When you're down & out ....

Confide in a Friend

When you're tired and worn at the close of the day
And things just don't seem to be going your way,
When even your patience has come to an end,
Try taking time and confide in a friend.

Perhaps he too may have walked the same road
With a much troubled heart and burdensome load,
To find peace and comfort somewhere near the end,
When he stopped long enough to confide in a friend.

For then are most welcome a few words of cheer,
For someone who willingly lends you an ear.
No troubles exist that time cannot mend,
But to get quick relief, just confide in a friend.

- Author Unknown

Personal Note from Reverend Clegg:

To all my couples I have married in the past, you will remember that I offered you my counseling services FREE OF CHARGE. Please don't let a "pebble become a big boulder." Remember I am always your friend and will be there anytime day or night. Blessings, Elisheva

Spouses Have A Hand in Quelling Anxiety

To my couples that I have married and to those couples which intend to get married soon, please read this article by Christopher Lee published on December 27, 2006 from the Washington Post. For those of you I have married, I am sure you will remember that I emphasized the importance of "touching each other, holding hands and looking at each other daily as the wonderous, beautiful gifts you are to each other."

Washington Post, December 27, 2006:
Spouses Have A Hand in Quelling Anxiety

Husbands and wives lean on each other, but it turns out that lending a hand is good, too. Research published in this month's edition of the journal Psychological Science found that women facing a stressful event experienced less anxiety when they held their husband's hands.

In the study, 16 married women underwent a series of trials in which they were shown an image of a red X, indicating a 20 percent chance of a mild electric shock to an ankle, or a blue O, indicating no chance of a shock. Each woman variously held the hand of her husband, a stranger or no hand at all.

Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) scans to assess how the women's brains responded. Holding any hand helped relax the women, they found, but holding the spouse's hand had an especially powerful effect."

"Holding any hand at all calms regions of the brain that are responsible for the body's physical stress response," said neuroscientist James A Coan of the University of Virginia, the study's lead author. "But only the spousal hand affected regions of the brain that are responsible for worrying...This is the region which is thought to be associated with your experience of pain."

The findings are in line with other research showing that social ties have beneficial effects on health. Married people are , on average, healthier and happier than unmarried people, researchers have found. And those in the happiest marriages tend to have lower risks of infection and faster recovery from injury than people in less blissful unions. Similarly, although all of the couples in the experiment rated themselves as happily married, women in the most satistying marriages experienced the most potent calming effect of holding their husbands' hands.

"We discovered that spouses may be acting as a kind of analgesic in the high-quaility relationships," Coan said.

- Christopher Lee

****************************************************
From Reverend Clegg:

The best way to go through life's challenges is to share our experiences.

We are all connected. At any time we find ourselves as both student and teacher to each other. So I'd like for you after reading this article, to feel free to add your comments, with your feedback and/or your experiences, which may help some other couple to deal with situations within their lives.

Blessings, Elisehva

Welcome

Greetings. My name is Elisheva C. Clegg. I am an ordained interfaith minister, chaplain and pastoral counselor, M.A. serving Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland and North Carolina.

“Creating personalized, original ceremonies incorporating practices, rituals, prayers, poems, readings and music honoring the cultural, ethnic and racial diversity of each couple.”

A personalized ceremony is much more than the action of arranging and selecting poems, rituals, readings, etc. The ceremony is the CORE of the wedding and should capture the depth of meaning for the couple’s journey together. Each couple is a co-creator of their ceremony in expressing their love, commitment, hopes and desires for their future.

I use many avenues to accomplish this goal. One such avenue is the completion of a questionnaire by the bride and groom individually which allows them to express themselves fully while offering the necessary answers which allow me to get to know each on a deeper level. My role as a wedding minister is very sacred to me. To be a part of a couple’s commitment to travel the path of life together is one of the truly emotionally gratifying experiences.

To each couple I offer the opportunity to remain in contact for future consultation, if and when, there may arise one of those unexpected “bumps” along life’ journey. No one has ever sailed through life without facing bad weather, cross winds, or one of those rare hurricanes. Such contact is extended without charge.

Reverend Clegg is assisted at most weddings by her husband of thirty-five years.

About Reverend T. Wade Clegg III

Reverend Clegg completed all written requirements at The New Seminary (TNS) in New York in May 2003. Due to health complications, he delayed ordination in New York, and continued the ordination process while in Florida.

He was ordained by Lighthaven Interfaith Seminary, an affiliate of Universal University of Holistic Spirituality (UUHS) in Clearwater, Florida, the only accredited interfaith university in Florida, with college headquarters now in Panama City, Panama. He received his ministerial assignment to Universal Oneness United in May 2005.

Reverend Clegg was registered as a premarital preparation provider and affiant in Florida prior to moving to Virginia, where he is presently registered for ministerial duties in the Commonwealth of Virginia by the Fluvanna County Clerk of the Court in Palmyra, Virginia.

Reverend T. Wade Clegg III is a retired Air Force Officer,former businessman, broadcaster, and certified organic farmer. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Radio Television Journalism (1966), and received a graduate certificate in Communication at the Norman Campus of the University of Oklahoma (1972).