Ywcdec14finale

Your Voice. Your Community. Your News.

Volume 4 Issue 10

Serving the Inland Empire Communities

December 2014

9 ways to fix our American Christmas

By Chris Thompson

The loss of the birth of Jesus is the obvious missing element from The American Christmas; but that is just the beginning of a vast array of problems with the way we give during the holiday season.

“Me First” has become the self absorbed mantra overtaking the true meaning of Christmas, and the illness of “Taking Care of #1” has infected other family focused holidays along the journey. Thanksgiving, for example, has been distorted from a simple remembrance of gratefulness and crossing cultural barriers of the first celebration among Pilgrims and Native Americans to a day fighting with others at the local Wal-Mart for a 48″ HDTV for the special price of $99.

Like it or not, The American Christmas has spawned a reoccurring demon of consumer debt in so many lives because of the financial obligations incurred as we follow the unspoken but ever so present “Gifting Rules” of the holidays.

We have a lot of reasons to give, and here are (what I consider to be) the top 9 problems plaguing The American Christmas. If, as a society, we would decide to fight against the “Me First” giving epidemic, we may find a pleasant return to an enjoyable holiday with family, friends, while honoring the greatest gift from a little boy who came to save the world.

1) Spending the Same

Face it, a 3-year-old has no clue of the value of any of the gifts under the tree. For some reason parents and grandparents nationwide have an idea engrained in their head that because you bought a 10-year-old a $50 art kit, you must spend $50 on the younger child. Giving shouldn’t be about value.

What happens in this situation is that the most expensive gift on your list becomes the benchmark for all the other kids or grandkids. The difference in price between the $50 art kit and the $25 talking doll, now turns into a waste of $25 on “filler gifts” that the giver spends out of obligation, and the recipient may not even want. Why? All because of the idea that we have to spend the same on all the kids.

The lesson to teach: There are very few people or children who look around the room and add up the value of everyone’s gifts. If an adult is running up their own personal checkout list for price tags, then perhaps a late lesson in life needs to be taught the hard way. If it’s a child, a lesson in thankfulness and gratitude is shining brightly in the face of a parent and is a great time to be addressed. Teach this lesson now, and reSee Christmas • page 7

Open Arms Make a Difference This Holiday season

Open Arms Make A Difference, Inc. , Geraldine Reaves, is the founder and president of a wonderful organization that strives to provide services to those who are in need. Her husband, Harold Reaves, is always right there by her side working hard and supporting the foundation. The main goals are to assist qualified recipients, feed them nutritious meals, and provide clothing and other personal necessities. Clients are also given resources and referrals to help assist in their time of need.

On Saturday, November 22nd at a lovely community park located in the City of Ontario, Open Arms Make A Difference greeted and fed a total of 640 individuals.

Many families and local residents showedup for this Thanksgiving meal. As they arrived they were overjoyed to see how beautiful everything was decorated and to see all the smiling faces greeting them as they entered the hall to enjoy the delicious meal that had been prepared for them. It was also wonderful to see so many volunteers that came out to assist on that day to serve and greet the people. On the following day 20 boxes for 20 families were presented to

families for Thanksgiving Day by Open Arms Make A Difference.

Mrs. Reaves has a heart to help those in the community who are in need of assistance. Open Arms Make A Difference is in the process of conducting their annual toy drive for Christmas. Toys are needed for the children to put laughter and smiles on their faces. Please donate toys or give a donation to purchase toys for the children. You can be a part of helping us make a child happy on Christmas Day. The deadline for the collection of toys will be December 18. Please donate a toy to a child.

Please call 909-218-7951 or Email openarms01@gmail.com.

Also, donations are excepted through out the year to help assist and aid those families that are in need. Mrs. Reaves motto is, “If we can change one life today, Tomorrow we can change the world.”

Check out their Website at www. openarmsmakeadifferenceinc.org

For Advertising, Subscription, or Bulk Delivery informaiton , please call (909) 973-2927. Thank you for reading.

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Publishers Note

BEWARE: Another New Scam Operating!

Yes We Can Newspaper received this alert and felt we needed to share with all of our readers. Just when you think you’ve heard it all. Here comes another scam. This scam is very clever. One could easily fall for this - beware of people bearing gifts!

Someone it happened to says it works like this: Wednesday a week ago, I had a phone call from someone who said that he was from some outfit called: “Express Couriers” asking if I was going to be home because there was a package for me, and the caller said that the delivery would arrive at my home in roughly an hour. And sure enough, about an hour later, a uniformed delivery man turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and wine. I was very surprised since it did not involve any special occasion or holiday, and I certainly didn’t expect anything like it.

Intrigued about who would send me such a gift, I inquired as to who the sender is.

The delivery man’s reply was, he was only delivering the gift package, but allegedly a card was being sent separately; (the card has never arrived!). There was also a consignment note with the gift.

He then went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol, there was a $3.50 “delivery charge” as proof that he had actually delivered the package to an adult, and not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen or taken by anyone.

This sounded logical and I offered to pay him cash. He then said that the company required the payment to be by credit or debit card only so that everything is properly accounted for.

My husband, who by this time was standing beside me, pulled his wallet out

of his pocket with the credit/debit card, and ‘John’, the “delivery man”, asked my husband to swipe the card on the small mobile card machine which had a small screen and keypad where Frank was also asked to enter the card’s PIN and security number. A receipt was printed out and given to us.

To our horrible surprise, between Thursday and the following Monday, $4,000 had been charged/withdrawn from our credit/debit account at various ATM machines.

It appeared that somehow the “mobile credit card machine” which the delivery man carried now had all the info necessary to create a “dummy” card with all our card details after my husband swiped our card and entered the requested PIN and security number.

Upon finding out about the illegal transactions on our card, we immediately notified the bank which issued us the card, and our credit/debit account was closed.

We also personally went to the Police, where it was confirmed that it is definitely a scam because several households had been similarly hit.

WARNING: Be wary of accepting any “surprise gift or package”, which you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also, never accept anything if you do not personally know or there is no proper identification of who the sender is.

Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction! If you pass this on, it may just prevent someone else from being swindled!

Ethel Martin-Miller

We are now in the last month of the year where we are looking forward to bringing in 2015.

Wow, I can remember just fifteen years ago when we all were getting ready to bring in the new millennial 2000, many were so excited, some were scared to death and thought that everything was going to shut down, computers, internet, the grid itself and God knows what else. Many stocked piled water, food, clothing and whatever else for emergencies. I know real people and real community based organizations who went to their banks and pulled out all of their money. I even went to my bank and pulled out a couple hundred dollars just in case. Now, here we are fifteen years later into the new millennial and wondering where has the time gone. Each year seems to go faster and faster. I used to hear mature people make the statement, “where have the time gone,” but now I hear all ages say the same thing. I feel technology, fast foods, instant this and instant that, has made us a culture of rushing people which has taken much of our time from us.

Looking back at the start of the year many of us made some New Year goals for ourselves. Whatever that goal was either long term or short term, don’t get discouraged just because the New Year is just ahead. If you never got started or if you got started and stop, its not too late to start working on your goals or projects right now. Remember, there is a tomorrow to start over again and tomorrow always comes in with the form of a brand new day with no mistakes. And here you don’t have to think the traditional way by getting going on Mondays or at the first of the year to be successful, it’s the Tomorrow (a New Day) that is your Mondays or the first of the New Year which is a good time to start.

Yes We Can Newspaper Staff Publisher: Ethel Martin-Miller Associate Copy Editor: Josephine Williams Page Layout: Chris Thompson Distribution Manager: Daniel Miller Staff Photographer: Sharron Thompson Contributing Writers Jim Hague, Richard O. Jones, Jo Anna Payne-Jones PH.D, Mona Johnson To Advertise Contact (909) 278-7046 ethelmiller@yeswecannewspaper.com Letters, Articles, Personals replies and comments appearing in the Yes We Can Newspaper reflect the opinions of the writers, and do not constitute an endorsement by the Yes We Can Newspaper or staff. Yes We Can Newspaper assumes no responsibility for articles, letters or press releases and unsolicited material. Decisions as to the editing and publishing of materials are on a space availability basis.

All rights are reserved on materials accepted for publication unless otherwise specified.

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The Tablecloth

A brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October, excited about their opportunities. When they first saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, and such, and on December 18th, were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

On December 19th, a terrible rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 6’ x 8’ to have fallen off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.

On the way, he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity; so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall.

He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time, it had begun to snow. An older woman rushing from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus, anticipated about 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hanger, etc., to hang the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how

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beautiful it looked, and it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. “Pastor,” she asked, “where did you get that tablecloth? The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the tablecloth.

The woman explained that before the war, she and her husband were actually well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison, and never saw her husband nor her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home; that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a house-cleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.

One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to the one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war, and how could there be two tablecloths so alike? He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her; but he was arrested and put in prison. He never saw his wife or his home again during the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked the gentleman if he would allow him to take him for a little ride.

They drove to Staten Island, to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine. This story is printed in Christmas Miracles, (published in 1997 by Morrow and Company), page 69. The author is Reverend Howard C. Shade. It was originally printed in the Reader’s Digest, December 1954.

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The Story Behind the Song – Silent Night

In 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the Austrian Alps. On December 23 they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg where they were to re-enact the story of Christ’s birth in the small Church of St. Nicholas.

Unfortunately, the St. Nicholas’ church organ wasn’t working and would not be repaired before Christmas. (Note: some versions of the story point to mice as the problem; others say rust was the culprit) Because the church organ was out of commission, the actors presented their Christmas drama in a private home. That Christmas presentation of the events in the first chapters of Matthew and Luke put assistant pastor Josef Mohr in a meditative mood. Instead of walking straight to his house that night, Mohr took a longer way home. The longer path took him up over a hill overlooking the village.

From that hilltop, Mohr looked down on the peaceful snow-covered village.

Reveling in majestic silence of the wintry night, Mohr gazed down at the glowing Christmas-card like scene. His thoughts about the Christmas play he had just seen made him remember a poem he had written a couple of years before. That poem was about the night when angels announced the birth of the longawaited Messiah to shepherds on a hillside.

Mohr decided those words might make a good carol for his congregation the following evening at their Christmas eve service. The one problem was that he didn’t have any music to which that poem could be sung. So, the next day Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. Gruber only had a few hours to come up with a melody which could be sung with a guitar. However, by that evening, Gruber had managed to compose a musical setting for the poem. It no longer mattered to Mohr and Gruber that their church organ was inoperable. They now had a Christmas carol that could be sung without that organ.

On Christmas Eve, the little Oberndorf congregation heard Gruber and Mohr sing their new composition to the accompaniment of Gruber’s guitar.

Weeks later, well-known organ builder Karl Mauracher arrived in Oberndorf to fix the organ in St. Nicholas church. When Mauracher finished, he stepped back to let Gruber test the instrument. When Gruber sat down, his fingers began playing the simple melody he had written for Mohr’s Christmas poem. Deeply impressed, Mauracher took copies of the music and words of “Silent Night” back to his own Alpine village, Kapfing.

There, two well-known families of singers — the Rainers and the Strassers — heard it.

Captivated by “Silent Night,” both groups put the new song into their Christmas season repertoire.

Silent night! holy night! All is calm, all is bright, ‘Round yon virgin mother and Child! Holy Infant, so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

The Strasser sisters spread the carol across northern Europe. In 1834, they performed “Silent Night” for King Frederick William IV of Prussia, and he then ordered his cathedral choir to sing it every Christmas eve.

Twenty years after “Silent Night” was written, the Rainers brought the song to the United States, singing it (in German) at the Alexander Hamilton Monument located outside New York City’s Trinity Church.

In 1863, nearly fifty years after being first sung in German, “Silent Night” was translated into English (by either Jane Campbell or John Young). Eight years later, that English version made its way into print in Charles Hutchins’ Sunday School Hymnal.

Today the words of “Silent Night” are sung in more than 300 different languages around the world.

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About Broken Hearts

By Tammy Brown

I heard a rumor last winter that a young doctor friend of ours was separated from his wife.

Not having seen them for several months, when we bumped into him last week I could not help but ask if the rumor was true. He said the divorce had been final for two months. I asked if he was happy about it and he said “NO I’m not happy about it…I’m not the one who wanted the divorce…” Then his posture changed.

He dropped into a chair with a plop, crossed his arms and started shaking his head. I asked what else was up, and he said he had no interest in dating anyone and would probably never want another relationship “which is a good thing because nobody would have me anyway”…a classic sign of a severely broken heart.

It was not the time or the place to have an in-depth discussion with him, so later I sat down and wrote him a letter. I asked him to consider that NEITHER of them made any mistakes. What they made were choices…not mistakes. There is no benefit in thinking that either made mistakes because that leads to blame, and blame is a waste of time. Every choice we make sets us on a new path. Often we make many choices in a row without much thought and suddenly look up and realize we’ve gotten off the path we thought we wanted to be on. When that happens it’s natural to feel that somewhere back there, we must have made a wrong turn…but I don’t think so. I think we’re always exactly where we are supposed to be, even when it feels terrible at the moment!

I ’ m convinced that the w h o l e universe is in PERFECT ORDER all the time; even when our personal world seems to have fallen apart. I believe that everything in our lives is exactly the way it is supposed to be at this exact moment in time.

If we do not like it, then we can make new choices, and move in a different direction. We can move off the path we don’t like, and onto a path that we will love being on, somewhere down the road. I believe that only God is able to see the really big picture… the rest of us are living inside a jigsaw puzzle we call life…and when a piece doesn’t seem to fit, we feel lost. But the Lord can see that only perfect pieces are on the table. Sometimes it feels like none of the pieces around us will ever fit into place. Eventually, after we get things shifted around enough times, we begin to understand why all these seemingly useless pieces are part of our personal jigsaw life. Figuring out how to make the pieces fit is how we learn. Perhaps the lessons we are learning right now will not only help us, but other people around us? Our children are watching us. Everything they see and hear from us will become a part of their lives too. If we make good choices now, they will learn a great deal from our choices.

It’s important to review a lost relationship, and all disappointing situations, to discover what

choices w e r e made that you can learn a lesson from. This is how you understand how your choices today will affect what path you will be on tomorrow.

But once you have reviewed your choices, and noticed where you could have chosen differently, it’s also OK to allow Faith back into your life. Have Faith that you will make better choices in the future and enjoy the new path you will find yourself on. Don’t beat yourself up and don’t beat up anyone else either.

The loss of any relationship is similar to the death of a loved one. Some people feel divorce is even more difficult than the death of a spouse. It is important to allow yourself to mourn. Nobody else can tell you when it’s time to “move on” with your life. Only you will know when you have mourned long enough. It’s also OK to allow yourself to believe you will be happy again. Begin NOW to KNOW in your heart that moving forward, you will be making more conscious choices, which will move you onto a path you will love traveling!

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TACKLING CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Remember the fat kid at your elementary school? You know the child that few kids would play with because he/she looked different? In the 80’s the fat kid stood out, it was not normal so we all noticed this person. Today, seeing a overweight child is not that out of the ordinary, as a matter of fact Childhood Obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years! Over 19% of children 6-11 years of age are now considered obese and over 18% of those who are between 12-19 years of age. As parents with this knowledge it is now time that we make some healthy lifestyle changes in the lives of our entire family.

Most people, because lack of knowledge head straight to a fad diet. Fad diets can be both ineffective long term solutions and sometimes even have dangerous side effects. So without the funds to hire a personal trainer or a nutritionist where do we start?

Here are some tips for gaining long term health and likely a slow but steady weight loss: • Learn the proper portions: Most Americans know nothing about the proper portions and eat more than they should and serve their children more than they should. Remember your child’s portion of meat should not be larger than the palm of their hand, their carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes etc) should not be more than what could fit in their hand while cupped tightly, and the vegetables should be the size of the two other portions combined.

• Provide a small healthy snack between meals, like a half of a fruit and a couple of wheat crackers or carrot sticks with a small amount of low fat dressing or cottage cheese.

• Do not eat fast food more than one meal per week, this should be a rarity not a normal occurrence. You may be busy but setting aside time for your family is a necessity.

• Get 30 min. to 1 hour of exercise a day. I know, most people think they are too tired and have no energy to do this but you would be amazed about how much fun you could have and how much energy you gain by doing so.

• Think of something you could do and follow through with doing every day with your entire family. Dancing, interactive Video games like Sony PlayStation’s Dance Dance Revolution developed by Konami or many Nintendo Wii games provide entertainment while getting your workout. Maybe your whole family enjoys a sport or your kids could get involved in local sports. Ideas are endless and most could be done with any type of budget and lifestyle.

• Limit television, computer games and non-interactive video games. Technology is likely the main cause of childhood (and adult) obesity.

Now that we have the knowledge it is time to make some lifelong changes. Don’t even mention to your children the changes or the fact that it is for weight loss or weight maintenance, just make it an enjoyable part of your daily lives. It can be a fun family experience that will benefit you and your children both emotionally and physically for a lifetime.

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Christmas • page 1

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enforce the lesson throughout the year in preparation for next Christmas.

the amount of money, come into the equation (except if the gift is out of budget).

Before you go out and buy the super cool gaming system for your kids or grandkids because it’s the best thing on the market, it might be a good idea to step back first. Are you buying simply to satisfy your own ego? Are you buying a gift so to receive a satisfying sense of pride and gratitude on Christmas morning? If you are gifting to kids, why did the giving just become all about you?

5) 5) Ditching the “I have to buy better than I did last year” mentality

2) Buying Gifts for your own Recognition

The lesson to teach: This one is mostly for parents and grandparents. It’s not about you. Don’t let your gifting become the talk of the family. If you are giving to gain recognition or be showered with praise, there may be a problem with your reasons for gifting in the first place.

3) Buying “The Same Amount of Gifts”

Again, much like point number one, it’s not about a number. It is okay for little Emily to have four gifts and Johnny to have three. These gifts are not to be equated to the amount of love given to the recipient, but there may be a reason for the difference. Of course this is all within reason. A difference of 18 gifts to four may be a showing of impartiality toward one or the other.

I have seen kids shove “filler gifts” in their closet and bring them out for the spring yard sale. One simple question to your kids or grand kids asking for the “one special thing” they really want, or putting some thought into the individuality of your recipient must be in order before you head out to grab just “a few more things” just to make the gift numbers even.

The lesson to teach: Again, if there is someone counting, the problem isn’t with the numbers, it’s with the counter.

This is an area for a lesson about love, giving, receiving, gratitude and thankfulness.

4) Letting Children think Gifts Equal Love

We consider the most selfish children in America as those who connect love to the greatness of the gift. Remember that a child learns what he or she is taught by their family, and if a child displays this type of behavior towards gift giving, then it is obvious that somewhere along the way there is a lack of responsible parenting. That is the real issue.

In reality, gifts are not designed to show, in financial value, how much we love our kids. Who could measure the product of $300 worth of love anyway?

The lesson to teach: Correct gifting can be done with one well thought out gift, if it is the right gift.

And at no point should

Who says that your gifts have to escalate in value as your kids get older? They don’t.

I actually heard a conversation the other day where a woman in the workplace was discussing Christmas in a hateful tone. The woman spewing the negativity made evident that it was all due to the expectations of her only child. She had, in years past, began to buy the most popular, most expensive, most “my kid needs to have this” style gifts that could be found in her area. And each year the problem escalates into ‘what to get next that will beat what I did last year.’ She is stuck with each new Christmas season when she has no clue what the hottest thing on the market is going to be. Her thought process for buying has nothing to do with a gift to her son from her heart, but only rather to make sure her son has the most sophisticated game system so that his precious mind will be able to be molded into mush while he plays with his friends and shows off his new status as gamer of the year.

The lesson to teach: If you got your little girl a stuffed pony last year, does she really need a Black Stallion this year?

6) Spending More than you can Afford

Why? The first step in Christmas spending must be to make a budget. If a request of a Christmas list item is outside the budget, then it stays on the list. Remember, kids make lists from their wild imaginations and the prompting of television commercials. Most children have no clue of the true financial value of the gifts they request. If they equate your love to the size of your gift, it may be time to look at the lesson in point number 4.

The lesson to teach: This one is mostly for parents and grandparents. In this tight economy, your family should understand that the household works under the restraints of a carefully planned budget. None of the kids or grandkids should have any problems showing up at your house knowing that there is plenty of love to go around, even if the gifts are few. For those who may have a problem with the shortage of gifts, this is a great opportunity to teach that your love is unconditional but your budget is conditional. That’s more powerful than any Ninja Turtle game set (which may be shoved in the to box until Spring Cleaning).

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The idea that all Gifts need to be New

Recently, at my 3 - y e a r- o l d ’s birthday party, after he opened over

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ten gifts, the one he ran around with the most was a small gift that had been re-gifted to him. It was actually a used toy, but it made him so happy. Two years ago I bought my sister a figurine for 50 cents at the Salvation Army. I’m not afraid to tell her what I paid, because it’s not the price that counts.

The lesson to teach: Understanding that a new gift being purchased from a nonprofit you are supporting may not be the latest and greatest big thing, but the family should know that it’s not the price tag that counts. Personally, I would be thrilled if someone could gift to me an original Nintendo with Excite-bike and Pitfall games. If the right gift is not in a new box, it is still the right gift.

8) Giving out of obligation

With so many people in our extended families today, not counting coworkers, friends at church, and neighbors, it could become overwhelming when we make a list of those who we would like to gift at Christmas time. Again, this is where budgeting comes in and where it is instrumental. If you can afford to give a gift to the grandkids, one special person at work, one special person the church, and maybe a neighbor, that may be all you can afford. Stick to your plans and don’t be swayed by holiday gift giving guilt.

The lesson to teach: We all have experienced the situation when somebody at work brings us an unexpected gift, and we feel guilty that we had not planned on returning the favor. The lesson here, however, is that it is okay to receive even when you are not the giver. Whoever it was who spent last night wrapping candies in the cellophane and making a homemade gift of baked goods, did it with you in mind. As a graceful receiver of the gift, there is nothing that states that you must run and bake cookies to return the favor. Simply say thank you and understand now how important you are to this person. It might be a good time to write them onto your Christmas lives for next year for such a wonderful friendship that you will build over the next 12 months, and make sure you write a special thank you for their thoughtful offering.

9) Having to outspend a separated parent

For children from broken homes, the world of having your mom and your dad bouncing you around, and living what seems like two separate lives and lifestyles can be grueling. As a child, it’s not your fault even though it might feel like it is. Know that, most often, the separation of two adults and their inability to achieve their number one goal as a parent, is primarily due to their own selfishness. That alone leads to a huge Christmas problem.

The lesson to teach: Last year mom bought Junior an iPad. Now it’s Dads turn to “out give” mom. Dad feels that his gift needs to be better. What happens is that neither the child or the iPad are the real center of what should be the healthy aspect of giving. The focus has now changed to “who is going to spend more money on the child,” and who is going to buy a larger gift in an effort to buy the child’s love. And many times the parent(s) that fall into this trap will find themselves with many months of paying off large amounts of Christmas debt.

7

Yes We Can Newspaper

Loving

on our

Youth

By Ethel Martin-Miller

Come join us in our next “Loving On Our Youth Event” Your participation is needed in making this Special Day a total success for the youth within the Inland Empire.

These are some difficult days for our young people and they need to know that we love them, we want the best for them and their future. One might ask the question; “what is the “Loving On Our Youth Event” well, let me try to explain what it is and how your involvement is needed in the planning of this event which is planned for the later part of the first quarter of 2015.

Let’s face it, our young people need our guidance and support from Middle High School, High School and College ages. This is not the time to turn and look the other way, we must know that we are losing so many of our young people to the peer pressures in their lives. Our children need us the adults, parent, friends, politicians and educators to help them through their personal journey’s.

Our Youth are our future, who will be running this country in just a fews years and we want to make sure that we have done all that we can do in directing them down the correct paths. ALL OF THEM are our children and we love THEM and want the best for THEM ALL.

You might say how do we reach our youth?

One way is to get involved in the “Loving On Our Youth Events. We don’t ask much of you, but what we do ask is if you were a troubled young person and finally got your life together and if you would care enough to come and share

your personal journey’s (stories) and testimonies and especially if you were told at a young age that you would not turn out to be anything and you have proven otherwise, then we need you at this event to share what happened in your life that made those statements wrong. We need ALL kinds of different stories to speak to our youth. We need the Originals (OG’s) from the streets to come and help out on that day. Most kids will listen to those who have experienced what they are going through, come and involve yourself in helping to reach our kids on their levels. Come and help us with time, talent and input.

We launched our first “Loving On Our Youth” on October 11th in Pomona. There they heard some Original OG’s give their testimonies (personal stories), great music, skits, monologues and dance. The young people all were given a personal gift and served a yummy snack. They enjoyed the event and felt love from the adults that were present. Its true, when they see us at these events it lets them know we are truly concern and we believe in them.

We are also looking for young people that are focus on their education and have made goals for themselves as well, to come and encourage their peers that are struggling, in trouble, are or threating droppingout and feeling discourage with themselves. We have the

greatest opportunity before us and that is “Loving On Our Youth” help us try to do something different in reaching our young people and their peers.

Check out some of the photos of our successfully launched “Loving On Our Youth” event. We need your help and input to make sure our youth get the love, support and encouragement that they need. Get involved in the next event contact: Daniel or Ethel Miller at 909-2787046 we would love to hear from you.

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