Brain-boosting Chewing Gum

Someone has invented a brain-enhancing gum…

Think Gum is a sugar-free candy-coated chewing gum carefully designed to enhance mental performance. It contains potent herbs and herbal extracts that are scientifically demonstrated to improve concentration, increase alertness, reduce careless errors and enhance information recall.

Has anyone tried it? What are your thoughts?

Facebook info

My life in days, minutes, hours and seconds

As of 7/18/2007 2:07:07 PM EDT

I was 49 years old;
or 588 months old;
or 2,559 weeks old;
or 17,914 days old;
or 429,950 hours old;
or 25,797,007 minutes old;
or 1,547,820,427 seconds old.

When it's put like that, life really is short!

***** And according to the same site, some trivia about my name *****

You entered: Monique Agatha Berry

There are 18 letters in your name.
Those 18 letters total to 92
There are 8 vowels and 10 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:

Latin	Female	Variant of Monica: To advise. Counselor.
Greek	Female	Variant of Monica: Alone. Advisor.
French	Female	Variant of Mona: madonna. Wise.

Your number is: 11

The characteristics of #11 are: High spiritual plane, intuitive, illumination, idealist, a dreamer.

The expression or destiny for #11:
Your Expression number is 11. The number 11 is the first of the master numbers. It is associated with idealistic concepts and rather spiritual issues. Accordingly, it is a number with potentials that are somewhat more difficult to live up to. You have the capacity to be inspirational, and the ability to lead merely by your own example. An inborn inner strength and awareness can make you an excellent teacher, social worker, philosopher, or advisor. No matter what area of work you pursue, you are very aware and sensitive to the highest sense of your environment. Your intuition is very strong; in fact, many psychic people and those involved in occult studies have the number 11 expression. You possess a good mind with keen analytical ability. Because of this you can probably succeed in most lines of work, however, you will do better and be happier outside of the business world. Oddly enough, even here you generally succeed, owing to your often original and unusual approach. Nonetheless, you are more content working with your ideals, rather than dollars and cents.

The positive aspect of the number 11 expression is an always idealistic attitude. Your thinking is long term, and you are able to grasp the far-reaching effects of actions and plans. You are disappointed by the shortsighted views of many of your contemporaries. You are deeply concerned and supportive of art, music, or of beauty in any form.

The negative attitudes associated with the number 11 expression include a continuous sense of nervous tension; you may be too sensitive and temperamental. You tend to dream a lot and may be more of a dreamer than a doer. Fantasy and reality sometimes become intermingled and you are sometimes very impractical. You tend to want to spread the illumination of your knowledge to others irrespective of their desire or need.

Your Soul Urge number is: 4

A Soul Urge number of 4 means:
With the Soul Urge or Motivation number of 4 you are likely to strive for a stable life. You tend to follow a rather orderly pattern and systematic approach in your endeavors. You have an inner desire to serve others in a methodical and diligent manner. You want to be in solid, conventional, and well-regulated activities, and you are somewhat disturbed by innovation and erratic or sudden changes. Excellent at organizing, systematizing, and managing, you have a way of establishing order and maintaining it. You are responsible, reliable and in the final analysis, practical. Highly analytical, you can see your way through all sorts of situations and generally have a clear understanding of the issues. You are a very honest, sincere, and conscientious individual.

The negative side of the 4 is rigid, stubborn and somewhat narrow-minded. There is a tendency to hide feelings, or to really not be aware of real feelings. Avoid being too rigid and stubborn in your thinking, and try to always see the big picture rather than becoming to involved with the detail. Don't be afraid to take a chance once in awhile.

Your Inner Dream number is: 7

An Inner Dream number of 7 means:
You dream of having the opportunity to read, study, and shut yourself off from worldly distractions. You can see yourself as a teacher, mystic, or ecclesiastic, spending your life in the pursuit of knowledge and learning.

If you're REALLY bored, try the "Endless Deep"

Do you recall in the movie "Contact" where the camera starts from space and then keeps zooming in all the way to Dr. Airoway's eye? Well, if you're really bored, you may spend minutes, hours, even days zooming into this site. Check out the Endless Deep. Just pick a spot, click, and see where you end up--if there is an end!!!

My Favorite Poem

Psalm to My Beloved
Lo, I have opened unto you the wide gates of my being
and like a tide, you have flowed into me.
The innermost recesses of my spirit are full of you,
and all the channels of my soul are grown sweet with your presence.
For you have brought me peace
the peace of great tranquil waters, and the quiet of the summer sea.
Your hands are filled with peace as the noontide is filled with light;
about your head is bound the eternal quiet of the stars,
and in your heart dwells the calm miracle of twilight.
I am utterly content.
In all my spirit is no ripple of unrest,
for I have opened unto you wide the gates of my being
and like a tide, you have flowed into me.

Favorite Quotes

• Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast. - Unknown
• You get what you tolerate. - Unknown
  
• Your mind is an open window. Make sure you take time to look out of it; you may just find what you're looking for. - Unknown
  
• Live each day in a day-tight compartment. Touch a button and hear, at every level of your life, the iron doors shutting out the Past--the dead yesterdays. - Unknown
  
• Love looks through a telescope; envy, through a microscope. Henry Wheeler Shaw
• Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk. [Doug Larson]
• For every person with a spark of genius, there are a hundred with ignition trouble.
• God wisely designed the human body so that we can neither pat our own backs nor kick ourselves too easily. - Unknown
• A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. - Winston Churchill
• No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt
• A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can see from a mountain top.
• A word is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and context according to the circumstance and the time in which it was used. [Oliver Wendell Holmes]
• The man who put on his armor should not brag. It's the man who lives to take it off who has the right to brag [1 K 20:11]

Psychological Crucifixion

I journaled the following message at a time when I was burdened with guilt for giving in to temptations. I reasoned, Good Christians don't do these things. It was hard to believe that He saw me in a positive way, or that He would want to use me. That's when He told me to journal these words:

Monique? Why do you continue to crucify the Lord? He died once; IT IS FINISHED. [If He wanted my attention, He had it.]

Why does your mind bleed from the mental thorns of the past? He laid a crown of thorns on His head; He already received the necessary judgment for sins committed in your mind--known and unknown. Why do you crucify yourself with shame while remembering your past actions? His hands were nailed to the cross; He already received the required judgment for all the sins committed by your former actions. Why do you crucify yourself with guilt for walking in unrighteous ways? His feet was nailed to the tree for sins committed in your rebellious walk. Why do you pierce your heart and bleed with worry and unforgiveness? His heart was pierced for sins committed against others--times when you lacked compassion and forgiveness for yourself and those who were weak.

A crown of thorns for sins committed by thought. Nail-driven wrists for sins committed by past actions. Nail-driven feet for sins committed during your walk of rebellion. A pierced heart for unforgiveness towards yourself and your fellow men.

Rise up and walk in the life He planned for you. He died once to destroy the works of your enemy. Stop giving your accuser the victory. IT IS FINISHED.

We grieve His heart when we don't let go of our past. Remember: we bear His image. Is it any wonder that unbelievers fear coming to the living God? He is within us--rejoicing over us triumphs. But is that what people see? Probably not. Instead, we appear before others as emotionally, physically, and spiritually baptized in defeat.

There is no need to live in the tomb of guilt and regret. It's true; our Savior paid an unimaginable price for our sins. But He is risen! Let us reward His sacrifice by living in joy, victory, and thankfulness.

* If you have been blessed by reading this, please email me at msg4monique@gmail.com or leave a comment. Allow me the privilege of knowing that another precious soul has been touched by The Comforter.

My homepage: http://moniqueberry.googlepages.com
My magazine: http://perspectivesmagazine.googlepages.com

My Pages

Here are my other web pages:

• My personal page
• My magazine page
• My favorite websites

Thanks for visiting and please feel free to leave comments.

Things to Think About

A Lesson about Holding Resentment

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.
As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out.
"Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"
"Brother," the second monk replied. "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

*****

Trying to Understand God

Trying to understand God is like a newborn babe in a cradle placed in the lobby of a grand hotel and expecting him to comprehend the structural design and all the luxuries offered in each room on every floor. All that baby understands, is that he is safe and warm and dry. And when he is hungry and cries, someone will feed him and take care of him. We can only grasp a faint shadow of reality that accommodates our small minds.

*****

Question of the Week

• What if God dreamed He was dreaming?
  
• What would you look like if your inner self seeped out onto your face and body?
• If you were guaranteed honest responses to any three questions, what would you ask?
  

Suggestions for Family Journals

If you are writing a journal for your children (if they are teens or adults), and need some suggestions, let the following prompts get the ink flowing. They come from a gift book I make, and sell, called "Thanks for the Memories".

* A strong trait I admire in you is...
* A lesson you have taught me...
* The most memorable gift you gave me was...
* My most memorable holiday with you was when...
* I really enjoyed the time...
* Things I love doing with you are...
* When I think of you, I think of...
* An event that marked a turning point in our relationship was...
* A difficult experience you helped me through was...
* An accomplishment of yours I am most proud of is...
* A memory that brings me the most comfort is...

Trust me--these prompts will capture your love and encouragement in print.

Keep the ink flowing.

Written Umbilical Cord

One year before my mother's death, I encouraged her to start journaling her childhood memories. I never knew if she accepted my suggestion until I found her journal after the funeral. I was overwhelmed to find personal statements like, "Monique, I wanted you to know..." in her journal. I want to give that same gift to my children someday.

What an unspeakable privilege it was, and is, to read my mother's journal: her honesty, her thoughts, her dreams, her struggles, and her unshakable faith in God. Holding her thoughts in my hand is like a life source between us--a connection, a written umbilical cord. The best thing about having her journal is that I can go over her writings, again and again, without forgetting what she said.

When I visit her grave site, I look down and think...truly, here lies buried treasure.


Here's to keeping the ink flowing,
LadyM~Monique Berry.

New Magazine for Imaginative Writers

Perspectives Magazine
Submissions are being accepted for the new Canadian biannual Perspectives Magazine. Who writes for Perspectives? New and published writers looking to stretch their imaginative ability by giving inanimate objects human qualities. Write about an object’s world from its perspective. Rights: First rights. Response time: 4 - 8 weeks. Payment: Exposure only. Contributors will receive a magazine copy. Click here for the writer's guidelines or email perspectivesmagazine@gmail.com with “Request Guidelines” in the subject line.