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I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible,
to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, after all, to matter:
to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that
you lived at all.
- Leo C. Rosten
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The Power Is Yours!
"The joy is that we can take back our bodies, reclaim our health, and restore ourselves to balance.
We can take power over what and how we eat.
We can rejuvenate and recharge ourselves, bringing healing to the wounds we carry inside us, and bringing to fuller life the wonderful person that each of us can be."
- John Robbins
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Subtract from the great man all that he owes to opportunity, all that he owes to chance, and all that he gained by the wisdom of his friends and the folly of his enemies, and the giant will often be seen to be a pygmy.
- Charles Caleb Colton
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"It is not easy to live life sometimes
- Kathy Obara
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Faith, Hope and Love
"Man does not live by a turkey in every oven or a color TV set in every home. Man lives by faith and hope and love, by the star on the horizon, by the trumpet that will not call retreat. "
- E. Merrill Root
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And face the world with a smile when you're crying inside.
It takes a lot of courage to reach down inside yourself,
Hold on to that strength that's still there,
And know that tomorrow is a new day-with new possibilities.
But if you can just hold on long enough to see this through,
You'll come out a new person-stronger,
With more understanding and with a new pride in yourself
From knowing you made it"
- Helen Keller
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- Lucy Benington
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- Oscar Wilde
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- Benjamin Franklin
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- Henri Frederic Amiel
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"Did you know...that when you walk past a flower, whether it be in somebody's garden or on a vacant hillside, the flower will always smile at you. The most polite way to respond, I've been told, is to cheerfully return the smile."
Ron Atchison
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"We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true."
Woodrow Wilson
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28th US President
"No pleasure philosophy, no sensuality, no place nor power, no material success can for a moment give such inner satisfaction as the sense of living for good purposes, for maintenance of integrity, for the preservation of self-approval"
- Minot Simons
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-Marquis De Custine
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-- Unknown Author
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The first is imperative, and the second disastrous.
- Margaret Fontey
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- Albert Einstein
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- Edmond Rostand
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- Andrew Carnegie
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- La Bruyere
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- Lawrence Downs
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The little boy had always wished that he could fly like a bird. It was very difficult for him to understand why he could not fly. There were birds at the zoo that were much bigger than he, and they could fly. "Why can't I?" he thought. "Is there something wrong with me?" he wondered.
There was another little boy who was crippled. He had always wished that he could walk and run like other little boys and girls. "Why can't I be like them?" he thought.
One day the little orphan boy, who had wanted to fly like a bird, ran away from the orphanage. He came upon a park where he saw the little boy, who could not walk or run, playing in the sandbox.
He ran over to the little boy and asked him if he had ever wanted to fly like a bird.
"No," said the little boy who could not walk or run. "But I have wondered what it would be like to walk and run like other boys and girls."
"That is very sad," said the little boy who wanted to fly. "Do you think we could be friends?" he said to the little boy in the sandbox.
"Sure," said the little boy.
The two little boys played for hours. They made sand castles and made really funny sounds with their mouths. Sounds which made them laugh real hard. Then the little boy's father came with a wheelchair to pick up his son. The little boy who had always wanted to fly ran over to the boy's father and whispered something into his ear.
"That would be OK," said the man.
The little boy who had always wanted to fly like a bird ran over to his new friend and said, "You are my only friend and I wish that there was something that I could do to make you walk and run like other little boys and girls. But I can't. But there is something that I can do for you."
The little orphan boy turned around and told his new friend to slide up onto his back. He then began to run across the grass. Faster and faster he ran, carrying the little crippled boy on his back. Faster and harder he ran across the park. Harder and harder he made his legs travel. Soon the wind just whistled across the two little boys' faces.
The little boy's father began to cry as he watched his beautiful little crippled son flapping his arms up and down in the wind, all the while yelling at the top of his voice,
"I'M FLYING, DADDY. I'M FLYING!"
-- Roger Dean Kiser, Sr. --
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- Oliver Wendell Holmes
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- Greg Anderson
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- Thomas Jefferson
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Someone who changes your life
simply by being a part of it…
Someone who makes you laugh
until you can't stop…
Someone who makes you believe
that there really is good in the world…
Someone who convinces you that there is
an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it…
This is forever friendship
and friendship has no end…"
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
American Civil Rights Leader
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The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
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"I am only one, 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 something I can do.
- Edward Everett Hale
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American Author, Clergyman
You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to
enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a
finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the
world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."
Woodrow Wilson
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28th President of the United States
"Did you know...that when you walk past a flower, whether it be in
somebody's garden or on a vacant hillside, the flower will always
smile at you. The most polite way to respond, I've been told, is
to cheerfully return the smile."
- Ron Atchison
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When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
Success is failure turned inside out;
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When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit.
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."
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If you don't keep walking you will never get where your going.
Don't wait for someone to stop and carry you, you may weigh them
down and you both could fall.
When you think the walk is too steep, press on, for there is no
mountain that can't be climbed.
When you see someone fall along the way, lend your hand. If
someone lends you a hand, reach for it, to help you get back up again.
Hand in hand, together- each one helping the other can make this
journey as precious as the place that we are all striving for.
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An old man was walking along the beach, when he came upon a part of the sand where thousands of starfish had washed ashore.
A little further down the beach he saw a young woman, who was picking up the starfish one at a time and tossing them back into the ocean. "Oh you silly girl," he exclaimed. "You can't possibly save all of these starfish. There's too many."
The woman smiled and said, "I know. But I can save this one, " and she tossed another into the ocean, "and this one", toss, "and this one..."
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Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.
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Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.
One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.
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Some people move our souls to dance.
They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom.
They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints in our hearts, and We are never, ever the same.
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
---Mother Theresa
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Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
"If you had a bank that credited $86,400 to your account each morning, carried over the balance from day to day, allowed you to keep no cash in your account at the end of 24 hours, canceled out whatever part of that amount you failed to use, what would you do?
Try to spend every cent, of course! Well, everyone does have such a bank, and its name is TIME. Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds.
The next morning at the same hour it rules as lost whatever of this you failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance and allows no overdrafts.
If you don't use the day's deposit, the loss is yours. There is no going back, no drawing against tomorrow.
How do you spend your daily surplus?
"Best wishes for an Enormous Return on your investment Today"
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The more you give, the more you get
The more of everything you share,
The more you love, the more you'll find
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The more you do unselfishly
The more you live abundantly.
The more you laugh, the less you fret.
The more you'll always have to spare.
That life is good and friends are kind.
For only what we give away,
Enriches us from day to day.
"Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
Don't believe all you hear.
When you say, "I love you", mean it.
When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
Believe in love at first sight.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Smile when picking up the phone, the caller will hear it in your voice.
Treat other's the way you want to be treated!"
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Time moves too slowly
But despite its rate of travel,
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When we wish it would pass,
And rushes by quickly
When we want it to last
Time cannot stop or steal
the heart that holds within itself
A love true and real.
Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.
Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
We could learn a lot from crayons:
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.
A truly happy person is one who can ejoy the scenery on a detour.
Happiness comes through doors you didn't know you left open.
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Some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull,
some have weird names, and all are different colors...
but they all have to learn to live in the same box.
Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 3-year-old daughter for wastinga roll of gold wrapping paper.
Money was tight and he became infuriated when the small child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree.
Nevertheless the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said "This is for you Daddy."
He was embarrassed by his earlier over reaction. But his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. Then he yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside of it?"
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and
said, "Oh Daddy it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you Daddy." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl and he begged her forgiveness.
My friend told me that he kept that gold box near his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense each of us has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
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I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
There would have been more "I love you's."
...But mostly, given another shot at life, I would sieze every minute...look at it and really see it .... live it...and never give it back.
Stop sweating the small stuff. Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.
Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with. And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, as well as spiritually. Life is too short to let it pass you by. We only have one shot at this and then it's gone.
I hope you all have a blessed day.
- Erma Bombeck when she found out she had cancer
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Standing for what you believe in, Regardless of the odds against you, and pressure that tears at your resistance,
Stopping at nothing, And doing what's in your heart, You know is right,
Keeping a smile on your face, When inside you feel like dying, For the sake of supporting others,
Helping a friend in need, No matter the time or effort, To the best of your ability,
Doing more than is expected, To make another's life more bearable,Without uttering a single complaint,
Giving more than you have, And expecting nothing
But nothing in return,
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...means courage
...means determination
...means strength
...means loyalty
...means compassion
...means selflessness
If ever you need to talk,
She doesn't want a lot,
Always know she cares,
There is a saying that goes:
'You don't have to love in words,
- Anonymous
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if ever you need some cheer,
remember you have a friend--
who always will be here...
only to see you smile;
and just to see you happy,
she'll walk that proverbial mile.
no matter what you do.
You'll always find her there
to give you hugs when you are blue.
because even through the silences,
love is always heard.'
I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after hehad just finished a rough first day on the job, a flat tire made him lose an hour of work & his electric drill quit, his ancient one ton truck refused to start. As I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.
On arriving he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. Upon opening the door he had undergone an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do at the little tree.
"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again." Funny thing
is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
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Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.
Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.
- Mary Jean Iron
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Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.
It's The Special Things In Life
If We Let These Precious Things
-author unknown
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That Make It Mean So Much.
The Sun, The Rain, The Sky;
The Thoughts and The Touch.
Float Out To an Endless Sea,
We Lose Our Hope, Our Love,
And Most, Our Reason To Be.
Nine requisites for contented living:
Health enough to make work a pleasure.
Wealth enough to support your needs.
Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor.
Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Faith enough to make real the things of God.
Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.
-Johann von Goethe
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Touch my heart and I'll touch yours
Touch my life with tenderness
Take my hand as I grow old
Touch my heart and I'll touch yours
- author unknown
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With a gentle word or two,
For kindness bears the sweetest fruit
That makes our dreams come true.
And fill my cup with love.
Share my dreams as I share yours
Beyond the stars above.
And lead me when I'm blind.
Show me that you really care
Good Friends are hard to find.
A little more each day
And then we both find happiness
Somewhere along the way.
Meditate.
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Live purely.
Be quiet.
Do your work with mastery.
Like the moon, come out
from behind the clouds!
Shine.
"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see fine pictures, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words."
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) German poet
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Little drops of water, little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean, and the pleasant land:
So the little minutes, humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages of eternity.
Little deeds of kindness, little words of love,
Help to make earth happy, like Heaven up above.
-- Julia Carney
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People are often unreasonable, illogical,
If you are kind, People may accuse
If you are successful, you will win some
If you are honest and frank,
What you spend years building,
If you find serenity and happiness,
The good you do today,
Give the world the best you have,
You see, in the final analysis,
-- Mother Theresa
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and self-centered;
forgive them anyway.
you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
there may be jealousy;
Be happy anyway.
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
Be of good cheer.
You have set yourselves a difficult task,
Remember, no effort that we make to attain
- Helen Keller
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Do not think of today's failures,
but of the success that may come tomorrow.
but you will succeed if you persevere;
and you will find joy in overcoming obstacles.
something beautiful is ever lost.
"A Butterfly"
A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the smallopening of the cocoon are God`s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.
If God allowed us to go throughall our life without any obstacles, that would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Not only that, we could never fly."
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There's work to do,
In the midst of family chaos,
It may seem like your worries
God knows how stressful life is;
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deadlines to meet,
you've got no time to spare,
but as you hurry and scurry,
always say a prayer.
"quality time" is rare.
Do your best;
let God do the rest:
always say a prayer.
are more than you can bear.
Slow down and take a breather
always say a prayer.
He wants to ease our cares,
and He'll respond A.S.A.P.;
Always Say A Prayer!
There once was an oyster Whose story I tell,
It was only a grain, but it gave him great pain.
Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate
Did he curse at the government, Cry for election,
'No,' he said to himself as he lay on a shell,
Now the years have rolled around, as the years always do,
And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so
Now the tale has a moral, for isn't it grand
What couldn't we do if we'd only begin
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Who found that some sand had got into his shell.
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.
That had brought him To such a deplorable state?
And claim that the sea should have given him protection?
Since I cannot remove it, I shall try to improve it.
And he came to his ultimate destiny stew.
Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand?
With some of the things that get under our skin.
There is an old fable in which the mighty oak tree which stood for over one hundred years finally was blown over by a storm. The tree feel into a river that floated it downstream until it came to rest among the reeds growing along the riverbank. The fallen giant asked the reeds in amazement, "How is it that you were able to weather the storm that was too powerful for me, an oak tree, to withstand?"
The reeds replied, "All these years you stubbornly resisted the winds that swept your way. You took such pride in your strength that you refused to yield, even a little bit. We, on the other hand, have not resisted the winds, but have always bent with them. We recognized the superior power of the wind and so, the harder the wind blew the more we humbled ourselves before it."
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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,or 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.
Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time waits for no one.
So, stop waiting
--until your car or home is paid off
There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So -- work like you don't need money,
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--until you get a new car or home
--until your kids leave the house
--until you go back to school
--until you lose ten pounds
--until you gain ten pounds
--until you finish school
--until you get a divorce
--until you get married
--until you have kids
--until you retire
--until summer
--until spring
--until winter
--until fall
--until you die
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching.
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke.
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your
attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I've also never forgotten her name was Dorothy.
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I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the day ends. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.
Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or ... I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.
Today I can grumble about my health or... I can rejoice that I am alive.
Today I can mourn my lack of friends or... I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.
Today I can whine because I have to go to work or... I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.
Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or...
I can feel honored because Life has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.
Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.
What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have! Why not make it a GREAT day???
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