LIVE LIFE
We convince ourselves that life will be better
after we get married,
have a baby, then another. Then we are
frustrated that the kids aren't
old enough and we'll be more content when they
are. After that we're
frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with.
We will certainly be
happy when they are out of that stage.
We tell ourselves that our life
will be complete when our spouse gets his or
her act together, when we
get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation,
when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy
than right now. If not
now, when? Your life will always be filled
with challenges. It's best to admit
this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.
A quote from Alfred D. Souza.
He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me
that life was about to begin real
life. But there was always some obstacle
in the way, something to be gotten
throught first, some unfinished business, time
still to be served, a debt to be paid.
Then life would begin. At last it dawned
on me that these obstacles were my life."
This perspective has helped me to see that there
is no way to happiness. Happiness is
the way. So, treasure every moment that
you have. And treasure it more because you
shared it with someonespecial, enough to
spend you time...
and remember that time waits for no one...
So stop waiting until you finish school, until
you go back to school,
until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten
pounds, until you have
kids, until your kids leave the house, until
you start work, until you
retire, until you get married, until you get
divorced, until Friday
night, until Sunday morning, until you get a
new car or home, until your
car or home is paid off, until spring, until
summer, until fall, until
winter, until you are off welfare, until the
first or fifteenth, until
your song comes on, until you've had a drink,
until you've sobered up,
until you die, until you are born again to decide
that there is no
better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.....................
BALANCE IN
YOUR LIFE
In a University commencement
address Mr. Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola
Enterprises, said:
"Imagine life as
a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air.
You name them work,
family, health, friends, and spirit -
and you're keeping
all of these in the air.
You will soon understand
that work is a rubber ball.
If you drop it,
it will bounce back.
But the other four
balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass.
If you drop one
of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked,
damaged or even
shattered. They will never be the same.
You must understand that, and strive for balance in your life. How?
--Don't undermine
your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we
are different that each of us is special.
--Don't set your
goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what
is best for you.
--Don't take for
granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as
you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
--Don't let your
life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future.
By living your life
one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.
--Don't give up when
you still have something to give.
Nothing is really
over until the moment you stop trying.
--Don't be afraid
to admit that you are less than perfect.
It is this fragile
thread that binds us to each other.
--Don't be afraid
to encounter risks.
It is by taking
chances that we learn how to be brave.
--Don't shut love
out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.
The quickest way
to receive love is to give it;
the fastest way
to lose love is to hold it too tightly:
and the best way
to keep love is to give it wings.
--Don't run through
life so fast that you forget not only where you've
been, but also where
you are going.
--Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
--Don't be afraid
to learn.
Knowledge is weightless,
a treasure you can always carry easily.
--Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.
--Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
--Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a Mystery and Today is a gift:
that is why we call
it "The Present"
Five Finger
Prayer
1. Your thumb
is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for
those closest to
you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our
loved ones is, as
C.S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty".
2. The next
finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach,
instruct and heal.
This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They
need support and
wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep
them in your prayers.
3. The next
finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders.
Pray for the president,
leaders in business and industry, and
administrators.
These people shape our nation and guide public opinion.
They need God's
guidance.
4. The fourth
finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is fact that
this is our weakest
finger; as any piano teacher will testify.
It should remind
us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.
They need your prayers
day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.
5. And lastly
comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all.
Which is where we
should place ourselves in relation to God and others.
As the Bible
says, "the least shall be the greatest among you." Your
pinky should remind
you to pray for yourself. By the time you have
prayed for the other
four groups, your own needs will be
put into proper
perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself
more effectively.
SHOULD YOU
Should you
find it hard to get to sleep tonight;
Just remember the
homeless family who has no bed to lie in.
Should you
find yourself stuck in traffic; don't despair.
There are people
in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you
have a bad day at work;
Think of the man
who has been out of work for the last three months.
Should you
despair over a relationship gone bad;
Think of the person
who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
Should you
grieve the passing of another weekend;
Think of the woman
in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for $15.00
to feed her family.
Should your
car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance,
Think of the paraplegic
who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you
notice a new gray hair in the mirror;
Think of the cancer
patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you
find yourself at a loss and pondering; what is life all about, what is
my purpose?
Be thankful, there
are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you
find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness
or insecurities;
Remember, things
could be worse. You could be them!!!
FAITHFUL LESSONS
LEARNED
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 just 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.
ENLIGHTING
THOUGHTS
I once told a man
that I no longer voted.
He responded by
telling me this.
The choice of whether
I voted or not was why he waded through rice paddies,
toted guns, and
fought battles. It wasn't long afterward that I began to vote again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I once told a man
a lie.
He responded by
telling me this.
All of the decisions
that he made were based upon the words that I
spoke. I have
long since told the truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I once became upset
over a gift I received, because it wasn't what I wanted.
The giver saw the
disappointment in my eyes and told me this.
He chose the most
valuable gift he could find, because he felt I should have it.
I am since very
joyful over each gift that I receive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A man once told
me a secret which I quietly whispered in another friend's ear.
The man told me
this, after hearing his own secret repeated.
The reason he told
me the secret was because he trusted me, not my friend.
I no longer take
trust so lightly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I once gave a gift
to a friend and she cried.
I told her it was
just a small gift I had found.
Her response was
that it was not the gift, it was that I had thought of her.
I now give gifts
often.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The shiny coin was
not to be mine, so I had been told.
But on my way out
the door, it found it's way in my hand.
When it was discovered
that I had stolen the coin, I was quietly taken aside.
The owner of the
coin told me this: Integrity is given with a choice.
I have since chosen
to stand with integrity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once I told a man
of all of my dreams.
He smiled warmly
and even chuckled then asked if I ever planned on living any of them.
I now choose the
spending of my days very differently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I watched a man
daily as he walked ... head down ... so focused.
I was curious and
inquired as to why he never looked up.
The look on his
face was one of surprise, but he responded.
His world was so
structured that he didn't have to look where
he placed his foot
and there was nothing else to look at.
I make it a point
to never stare at my feet, for fear of creating tunnels.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wanted so much
to merely be myself, going unnoticed and not draw attention, and I was
told this:
The fact that you
do not conform makes you stand out all the more.
I'm still thinking
about that one.
I AM THE
CENTER OF MY UNIVERSE
but I do not live
here alone.
each move I make
creates a ripple in someone else's ocean,
each breath I take
affects the air all around me,
each word I utter
falls on someone else's ears,
that which I touch
is felt by another,
that which I do
will certainly affect another,
that which I do
not, will also affect another.
We never know how
far reaching something we say or do really is until
it returns to us,
and it always does, whether we see the circle or not.
EIGHT GIFTS
THAT DON'T COST A CENT
1) THE GIFT OF
LISTENING...
But you must REALLY
listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response.
Just listening.
2) THE GIFT OF
AFFECTION...
Be generous with
appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these
small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.
3) THE GIFT OF
LAUGHTER...
Clip cartoons.
Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to
laugh with you."
4) THE GIFT OF
A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple
"Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten
note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.
5) THE GIFT OF
A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere,
"You look great in red," "You did a super job" or "That was a wonderful
meal" can make someone's day.
6) THE GIFT OF
A FAVOR...
Every day, go out
of your way to do something kind.
7) THE GIFT OF
SOLITUDE...
There are times
when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to
those times and give the gift of solitude to others.
8) THE GIFT OF
A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way
to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really it's not that
hard to say,
Hello or Thank You.
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