In revealing Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren gave rise to a revolutionary religion that promises to enable anyone to bring forth absolutely happy, courageous, wise, compassionate, creative and powerful condition called Buddhahood from within.

So was post-partum mom right? Was there something wrong with my upbringing? Did I miss some parental, spiritual lesson that would have saved me from Buddhism? No. My Christian parents taught me to treat others like I want to be treated, reach out to people with compassion, forgive, withhold scornful judgment, love, stand against injustice and be a person who creates peace. They taught me to work hard, learn all I can and think for myself.

[Full Expression] Being daughter of my bible-reading daddy and church-going mother, teachings of Christ will always hit a resounding chord within my soul. I feel that through Buddhist practice I fully express heart of those teachings. I believe that these same teachings are essence of what it means to be human.

For me, Nichiren Buddhism enables me to bring these core values to life every day. I think this is why there have even been times when my mother has picked up on a bad vibe I'm giving off and asked, "Have you been praying?" Ma hasn't asked me this often, but whenever my funky mood has led her to do so, truth is that I've hardly been praying at all. In her Southern Baptist, mother-love way, Ma leads me back to faith of my choice where I sit before my family's altar and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo until my heart is content.

M. LaVora Perry's words can also be read on Kids and "Peace Through Prayer" pages of her website: www.FortuneChildBooks.com

In 1995 author M. LaVora Perry became American Greetings'® (AG's) first African-American greeting card writer. Since then, her words have appeared on gift items worldwide.

Determine exactly how much money you have in your account even if you have to go to bank for help.

Enter that information on a new page in your check register.

Enter date, your check number, payee and amount in your check register when you write check. Don't worry about people in line behind you. This will only take a few seconds. If you like, you can deduct amount of check when you get home.

Take your check book with you when you use ATM and enter your withdrawal while you are still at machine.

Develop a system to deduct automatic withdrawals. It is probably best to deduct these on first of each month.

Add any deposits as you make them. You need to find out how much and when direct deposits should be entered in your check register.

When you receive your bank statement, reconcile it as soon as possible. If you find any descrepancies check them out immediately. Don't give up until you are sure you have resolved problem. The balance you show in your check register should match bank, less any bank charges.

When you reconcile your bank statement be sure to clearly mark checks that have been returned to you. One of biggest problems people have with overdrafts is missing a check that is taking a long time clearing bank. Go back at least a month to make sure all previous check have cleared.

I really don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence with this article. Having problems with your checking account, as with all other money problems, isn't a matter of intelligence anyway, it's a matter of discipline. It can cost you a lot of money by not applying that discipline to managing your checking account.