Friends
Some
Rules
Common
Sense
A
Reason
A
Story to live By.
A
Tear for Mankind
Advice
from Men to Women
After
a While You Learn
All Good
Things
Big Rocks
Brain Teaser
The Question
Are
you strong Enough to handle critics
The small
Gift
My
own personal hero
Take a stand
Be yourself
Our Deepest
Fear
On Parenting
Courage
on demand
One at a
time
The Optimist
Two
things not to worry about
Living Example
A father's
love
To my
grown up son
I've Learned
Friends:
Follow these
Life Guides. These life style suggestion are the "Tantra Totem" of
Good Luck from Nepal, Enjoy!!
These are some of the articles and poems collected by me and my best friend Urusa. Most of them are from her collection though.
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there...to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become.
You never know who these people may be but when you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible,painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, will power or heart.
Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occurs to test the limits of your soul. Without these tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned form. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.
If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance or being cautious to whom you open your heart to.
If someone loves you, love them back nonconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things.
Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen.
Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high.
Hold your head up high because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go out and live it. Top
My brother-in-law
opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and
Lifted out a tissue-wrapped
package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is
lingerie."
He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite;
silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with
an astronomical figure was still attached. "Jan bought this the first
time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore
it. She said she was saving it for a special occasion. Well,
I guess this is the special occasion."
He took the slip
from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we
were taking to
the undertaker. His hands lingered on the soft material
for a moment....
then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't
ever save anything
for a special occasion!! Every day you're alive is a
special occasion."
I remembered those
words through the funeral and the following days when
I helped him and
my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an
unexpected death.
I remembered them on the plane returning home from
the Midwestern
town where my sister's family lived.
I thought about
all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I
thought about the
things that she had done without realizing that they
were special.
I'm still thinking
about those words, and they have changed my life.
I'm reading more
and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the
view without fussing
over the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more
time with my family
and friends and less time in business meetings.
Whenever possible,
life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not
endure. I'm
trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.
I'm not "saving"
anything: I use the good China and Crystal for every
"special" event
- such as losing a pound, unstopping the sink, or the
first Camellia
blossom in the garden.
I wear my good clothes
to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if
I look great; I
can certainly shell out the $28.50 it takes for one small
Bag of groceries
without wincing. I'm not "saving" my good cologne only for
special parties;
clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have
noses that function
just as well those of my party-going friends.
"Someday" and "one
of those days" are losing their grip in my
vocabulary.
If it's worth seeing and hearing and doing, I want to see and hear and
do it now.
I'm not sure what
my sister would have done had she known that she
wouldn't be here
for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I like to think
she would have
called family members and a few close friends. She might
have called a few
former friends to apologize and mend fences for past
squabbles.
She might have gone out for Chinese dinner. her favorite food.
I guess I'll
never know.
It's those little
things left undone that would make me angry if I knew
that my hours were
limited. Angry, because I put off seeing good friends
whom I was going
to get in touch with. Angry, because I hadn't written certain
letters that I
intended to write - "one of those days". Angry and sorry that I didn't
tell my spouse and siblings often enough how much I TRULY love them.
I'm trying very
hard now not to put off, hold back, or save anything
That would ad laughter
and luster to our lives.
And every morning
when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.
Every day, every
minute, every breath truly is. A Gift from God.
If you've received
this it is because someone cares for you, and it
Means that there
is probably someone for whom you care. If you're too busy
Right now to take
a few minutes that it would take to forward this to a few
People you care
about, would it be the first time you didn't do that little
thing that would
make a difference in your relationships? I can certainly
Tell you that it
won't be the last.
I don't have to
make up silly stories about people being hit by buses or
being crushed by
falling disco balls for not sending this word along.
We've all seen
the result of this neglect in our own relationships that we've
allowed to fade,
dissolve, and fall into disrepair.
Please, take this
opportunity to set a new trend. Take a few minutes to
send this word
along to a few people you care about - to let them know
that you're thinking
about them......
MAY LOVE LIGHT YOUR LIFE WITH BLESSING!
You've got to dance
like nobody's watching, and love like it's never
going to hurt.
People say true
friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't
need to hold hands
because they know the other hand will always be there. Top
A Boy asks?
'Why are you crying?'
he asked his mom.
'Because I'm a
woman' she told him.
'I don't understand,'
he said.
His mom just hugged
him and said, 'And you never will'.
Later the little
boy asked his father, 'Why does mother seem to cry for
no reason?'
'All women cry
for no reason' was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to GOD; when GOD got on the phone, the man said, 'GOD, why do women cry so easily?'
GOD said…When I made women she had to be special.
I made her shoulders
strong enough to carry the weight of the world;
yet, gentle enough
to give comfort.
I gave her an inner
strength to endure childbirth and the
rejection that
many times comes from her children.
I gave her a hardness
that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up and take care
of her family through sickness
and fatigue without
complaining.
I gave her the sensitivity
to love her children under any and all
circumstances,
even when her child has hurt them very badly.
This same sensitivity
helps her to make a child's boo-boo feel better
and shares in their
teenagers’ anxieties and fears.
I gave her strength
to carry her husband through his faults
and fashioned her
from his rib to protect his heart.
I gave her wisdom
to know that a good husband never hurts his wife,
but sometimes tests
her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him
unfalteringly.
I gave her a tear
to shed,
It's hers exclusively
to use whenever it is needed.
It's her only weakness.
It's a tear for mankind. Top
1. The floor is considered an acceptable clothing storage location.
2. Never ask me to purchase feminine products. Assume that I will come home with the wrong thing.
3. When watching TV hugging is always fine because I can still see the screen. Kissing should only be done during timeouts and commercials. Questions should also be limited to this period as you stand a much better chance of getting an immediate response.
4. When we are watching your show and I change the channels during a commercial do not hassle me to change the channel back. I always know when the timing is right. Also, when we are channel surfing do not ask me to go back, there was a good reason why I skipped it.
5. If you need help with the laundry, I am more than willing to carry it from the bedroom to the washer. In my mind this is half the chore and I am now free to return to the couch.
6. If I mention that a male friend of mine is allowed to do something it is not necessary for you to call his wife/girlfriend to discuss it.
7. If you don't
like the way I am driving close your eyes. And I would appreciate it
if you would refrain
from making that reverse inhaling alarmed noise. I haven't hit anything
yet and if I do it will be your fault.
8. I go clothes shopping to buy, never to look.
9. Just tell me what you want me to wear before I get dressed. And remember that this takes me less than ten minutes no matter what the occasion is. After all I am getting dressed, not getting ready.
10. Don't ask me
if I prefer one outfit over another or if a certain accessory should
be worn or not.
I consider this a no win situation and would rather just wait for you to
get dressed while watching TV.
11. I will cook anything as long as it is on the BBQ.
12. Yelling to me across the house sounds exactly like stadium crowd background noise to me. I am not ignoring you. Top
After a while you
learn the subtle difference between
Holding a hand
and chaining a soul
And you learn that
love doesn't always mean security
And you begin to
understand that kisses aren't contracts and
Presents aren't
promises
And you being to
accept your defeats
With your head
up and your eyes ahead
With the grace
of a woman not the grief of a child
And you learn to
build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's
ground is too uncertain for plans
And the futures
have a way of falling down in mid-flight
After a while you
learn that even sunshine burns
If you get too
much
So you plant your
own garden and decorate your own soul
Instead of waiting
for someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that
you really can endure
That you really
are strong and you really do have worth
And you learn
And you learn
With every goodbye
you learn Top
He was in the first
third grade class I taught at Saint Mary's School in Morris, Minn.
All 34 of my students
were dear to me, but Mark Eklund was one in a million. Very neat in appearance,
but had that happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional mischievousness
delightful. Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and again
that talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so
much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him
for misbehaving - "Thank you for correcting me, Sister! "I didn't know
what to make of it at first, but before long I became accustomed to hearing
it many times a day.
One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked once too often, and then I made a novice-teacher's mistake. I looked at Mark and said, "If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut! "It wasn't ten seconds later when Chuck blurted out, "Mark is talking again." I hadn't asked any of the students to help me watch Mark, but since I had stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to act on it. I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked to my desk, very deliberately opened my drawer and took out a roll of masking tape. Without saying a word, I proceeded to Mark's desk, tore off two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I then returned to the front of the room. As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing, he winked at me. That did it! I started laughing. The class cheered as I walked back to Mark's desk, removed the tape, and shrugged my shoulders. His first words were "Thank you for correcting me, Sister."
At the end of the year, I was asked to teach junior-high math. The years flew by, and before I knew it Mark was in my classroom again. He was more handsome than ever and just as polite. Since he had to listen carefully to my instruction in the "new math," he did not talk as much in ninth grade as he had in third.
One Friday, things just didn't feel right. We had worked hard on a new concept all week and I sensed that the students were frowning, frustrated with themselves - and edgy with one another. I had to stop this crankiness before it got out of hand. So I asked them to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then I told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. I took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed me the papers. Charlie smiled. Mark said, "Thank you for teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend. ".
That Saturday, I wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday I gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" I heard whispered. "I never knew that meant anything to anyone!" "I didn't know others liked me so much." No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another again. That group of students moved on.
Several years later,
after I returned from vacation, my parents met me at the airport. As we
were driving home, Mother asked me the usual questions about the trip –
the weather, my experiences in general. There was a lull in the conversation.
Mother gave Dad a side-ways glance and simply says, "Dad?" My father cleared
his throat as he usually did before something important. "The Eklunds called
last night," he began. "Really?" I said. "I haven't heard from them in
years. I
wonder how Mark
is. "Dad responded quietly. "Mark was killed in Vietnam, "he said.
"The funeral is tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could attend.
"To this day I can still point to the exact spot on I-494 where Dad told
me about Mark.
I had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. Mark looked so handsome, so mature. All I could think at that moment was, Mark I would give all the masking tape in the world if only you would talk tome. The church was packed with Mark's friends. Chuck's sister sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Why did it have to rain on the day of the funeral? It was difficult enough at the graveside. The pastor said the usual prayers, and the bugler played taps. One by one those who loved Mark took a last walk by the coffin and sprinkled it with holy water. I was the last one to bless the coffin. As I stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up tome. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. I nodded as I continued to stare at the coffin. "Mark talked about you a lot," he said.
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates headed to Chuck's farmhouse for lunch. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting for me. "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it. "Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. I knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which I had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it. "Mark's classmates started to gather around us. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put it in our wedding album. "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary. "Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said without batting an eyelash. "I think we all saved our lists. "That's when I finally sat down and cried. I cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.
THE END
Written by: Sister
Helen P. Mrosla. The purpose of this letter is to encourage everyone to
compliment the people you love and care about. We often tend to forget
the importance of showing our affections and love. Sometimes the smallest
of things, could mean the most to another. Top
A group of frogs were travelling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, 'Did you not hear us?' The Frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.
This story teaches two lessons:
1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.
2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words ... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.
Be Special to others.
Top
One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"
Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time, the class was onto him. "Probably not", one of the answered.
"Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more, he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted.
Once again, he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "That's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all." What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your dreams? A worthy cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in the jar at all.
So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life or business? Then, put those in your jar first.
Isn't this an awesome thought? How often do we get so caught up in the little things that we forget there is a bigger purpose to all this nonsense called life. Top
1. Three blindfolded people, A, B, and C, each take one hat from a barrel containing three black and two white hats. A and B remove their blindfolds and can then see the hats on the heads of the other two, but not the hat on their own head. A says: “I cannot tell what colour my hat is”. Upon hearing this, B says: “I cannot tell the colour of my hat either.” Hearing these two statements, C, who is still blindfolded, says: “Now I know what colour my hat is.” What colour are hats A, B, and C have?
2. The following conversation takes place between two friends A and B, who have not seen each other for a long time.
A: I have three
sons.
B: How old they
are?
A: The product
of their age is 36.
B: That is not
enough information to answer my question. Can you give me
another clue?
A: Yes, their ages
are integer numbers whose sum is the same as the number
You see on the store across the street.
B: Give me a few
minutes to work with pencil and paper.
B: (a few minutes
later) I have almost got the answer but I need another clue.
A: O.K. The oldest
one has red hair.
B: I have got it.
3. Alice, Bob, Chuck, David, and Ellen live in five different houses that are numbered 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 along a street that runs from south to north, with 105 being farthest north.
Alice does not live
in 105.
Bob does not live
in 101.
Chuck does not
live in either 101 or 105.
David lives in
a house farther north than Bob.
Ellen does not
live in a house adjacent to Chuck.
Chuck does not
live in a house adjacent to Bob.
4. In the following problem each letter stands for a different digit.
DONALD
+
GERALD
________
ROBERT
Given that D=5, what digits are represented by the other letters?
5. The country of Marr is inhabited by two types of people, liars and truars (truth tellers). Liars always lie and truars always tell the truth. Inhabitants of Marr know who are truars and who are liars. As a newly appointed Canadian ambassador to Marr, you are engaged in a conversation with three of Marr’s most prominent citizens: Joan, Shawn, and Peter. At one point of conversation Joan remarks that Shawn and Peter are both liars. Shawn denies that he is a liar, but peter replies that Shawn is indeed a liar. From this information can you determine how may and who of the three are liars and how many and who are truars?
6. Each day, Dave
either walks to work and rides bicycle home, or rides his bicycle to work
and walks home. Either way, the round trip takes one hours. If he were
to ride his bicycle both ways, it would take 30 min. How long would a round
trip take if Dave walks both ways? Top
Isn't
it amazing how few of us ask ourselves the important
question?
Several years ago I was invited to hear an important speaker
address the student
body of a small college in South Carolina. The
auditorium was
filled with students excited about the opportunity
to hear a person
of her stature speak. After the governor gave the
introduction, the
speaker moved to the microphone, looked at the
audience from left
to right, and began:
"I was born to
a mother who was deaf and could not speak. I
do not know
who my father is or was. The first job I ever had was
in a cotton
field."
The audience was spellbound. "Nothing has to remain the way it
is if that's
not the way a person wants it to be," she continued.
"It isn't
luck, and it isn't circumstances, and it isn't being born
a certain
way that causes a person's future to become what it
becomes."
And she softly repeated, "Nothing has to remain the way
it is if
that's not the way a person wants it to be.
"All a person has to do," she added in a firm voice, "to change
a situation
that brings unhappiness or dissatisfaction is answer the
question:
"How do I want this situation to become?" Then the person
must commit
totally to personal actions that carry them there."
Then a beautiful smile shone forth as she said, "My name is Azie
Taylor Morton.
I stand before you today as treasurer of the United
States of
America." Top
Are You Strong Enough to Handle Critics?
It is not the critic who counts, not the man
who points out how
the strong
man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done
them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the
arena, whose
face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives
valiantly,
who errs and comes short again and again because there is
no effort
without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion,
who spends
himself in a worthy cause, who at his best knows in the end
the high
achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while
daring greatly,
knows his place shall never be with those timid and
cold souls
who know neither victory nor defeat. Top
Reverend Chalfant tells of a couple who were celebrating
their golden
wedding anniversary. The husband was asked what the
secret was
to his successful marriage. As the elderly are wont to
do, the
old gentleman answered with a story.
His wife, Sarah, was the only girl he ever dated. He grew up
in an orphanage
and worked hard for everything he had. He never
had time
to date until Sarah swept him off his feet. Before he knew
it she had
managed to get him to ask her to marry him.
After they had said their vows on their wedding day, Sarah's
father took
the new groom aside and handed him a small gift. He said,
"Within
this gift is all you really need to know to have a happy
marriage."
The nervous young man fumbled with the paper and ribbon
until he
got the package unwrapped.
Within the box lay a large gold watch. With great care he picked
it up. Upon
close examination he saw etched across the face of the
watch a
prudent reminder he would see whenever he checked the time of
day . .
. words that, if heeded, held the secret to a successful
marriage.
They were, "Say something nice to Sarah." Top
Uncle Gordyn had always been my own personal hero. When I was six
years old,
he scraped the mud off my dress shoes so I wouldn't get in
trouble.
During my freshman year, Mom and I constantly battled over
whether
I had to wear to school her old, outgrown nylons with ugly
seams. The
subject was never mentioned again after my uncle sided with
me. When
my parents bought my younger brother, but not me, a car, he
righted
that injustice, too.
But what I loved most about him was how he always had the
ability
to make me feel like I was the most precious being in the
entire world.
When my parents were planning their 50th wedding
anniversary,
he told them that he wouldn't attend. Although it had been
20 years
since he and my aunt divorced, the thought of facing the entire
family and
their disapproval was too much for him. Even though he always
said no,
Mom kept asking if he would come. Finally, he told her not to
ask again.
When he did show up at the party, I told him that every time
I called
Mom, I asked if he was coming. "I know, honey," he said,
"that's
why I came." I would forever be his little princess.
When he passed away, I thought, "I'm sad because I'll never have
another
Christmas with him." But somehow my grief went deeper than
that. In
one swift and profound insight, it came to me that although
the grown-up
me had many loving, accepting friends, the six-year-old
inside me,
who had felt rejected and unloved as a child, no longer had
anyone who
saw her a princess, and I desperately needed that.
One night in a dream, I saw Uncle Gordyn swinging the six-year-old
in his arms.
"I did both," he said to the grown-up me. "Now it's your
turn." I
told him I didn't understand. "All these years you didn't love
yourself,"
he said, "so I had to love you enough for me and for you. I
did both.
Now it's your turn." And in my heart, I gathered little Nancy
in my arms
and whispered, "You're my little princess." The look in her
eyes was
one I had seen before - it's the look a little girl gives to
her own
personal hero. Top
Jackie Robinson made history when he became the first
black baseball
player to break into the major leagues by
joining
the Brooklyn Dodgers. Branch Rickey, owner of the
Dodgers
at that time, told Robinson, "It'll be tough.
You're going
to take abuse you never dreamed of. But if
you're willing
to try, I'll back you all the way."
And Rickey was right. Jackie was abused verbally (not
to mention
physically by runners coming into second base).
Racial slurs
from the crowd and members of his own team,
as well
as from opponents, were standard fare.
One day, Robinson was having it particularly tough.
He had booted
two ground balls, and the boos were cascading
over the
diamond. In full view of thousands of spectators,
Pee Wee
Reese, the team captain and Dodger shortstop,
walked over
and put his arm around Jackie right in the
middle of
the game.
"That may have saved my career," Robinson reflected
later. "Pee
Wee made me feel that I belonged."
Be sure that the employees on your team feel that
they belong.Top
You do not have to be your mother unless she
is who
you want
to be. You do not have to be your mother's mother,
or your
mother's mother's mother, or even your grandmother's
mother on
your father's side. You may inherit their chins
or their
hips or their eyes, but you are not destined to
become the
women who came before you. You are not destined
to live
their lives. So if you inherit something, inherit
their strength,
their resilience. Because the only person
you are
destined to become is the person you decide to be.
There are three
engineers in a car: an electrical engineer, a
chemical engineer
and a Microsoft engineer. Suddenly the car just
stops by the side
of the road, and the three engineers look at each
other wondering
what could be wrong.
The electrical engineer
suggests stripping down the electronics of
the car and trying
to trace where a fault might have occurred.
The chemical engineer,
not knowing much about cars, suggests that
maybe the fuel
is becoming emulsified and getting blocked
somewhere.
Then, the Microsoft
engineer, not knowing much about anything,
comes up with a
suggestion, "Why don't we close all the windows, get
out, get back in,
open the windows again, and maybe it'll work?" Top
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't
feel unsure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
As we let our own Light shine; we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear; our presence automatically
liberates others. Top
Your
children are not your children.
They are
the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come
through you but not from you,
And though
they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may
give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they
have their own thoughts.
You may
house their bodies but not their souls,
For their
souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you
cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may
strive to be like them, but seek not to make them
like you,
For life
goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are
the bows from which your children as living arrows
are sent forth.
The archer
sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and
He bends with you His might that His arrows might go
swift and far.
Let your
bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even
as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also
the bow that
is stable. Top
In the summer of 1991, my husband and I were
vacationing
in Ireland.
Being good American tourists, we naturally visited
the Blarney
Castle. And of course when you visit the Blarney
Castle,
you kiss the Blarney Stone. Well, to get to the
Blarney
Stone, you have to walk up several flights of narrow
stairs.
I have always had a fear of heights and am very
claustrophobic,
so I told my husband to go without me and let
me know
if he thought I could do it. When my husband got back,
I asked
him, "Well, what do you think? Do you think I can do
it?" and
before he could answer, two little old ladies came
up to me
and said, "Honey, if we can do it, you can do it!"
So, I kissed
the Blarney Stone!
About a month after I returned from Ireland, I found out
I had breast
cancer. I needed radiation and chemotherapy. The
doctor was
obligated to tell me all the things that might happen
to me as
a result of the chemotherapy. He said I might lose my
hair, I
might become violently sick to my stomach, I might have
severe diarrhea,
I might run a high fever, my jaw might lock,
and so on.
Then he asked, "Are you ready to start?" Oh yeah!
I really
felt ready to start now!
While my husband and I were sitting in the waiting room,
waiting
for my treatment, I became very anxious and scared.
I turned
to him and said, "Do you think I can do this?" Sitting
across from
us were two little old ladies who had just completed
their chemo
treatment! My husband took my hand and said, "Doll,
this is
going to be just like the Blarney Castle! If they can
do it, you
can do it!" And I did it!
Do you know the really neat thing about courage? It
shows up
when you need it! Top
A friend of ours was walking down a deserted
Mexican
beach at
sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another
man in the
distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the
local native
kept leaning down, picking something up and
throwing
it out into the water. Time and again he kept
hurling
things out into the ocean.
As our friend approached even closer, he noticed that
the man
was picking up starfish that had been washed up on
the beach
and, one at time, he was throwing them back into
the water.
Our friend was puzzled. He approached the man and
said, "Good
evening, friend. I was wondering what you are
doing."
"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You
see, it's
low tide right now and all of these starfish have
been washed
up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back
into the
sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."
"I understand," my friend replied, "but there must
be thousands
of starfish on this beach. You can't possibly
get to all
of them. There are simply too many. And don't
you realize
this is probably happening on hundreds of
beaches
all up and down this coast. Can't you see that
you can't
possibly make a difference?"
The local native smiled, bent down and picked up
yet another
starfish, and as he threw it back into the
sea, he
replied, "made a difference to that one!" Top
There is a story of identical twins. One was
a hope-filled
optimist.
"Everything is coming up roses!" he would say. The
other twin
was a sad and hopeless pessimist. He thought that
Murphy,
as in Murphy's Law, was an optimist. The worried parents
of the
boys brought them to the local psychologist.
He suggested to the parents a plan to balance the twins"
personalities.
"On their next birthday, put them in separate
rooms to
open their gifts. Give the pessimist the best toys
you can
afford, and give the optimist a box of manure." The
parents
followed these instructions and carefully observed the
results.
When they peeked in on the pessimist, they heard him
audibly
complaining, "I don't like the color of this computer
. .
I'll bet this calculator will break . . . I don't like
the
game . . . I know someone who's got a bigger toy car than
this . .
."
Tiptoeing across the corridor, the parents peeked in and
saw their
little optimist gleefully throwing the manure up in
the air.
He was giggling. "You can't fool me! Where there's
this much
manure, there's gotta be a pony!" Top
In my life, I have found there are two things about which I
should never
worry. First, I shouldn't worry about the things I
can't change.
If I can't change them, worry is certainly most
foolish
and useless. Second, I shouldn't worry about the things
I can change.
If I can change them, then taking action will
accomplish
far more than wasting my energies in worry. Besides,
it is my
belief that, 9 times out of 10, worrying about
something
does more danger than the thing itself. Give worry
its rightful
place - out of your life. Top
Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad
station
one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the
1952 Nobel
Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came
to a stop,
a giant of a man - six feet four inches - with bushy
hair and
a large mustache stepped from the train. Cameras flashed.
City officials
approached him with hands outstretched. Various
people began
telling him how honored they were to meet him.
The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their
heads, asked
if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked
through
the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black
woman who
was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the
bags and
with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her
aboard,
he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the
greeting
party he apologized, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor
who had
spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to
Schweitzer's
action, one member of the reception committee said
with great
admiration to the reporter standing next to him, "That's
the first
time I ever saw a sermon walking. Top
Fathers seldom say "I love you"
Though the feeling's always there,
But somehow those three little words
Are the hardest ones to share.
And fathers say "I love you"
In ways that words can't match -
With tender bedtime stories -
Or a friendly game of catch!
You can see the words "I love you"
In a father's boyish eyes
When he runs home, all excited,
With a poorly wrapped surprise.
A father says "I love you"
With his strong helping hands -
With a smile when you're in trouble
With the way he understands.
He says "I love you" haltingly,
With awkward tenderness -
(It's hard to help a four-year-old into a party dress!)
He speaks his love unselfishly
By giving all he can
To make some secret dream come true,
Or follow through a plan.
A father's seldom-spoken love
Sounds clearly through the years -
Sometimes in peals of laughter,
Sometimes through happy tears.
Perhaps they have to speak their love
In a fashion all their own.
Because the love that fathers feel
Is too big for words alone! Top
My
hands were busy through the day
I didn't
have much time to play
The little
games you asked me to
I didn't
have much time for you.
I'd wash
your clothes, I'd sew and cook,
But when
you'd bring your picture book
And ask
me please to share your fun,
I'd say:
"A little later, son."
I'd tuck
you in all safe at night
And hear
your prayers, turn out the light,
Then tiptoe
softly to the door . . .
I wish I'd
stayed a minute more.
For life
is short, the years rush past . . .
A little
boy grows up so fast.
No longer
is he at your side,
His precious
secrets to confide.
The picture
books are put away,
There are
no longer games to play,
No good-night
kiss, no prayers to hear . . .
That all
belongs to yesteryear.
My hands,
once busy, now are still.
The days
are long and hard to fill.
I wish I
could go back and do
The little
things you asked me to. Top
I've learned-
that you cannot
make someone love you.
All you can do
is be someone who can be loved.
The rest is up
to them.
I've learned-
that no matter
how much I care,
some people just
don't care back.
I've learned-
that it takes years
to build up trust,
and only seconds
to destroy it.
I've learned-
that it's not what
you have in your life,
but who you have
in your life that counts.
I've learned-
that you can get
by on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that, you'd
better know something.
I've learned-
that you shouldn't
compare
yourself to the
best others can do.
I've learned-
that you can do
something in an instant
that will give
you heartache for life.
I've learned-
that it's taking
me a long time
to become the person
I want to be.
I've learned-
that you should
always leave loved ones
with loving words.
It may be the last
time you see them.
I've learned-
that you can keep
going
long after you
can't.
I've learned-
that we are responsible
for what we do,
no matter how we
feel.
I've learned-
that either you
control your attitude
or it controls
you.
I've learned-
that regardless
of how hot and steamy
a relationship
is at first, the passion fades
and there had better
be something else to take its place.
I've learned-
that heroes are
the people
who do what has
to be done
when it needs to
be done,
regardless of the
consequences.
I've learned-
that money is a
lousy way of keeping score.
I've learned-
that my best friend
and I can do anything
or nothing and
have the best time.
I've learned-
that sometimes
the people you expect
to kick you when
you're down
will be the ones
to help you get back up.
I've learned-
that sometimes
when I'm angry
I have the right
to be angry,
but that doesn't
give me
the right to be
cruel.
I've learned-
that true friendship
continues to grow,
even over the longest
distance.
Same goes for true
love.
I've learned-
that just because
someone doesn't love
you the way you
want them to doesn't
mean they don't
love you with all they have.
I've learned-
that maturity has
more to do with
what types of experiences
you've had
and what you've
learned from them
and less to do
with how many
birthdays you've
celebrated.
I've learned-
that you should
never tell a child
their dreams are
unlikely or outlandish.
Few things are
more humiliating, and what
a tragedy it would
be if they believed it.
I've learned-
that your family
won't always be there for you.
It may seem funny,
but people you aren't
related to can
take care of you and love you
and teach you to
trust people again.
Families aren't
biological.
I've Learned
that no matter
how good a friend is,
they're going to
hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive
them for that.
I've learned-
that it isn't always
enough to be forgiven by
others. Sometimes
you are to learn to forgive yourself.
I've learned-
that no matter
how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't
stop for your grief.
I've learned-
that our background
and circumstances
may have influenced
who we are,
but we are responsible
for who we become.
I've learned-
that just because
two people argue,
it doesn't mean
they don't love each other
And just because
they don't argue,
it doesn't mean
they do.
I've learned-
that we don't have
to change friends
if we understand
that friends change.
I've learned-
that you shouldn't
be so eager to find out a
secret. It could
change your life forever.
I've learned-
that two people
can look at the exact same thing
and see something
totally different.
I've learned-
that no matter
how you try to protect your
children, they
will eventually get hurt and
you will hurt in
the process.
I've learned-
that your life
can be changed in a matter of
hours by people
who don't even know you.
I've learned-
that even when
you think you have no more
to give, when a
friend cries out to you,
you will find the
strength to help.
I've learned-
that credentials
on the wall
do not make you
a decent human being.
I've learned-
that the people
you care about most in life
are taken from
you too soon.
I've learned-
that it's hard
to determine where to draw
the line between
being nice and not hurting
people's feelings
and standing up
for what you believe.
Top
More
to come. So keep checking this page.
