succeed is strong enough, failure has no option in our lives. The first secret to being successful is to believe in yourself. It is amazing what the power of God and the realization of our weaknesses and our dependence upon Him can do when it is bound together.We ought to learn how to face our problems and cares head on and do something about them. It is only then that we will learn that these obstacles haven't got half the strength that we thought it had. To plan our future is not enough...We also have to believe. Our capabilities are as strong as what our faith in God and ourselves are. Realization is the reality that we cannot mend that which we have ruined in the past...But we can begin today to ensure that we do not make the same mistakes. We can make sure that the end has a better ending than that which it would've been if we did not do anything to redeem the mistakes of the past. As long as we retain our faith, there is hope...But if we loose our faith, we invite the certainty of an unhappy ending.So let us always keep in mind the happy memories of the great blessings instead of reflecting upon the failures of this life.May God bless us all as we prepare for eternity...Remember...JESUS IS COMING!Tommy TrompSDALI Chaplain