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June, 2009
with John Kuypers

Dear Friend,
To be You. That is the main benefit
of living in the present. At peace with yourself. Confidence that comes
from having been humbled a few times in life.
It's not an easy place to maintain on
a daily basis. Other people want You to meet their needs. This
often conflicts with You meeting your own needs. It's a balancing act we
all need to master.
Two years ago, I decided my wife and I
needed to run our finances separately. It was a tough decision. With a
blended family and pressures from ex-spouses, running joint finances was
causing us a lot of conflict. It worked. That conflict has now gone away,
thankfully. We needed better boundaries around money. Indeed, the essence
of being capable of staying present is good boundaries in all aspects of
your life.
I once attended a Bill Cosby event
about twenty years ago in Toronto. He did a masterful and hilarious job of
describing the evolution of his marriage in five year chunks. The first
five years were filled with conflicts, all with the same not-so-subtle
message: "If you really loved me, you would do things my way!" By
twenty-five years of marriage, he said, "My wife says she going
shopping while I flop on the couch watching football all day. I just wave
at her and say, 'Have fun, honey!'"
The Serenity Prayer captures the entire spirit of this principle of
good boundaries that work for You, even when others pressure You to be
someone else. Read this prayer on our website by
clicking here.
On a final note, I encourage you to
'follow' Present Living on
Twitter. As one colleague of mine quipped, "Twitter sounds stupid
until you try it!" There are now over 100 small inspirations that you
can review. And you get a new one most days. It takes about ten to fifteen
seconds and helps you stay present!
You don't need to post anything yourself. Just sign up and keep a tab open
on your browser for Twitter. You can even forward them to your cellphone
if you prefer. Till next time, I pray for you and I wish you serenity and
courage to walk in faith with the Lord.

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