Here are some of my favorite stories, quotes, and poems. They have either touched my life or someone elses in one way or another. I have collected them from friends, family, celebrities, and books. Let me know what you think!!
STORIES
This first one is from the book "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul".
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 the 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 he rescued
grew up to be President.
All this because of a simple smile
that hadn't cost a cent.
- Barbara Hauck, age 13
QUOTES
"There would be no need for heaven, for I would already be there."
-- Johnny
"The faster the fire lights, the quicker it burns out."
-- Steven
"You only feel envious when you think of what you don't have instead of what you do."
-- Scandel19
"If I had one wish it would be a tear. Born in your eye, live on your cheek, and die on your lips."
-- JJ (Racki15)
"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as important for the child as it is for the caterpillar."
-- Richard O'Barry
"This is the 90s. You can't just dump your boyfriend anymore. You have to recycle him."
-- Randy Glasbergen
"It's all right letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back."
-- Mick Jagger
"To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in a prayer."
-- Gandhi
"You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?"
-- Rumi
"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it."
-- Mark Twain
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience by which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
-- Eleanor Roosevelt
"From what we get we can make a living, what we give, however, makes a life."
-- Arthur Ashe
"Life is full of dreams and goals, but you are the one to make it happen."
-- Alison (Sweet937)
"Find something worth dying for, then live for it."
-- Trent (Trmiata)
"I believe in Christ as I believe in the noon day sun, and not because I can see it, but because by it I can see everything else."
-- C.S. Lewis
POEMS
After a While
After a while you learn the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and
company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats with your head
up and your eyes open, with the grace of an adult,
not the grief of a child,
And you learn to build all your roads today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for
plans.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if
you get to much.
So 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.
--Veronica A. Shoffstall, written at age 19
Paint Brush
I keep my paint brush with me
Wherever I may go,
In case I need to cover up
So the real me doesn't show.
I'm so afraid to show you me,
Afraid of what you'll do-that
You might laugh or say mean things.
I'm afraid I might lose you.
I'd like to remove all my paint coats
To show you the real, true me,
But I want you to try and understand,
I need you to accept what you see.
So if you'll be patient and close your eyes,
I'll strip off all my coats real slow.
Please understand how much it hurts
To let the real me show.
Now my coats are all stripped off.
I feel naked, bare and cold,
And if you still love me with all that you see,
You are my friend, pure as gold.
I need to save my paint brush, though,
And hold it in my hand,
I want to keep it handy
In case somebody doesn't understand.
So please protect me, my dear friend
And thanks for loving me true,
But please let me keep my paint brush with me
Until I love me, too.
-Bettie B. Youngs
Somebody Should Have Taught Him
I went to a birthday party
but I remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink at all,
so I had Sprite instead.
I felt proud of myself,
the way you said I would,
that I didn't choose to drink and drive,
though some friends said I should.
I knew I made a healthy choice and
your advice to me was right
as the party finally ended
and the kids drove out of sight.
I got into my own car,
sure to get home in one piece,
never knowing what was coming,
something I expected least.
Now I'm lying on the pavement.
I can hear the policement say,
"The kid that caused this wreck was drunk."
His voice seems far away.
My own blood is all around me,
as I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say,
"This girl is going to die."
I'm sure the guy had no idea,
while he was flying high,
because he chose to drink and drive
that I would have to die.
So why do people do it,
knowing that it ruins lives?
But now the pain is cutting me
like a hundred stabbing knives.
Tell my sister not to be afraid,
tell Daddy to be brave,
and when I go to heaven to
put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.
Someone should have taught him
that it's wrong to drink and drive.
Maybe if his mom and dad had,
I'd still be alive.
My breath is getting shorter,
I'm getting really scared.
These are my final moments,
and I'm so unprepared.
I wish that you could hold me, Mom,
as I lie here and die.
I wish that I could say
I love you and good-bye.
--Retold by Jane Watkins
LIFE
Life isn't about keeping score.
It's not about how many friends you have
Or how accepted you are.
Not about if you have plans this weekend or if you're alone.
It isn't about who you're dating, who you used to date,
How many people you've dated,
Or if you haven't been with anyone at all.
It isn't about who you have kissed,
It's not about sex.
It isn't about who your family is or how much money they have
Or what kind of car you drive.
Or where you are sent to school.
It's not about how beautiful or ugly you are.
Or what clothes you wear, what shoes you have on,
Or what kind of music you listen to.
It's not about if your hair is blonde, red, black, or brown
Or if your skin is too light or too dark.
Not about what grades you get, how smart you are,
How smart everybody else thinks you are,
Or how smart standardized tests say you are.
It's not about what clubs you're in
Or how good you are at "your" sport.
It's not about representing your whole being on a piece or paper
and seeing who will "accept the written you."
LIFE JUST ISN'T
But, life is about who you love and who you hurt.
It's about who you make happy or unhappy purposefully.
It's about keeping or betraying trust.
It's about friendship, used as a sanctity or a weapon.
It's about what you say and mean, maybe hurtful,
maybe heartening.
It's about what judgments you pass and why.
And who your judgements spread to.
It's about who you've ignored with full control and intention.
It's about jealousy, fear, ignorance, and revenge.
It's about carrying inner hate and love, letting it go,
And spreading it.
But most of all, it's about using your life to touch or poison
other people's hearts in such a way that could have never
occurred alone.
Only you choose the way those hearts are affected, and those
choices are what life's all about.
--Anonymous
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