Weeds are flowers too,
once you get to know them.


A. A. Milne, 1882-1956, English Author and Poet

Remembrance
David Robert Brooks

When I am gone,
Please remember me;
as a heartfelt laugh, as a tenderness.
Hold fast to the image of me
when my soul was on fire;
the light of love shining through my eyes…
Remember me when I was singing and seemed to know my way.
Remember always when we were together and time stood still.
Remember most not what I did,
or who I was...
Oh please remember me for what I always desired to be...
A smile on the face of God.

Some people go through life trying to find out what the world holds for them only to find out too late that it's what they bring to the world that really counts.


Anne of Green Gables
As Written by Lucy Maud Montgomery

If the Earth
were only a few feet in
diameter, floating a few feet above
a field somewhere, people would come
from everywhere to marvel at it. People would
walk around it marvelling at its big pools of water.
its little pools and the water flowing between the pools.
People would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding
it and the water suspended in the gas. The people would
marvel at all the creatures walking around the surface of the
ball, and at the creatures in the water. The people would declare
it as sacred because it was the only one, and they would protect
it so that it would not hurt. The ball would be the
greatest wonder known, and people would come to
pray to it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, to know
beauty and to wonder how it could be. People
would love it, and defend it with their lives
because they would somehow know that
their lives, their own roundness, could
be nothing without it. If the
Earth were only a few
feet in diameter."

Author Unknown
But Greatly Appreciated!

"Do not wait! The time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along."

Napoleon Hill
Motivational Author and Speaker

You can tell
how big a person is
by how much it takes
to discourage them.


Author Unknown

If you want to know how rich you are,
just count up all the things you have
that money cannot buy.


Author Unknown

IT'S NOT ABOUT PERFECTION

"We fail to realize that mastery is not about perfection. It’s about a process, a journey. The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives.


George Leonard, 1923-2010
American Author and Educator

"Where you stumble, there lies your treasure."

--Joseph Campbell, 1904-1987

If you can recognize the need for improvement, things are already improving."

Author Unknown
But Greatly Appreciated!

Be secure in the knowledge that you can deal with anything that happens to you. Have the courage to bet on your ideas. Take some calculated risks and act on your dreams. There is no permanent security on this earth, there is only opportunity.


Author Unknown

Of all the gifts
You have offered to God,
Your happiness-gift
He treasures most."

Sri Chinmoy
Indian Philosopher and Teacher

Let us take care of the children, for they have a long way to go. Let us take care of the elders, for they have come a long way. Let us take care of those in between, for they are doing the work."

Traditional African Prayer

Have a Warm and Blessed Sabbath.

"We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society." ~Angela Davis

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery guided by a private chart of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.


Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882

American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher

Today
Author Unknown

We shall do much in the years to come,
but what have we done today?
We shall give our gold in a princely sum,
but what did we give today?
We shall lift the heart and dry the tear,
We shall plant a hope in the place of fear,
We shall speak the words of love and cheer
but what did we speak today?

We shall be so kind in the afterwhile,
but what have we been today?
We shall bring each lonely life a smile,
but what have we brought today?
We shall give to truth a grander birth,
And to steadfast faith a deeper worth,
We shall feed the hungering souls of earth,
but whom have we fed today?

We shall reap such joys in the by and by,
but what have we sown today?
We shall build us mansions in the sky,
but what have we built today?
'Tis sweet in idle dreams to bask,
but here and now do we do our task?
Yes, this is the thing our souls must ask,
"What have we done today?"

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. Either he will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings."

St. Francis de Sales

Be kind whenever possible.
It is always possible.

--Tenzin Gyatso

Even if you have a lot of work to do, if you think of it as wonderful, and if you feel it as wonderful, it will transform into the energy of joy and fire, instead of becoming a burden.


Tulku Thondup Rinpoche
Tibetan Professor and Author

When we surrender spiritually, God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. At this point the negative feelings that have festered within us - anger, resentment, fear and above all, frustration become greatly diminished. ~Unknown

Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities. You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.


Og Mandino, 1923-1996

American Author and Inspirational Speaker

I began to think about how many people were involved in the making of my shirt. I started by imagining the farmer who grew the cotton. Next, the hundreds or even thousands of people involved in the manufacturing of the tractor. And all the designers of the tractor. Then, of course the people who processed the cotton, the people who wove the cloth, and the people who cut, dyed and sewed that cloth. The cargo workers and the truck drivers who delivered the shirt to the store and the sales person who sold the shirt to me. It occurred to me that virtually every aspect of my life came about as the results of others' efforts.

Howard Cutler, M.D.
American Author, Speaker and Psychiatrist

If you strike a thorn or rose,
Keep a-goin'.
If it hails or if it snows,
Keep-agoin'.
'Tain't no use to sit and whine
When the fish ain't on your line;
Bait your hook and keep on tryin' -
Keep a-goin'!

Frank L. Stanton, 1857-1927
American Poet and Newspaper Columnist

Are the years getting monotonous? The same old seasons and weather... never anything new to admire or wonder at? Rest assured the monotony is in our eyesight, which goes on seeing nothing but the common and invariable things; simply because, from long familiarity, these are the easy things to see. But these are only the frame of the picture; the picture is never twice alike.

Edward Rowland Sil, 1841-1887
American Poet and Educator

Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.

Alan Cohen
Inspirational Author, Speaker and Teacher

"Exhaust the little moment. Soon it dies." ~Gwendolyn Brooks

Young men and women, study yourself. See who you really want to be and as soon as you see it, say it. Put it out into the universe. You must say it and then go about the business of becoming it."

Dr. Maya Angelou
American Poet, Author and Actress

Thinking big but acting small...
is the same as thinking small."

Mike Dooley
Inspirational Speaker and Author

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

'I've been thinking,' he said, 'I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.'"

The Wise Woman's Stone
Author Unknown

"The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains." ~Josephine Baker

Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you."

William James
American Psychologist and Philosopher

Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts, and no one to thank.

-Christina Rossetti

"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." ~Lena Horne

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."

Audre Lorde
American Writer, Poet and Activist

To put the world in right order,
we must first put the nation in order;
to put the nation in order,
we must first put the family in order;
to put the family in order,
we must first cultivate our personal life;
we must first set our hearts right."

Confucius, 551-479 BC

If you want to remain always happy,
Always perfect and always fulfilled,
Then always keep inside your heart
A pocketful of sweet dreams."

Sri Chinmoy
Indian Philosopher and Teacher

Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu.

(A person is a person because of other people.)

African Proverb


"An important concept in our country is Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself. And when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu
South African Spiritual Leader and Social Activist

If there is any secret to this life I live, this is it:
the sound of what cannot be seen
sings within everything that can.
And there is nothing more to it than that.

Brian Andreas

Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.


Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882

American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher

It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.

Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452-1519

In case you didn't know, you couldn't tell, or haven't heard...

If you're reading this right now on a computer, you're rich.
If you have somewhere to go today, you're connected.
And if there is anyone, anywhere, who for any reason
knows where you are in this moment, you are loved.

Mike Dooley
Inspirational Author, Speaker

Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.

Helen Keller, 1880-1968
American Author and Social Activist

Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.

Og Mandino, 1923-1996
American Author and Inspirational Speaker

We have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work. We have been created in order to love and to be loved.

Mother Teresa, 1910-1997

It's not enough to have lived.
We should be determined to live for something.
May I suggest that it be creating joy for others,
sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind,
bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.


Dr. Leo Buscaglia, 1924-1998
American Author, Professor and Inspirational Speaker

Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, 'Did you bring joy?' The second was, 'Did you find joy?'"

Dr. Leo Buscaglia
American Author and Speaker

Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well and yet everything happens only a certain number of times - and a very small number really. How many times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your life that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise, perhaps twenty, and yet it all seems so limitlessďż˝"

Paul Bowles 1910-1999
American Writer and Composer

"I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and it is content."

Lin Yutang, 1895-1976
Chinese Author and Inventor

Sometimes, the most helpful thing you can do for another is to let them learn stuff for themselves, at their own pace.

It's also one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself.

Mike Dooley
Inspirational Author, Speaker

THE PURPOSE OF DANCING

The purpose of dancing isn't to end up at a particular spot on the floor. The purpose of dancing and of life is to enjoy every moment and every step, regardless of where you are when the music ends.

Dr. Wayne Dyer
American Author and Inspirational Speaker

All your life you are told the things you cannot do.
All your life they will say you're not good enough
Or strong enough or talented enough.
They'll say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight
Or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this.
They will tell you 'no', a thousand times 'no'
Until all the no's become meaningless.
They will tell you 'no', quite firmly and very quickly.
And you will tell them 'YES.'"

From an Athletic Shoe Advertisement

Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance
you must keep moving.

Albert Einstein, 1879-1955
Theoretical Physicist, Author and Philosopher

Life is lived one day at a time, and the best way to prepare for tomorrow is to live at your very best today.


Author Unknown
But Very Much Appreciated!

I began to understand that the promises of the world are for the most part phantoms, and that to have faith in oneself and become something of worth and value is the best and safest course."

Michelangelo, 1475-1564
Italian Sculptor, Painter, Architect and Poet

To Believe...
Author Unknown


To believe is to know that every day
is a new beginning.
It is to trust that miracles happen,
and dreams really do come true.
To believe is to see angels dancing among the clouds,
To know the wonder of a stardust sky
and the wisdom of the man in the moon.
To believe is to know the value of a nurturing heart,
The innocence of a child's eyes
and the beauty of an aging hand,
for it is through their teachings we learn to love.
To believe is to find the strength
and courage that lies within us.
When it is time to pick up the pieces and begin again.
To believe is to know we are not alone,
That life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it.
To believe is to know that wonderful surprises
are just waiting to happen,
And all our hopes and dreams are within reach.
If only we believe.

Most people don't know
there are angels
whose only job is to make sure
you don't get too comfortable
and fall asleep and miss your life."

Brian Andreas
American Artist and Storyteller

Some of the shells that wash up on the beach were once very beautiful. We don't know what kind of journey they had to take to get them in their fragile condition. The same is true for people. Be kind."

Linda Gifford

To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest."

Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948
Indian Political and Spiritual Leader

Freedom and love go together... if I love you because you love me, that is mere trade, a thing to be bought in the market. To love is not to ask anything in return, not even to feel that you are giving something - and it is only such love that can know freedom.

Jiddu Krishnamurti, 1895-1986
Indian Author, Philosopher and Teacher

WHO ARE MY PEOPLE

My people? Who are they?
I went into the church where the congregation
Worshiped my God. Were they my people?
I felt no kinship to them as they knelt there.

My people! Where are they?
I went into the land where I was born,
Where men spoke my language...
I was a stranger there.
'My people,' my soul cried. 'Who are my people?'

Last night in the rain I met an old man
Who spoke a language I do not speak,
Which marked him as one who does not know my God.
With apologetic smile he offered me
The shelter of his patched umbrella.
I met his eyes... And then I knew…"


--Rosa Zagnoni Marinoni
Italian-American Poet

Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there.

- Bo Jackson

No written word, no spoken plea
Can teach our youths what they should be.
Not all the books on all the shelves,
It's what the teachers are themselves.

Author Unknown
But Very Much Appreciated!

A Treasured Pearl

"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl."

Stephan Hoeller

"Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty."

--Doris Day

Quote of the Day

On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.

- Aldous Huxley

...Our true worth, value, and identity come not from what the world says, but from complete acceptance by God. In and of ourselves, we'll never be enough; we'll wear ourselves out trying.

--Nancy Stafford

Extraordinary people...

Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.

—Robertson Davies.

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.

James Allen, 1864-1912
English Author and Poet

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. The rain falls soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

- Irish blessing

The only thing that separates any one of us from excellence is fear and the opposite of fear is faith. I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for, perfection is God’s business.

Michael J. Fox
Canadian-American Actor and Activist

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”

-Oprah Winfrey

Would you sell both your eyes for a million dollars... or your two legs... or your hands... or your hearing? Add up what you have, and you'll find that you wouldn't sell it for all the gold in the world."

Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955
American Motivational Author

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, but in what direction we are moving.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."

Helen Keller, 1880-1968
American Author, Educator and Activist

When joy has a reason,
it is not going to last long.
But when joy is without any reason,
it is going to be there forever.

Osho, 1931-1990

Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with.

- Mark Twain

I'm not very good
At this Game called Life
For I've not learned to see children crying
Without feeling pain
For I've not learned to watch animals destroyed
Without wondering why
For I've not yet met a king or a celebrity
That I would bow down to
Or a man so insignificant
That I would use for a stepping-stone
For I've not learned to be a 'yes man'
To narrow minded bosses
Who quote rules without reason
And I've not learned to manipulate
The feelings of others
To be used for my own advantages
Then cast aside as I see fit
No, I'm not very good
At this Game called Life
And if everything goes well
Maybe I never will be."

Javan
American Author and Poet

The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.

- Arthur Ashe

The lesson which life constantly repeats is to 'look under your feet.' You are always nearer to the divine and the true sources of your power than you think. The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars. Every place is the center of the world."

John Burroughs
American Author and Naturalist

"If man is man and God is God, to live without prayer is not merely an awful thing: it is an infinitely foolish thing."

--Phillips Brooks

"Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and of true progress."

- Nicholas Murray Butler

"Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness."

--Marianne Williamson

In my dream,
the angel shrugged
and said,
if we fail this time,
it will be a failure of imagination.
And then she placed the world
gently
in the palm of my hand.

Brian Andreas
American Artist and Storyteller

Peace is not a momentary lack of restlessness in our mind. It is not a transitory state. It is our true nature, has always been. It can never leave us. It is our noise that covers it up.

Author Unknown
But Very Much Appreciated!

Have you ever wished you were someone else? We all have at some point. But eventually we come to realize that the body, mind and circumstances we were born with - even if they seem 'imperfect' to us - can all be used to create a beautiful and meaningful life. The choice is always ours - continue to wish - or accept and improve upon the gifts we've already been given.

Ron Atchison
The Mayor of Inspiration Peak

To live a creative life,
we must lose our fear
of being wrong.

Joseph Chilton Pearce
American Author

Last Minute Gift Suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To every child, a good example.
To all, charity.
To yourself, respect."

Author Unknown

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."

~Oprah Winfrey

Another fresh new year is here …
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest …
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!

William Arthur Ward, 1921-1994

Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come."

Author Unknown

When we have arrived at the question,
the answer is already near.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882
American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher

Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both.

Abraham Flexner, 1866-1959
American Educator

In our imaginations we believe that love is apart from us. Actually there is nothing but love, once we are ready to accept it. When you truly find love, you find yourself.


Deepak Chopra
Indian Author and Medical Doctor

Have the courage to say no.
Have the courage to face the truth.
Do the right thing because it is right.
These are the magic keys
to living your life with integrity.


W. Clement Stone, 1902-2002

American Businessman, Author and Philanthropist

Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.


Lucille Ball, 1911-1989
American Actress and Comedienne

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things... I am tempted to think... there are no little things.


Bruce Barton, 1886-1967
American Author

"Remember, always walk in the light. And if you feel like you're not walking in it, go find it. Love the light". ~Roberta Flack

Logic will get you from A to B.
Imagination will take you everywhere.

Albert Einstein, 1879-1955
Theoretical Physicist, Author and Philosopher

Love is always bestowed as a gift -
freely, willingly and without expectation.
We don't love to be loved;
we love to love.


Dr. Leo Buscaglia, 1924-1998
American Author, Professor and Inspirational Speaker

PILLOW AND BRIDGES

Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.


Maya Angelou
American Author, Poet and Actress

You cannot change your destination overnight,
but you can change your direction overnight.


Author Unknown

We should never be afraid to admit when we are wrong. It is not a sign of weakness, but shows character and responsibility. Others will respect
us for that.

Author Unknown

What we do is a measure of who we are. If we imagine our work as labor, we become laborers. If we imagine our work as art, we become artists."

--Jeffrey Patnaude

This is long, but it inspires me.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Rudyard Kipling

You change for two reasons: Either you learn enough that you want to, or you've been hurt enough that you have to.


Author Unknown
But Greatly Appreciated!

Being fair and reasonable will earn you respect and admiration, but being genuinely kind will make you a total love magnet.


Mike Dooley
Inspirational Author, Speaker

What we accomplish in a day depends upon the way we approach our tasks. When we accept tough jobs as a challenge... and wade into them with joy and enthusiasm, miracles can happen. When we do our work with a dynamic conquering spirit, we get things done.


Arland Gilbert

"I was in darkness,
but I took three steps
and found myself in paradise.
The first step was a good thought,
the second, a good word,
and the third, a good deed."


Author Unknown

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have yet to find anyone, however exalted their station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.


Charles M. Schwab, 1862-1939
American Steel Magnate

People desire so many things and waste their days in vain... Some yearn for gold, others for power, yet others for glory and a higher station. But when death's moment nears and they look back at their lives, they realize they've been happy only during those moments when they've loved.

Borje Vahamaki

Eventually, you will come to understand
that love heals everything,
and love is all there is.

The journey may take many lifetimes,
but you will complete it.
It is impossible not to complete it.
It is not a question of if but of when.

Every situation you create
serves this purpose.

Every experience you encounter
serves this purpose.

Gary Zukav
Spiritual Author and Teacher

It is important to expect nothing,
To take every experience,
Including the negative ones,
As merely steps on the path,
And to proceed."

Ram Dass
American Author, Spiritual Teacher

Whenever anyone has offended me,
I try to raise my soul so high
that the offense cannot reach it."

Rene Descartes, 1596-1650
French Philosopher and Mathematician

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."

Jack London, 1876 - 1916
American Author

May the warm winds of Heaven
Blow softly upon your house.
May the Great Spirit
Bless all who enter there.
May your Mocassins
Make happy tracks in many snows,
and may the Rainbow
Always touch your shoulder.

Cherokee Blessing
North American Indian Nation

Every ending is simply a new beginning.
Nothing ends, nothing.
All is a beginning.
Welcome to the new now.

Author Unknown

Do you want me to tell you
something really subversive?
Love is everything it's cracked up to be.
That's why people are so cynical about it.
It really is worth fighting for,
being brave for and risking everything for.

Erica Jong
American Author and Teacher

Pick Up Your Pen

When the darkness falls
And you're just barely clinging
to a single,
rapidly unraveling thread
on life's frayed garment.

Pick up your pen
And in the broadest,
boldest strokes
you can manage

Write the name of love
across the sky

--Maithri Goonetilleke

Even after all this time,
the sun never says to the earth,
'You owe me.'
Look what happens with a love like that.
It lights the whole sky."

Hafiz, 1320-1389
Persian Poet

"When you're forgiven, it makes you understand just how much you are loved. And when you forgive? The whole world opens up to you and you make yourself available to the highest form of happiness." ~ Diahann Carroll

WORDS AND MEANINGS

Questions:

This week, our inspiration takes on a different twist. See if you can provide answers for the following. And do not peak at the answers: symbols.


1. Meaning "and," what modern-day symbol can be traced back to the Old Roman cursive letters E and T or "et"?

2. Meaning "a type of watchtower," this seven-letter word is the longest word in the dictionary to contain more than half A's in its spelling.

3. When used as a noun, this word means a disease of animals, but when used as a verb, it means to stuff.

4. The name of this masked marauder means "fox" in Spanish.

5. True or False: A "Zeigarnik" is someone who has a tendency to remember uncompleted tasks.

6. What are you doing if you're pandiculating?

7. Belonging to the order Siphonaptera, this wingless insect has mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. What's its common name?

8. This word is derived from the Greek soloikos, meaning "speaking incorrectly."

9. This word is used to refer to the practice of using a name that differs from the one used in the official language -- i.e. Germany for Deutschland.

10. Following on question No. 9, what word is used to describe the name used by the people or locals themselves?















Answers

1. The ampersand "&" can be traced back to the Old Roman cursive letters E and T or "et."

2. Atalaya is the longest word to contain more than half of A's in its spelling.

3. Farcy means a disease of animals when used as a noun, but when used as a verb, it means to stuff.

4. Zorro means "fox" in Spanish.

5. True. A Zeigarnik usually remembers uncompleted tasks.

6. Pandiculating refers to yawning and stretching simultaneously.

7. The flea belongs to the order Siphonaptera and has mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood.

8. Solecism means "speaking incorrectly."

9. Exonym refers to the practice of using a name that differs from the one used in the official language.

10. Endonym describes the name used by the people or locals themselves.

"I believe we have a higher level of mentality within us, but we have to use the power in the right way." ~Tina Turner

If it is not truthful and not helpful, don't say it.
If it is truthful and not helpful, don't say it.
If it is not truthful and helpful, don't say it.
If it is truthful and helpful, wait for the right time."

Buddha

In order to live free and happily,
you must sacrifice boredom.
It is not always an easy sacrifice.

Richard Bach
American Author of 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull'

If you want to...

If you want a quality, act as if you already have it. If you want to be courageous, act as if you were - and as you act and persevere in acting, so you tend to become.

Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993

If your compassion
does not include yourself,
it is incomplete."

Jack Kornfield

A little more patience,
a little more charity for all,
a little more devotion,
a little more love;
with less bowing down to the past,
and a silent ignoring of pretended authority;
brave looking forward to the future
with more faith in our fellows,
and the race will be ripe
for a great burst of light and life."

Elbert Hubbard
American Author and Philosopher

Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.

William Stafford, 1914-1993
American Poet and Pacifist

Yesterday is history, today is present, tomorrow is a mystery.








American Poet