These are some of my favourite poems, stories and quotes that I've collected. It's a pretty large collection (45 pages typed). They aren't in any particular order. But feel free to sift through them. I hope they make you laugh, cry, or just plain inspire you. Enjoy!


It’s Up to You
One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,
One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!
~Author Unknown


Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
And never stops at all.
~Emily Dickinson


There is an old story about a king who had a beautiful ring and three sons. Each son wanted the ring. When the king died, he left three rings for his sons and a note that said: “my dear sons, one of these rings is real and two are fake. The way you will know who has the real ring is that the son with the real ring will be generous and kind to people.” Each of the three spent the rest of his life being good to prove that he had the real ring. It’s the same with religions. The way to show that your religion is true is not to scream and yell about it. The way to show that your religion is true is to live it.
~Marc Gellman


Among my most prized possessions are words I have never spoken.
~Orson Rega Card


Everyone needs recognition for his accomplishments, but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father: “let’s play darts. I’ll throw and you say WONDERFUL!”
~The best of bits and pieces.


“To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer”
~Farmers Almanac 1978


“Imagination is more important than knowledge”
~Albert Einstein


“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”
~Carl Buehner


Fear less hope more;
Whine less breathe more;
Talk less say more;
Hate less love more;
And all good things are yours
~Anonymous


“If you always do what you always did; you’ll always get what you always got”
~Author unknown


“Egotist: a person more interested in himself than in me”
~Ambrose Bierc


A Winner’s Creed
If you think you are beaten you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t;
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t
it’s almost a cinch you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose you’re lost;
For out the world we find success begins
with a person’s faith;
it’s all in the state of mind.

Life’s battles don’t always go
to the stronger or faster hand;
They go to the one who trusts in God
and always thinks “I CAN”
~author unknown


“A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines”
~Frank Lloyd Wright


“Visionary is a self-fulfilling prophet. Don’t predict the future. Create it.”
~Leland Kaiser


“It’s snowing still. And freezing. However, we haven’t had an earthquake lately”
~Eeyore


“to the uneducated, and A is just three sticks"
~Eeyore


“one can’t complain. I have my friends . Someone spoke to me only yesterday”
~Eeyore (A. A. Milne)


“If you want to survive in life, you’ve got to know where your towel is”
~Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy


“I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers”
~author unknown


“‘Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt”
~Mark Twain


Lady Astor: “Mr Churchill, you’re drunk!”
Winston Churchill: “yes, and you Madam, are ugly. But tomorrow, I shall be sober.”


“They say love is blind, I don’t’ think you’re blind”
~They Might Be Giants


“If a man is standing in a forest , and he says something, but there’s no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?”
~Andrew Blendermann


“Faith is believing things when common sense tells you not too.”
~George Seaton


Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it is we did wrong, but we think you’re crazy for making us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out, is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basketcase, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?
Sincerely yours,
The Breakfast club


“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes”
~Hugh Downs


“Find enjoyment in everything you do. If you don’t have fun, you don’t have anything”
~Theresea Gappa


“I’ve been to Buffalo. I’ve also had gonorrhea. Gonorrhea was more enjoyable. It was also easier to cure.”
~Keir Jones


“Some people have a way with words. Other people....not have way.”
~Steve Martin


“The supreme happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved”
~Victor Hugo


“We can do no great things; only small things with great love”
~Mother Teresa


My New Best Friend
Today I met a great new friend
Who knew me right away
It was funny how she understood
All I had to say

She listened to my problems
She listened to my dreams
We talked about love and life
She’d been there too it seems

I never once felt judged by her
She knew just how I felt
She seemed to just accept me
And all the problems I’d been dealt

She didn’t interrupt me
Or need to have her say
She just listened patiently
And didn’t go away
I wanted her to understand
How much this meant to me
But as I went to hug her
Something startled me

I put my arms in front of me
And went to pull her nearer
And realized that my new best friend
was nothing but a mirror
~author unknown


“In Germany they first came fore the communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionists. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came fore me - and by that time no one was left to speak up”
~Pastor Martin Niemoller


“Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life”
~Carey


“I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering”
~Stephen Wright


“I love my dust. It shows I had something better to do.”
~Anonymous


“All animals except man know that the ultimate of life is to enjoy it”
~Samuel Butler


“Today is gone. Today was fun
Tomorrow is another one.
every day,
From here to there,
funny things are everywhere”
~Dr. Seuss, from “one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish”


“Yes, I know who you are,” said the baby bird.
“You are not a Kitten
“You are not a hen.
“You are not a boat,
or a plane, or a snort!:
“You are a bird and you are my mother.”
~P.D. Eastman from “Are you my mother?”


“We don’t get to make a living, we get to make a life”
~Winston Churchill


The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better dain,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost


“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think if only you try!”
~Dr. Seuss from “Oh, the THINKS you can think!”


“The greatest oak was once a little nut who held it’s ground”
~Anonymous


“The statistics on sanity are that one out of every 4 Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of 3 of your best friends. If they’re OK, then it’s you”
~Rita Mae brown

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone”
~G.B. Stern


Footprints
One night a man had a dream. He dreamt he was walking along a beach with the lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints on the sand - one belonging to him and the other to the Lord. When the last scene had flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints and he noticed that many times along the path there was only one set. he also noticed that this happened during the lowest and saddest times of his life. This bothered him and he questioned the Lord. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk all the way with me, but I noticed that during the most troublesome times of my life there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, then I needed you most, you deserted me.”
The Lord replied, “My precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, those were the times when I carried you in my arms.”
~Author unknown


“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life throughout the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.”
~Dr. Seuss


“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substance, if there is any reaction, both are transformed”
~Carl Jung


“Life if short; live it up"
~Khrushchev


“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day”
~Pooh’s Little Instruction book


In your eyes
the light the heat
In your eyes
I am complete
In your eyes
I see the doorway, to a thousand churches
In your eyes
the resolution of all the fruitless searches
In your eyes
I see the light and heat
In your eyes
Oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the
the heat I see in your eyes”
~Peter Gabriel “In Your Eyes”


“Dreaming permits each and everyone of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives”
~William Dement


“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”
~Thomas Edison


“Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely”
~The Land Before Time


“May the road rise to meet you. may the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.”
~Irish Blessing


“this above all else...to thine self be true”
~Shakespeare


Smile
She smiled at a sorrowful stranger.
The smile seemed to make him feel better.
He remembered past kindnesses of a friend
and wrote him a thank-you letter.
The friend was so pleased with the thank you
That he left a large tip after lunch.
The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,
bet the whole thing on a hunch.
The next day she picked up her winnings,
and gave part to a man on the street.
The man on the street was grateful;
for two days he’d had nothing to eat.
After he finished his dinner,
He left for his small dingy room.
(He didn’t know at that moment
that he might be facing his doom.)
On the way he picked up a shivering puppy
and took him home to get warm.
The puppy was very grateful
To be in out of the storm.
That night house caught on fire
The puppy barked the alarm.
He barked ‘til he woke the whole household
and saved everybody from harm.
One of the boys that rescued
grew up to be president.
All this because of a simple smile
that hadn’t cost a cent.
~Barbara Hauck


“Step with care and great tact
And remember that Life’s a Great Balancing act
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft
And never mess up your right foot with your left.
~Dr. Seuss from “Oh the places you’ll Go”


“Sometimes things are true whether you believe in them or not”
~City of Angels


Consider
Is anybody happier because
you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that
you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over,
and its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now,
A kind word for you?

Can you say tonight in passing,
With the day slipped so fast,
That you helped a single person,
Of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing,
Over what you did or said?
Does one whose hopes were fading
Now with courage look ahead?
Did you waste the day or lose it?
Was it well or poorly spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness,
Or a scar of discontent?”
~Anonymous


A model meeting:
Participated in by everybody;
Monopolized by nobody;
Where everybody is somebody.
~author unknown


Might Have Been
The saddest words of tongue or pen
May well be “It might have been,”
Especially silence Left unbroken
And healing words We might have spoken
~May Richstone


“Sometimes you have to know someone really well to realize you’re really strangers.”
~Mary Richards, Mary Tyler Moore show


Don’t Quit
“When things get wrong,
as they sometimes will,
When the road you are
trudging seems all up hill;
When the funds are low
and the debts are high
And you want to smile,
but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing
you down a bit,
Rest if you must,
but don’t you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you can never
tell how close you are,
It may be near
when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight
when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things seem worst
that you mustn’t quit”
~Author unknown


“Spend less time worrying who’s right, and more time deciding what’s right”
~Life’s little Instruction book


“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.”
~Anonymous


“I’m a paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.”
~J.D. Salinger


“Someday is not a day of the week”
~Anonymous


“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of event and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
~Robert Kennedy


“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world: Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has!”
~Margaret Meade


“A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever.”
~Jessamyn West


“Don’t be dismayed at good-bye’s. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”
~Richard Bach


“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move towards. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand”
~Karl Menninger


“All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - look”
~Robert Fulghum


“Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why. It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time. It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.”
~Green Day - Good Riddance


Take nothing but pictures
Leave nothing but footprints
Kill nothing but Time.
~Motto of the Baltimore Grotto


Someone Needs You
If you’re feeling low and worthless,
There seems nothing you can do,
Just take the courage and remember
There is someone needing you.

There are many sad and lonely,
And discouraged, not a few,
Who a little cheer are needing,
And there’s someone needing you.

Do not think your work is ended,
There is much that you can do,
And as long as you’re on earth,
There is someone needing you.
~Susie Marr


“The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention”
~Anonymous


“I believe I have no prejudices what so ever. All I need to know is that man is a member of the human race. That’s bad enough for me”
~Mark Twain


“To begin with, he said heavily, ‘you’ve got to understand that a seagull is an unlimited idea of freedom, an image of the great gull, and you whole body, from wingtip to wingtip, is nothing more than thought itself”
~Richard Bach - Jonathan Livingston Seagull


“Thinking” the talking to the soul with itself”
~Plato


“A bell’s not a bell ‘til you ring it
A song’s not a song ‘til you sing it
Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay
Love isn’t love ‘til you give it away!”
~Oscar Hammerstein


“I am on, but still I am one. I cannot do everything but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
~Edward E. Hale


“In the depth of winter I finally learned there was in me the invincible summer”
~Albert Camus


“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human being can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind”
~William James


“There comes that mysterious meeting in life when someone acknowledges who we are and what we can be, igniting the circuits of our highest potential.”
~Rusty Berkus


“Homesickness is...absolutely nothing. Fifty percent of the people in the world are homesick all the time...You don’t’ really long for another country. You long for something in yourself that you don’t have, or haven’t been able to find.”
~John Cheever


“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way.”
~Dr. Seuss from “OH, the place’s you’ll go”


“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in”
~Graham Green


“The positive thinker sees the invisible, fells the intangible, and achieves the impossible”
~Anonymous


“I want to do a musical movie. Like Evita, but with good music.”
~Elton John


“IF you want a guarantee, buy a toaster”
~Unknown


“Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat.”
~Jim Davis -Garfield the cat


It’s Up to Me
I get discouraged now and then
When there are clouds of gray,
Until I think about the things
That happened yesterday.
I do not mean the day before,
Or those of months ago.
but all the yesterdays in which
I had the chance to grow.
I think of opportunities
That I allowed to die
And those I took advantage of
Before they passed me by.
And I remember that the past
Presented quite a plight.
But somehow I endured it and
The future seemed all right.
And I remind myself that I
Am capable and free.
And my success and happiness
Are really up to me.
~James Metcalfe


“I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children they just about throw up”
~Barbara Bush


“So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is devine, with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the age - the degradation of man by poverty, the ruin of woman by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night - are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remains on earth, books like this cannot be useless.
~Hauteville House, 1862 (Publisher of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables)


Smile and Smile
I gave a smile to one I met,
she passed it to another;
He started running home to
give It to his baby brother.

The baby smiled at its own dad,
He passed it to his neighbour;
Next it slipped into a pit
Where men were hard at labour.

So, on and on, from heart to heart,
That smile kept ever spreading;
A light of life and cheerfulness
It kept on ever shedding.

And when at night , as I sat down,
All tired and warm from duty,
That smile came winging back to me -
I marveled at its beauty!
~Gladys Melcrose Gearhart


“Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana”
~Groucho Marx


Listen to the Mustn’ts
Listen tot he Mustn’ts, child, listen to the don’ts.
Listen to the shouldn’ts, the Impossibles, the Won’ts
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, anything can be.
~Shel Silverstein


Always
Low tide always is followed by high.
Rain always stops When the clouds pass by.
Winter always turns into spring,
and broken hearts always learn new songs to sing.
~Sharron McMIllan


“Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are”
~Author unknown


“I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m president of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli”
~George Bush


“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph”
~Shirley Temple Black


“There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes.”
~Dr. Who


“Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity”
~Frank Leahy


“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It Goes On.”
~Robert Frost


Snowball
I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be
I thought I’d keep it as a pet
And let it sleep with me
I made it some pajama’s
And a pillow for it’s head.
Then last night it ran away,
But first it wet the bed
~Shel Silverstein


“What is REAL?” asked the rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side...
“does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out-handle?”
“Real isn’t how you are made” said the skin horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the rabbit
“sometimes,” said the skin horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are real you don’t mind being hurt.” “Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the skin horse. “you become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joint and very shabby, But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
~Margery Williams from “The Velveteen Rabbit”


“There’s only now, there’s only here. Give into love, or live in fear, no other path. No other way, No day but today.”
~Jonathan Larson from “RENT”


“There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter now unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they’re necessary to reach the places we’ve chosen to go”
~Richard Bach from “The Bridge across forever”


“The Chip. The British contribution to world cuisine”
~Otto From “A Fish Called Wanda”


“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate”
~bumper sticker


“In the beginning the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
~Douglas Adams from “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”


“When I was a child, my mother said to me, “If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope. “Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”
~Pablo Picasso


“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.”
~Malcom Forbes


“Don’t just exist - Live!”
~Author Unknown


“Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated”
~Life’s little instruction book


“Be the change you want to see in the world.’
~Mahatma Gandhi


The Most beautiful Flower
The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown,
For the world was intent on dragging me down.
,br> And if that weren’t enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, “Look what I found!”

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,
With it’s petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise,
“It sure smells pretty and it’s beautiful too!”
“That’s why I picked it; here, it’s for you”

The weed before me was dying or dead.
Not vibrant of colours, orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave
So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.”

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it midair without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
“you’re welcome” he smiled, an then ran off to play
Unaware of the impact he’d had on my day.

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with true sight

Through eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times in I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that’s mine.

And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand
About the change the life of an unsuspecting old man.
~Cheryl Costello-Forshey


“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one, when they discover that someone else believes in them and is willing to trust them”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson


“There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”
~Douglas Adams


“OK, so what’s the speed of dark?”
~Stephen Wright


“you’re 87% water, the other 13% keeps you from drowning”
~P.E. Morris


“Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.”,br> ~Life’s little instruction book


“If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain”
~Maya Angelou


You’ve got to sing like nobody’s listening,
You’ve got to love like you’ll never get hurt,
You’ve got to dance like nobody’s watching.
You’ve got to live like it’s Heaven on Earth
~Author Unknown.


24 Things to always remember
Your presence is present in the world.
You’re unique and one of a kind
Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take the days just one at a time.
Count your blessings, not your troubles
You’ll make through whatever comes along
Within you are so many answers
Understand, have courage, be strong

Don’t put limits on yourself
So many dreams are waiting to be realized
Decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
the longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets
Don’t take anything too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember a lot...goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment
Life’s treasure are people...together

Realize that it’s never too late.
Do ordinary things in extraordinary ways.
Have health and hope and happiness.
Take the time to wish upon a star.

And don’t ever forget...
For even a day..
How very special you are.
~Author Unknown


The past history,
The future is a mystery,
today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present
~Author unknown.


“May you always follow your cherished dreams, may you reach for the highest star...May you make the most of every day and find joy where ever you are”
~Author unknown.


“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the thing you didn’t do than by the ones you did do,so throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’
~Mark Twain


“Remember when you see a man at the top of a mountain, he didn’t fall there.”
~Author unknown


“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
~Author unknown.


“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.”
~Author unknown


“Dogs believe they are humans. Cat’s believe they are God.”
~Author unknown


“Why is abbreviation such a long word?”
~Author unknown


“All that glitters has a high refractive index”
~Author unknown


Seasons of Love
Five Hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure - measure a year?

In daylights- In sunsets
In midnight’s - In cups of coffee
In inches - In miles
In laughter - In strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
How do you measure
A year in the life
How about love?
Measure in love
Seasons of love
~Jonathan Larson - “RENT”


“When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I had any firearms with me. I said, “Well, what do you need?”
~Stephen Wright


“I love deadlines...I love the whooshing sounds they make as they fly by.”
~Douglas Adams


“Make it a habit to do nice things for people who’ll never find it out”
~Life’s little instruction book,


“Somewhere something incredible is waiting to be known”
~Carl Sagan


“Take time to laugh - it is the music of the soul”
~Author unknown


All sunny skies would be too bright,
All morning hours mean too much light,
All laughing days too gay a strain;
There must be clouds, and night, and rain,
and shut-in days, to make us see
The beauty of life’s tapestry”
~Author unknown


Universal RX
No moving parts, ho batteries,
No monthly payments and no fees;
Inflation proof, non-taxable,
In fact, it’s quite relaxable;

It can’t be stolen, won’t pollute,
One size fits all, do not dilute.
It uses little energy.
But yields results enormously.

Relieves your tension and your stress,
Invigorates you happiness;
Combats depression, makes you beam,
And elevates your self esteem

Your circulation it corrects
Without unpleasant side effects.
It is, I think, the perfect drug.
May I prescribe, my friend...the hug!
(And of course fully returnable)
~Henry Matthew Ward


“Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day’s work absorb your entire energies, and satisfy your wildest ambition.”
~William Osler


The Cookie Thief
A woman was waiting at an airport one night
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
That the man beside her, as bold as could be
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between
Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene

She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,
As the gutsy “cookie thief” diminished her stock
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blacken his eye!”

With each cookie shoe took, he took one too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do
With a smile on his face and nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought “Oh Brother,
This guy has some nerve, and he’s also rude,
Why, he didn’t’ even show any gratitude!”

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing to look back that the “thieving ingrate”

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!

“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,
“then the others were his and he tried to share!”
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude on, the ingrate the thief!”
~Valerie Cox


Be like the bird
That pausing, in the her flight
Awhile on boughs too slight,
Feels them give way ,br> Beneath her and yet sings,
Knowing that she hath wings
~Victor Hugo


“A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.”
~Author unknown


Good Mother
I’ve got money in my pocket
I like the colour of my hair
I’ve got a friend who loves me
Got a house, I’ve got a car
I’ve got a good mother
And her voice is what keeps me here.

Feet on ground
Heart in hand
Facing forward
Be Yourself
~Jann Arden


“I love the Christmas tide, and yet I notice this each year I live: I always like the gifts I get, But How I love the gifts I give.”
~Carolyn Wells


“Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul”
~Democritus


This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me -
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.

Her message is committed
To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
Judge tenderly of me!
~Emily Dickinson


I have wept in the night
for the shortness of sight
That to somebody’s need made me blind;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind”
~Author unknown


“When the heart is full of love, the world is full of hope.”
~Author unknown


“Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.”
~Life’s little instruction book


Hug O’ War
I will not play at tug o’ war
I’d rather play at hug o’ war
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And every one cuddles,
and everyone wins
~Shel Silverstein


Keep the Faith
We all have our own separate pathways to take
Our own destinations to choose,
We all have our contributions to make,
our own special talents to use-
We all have our own kind of life to pursue,
Our own kind of dreams to be weaving.
And we all have the power...
to make wishes come true.
As long as we keep on believing.
~Amanda Bradley


“I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but you and I will meet again”
~Author unknown


Sign on a Xerox truck “Please drive carefully. We can’t duplicate you.”


“Christmas!?! Christmas means dinner, dinner means death! Death means carnage, Christmas means carnage”
~Ferdinand the duck from “BABE”


“Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped”
~Sam Stevenson


“You never know when someone may catch a dream from you. You never know when a little word or something you may do may open up the windows of a mind that seeks the light...The way you live may not matter at all. But you never know, it might”
~Author Unknown


Have you Ever?
Have you ever helped another?
Ever earned a grateful smile?
Ever asked a weary brother
In to ride with you for a mile?
Have you ever given freely
Of your riches and your worth?
If you haven’t then you’ve really
Missed the greatest joy on earth.
Has the thrill of pride possessed you?
Have you felt your pulses run
As a weaker brother blessed you
for some good that you have done?
Have you seen eyes start to glisten?
That were sad before you came?
If you haven’t, stop and listen -
You have missed life’s finest game.
~Author Unknown


“Some men see things as they are, and ask why; I see things as they can be, and ask why not.”
~George Bernard Shaw


“Life is short, smile more often”
~author unknown


How Many How Much
How many slams in old screen door?
Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread?
Depends how thing you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you live ‘em
How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give ‘em
~Shel Silverstein


Myself
I have to live with myself
and so I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to be able as days go by
to look myself straight in the eye.
I don’t’ want to stand with the setting sun
and think of things I have or haven’t done.
I want tot go out with my head erect.
I wan to deserve all men’s respect,
I want to be able to like myself.
I don’t want to look at myself
and know that I’m a bluster,
a bluff an empty show.
I can never hide myself from me.
I see what others my never see.
I know what others may never know.
I can never fool myself
and so whatever happens,
I want to be self respecting
and conscience-free
~Edgar Albert Guest


Keep your eyes to the skies
Keep your feet on the path and
keep your heart in the moment
~author unknown


“Come on! Open your mouth and sound off at the sky!
Shout load that the top of your voice,
“I am I!”
Me! I am I!
And I may not know why
But I know that I like it.
Three cheers! I am I!
~Dr. Seuss from “Happy Birthday to you”


Twelve ways to keep smiling
Hold on to your dreams and never let them go, show the rest of the world what I already know: how wonderful you are! Give circumstances a chance, and give others the benefit of the doubt. Wish on a star that shines in your sky...Take on your problems one by one and work things out. Rely on all the strengths you have inside. Let loose of the spark and spirit that you sometimes try to hide. Stay in touch with those who touch your life with love. Look on the bright side and don’t let adversity keep you from winning. Be yourself. Because you are filled with special qualities that have brought you this far. And that will always see you through. keep your spirits up. make your heart happy. And reflect on everything you do. ~Douglas Pagels


A rich man was dying so he called his three sons and said the them, “I wish to leave my fortune intact, so I will set each of you the same task to see which one is the most capable managing money.. In my warehouse there are three large storerooms, all of the same size. There is a bag of silver in each. Your task is to each fill one storeroom with as much as your silver will buy.”
The first son bought sand with all his money and filled one third of his room. The second son bought son bought soil with all his money and filled half his room. The third son spent only a small portion of his money and bought some candles and matches to fill his room with light
~Stephen Cassettari


Doubt vs. Faith
Doubt sees the obstacles
Faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night
Faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take a step
Faith soars on high.
Doubt questions “Who believes?”
Faith Answers “I”
~Bit’s & Pieces


Take each opportunity
To feel the warming sun.
always watch for shooting stars
and wish on every one
Remind the people close to you
you’re glad that they are near
And never miss a chance to smile
or lend a listening ear.
don’t be afraid to make mistakes
or choose a path that’s new.
And don’t forget that you’re unique
there’s no one just like you.
Give yourself the time you need
to rest and just relax.
Be mindful of life’s every joy
instead of what it lacks.
Be open to surprises
and to miracles and love
And reach for all the special dreams
you’re so deserving of.
~Author Unknown


“Don’t worry and fret, fainthearted.
The chances have just begun,
For the best jobs haven’t been started,
the best work hasn’t been done”
~Author Unknown


One Day at a Time
Whatever the goal we’re pursuing,
no matter how rugged the climb,
we’re certain to get there by trying our best,
and taking one day at a time.

“Forever” is hard to imagine,
“the future” may seem far away-
but every new dawn
brings a wonderful chance
to what we can on that day”
~Emily Matthews

“Pledge allegiance to yourself.
Believe in miracles.
Leap before you look.
Laugh a lot along the way.
Dive in.
Dare to make mistakes.
Listen to your own wise and gentle, knowing voice.
Hug the little child in you.
Breathe deep, trusting breaths.
Live your dreams.
Demand nothing less than everything.
Life has big plans for you!
~Author Unknown


Believe in yourself - in the power you have to control your own life, day by day, Believe in the strength that you have deep inside, and your faith will help show you the way. Believe in tomorrow and what it will bring, let a hopeful heart carry you through, things will work out if you trust and believe -there’s no limit to what you can do!
~Author Unknown


Today I will celebrate moments
I will stop and feel the sunshine
I will build my own rainbow.
Today I will celebrate chances.
I will make my own adventures
I will live large and worry small.
Today I will celebrate joy.
I will find time to dream
I will believe in miracles
Today I will celebrate me.
~Author Unknown


“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment”
~Dorothy Nevil


Take a risk.
Take a chance,
Join the club,
Join the dance,
Learn to fly,
learn to soar,
Strive for joy,
Strive for more,
Be brave-just Do,
Be brave - be you!
~author unknown


“What is good?”
I asked in a musing mood..
Order, said the law court;
Knowledge, said the school;
Truth, said the wise man;
Pleasure, said the fool;
Love, said the maiden;
Beauty, said the page;
Freedom, said the dreamer;
Home, said the sage;
Fame said the soldier;
Equity, the seer;
Spoke my heart full sadly:
“The answer is not here.”
Then within my bosom
Softly this I heard
“Each heart holds the secret;
Kindness is the word
~The best of bits and pieces


How High I am
How far I see
How far I reach
Depends on me.
~Author unknown


Let me be a little kinder
Let me be a little blinder
To the faults of those about me
Let me praise a little more.

Let me be, when I am weary,
Just a little bit more cheery;
Let me serve a little better
Those whom I am working for.

Let me be a little braver
When temptation makes me weary;
Let me strive a little harder
To be all I should be.

let me be a little meeker
With the person who is weaker
Let me think more of my neighbour
And a little less of me
~the best of Bits and Pieces


I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you because you have done more than any creed could do to make me good, and more than any fate could do to make me happy. You have done it with out a touch, with out a word, with out a sign. You have done it by being yourself”
~Author unknown


Satisfaction
There’s no skill in easy sailing
When the skies are clear and blue
There’s no joy in merely doing
Things that anyone can do.
But there is great satisfaction
That is mighty sweet to take
When you reach destination
That you thought you couldn’t make
~Author unknown


Never give up,
Never lose hope.
Always have faith,
It allows you to cope.
Trying times will pass,
As they always do
Just have patience,
Your dreams will come true.
So put on a smile,
You’ll live through your pain.
Know it will pass,
and strength you will gain.
~Charlie Remiggio


The higher the goal,
the harder the climb,
but taken each day
one step at a time.
The goal is accomplished,
the dream is attained,
And the prizes?
The wisdom and strength
that are gained
~Author unknown


In lonliness, in sickness, in confusion- the mere knowledge of friendship makes it possible to endure, even if the friend is powerless to help.
It is enough that they exist. Friendship is not diminished by distance or time, by imprisonment or war, by suffering or silence. It is in these things that it roots most deeply. It is from these things that it flowers. ~Pam Brown


One Friend
I always thought you were the best, I guess I always will. I always felt that we were blessed and I feel that way still. Sometimes we took the hard road, but we always saw it through. If I had only one friend left, I’d want it to be you.

Sometimes the world was on our side, sometimes it wasn’t fair. Sometimes it gave a helping hand, sometimes we didn’t care. ‘Cause when we were together it made the dream come true. If I had only one friend left, I’d want it to be you. Someone who understands me, and knows me inside out. And helps keep me together, and believes without a doubt, that I can move a mountain, someone ot tell it too. If I had only one friend left, I’d want it to be you.

‘Cause when we were together it made the dream come true. If I had only one friend left, I’d want it to be you. Someone who understands me and knows me inside out. And helps keep me together, and believes without a doubt that I can move a mountain - someone to tell it too. If I had only friend left. I’d want it to be you.
~Dan Seals


I’ve Learned
I’ve learned that life is what you make of it;
And that love is a magical thing.
I’ve learned that a smile can make someone’s day;
And that a hug is the most wonderful feeling.

I’ve learned that my mother will never stop meddling;
And that I don’t think I want her too.
I’ve learned that I love my family more than I thought I did;
And that laughing with a stranger is the easiest way to make a new friend.

I’ve learned that I love my cats way too much;
And that I’m not ashamed to admit that.
I’ve learned that a thank you can make someone’s day;
And that the smallest compliment can be the grandest gesture.

I’ve learned that sleeping in is a wonderful feeling;
And that a sunset is the most peaceful thing on earth.
I’ve learned that I am loved.
I’ve learned that I am who I am, and I’m proud of me.
~Tara Founk


A man once stood before God, his heart breaking from the injustice and pain in the world. “Dear God,” he cried out, “look at all the suffering, the anguish and distress in your world. why don’t you send help?”
God responded, “I did send help. I sent you.”
~Author Unknown


“In the 1940’s and ‘50s we had the all-encompassing LIFE magazine. Then we cropped our vision down to People in the ‘70s. Things tightened up even more with Us. Next came Self. Somewhere there’s got to be a magazine just for you: Fred Morgenstern Monthly.”
~Michael Levine


I hold up your sky
As I hold up your sky
You humbly walk on by

Yet I continue to adore
Your style even more

Every step you take each day
Even when it's not my way

Everything you share with me
No matter what the topic might be
Changes who I am

I thank the Lord for all he's done
For giving me a friend who's fun

For taking away the pain that nearly killed me
For allowing me to see

The beauty, and style that you possess
Your true life in which you confess

To me, who holds up your sky
While you humbly walk on by

If only one day I too could fly
And watch as you held up my sky

I know this day will not take place
Yet I keep this smile on my face

I'm grateful for our friendship each day
Even when you've gone away

And when you're near, and telling me all about how you feel
Is when I know truly how to deal with your appeal

When I feel the happiest, and am able to reply
Is only when I'm holding up your sky.
~Meghan Miller


It Couldn't Be Done
Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.
Edgar A. Guest




I got this groovy background at http://www.maverick2.com/canada.htm