The Greatest Gift A Wife Desires From Her Husband

by Lester Rennard

As we approach the season that is traditionally seen as a time for giving, I will devote this and the next several posts to a series of topics that will focus attention on 'The Greatest Gift ...'.

What is the greatest gift that a wife desires from her husband? Is it a big house, elegantly furnished and in the best and most affluent neighborhood? Is it regular vacations to the most romantic and exotic places on this planet? Could it be to have access to a bank account where she has no set limit on spending? Or, is it something less tangible but yet much more satisfying and enduring than anything material?

While I will not diminish the significance of the above to many women, I do believe that for most women, the greatest gift that they desire from their husbands does not have a price tag and can not be appraised in terms of material possessions. Without having this particular gift from their husbands, most wives will generally count all the finest material gifts as useless to them.

The greatest gift above all else that a wife desires from her husband is the joy of knowing that he loves and cherishes her as the most important person in his life and she means all the world to him. If she has to choose between the most expensive house on the block and to know that she is genuinely loved and cherished, the normal woman will, without reservation, choose the latter.
She will also choose to forgo the luxuries of life if it means choosing between such luxuries and her husband's affections.

A wife derives her pleasure, joy and sense of meaning and purpose, as a wife, from knowing that she is the pride and joy of her husband and wherever his business and tasks may take him, his heart will always be at home with her. She may be the best mother, excel in her career and contribution to society but all her accomplishments will never substitute for the comfort she finds in knowing that she has a permanent place of residence in the heart of her husband.

If you are a husband reading these words and considering a gift to give your wife for this season of giving, why not choose to give her the greatest gift she desires and as a bonus, offer her the other material things that may make her life more comfortable and manageable? In demonstrating that you sincerely love and cherish her, you will need to give of yourself, make yourself available and accessible and by word and action give evidence that she is indeed the human desire of your heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For those readers celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States, here's a poem of my own creation that I trust you may enjoy. It is an ode to America and was composed back in 1985.

THANKSGIVING - An Ode to America!

by Lester Rennard

For such a great continent enslaved by Freedom - We give Thee Thanks,
For a land abounding with rich and vast resources - We give thanks
For an endless overflowing basket filled with grains of timely harvest - We give Thee thanks.

We give Thee thanks for the beauty of Autumn's mystery and message,
We give thanks for the snowcapped mountains and the pleasures of each white Christmas
We give Thee thanks for new life in Spring and the leisure of many sunny days.

For a united destiny that bonds and preserves amidst our diversity - We give Thee thanks,
For a nation of every nation but called by one name - We give thanks

For a people driven by the bond of humane love that shares its bounties and freedom with both friend and foe - We give thanks.

We give Thee thanks oh great Almighty, Sustainer and Protector of the Star Spangled Banner
We give thanks for Thanksgiving, for peace and limitless prosperity and greatness,

For America, the first breath of freedom for many, and the dream of a mecca of hope and prosperity for multitudes of other lands - We give thanks.

For a land bewitched with myriads of Blessings -We give Thee thanks oh God!

Copyright (c) 1985 by Lester Rennard

You Are What You Think

by Lester Rennard

Are you aware that regardless of what others think about you, it does not really matter, because, at the end of the day, you are what you think? The person you truly believe you are, you are. You are best acquainted with the person you are and therefore are better able, under normal circumstances, to substantiate your own identity.

Before you dismiss this as another case of psychological mumbo jumbo, I would like to suggest that you look beyond the statement and consider the deep implication of its message. The truth is, as individuals, we are limited by the limitations, real or imagined, that we place on ourselves. If one believes that he or she will amount to nothing in life, that individual will have no desire to better their conditions or improve on their skills and thus fail to accomplish anything meaningful.

There is a popular saying that tells us that our attitude determines our altitude. We are motivated by the content of our subconscious thoughts and conditioning. Whatever is deeply embedded in our subconscious mind that we believe forms the basis of our internal influence and ultimately what we believe about ourselves. That which we believe then influences our action and determines our destiny. It was the wise King Solomon who reminded us that as one thinks in his heart, so is he.

Our output is the sum total of our input. In computer language - garbage in, garbage out. Whatever we focus on, we become like. By beholding, we become changed into the likeness of that which we are beholding. We can never rise higher than the bar we set above our heads. We are ultimately handicapped by the limitations we place on ourselves and the worst handicaps are not physical but those psychological handicaps formed by our beliefs.

There are many people who suffer devastating physical handicaps but yet are not truly handicapped. Some of the world's most influential and greatest composers, artists, speakers and creative giants whose works and positive contributions to their times have immortalized them, have been or are people with physical handicaps. They have learned the secret that their physical conditions do not have the power to ultimately determine how far they may travel or how high they might rise.

They have truly grasped the knowledge that what determines who they are and who they can become is the content of what they believe and not the limitations of their physical handicaps. They refuse to let their dreams and visions of who they are and what they can become be handicapped by their physical limitations. They dream their dreams, set their goals, develop their tactical strategies, set wings to their visions, engage their faith, spread their wings, set their flaps and at the moment of receiving clearance to take-off, they move with speed and precision down the runway, take off with grace and soar higher than an eagle.

There are others who have all their physical components all intact and yet are completely paralyzed by the sickened contents of their own belief systems. They are rendered helpless because they are held hostage and are being enslaved by their own self-imposed limitations. They are ignorant of the fact that God in His wisdom did not create and program us to have our destinies determined by our physical conditions and limitations.

They fail to understand that since we are made in the image of our Creator, we were made to be creators ourselves; creators of our dreams and destinies as we choose to behold Him and to reflect His image within the mirrors of our souls. Every dream or vision begins in the inner recesses of the mind and everything that is or can ever be created must first take shape and form within the mind that is not limited by the state of the body, before it can be transformed into its physical equivalence.

Wherever we are in our lives, whatever we become, whatever limitations we face, despite our physical conditions and limitations, as long as we are in healthy control of our mental faculties, we determine our outcome and destinies by what we believe and the limitations those beliefs impose on us. As true as the knowledge that the sun will rise tomorrow, you are what you think.

Copyright (c) 2006 by Lester Rennard

13 Tips For Managing Conflict at Your Workplace

By Lester Rennard

Wherever individuals co-exist and seek to share a common purpose and pursue a common goal, there's bound to be conflict. Such conflict is natural since we all are different, think differently and have different perceptions while facing similar challenges. The goal is not to waste valuable energy in trying to avoid such inevitable conflict but to be proactive in finding ways to manage conflicts.

If you own or manage a business with employees and do not have a system for conflict management, you may be in for a troubled ride when it comes to dealing with conflict in your workplace. Here are some tips for addressing the issue of conflict management:

1. Anticipate conflict before it happens
2. Take a proactive approach in developing a system for conflict management
3. Get all stakeholders involved at the initial planning and design phase of the proposal
4. Provide for conflicts to be resolved beginning at the lowest level of the workplace
5. Provide training resources and opportunities for supervisors and managers at all levels in conflict resolution skills
6. Encourage employees to use the system in place to resolve conflicts they are unable to resolve on a one to one basis
7. Provide incentives for early resolution of conflicts before they turn into disputes
8. Make provisions in the conflict management system for incorporating not only internal conflicts relating to employees and management but also those conflicts involving customers and suppliers
9. Promote the availability of the conflict management system throughout the workplace
10. Introduce the system to every new employee and make it a requirement as the official system for resolving workplace conflicts
11. Make provisions within the system for conflicts that can not be resolved internally to be referred to external conflict resolution professionals such as mediators
12. Design your conflict management system to be dynamic and always evolving rather than remaining static
13. Keep track of its usage and effectiveness in accomplishing its intended purpose and solicit evaluation from all those who use the system for consideration in making improvements.

I trust this might inspire you to consider or suggest the creation of a conflict management system if one does not currently exist at your workplace.