(Q: When I am feeling unhappy and dissatisfied, I don’t just
give in, but try to get active in ways that get me over these feelings.)
Taking control of your own life means that you go to work on
changing the things that have been spoiling your happiness. Occupying
yourself in the present on constructive action is a great way to take
your mind off of negative thoughts of regret (which is in the past) or
dread (which is in the future.) Most problems take a lot of time and
experimentation to reach a solution, but the very process of working
towards any positive goal takes your mind into the present and makes you
feel better immediately. Once you have taken appropriate action you often
have to wait for results. Work, sports and craft of hobby projects can
keep your mind pleasantly occupied while you are waiting for results.

MIAMI (Jan. 22) - R. Kelly, already facing child pornography charges in Illinois, was arrested Wednesday in Florida on additional child pornography charges after investigators said they found 12 photographs of a nude girl at the singer’s home.

Kelly, whose first name is Robert, was arrested without incident at a Miami-Dade County hotel. He was being held at the county jail. Bond was set at $12,000.

The Grammy award-winning artist has been out on bond and awaiting trial on 21 counts of child pornography in Chicago. Those charges stem from a videotape authorities say shows him having sex with a 13-year-old girl. Kelly, 36, has denied that charge.

Col. Grady Judd of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office told WSVN-TV that three photos show Kelly having sex with a female under 18. In the other nine photos, the female is nude. He said the photos were found last June during a search of a home Kelly rented in Davenport after he was arrested there on the Illinois warrant. Davenport, in Polk County, is about 35 miles southwest of Orlando.

The R&B singer is known for hits ranging from the Grammy-winning, gospel-like “I Believe I Can Fly” to sexually charged material such as “Bump ‘n’ Grind,” “Feelin’ On Yo Booty” and “Your Body’s Callin’.”

The Illinois investigation began after the Chicago Sun-Times reported last February that it had received the tape anonymously and passed it along to Chicago police.

Kelly also has been the focus of at least four lawsuits, three of which accuse him of having sex with underage girls. He has acknowledged settling two of the lawsuits regarding underage sex, but his lawyers have said they will fight the third.

Kelly’s new album, “Chocolate Factory,” is scheduled to be released in February. He was nominated for a Grammy earlier this month for the song “The World’s Greatest,” from the “Ali” soundtrack.

The Earth sheds each year. The trees and flowers let go of their identity. As the old identity dies, a new identity is born. The body sheds constantly. Some of it happens invisibly, so naturally and silently that we do not realize it is happening. The heart and spirit also shed. They shed the emotions and experiences that we no longer need. They shed the things that stunt our growth. This, too, is an invisible process. Yet because of the energy involved, the emotional energy, we often feel the emotional and spiritual shedding. It feels as if we are dying. We are. Just like the flowers and the trees, we are dying to an old identity. This shedding, or death, is not the end of us. It is the beginning..
~ Iyanla Vanzant

Consider the sun - a self-sustaining unit that receives energy from tha monuclear reactions near its center. The energy released in these reactions is so great that the sun could shine for billions of years with lil change in its size or brightness.
Love is like the sun. It sustains itself. It needs neither thanks nor reward for it to give out its powerful and healing energy. Love is always there, even when tha clouds of human emotions hide it, just as tha sun is there when clouds hide it from the Earth. Our lives thrive on the energy of love. But because love sustains itself and creates its own energy, we need not look for it outside ourselves. It lies deep at tha center of our being.

The energy of love flows within us, changing and enlarging us. Love opens hearts once closed tightly by bitterness and, in tha place of bitterness, we become flooded with acceptance and joy. Hate no longer erodes our soul; care and concern replace apathy. The changes are evidenced in our lives as we begin to love ourselves and see ourselves as love. Because we are love, we don’t need to search for love outside ourselves.

Once tha spark is kindled within and begins to burn brightly, we can’t stop it from flowing from us to others. Some may not come close enough to feel tha warmth of our love. Others may bask in tha glow of our energy. Because we are love, because we sustain ourselves and bless others, it doesn’t matter if we receive thanks or recognition. Like tha durability of tha sun, love gives and gives with no diminution of its supply. Our lives become brighter tha more we express love. We can shine like tha sun and, when we are in our rightful place, we can radiate love for all persons without any exceptions….

1. The need to give and receive attention
2. Taking heed of the mind body connection
3. The need for purpose, goals and meaning
4. Connection to something bigger than oneself
5. The need for creativity and stimulation
6. The need to feel understood and connected
7. The need to feel a sense of control
Many Needs, One Life